Nutritionists

5/22/2012

I've sought out various nutritionists for at least 5 years to help me with healthy weight gain and food anxiety. My main advice to anyone who wants to gain weight or lose weight to not stay with a nutritionist who is condescending of your situation. For example, one doctor told me "Why do you want to gain weight? There are so many people who would kill to be you!" Yikes... It is important to not be around any health professional who is condescending, because if he or she is condescending then he or she is judging you. If you are being negatively judged then you will not receive the best treatment suited for your needs due to the doctor being clouded by personal judgement rather than their schooling. 

There is a big difference in working with you on a goal and being cutthroat. A nutritionist who works with you on a goal will focus on slow progression for the transition of a healthier lifestyle and has the understanding that sometimes the patient relapses into bad eating habits. For example, a good nutritionist will help you find subsitutes for your diet such as baby carrots instead of chips or cook with this oil instead of that one. Also a good nutritionist will take note of the times of day you eat in order to get an understanding of your metabolism. A cutthroat nutritionist will use scare tactics or an overwhelming push to get you to eat a certain way such as mentioning you could get a heart attack and so on. By pointing out the negative effects more than ways to slowly transition, the patient will feel overwhelmed. Also you can tell a nutritionist is just not for you if he or she makes it seems like their technique is the only one that works. Obviously this is not true since there are a million diet books out there, you just have to be Goldilocks and find what works for you. 

Overall, I would like to say Good Luck and Good for you for seeking a healthy diet and help. There are resources for diets within the US that are free or low cost for you to explore. Remember, you deserve respect because it is not an easy choice to decide to take control of your body and carry it out.