what happens at a nutritionist?

what happens on a first visit?

do they automaticially make you eat a list of food
or do they help you make a plan.....

like what happens?......

just curious..

If you're an outpatient (not in an IP EDU) then they'll discuss what kind of foods you're eating at the moment, what kind of foods you need as well as what you like and what you and your family (or people you live with) normally eat and comprise a plan from that. Some do a fixed meal plan (ie 'breakfast:75g All Bran, 150 ml Milk') or some do exchanges ('breakfast: 2 starches, 1 milk') etc.

Hope this helps :)

wow not that bad..

but is it true that some of them will force you to eat like a cake/muffin or junk?
i want to get a heathy HABIT out of all this gaining stuff.......

and what about thsoe "high cal" food that youve neverl iked before..... it wont be forced onto me, would it? (ex eggs, cheese)

i mean, if  i tell the;m what highcal foods i like, (nuts, banana, salmon,  ricee),  etc..... and when then plan my food long thingy, they would choose from my list, right?...... as long as its enough of w/e i need?

No food is "junk". \: But yes, it's likely they will try and work some cakes in there, some so called "junk" - in moderation. Like any normal person should. 80% healthy, 20% fun. And if you are deliberately avoiding foods that you're only saying you don't like because it can be high calorie then the nutritionist will likely work them in in small amounts because part of ED recovery is working on "fear" foods.

Ultimately, though, they will take foods you enjoy for the most part and then work on other elements you're deliberately cutting out for no real reason.

Honestly, though? Instead of shooting yourself in the foot and putting it off before you even go, how about going to an appointment instead? |: No one is going to be able to walk you through a nutritionist's appointment better than - oh. A nutritionist.

So you haven't even been to your first consultation and you're already looking for excuses not to comply with a program.

Based on your past posts, that's what you always do.  I suggest you take a big girl pill, grow up, and make every effort to do what ever these experienced professionals tell you is good for you. 

Don't worry, a nutritionist will usually try to make compromises with things that push you past your comfort zone, but those can only go so far. It is likely that he or she will have you eat a couple of your fear foods. Not everyday though, maybe one or twice a week. It depends on the person. I've been to a few nutritionists, and one told me she absolutely did not want me having reduced-fat dairy, and another said she didn't care. 

At my first appointment I made a list of what I usually eat for my meals and snacks and then I did a 5 day food record and brought it back. From my day-to-day account she advised me on the nutrients I was skipping out on and how I could easily incorporate them into my diet and increase my calorie intake without having to eat a whole lot more, just better nutritious choices.

I'm training to be a dietitian, so I know your appointment won't be torture. Nutritionists are here to serve your needs.

what are you guys talking about "fear foods"....... i'm not fearful of cakes, thats just silly. i would eat them at parties and stuff to be polite, but why cant a person just not LIKE something thats too sweet for them?

most of these cakes in america are MUCH too sweet for me. i'm used to the lighter sweet cakes i get from asia............ i dont get why liking "junk food" is a normal thing....... its UNNORMAL to say your fearful of something that you dont like.........

and i'm NOT avoiding high cal food.......  is it WRONG not to like eggs/ cheese/ cake/ chocolate?..... am i WEIRD BECAUSE I HAVE DIFFERENT TASTE PERFERANCE THAN OTHERS ever since i was a CHILD?! yeah, that must be it. i'm that weirdo that doesnt like normal pleasure foods...... ch

and i dont want to START getting used to "junkfood" i never liked before....... why would ANYBODY want to LIKE to eat junkfood that they never liked before? its like saying, " ew, i hate eating poop, but should just eat ti because i wanna gain weight" YUCKK

sorry, but it just ticks me off when people assume something about me thats nto true. the number 1 thing i cant stand are likes + not the truths.

Many people with ED's are actually scared of certain foods... it's NOT normal, that's why they're in RECOVERY.

For example, I was deathly scared of butter... absolutely refused to put it on food, for no logical reason. I knew I needed fats, but in my mind, butter=death to me, to the point where I'd get an anxiety attack after eating it. Am I better about this? Somewhat, each day I put a little butter on toast, I become more used to the idea that eating butter on toast is normal.

Food dislikes are different than food fears. I dislike peanuts, nothing to do with calorie/fat content, I just sincerly don't like the taste or texture... and it makes me literally sick (non-anxiety related) 

if you have an eating disorder, it is quite normal to convince yourself that you dislike something, just so that you won't eat it. Don't take offence, and don't be angry at people who are questioning whether your refusals are ED-related or not.

That being said - your nutritionist will talk to you. They will probably ask what your diet is currently like, what kind of meals you eat - how often, how much each meal is, etc. What kind of foods you like, or that you are comfortable with. Initially, your plan will probably be solely based around those items, depending on how varied they are. Your nutritionist may want to suggest you try some things. Like if you don't eat many fats, they may offer you a few different ideas to get them in, and then the two of you will decide what you feel most comfortable with and feel you can accomplish.  When I saw a nutritionist years ago, she said I needed to get more fat into my diet. I was really nervous about it, and her initial suggestion was to butter my toast in addition to putting jam on it. I wasn't comfortable with that though, so instead we decided to add some nuts into my breakfast instead. Other things, like a cookie or something, probably won't be mentioned at first. S/he may talk about things like that later, after you have been successful with your meal plan for a bit. But they will never push or force you to eat something you don't feel comfortable with. They may ask, or suggest - my nutritionist suggested I have a "treat" day once a month, after that went okay once or twice, she said how bout every two weeks? After I felt alright with that, we made every Friday a "treat" day.

The thing with moderation is that it works both ways - while you don't want to subsist off of junk food and things, its also unhealthy to tell yourself you can't ever have those things. Nutritionists know this - they wouldn't suggest you eat a slice of cake or a pie every night. Just every now and again, so you know that it is indeed okay to eat those things every once and awhile.

Lala - you are fantastic BUT…

I do not like it how you assume that it is IMPERATIVE for EVERY ONE to consume “ junk” foods.

There is nothing wrong with them in moderation, and junk food CAN certainly be a healthy part of recovery and a normal balanced diet but consuming junk food is not ESSENTIAL for those recovering in order for them to develop a “ normal” relationship with food.

Sugar, artificial additives, and all those other fake man made chemicals are NOT essential to have a normal relationship with food

No, I am not being dogmatic, I just hate the taste of all that artificial stuff and would have been ticked off if a nutritionist told me that I HAD to like pizza, mast food, and processed doughnuts and cakes if I wanted to be “ normal”

I know a lot of people who are like me; we prefer the taste of our OWN “treats” things like processed dates/nuts/cocoa/ rolled into balls and rolled through coconut, or a bowel of fresh raspberries with a large dollop of coconut cream OR fresh thickened natural cream

My home made raw brownies and cakes made from ground nuts, coconut oil, cocoa, agave syrup and etc are very decadent and rich

So, those recovering should be better educated by their nutritionist; to be told that eating processed junk food with refined sugar and a million additives in it are ESSENTIAL for them to recover is WRONG

Nutritionist should say that processed junk food, AS WELL AS natural “ treat” foods are all options, and that “ treat” does not mean they have to have pizza or fast food to be “ normal”

Gosh, a nutritionist with an interest in a healthy functioning body should not forget to mention that there are tasty ways to make deserts out of nuts/fruit/cocoa that have a lot of calories but also contain more health benefits then fast food and etc…

Instead of saying “ pizza and junk food is essential for you to develop a healthy relationship with food” the nutritionist should say “ pizza and junk food are fine as part of a balanced diet, and there are also alternative ways that some people enjoy their treats, such as making your own home made nut bars and etc”

Uh. I don't think everyone HAS to consume them. But I view totally ruling them out and anything that may be connoted as "junk" out of a diet is bad.

I wasn’t having a go at you LALA - and I also think that it is bad for ANY ONE to rule out any given food.

Unfortunately, people have become accustomed to processed artificial heavily processed foods, and these processed foods can make a natural nut bar made from dates/nuts/coconut/honey not taste as “ nice”

As a nutritionist, I would want to encourage people to get back to learning to re adjust their taste buds to natural foods any way, which includes “ treat” foods - I would suggest that instead of having take away or pizza, to make it yourself with ingredients that are natural ( most breads have things like anti caking agents, sugar, and gosh knows what else in them) and if you make your own stuff you can avoid these added things.

But, for people recovering from eating disorders the emphasis should be on making sure they eat ENOUGH of the right foods to repair their body; that is obviously more important then learning how to re adjust their taste buds to natural foods

So I wouldn’t launch into huge detail about it but I would just mention that can also be good to make their own pizza and brownies and slices ( apart from those who should AVOID food preparation of course)

Some people recovering should not be around food more then they have to be, but I have found that it can work for some people if they make a large amount of say brownies or home made pizza and then FREEZE them, so then they only have to be around the food once, and they have lots of left over for another time, which saves them buying the processed stuff!

Okay. For the most part I agree. I'd much rather be eating a pizza I made, or baked goods I made - but if someone goes out, say, to a Pizza Hut, and are recovering from an ED, they need to know they can eat that pizza even if they didn't make or don't know everything in it and it won't harm them or make them balloon or whatever their ED might tell them. The want to learn that processed food once in a while won't kill is what's important in recovery, not so much having to eat it every single day.