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Dietitians!! are they helpful

Terryrhino

Well-Known Member
Messages
231
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi all I asked my doctor if I could see a dietitian just for some advice and guidance for controlling both T2D and diverticular disease I thought it would be in my local surgery but the appointment is an hours drive away.
My question is really will the dietitian be worth seeing? Or will l basically be told don't eat carbs and sugar fizzy drinks are bad and alcohol and don't forget to exercise!!!

I'm a bit sceptical and I think I'm learning so much more from all you lovely people here

Any thoughts, advice or experience of dietitians is welcome .

P.s I know your not doctors and can only offer your own opinions and experiences
 
I've only ever seen a dietitian once, and that was years ago to do with obesity and before I was diabetic. To be honest, she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know within what was known at that time, which was cut down on calories, do more exercise and you will lose weight. It didn't work for me because I didn't have the motivation or will power to keep it up. Now I suspect it was because on all the diets I ever did I was still including enough carbs to feed the addiction. LCHF is the only lifestyle change that has worked for me. I'm not perfect. I lapse, but I weigh the lightest I have for about 25 years. All I know about LCHF is what I've learnt from the good folks on this website and from following that up with internet research.
 
The more up to date information regarding diabetes and eating is on this site. Dietitians still tend to say you should eat carbs with every meal (why pick on carbs?), eat your five a day and do more exercise.

I don't know what their advice is regarding diverticular disease.
 
Reactions: lbd

I seem to have my answer already thank you very much most helpful and good luck too you LCHF is tough to start with from what I hear it's the bees knees
 
My experience is they ask you to keep a diary for a week and return to discuss it. When I was there a year ago, she showed me NHS guidelines ie portion sizes based on meat and two veg. I'm not that kind of eater. She suggested rather than one slice of bread in my lunchtime sandwich, an extra slice.

I'm seeing her again in the next few days, basically to see what number of carbohydrates is safe for me and ask whether right knee pain during the night might be attributed to diet. (The endocrinologist says it's not my Levothyroxine)

I probably could find the information I need online!

What I have been meaning to do in to actually go to The Institute Of Optimum Nutrition which is more thorough, but you have to pay.
 
Cheers squire I thought much the same to be honest but just wanted some more options as for diverticular disease high fibre is great but some say nuts and seeds are fine other say to avoid like the plague??
 
in my experience of seeing dietitians multiple times for various things, I don't find they know a lot. The recommendations they make aren't anything I wouldn't have already thought of. They seem to lack understanding of medical conditions as well.
 
I seen a dietician after diagnoses and again at my request when I was getting my self together this year. My personal experience was that I knew more than the dietician! I can't understand advising more carbs but she did. I smiled and nodded politely but it was a waste of time. For me personally I learn more here
 
Mep said:
in my experience of seeing dietitians multiple times for various things, I don't find they know a lot. The recommendations they make aren't anything I wouldn't have already thought of. They seem to lack understanding of medical conditions as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks @Mep it seems to be the general feeling which is a shame, at least I'll save myself a 2 hour road trip
 
Reactions: Mep

I'm taking your advice @samantha13 thanks
 
Over here its slightly different I have seen a diabetic dietician, she told me whats good for me what may cause me problems and said I was a big boy just be sensible and I could phone her any time I needed. Made me happy!
 
I think it depends a lot if you're lucky and find a good dietician.
Then you should be convinced that the diet you got is useful and that diet is followable.

I think I got lucky with mine.

Edit:
:it: Maybe dieticians in Italy have different guidelines from UK ones.​
 
Last edited:
In a word, NO!

My dietician recommended a deck of cards sized piece of meat, 3 hens egg sized potatoes and vegetables ad lib. Eat yoghurt for dessert! Two tablespoons of rice or pasta! All of which I followed and when I didn't lose any weight she practically told me I wasn't following her advice!
 
as ellagy has just said .. In a word NO !

If your a vegetarian (and I am) they just order you to eat meat .. If your LCHF (and I am) they just order you to eat carbs and low fat .. I don't know what planet most of the dieticians are on .. but its not the same one as me
 

Wow that sounds great!!!!!!
I'm not looking to follow a diet to lose weight just more for what I should eat and not eat but at the moment the LCHF regime is working wonders and I'm losing weight too so I think I've answer my own original question maybe I'm more intelligent than I thought lol
 
ellagy said:
In a word, NO!
Click to expand...

Agreed! I was referred to one once after my GP noted that I was following LCHF and he thought I needed re-educating......

When I told the dietician I was eating low carb and doing very well on it, she told me my carb intake was too low and advised having Ryvitas for lunch! When I went back for a second visit I told her that my BS had shot up to 13 after her recommended Ryvitas and we came to a mutual agreement that I wouldn't return for any more appointments!

The only good thing (at the time) was that she was able to prescribe a particular drug which my GP had refused to prescribe saying he didn't know enough about it as it was relatively new. In the end I only tried it for a few weeks and decided to give it up after doing my own in depth research and not wanting the potential associated risks

Make of that what you will...
 
My simple answer is NO. Even qualified Dieticians can be abysmal. Have a look at the food advice on the British Dietetic Association website and you may understand why I say NO.
 
I asked to see a dietician when I was diagnosed because I needed to gain weight ,the first one that I saw was great she recognised that I couldn't eat lots of carbs and asked my GP to prescribe a drink called Calogen which is basically liquid lard !
The next time I went my nice dietician had moved on to hospital work and the new one sacked me I think I was too thin !!
 
I have never been referred to one when I did ask my former GP he flat refused to refer me even though my neurologist had asked him to. According to him I was not diabetic and any way he did not have the facility to do so and neither was one attached to his surgery, May be in the long run he did me a favor as it left me to my own devices.
 
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