Should I see a nutritionist?

My insurance covers the visit. Has any one been to one? Is it worth it or will they tell me basic sutff I already know.

Not worth it! They will just tell you to eat a balanced diet of whole grains, lean proteins & good fats... It is a given! You can learn a lot more about diet on this website! But if you are curious & your insurance covers it, go for it, but from experience it was completely pointless. But then again we are all at different levels when it comes to the knowledge of nutrition & I happen to be OBSESSED with nutrition so I believe I know a lot more than nutritionists do: I also feel like they are narrow minded and never expand from their views of balance... Oh well. That's just my opinion! 

Wouldn't you rather hear it from a professional who has been trained in this than the kazillion conflicting opinions all of us "experts" on the site pass on?

2beittybitty had a most illuminating experience with her nutritionist.  And even if it does repeat much we already know -- confirmation/validation is always a good thin.  Her visit is covered on the front page of the weight loss forum on a stickied thread

Original Post by noemi21:

My insurance covers the visit. Has any one been to one? Is it worth it or will they tell me basic sutff I already know.

 Yes IMO it is worth it. I probably would've starved myself to the point of being underweight if I hadn't seen one. Having a real life human being tell me I was making a mistake and giving me a detailed plan to get out of it helped immensely.

I saw a nutritionist who didn't really help much--she just told me how many calories I should be eating and what types of vegetables and how much fiber and blah blah, which of course I was already aware of. The one person who has helped me a lot, though, is my dietician.. and honestly, I'm not sure there's a real difference, but this one helped me come up with a plan tailored to me [in order for me to gain weight] and she's also the one who recommended me to a therapist, who in just two sessions has helped me overcome so much more than I would have alone.. but I'm talking about eating disorders, of course. :D

If you know your way around the internet then there is no reason to see one, since via the net you can get a wide range of (professional) opinions and articles with enough time invested. BUT if you really aren't confident in your research abilities, the nutritionist is probably worth it.

If you do see one, it would probably be a good idea to go in armed with a few questions specific to you and your lifestyle. Just so you DON'T have to listen to all the basics. 

I LOVE MY NUTRITIONIST.  She knows I know what's right to eat and all that crap, but she caters each visit to me specifically knowing that I have an ED and all the fears that come along with it.  She works with me to develop a healthy relationship with food, and it's amazing.  I adore her.  It's TOTALLY worth it to at least check out, especially if insurance covers it!

if your insurance covers it, it definitely wouldn't hurt to give it a whirl. my ins. covers it, too, so i went to one. the one i went to was the worst! she could barely stay awake, just read a bunch of notes from some pre-packaged nutritional garbage from like the '80s, and she had no answers to any of the questions i put to her. plus, she kept complaining about how she needed to lose some weight but she just couldn't get into it! and this was just an hour! i NEVER went back to her.

BUT, i'm not saying that's all nutritionists. that was that one crappy one. you make have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince, so to speak. if you think you want to/should see a nutritionist, go for it.

If your insurance covers it... why not? My own experience wasn't very enlightening but here it is, and my opinions on what you might get out of it or not get out of it ;)

I went to one because my mom insisted I go after becoming organic pesco-vegetarian. She was all SEE YOUR BMI IS IN THE HEALTHY RANGE, EAT MEAT! (We come from a family with a history of obesity, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and high blood pressure so its kind of obvious why I pay attention) So the nutritionist basically did up my calorie expenditure, which I knew, and asked me a few questions on my diet, then praised me on a healthy lifestyle and a very well balanced diet despite eliminating red meats, poultry, and dairy from my diet.

Frankly... I was bored as hell for the hour, my mom was picking at it all, trying to find problems with my diet or some other deep psychological fear of meat or something... At least since then she hasn't bothered me about eating meat.

If you are feeling that you are doing somethign wrong in your diet, go ahead for sure. You might be able to get a better estimate of your goals, body type, etc (apparently some body types and sexes do better on different diet programs) The dietician might be able to specify what it is you are lacking in your diet that could boost your weight loss efforts. If you feel like you are on track however... it is little more than a paid confirmation of "ok, yep, that looks good, mmhm, ok. Good luck!"

If you really know all the basic stuff, it may not be worth your while.  Even if your insurance covers it, make sure it won't put you in the position of going over your annual limits or that you won't have to pay any deductible if you're going just for the heck of it.  But maybe you have some serious questions that you want answers to... then it may be worth it.

Some people really don't know much about nutrition, and you have to be careful of what you get on websites (even the Mayo Clinic website has been sited for misinformation)!  But then again, you have to be careful of what you hear from a person's mouth, too, even if they're a certified dietitian or nutritionist.  People tend to be subjective when it comes to these things.

Heck yeah, it's worth it!!!

I go to see a nutritionist - see my journal - and my insurance doesn't cover it! I pay out of my pocket for it, but I still go :)

Do you know anyone who has gone to a nutritionist in your area? I would ask around and see if you can get any good recs  - it seems to me like nutritionists are one of those hit or miss kind of things, so I personally wouldn't waste my time or deductible if its not a very good nutitionist.

That being said, I think going to see a nutritionist is probably a much better idea than just "searching the web" for information. Nutrition is one of those things that a lot of people are in to try to sell their product and will pretty much tell you anything to do it. You can google the most basic nutrition concepts and find websites that completely differ on what is "true." As laschndr said, just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean they are being honest with you, but I would trust that much more than a random website -- especially if the person you are talking to is someone who has good references.