I feel like such an idiot

I decided I need to get healthy again after putting on weight in the last year or so. So I signed up to join the gym and see a nutritionist.

We don't know many people here for recommendations, so I Google "nutritionist" and my city, and had a read of the top few picks, and chose a local one that sounded right. They did "nutritional assessments", which sounded like what I needed just to talk about my diet, where any deficiencies are, and what I should be cutting down on.

So I went along today and had it and I feel completely ripped off and I feel like a complete idiot.

I had one person standing on my left holding my shoulder, and another person holding that chick's shoulder, and they counted to 5. Then they decided that I had bacteria in my right lung, and I should take a particular herb. Then they put their hands on different areas and decided I should take a couple of other different herbs judging by what my body was telling them.

She asked if I had any scars from anything like operations, and I said that I had a scar on my knee and she said she sensed that and that was blocking off any nutritional needs and that my body was trying to say that I needed to get the scar healed first, and once that happened I would start waking up more refreshed, then we could work on the nutritional side.

Then to figure out the dosages I needed of the herbs, i had to hold them all while she counted again, then she held them against my neck while she counted.

This would be funny in most circumstances, but then they charged me $190!!!!!!

To say I was shocked was an understatement. I ranted and raved and said I had no idea it was that much,, and there was no prices anywhere, and I had a voucher for an inital assessment that was $49 (apparently that was for acupuncture, not the nutritional thing), and if I knew it was that much there's NO WAY I would have done it!!!!!

Unfortunately there's nothing they would do. It was originally going to be $220, but she knocked off $30 - woop-de-doo!!

So now I'm feeling a little

I also like a complete idiot for not getting recommendations, and not checking exactly what I was getting. The website makes it sound a little more reasonable and more science based than what they did.

Sigh

Originally Posted by sarahp

I decided I need to get healthy again after putting on weight in the last year or so. So I signed up to join the gym and see a nutritionist.

We don't know many people here for recommendations, so I Google "nutritionist" and my city, and had a read of the top few picks, and chose a local one that sounded right. They did "nutritional assessments", which sounded like what I needed just to talk about my diet, where any deficiencies are, and what I should be cutting down on.

So I went along today and had it and I feel completely ripped off and I feel like a complete idiot.

I had one person standing on my left holding my shoulder, and another person holding that chick's shoulder, and they counted to 5. Then they decided that I had bacteria in my right lung, and I should take a particular herb. Then they put their hands on different areas and decided I should take a couple of other different herbs judging by what my body was telling them.

She asked if I had any scars from anything like operations, and I said that I had a scar on my knee and she said she sensed that and that was blocking off any nutritional needs and that my body was trying to say that I needed to get the scar healed first, and once that happened I would start waking up more refreshed, then we could work on the nutritional side.

Then to figure out the dosages I needed of the herbs, i had to hold them all while she counted again, then she held them against my neck while she counted.

This would be funny in most circumstances, but then they charged me $190!!!!!!

To say I was shocked was an understatement. I ranted and raved and said I had no idea it was that much,, and there was no prices anywhere, and I had a voucher for an inital assessment that was $49 (apparently that was for acupuncture, not the nutritional thing), and if I knew it was that much there's NO WAY I would have done it!!!!!

Unfortunately there's nothing they would do. It was originally going to be $220, but she knocked off $30 - woop-de-doo!!

So now I'm feeling a little

I also like a complete idiot for not getting recommendations, and not checking exactly what I was getting. The website makes it sound a little more reasonable and more science based than what they did.

Sigh

Click to expand...

Yikes I would be really mad too. She sounds like a quack.

I'm sorry. But then you are in California (I always have to be careful if certain types of businesses are in Boulder, CO - they tend to be off-center).

I hope you have better luck next time as you have an admirable goal

I did somthing simmilar a few years back I was worried I had a particular disease called Crohns. The lady did an exam smelled my breath, took up close pictured of my eyes. Told me I have to worry about cataracts and to drink aloe vera juice that it was a bowl infection and not a disease.
2 months later I was diagnosed with Crohns disease. She was a quack!

Sorry you got taken. It happens to the best of us. yikes that is alot of money!

That's terrible! I would report that lady to the Better Business Bureau. I found a good nutritionist through my college and the price was very reasonable. She was a professor and had a private practice as well.

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg...4_ENU_HTML.htm

My husband said the same thing about the Better Business Bureau. I feel I should have researched it more and asked more questions...

Thanks for the link though - it brought up lots of more professional looking people in the area! Funnily enough, the lady I went to isn't on there! When I feel brave enough to try out another one and fork out more money, I'll go one of the people on that list!

I think there's a degree that you can look for, like "registered Dietitian?" I would be mad too. What a weirdo!

I was showing DH one of the pills I was supposed to take and said I was apparently supposed to rub it into my knee, but it looked like a pill you take, and it said on the pack "Take with meal". His comment was "I think the lady you went and saw was a little weird". I said "No, you think???!!!!". And for some reason we both burst out laughing, and couldn't stop for a while....

At least we can laugh about it now.

I'll still take the things she gave me (I paid for it, I might as well!!!!), and just see if it makes any improvement with anything. If there's any noticeable improvement, I'll go back and grovel and tell them how wonderful they are.

Oh and apparently after 12 months of intense training, she has "Master's Certification in Nutrition Response Testing".

I thought that sounded wonderful initially. I should have been more sceptical about what that meant!!! Normally I'm the biggest sceptic who ever lived.

Hmm... that definately sounds off. If you went to see an accupuncturist, they usually charge $45-$50 per visit in NYC, regardless of what you went in for. They'll first bombard you with a ton of questions. Then they'll say all this stuff about your du meridian being blocked up (pointing to a little plastic man with a ton of lines drawn on him), or you need heat to your gall bladder, or you need to tonify kidneys, and they MIGHT give you one or two herbal supplements if you're really sick. Also helps to go with someone who can fluenty speak chinese and english so they can translate for you (most accupuncturists in NYC don't have the best english). Also accupuncture isn't a miracle cure, it's good for preventing future problems and works slow (need multiple accupuncture sessions over time). It IS however VERY good for local pain (back aches, joint aches, any sort of ache).

A nutrtionists/dietician should have taken your weight, height, body fat index, done some tests (squeeze my fingers, shrug your shoulders, that kinda thing), maybe take a blood test for cholesterol, maybe sniff your breath (weight gain/loss could be sign of diabetes and sweet smelling breath could be a sure sign). Then maybe sit down and discuss excersice routines, diet, etc. Generally not too helpful, they usually tell you what everyone else tells you (eat your fruits and veggies, eat your grains, stay away from the sugar and fats, etc). Going to the doctor and having a check up is probably more helpful.

My advice is, if you want to lose weight, do it gradually and excercise. So if you eat a lot of fatty foods, don't cut yourself off completely and start eating nothing but raw veggies. Do it gradually and don't look at your weight at all (i.e. eat one less pastry a week, or less and less salad dressing every time you eat a salad, etc). Weight is a bad indicator of health. You can be thin as a stick but as dense as lead. Look at yourself in the mirror and if you're happy that's all that matters.

Aim to eat a few less grams of fat a week, and it'll give you time to discover new foods. Go out and try new foods if you feel the urge to munch (mediteranian, oriental, ethiopian, other exotic foods or just something you've never tried before). Exercise gradually too, don't run 10 miles right off the bat and kill yourself, start with maybe a 15 min workout and gradually work your way up to a good hard 60 min work out. Exercise WILL make you hungry, but dont' starve yourself, EAT! But eat energy rich foods like eggs, nuts, banannas, meats, multigrain breads, etc. Idea is concentrated energy, not fluff.

Drink tons of water too, it'll help your body purge and make you smell nice, and give you better skin and hair.

Something else I thought of - see if you can have a free or low cost consultation with the person so that you can evaluate his/her qualifications and credentials.

Wow I could have done that stuff for you Sarah, and only charged you half as much Seriously though, that really bites, I'm sorry you got taken for a ride, happens to all of us everyone once in awhile. Hope you find a real nutritionist next time!

I'm not so sure you should take anything she gave you, as it doesn't sound like she had a clue what she was talking about. Sure, some herbal and vitamin supplements are more or less harmless, but some things interact badly with other medication (or with other supplements) or just aren't intended for everyday use, so I'd be very wary if I were you. Of course, if her quack advice makes you sick, I'd think you'd have grounds to sue her ... but you don't really want to have to go that route, do you?

To find a qualified nutritionist, call your local hospital and/or your regular doctor and ask for recommendations. My cousin is a licensed nutritionist, and she gets referrals from physicians and hospitals. She helps people who have to change their diets for weight and medical reasons, like Diabetes or Cancer, or just to live better.

Sorry you had to go through that very expensive lesson on how not to choose a nutritionist! I'm really glad that you have a sense of humor about it, though!

That sounds awful! It's a shame quacks like that operate, and make people skeptical of people that might actually be able to help them.
I have had the funniest weight loss experience, but it has been working. I love cereal, and have been eating a lot of it for the past few months. A client had recently lost 70 lbs, (I have lost almost 30) and I asked her what she had been doing. She said she had been replacing one meal a day with cereal, like Special K had been advertising, and had dropped weight gradually. I had been on a great diet, and didn't even know it!

I agree with Mirinae that you shouldn't take those pills she gave, even though you paid for them isn't a good enough reason when she's obviously such a quack.