Is it worth hiring a nutritionist? That’s the $1,000 question for all of us pre or post-menopausal women out there who are also endurance athletes but find ourselves working out more and not losing a pound!
That’s what happened to me. I find myself working out every day, watching what I eat and the scale doesn’t tip a drop in the right direction. (Haha, sometimes it tips in the WRONG direction!)
So, I started going to Weight Watchers, but quickly found that nothing was happening. Yes, it’s the healthy way to lose weight but nothing. I started feeling frustrated.
I joined Lifetime Fitness over the winter. My thought was that I could use the pool, workout equipment and maybe even get some advice on losing weight. I hired a nutritionist there, but all he did was talk me into buying products sold at Lifetime. It was a complete waste of money and time. It cost me $275 for two sessions and a training session.
Next, I put out a call on my Facebook page for a triathlon nutritionist. Maybe I could find someone who understands the sport and could help me lose weight at the same time. One of my friends told me about a woman in Colorado who was a nutritionist. “She’s also an Ironman triathlete too. I know she can help you. She helped me,” my friend said.
I was excited. Maybe I finally got to the right person!
After having a consultation with her and talking with my coach, who actually advised me not to hire her, I went ahead and hired her anyway. (I should have listened to my coach!) It cost me $450 for three months.
The first week, we had an appointment and she told me to eat protein with every meal and also healthy fats like avocado, nuts or olive oil. “Stay away from bread and pasta,” she said.
She told me that I needed to lose at least 20 pounds. (I was like, 20 pounds will make me look like I was starving. I haven’t weighed that little since I got married. I wasn’t sure where she got that from, but I was hoping to lose 10 pounds.)
I barely spoke with her. But when I did, she encouraged me to buy certain products and stay away from others. “I have discount codes for UCON, Athletic Greens, etc.,” she said. (I should have been weary when she recommended certain products and when I told her I had my favorites, she told me to stay away.)
Her deal was unlimited emails. She also said she would check MyFitnessPal at least once every other week and give me feedback. She gave me little feedback and I did this for three months. NOTHING! I didn’t drop a pound, I didn’t feel any different and I was even more frustrated!
After these three experiences, I realized that all of these plans were not individualized. They were geared for the “masses,” which got me even more upset.
Here I hired two people who I thought would focus on me and instead, they were both out to sell products and they didn’t care if I succeeded or didn’t succeed.
Now, I have to figure something else out!
So, is a nutritionist worth hiring? I would say not unless they are tailoring a program that fits your needs and will constantly tweak it to make sure you are meeting your goals. One day, hopefully, I’ll find that person. Until then, it’s back on Weight Watchers for me!