Laura1999999999's Journal, 08 May 22

I went to see a dietitian at the beginning of the year and it has helped me get a better balance of healthy eating that fits my lifestyle! She recommended I use a food diary to log what I eat which has helped me count calories and also get a better balance of protein. I log everything and aim for a calorie deficit, but I still drink wine in moderation and exercise 3-5 times a week. I would highly recommend seeing one especially if you need some guidance! 

Maybe making sure you see someone who is well read and willing to be flexible. I have seen many over the years especially when I first gained weight before being diagnosed with hashimotos. I was discouraged by the generic approach and instance that if I followed their plan I would lose weight so when I gained weight I was obviously cheating which I wasn’t. She said to me I’m sure you aren’t measuring your portions properly. I’m sure not all dieticians are the same though. I just maybe had bad experiences. I went to a different one when I was 18 and almost anorexic- I needed to lose another 4kgs on my 175cm frame to be there. And I had this obsessive book where I logged every calorie and every gram I ate to the nearest 2 decimal points and she paged through it and told me, where did you get this calorie count of skinless chicken? It’s wrong. I will not soon forget the shame I felt in that moment and it wasn’t the thing I needed at that point when I was going there recognising I had a problem and I wanted help to get out of my obsessive eating. Anyway sorry for the rant. I hope you find someone who is knowledgeable and kind. 

As Jespes says, make sure you see someone who doesn't lump everyone in the same box. I also have hashimotos (same as Jespes) and saw 3 different dieticians to find a competent one (found that one through my GP). A medical aid approved one have me a diet that was literally out of a magazine, with whole-wheat bread, pasta and fish in it. I had told her up front that I'm intolerant to gluten and seafood. It also included pineapple and oats porridge, both being things I'd told her that I really don't like. Her response when I questioned the meal plan was "well do you want to lose weight or not?" 🤬 

I went to a dietician, and she changed my life . I didn’t know where to start with my weight loss journey and she helped a lot. After 2 years i lost 18 kg because of my the dietitian eating plan. I don’t use the plan anymore but i make wiser food choices 

I had a similar experience to Jespes and Tess-Cat. The dietician gave me a generic plan and also ignored me when I said I'm lacto-vegetarian and don't eat eggs. She said if I wanted to be healthy I would follow the plan. I could have just downloaded a plan online. She had like a whole folder with printed out plans, so she didn't work one out especially for me. Maybe I just saw a bad one. Good luck! 

I'm so sad to hear that so many of you had a bad experience with a dietitian. I'm myself a dietitian and we are supposed to work out meal plans according to clinical diagnosis, previous eating patterns and intolerances. We also dislike the word diet, because it is more suppose to be a lifestyle change. No dietitian is supposed to ruin your relationship with food. We are all supposed to enjoy a chocolate and cake now and then without feeling guilty. Again sorry for what some of my colleagues caused. I hope you find the perfect dietitian for you and that she would make the meal plan convenient, easy and enjoyable for you to follow. Good luck on your weight loss journey! 

Hi Shani, thank you for your comment. I am sure there are wonderful dieticians out there and I would never want to paint them all with the same brush and I hope it isn’t hurtful to you what has been said. ❤️  

You can try to eat accordingly to your blood group. I am B+ so i need to eat lots of protiens and salad 

Laura another thing to consider if doing a checkup with a bio kinetics person to check your body fat/muscle. A lot of us who have lost weight I think have higher BF and less muscle which can show up as a ‘slow metabolism’. Working out and building muscle may help. I know chronic dieting is much linked to low muscle mass.  

@Jespes I definitely want to do this first. Think its actually exactly that. All my excersize has been cardio focused so got some weights and trying to improve my muscle. Thanks so much ladies, definitely good and bad to a dietician and more about finding the right one. Definitely need more Shani's in the world😅🌸  

Hi! If you find the right dietitian, you will flourish. Unfortunately some dietitians are generalists and do not specialise in weight loss; those are the ones who will give you a generic plan and send you on your way. The right dietitian with specialist knowledge will personalise a plan and give you the right tools, suited to *you* specifically. They will help change your lifestyle in the long term and ensure that your approach is sustainable, and brings results. All the best!  

You CAN do this. Weightloss is really simple. You know this already. Nothing changes until YOU change.... I keep telling myself that. Close your eyes for a second and think of the person you really WANT TO BE... Great butt, nice legs, makes the jean brands look good... Now... think how that person eats and exercises, to be THAT person you need to do those things. YOU CAN. YOU CAN. YOU WILL