Questioning my nutritionist

I've seen the nutritionist 3 times now, with one more left to go before we can submit for insurance approval. For the most part she has been telling me exactly what I have already learned on my own regarding how I should be eating after surgery, except for starches. She showed me what my plate should look like once I start eating solid foods, and it was protein, vegetables, and starch. She said I should work around the plate in a circle, and if during my first meal I can only get through the protein and veggies, at the next meal I should start with the starch, so I can keep going in the circle of the plate throughout the day. It seems to me like the most successful people that I've seen are the ones that say "Always protein first for every meal, avoid starches". I feel defiant if I don't follow what she's saying but I also want to be as successful as possible especially in the first year. Did anybody else encounter this? Did you defy what you nutritionist told you?

I would nod my head and then go home and eat exactly as I learned how on here. I honestly did not have a starch for the first thirty months. I lost the weight, maintained easily, felt wonderful, and my labs were great.

Your body NEVER needs starches. What she learned in her courses does not apply to us. I don't bother educating them, just do what I know will work.

Yes that's basically what I've been doing, nodding and smiling but knowing I'm not actually going to do that haha. Thanks for your input!

Some starches turn into sugar and have higher glycemic index than pure sugar. Potato and white rise are couple of them. I can eat a 2-3 hard candies and be fine, but one TBS of mashed potatoes can cause my BS to spike high then drop, causing reactive hypoglycemia. I avoid starches because my reaction to starches indicate than mu body produce a lot of insulin in response to them.

Early post op - I concentrated on proteins and non starchy veggies. I lost 110 lbs over 8 months.

I am over 10 years post op RNY, and this year I gained a few too many lbs. I finally got my motivation back, so I am removing most starches out of my food, and i am slowly losing the 15 lbs regain. I do eat fruits, but not every day and not a lot.

Is this a bariatric NUT? I agree with other posts here, I avoid starches period. They do not sit well with my stomach and send my blood sugar all over the place. My NUT always said, protein first, then a clean veggie.

I believe she is a bariatric nutritionist, she works under the same "Center for weight management" with the hospital and surgeon I am going through. She always seems like she's just running through a script though so she's probably just doing what she's told but it just seems odd. I think I'm going to do what other people have the most success with and what feels right to me, protein and veggies. Thanks for your input!

I ate proteins and non-starchy vegetables while in the losing phase - and an occasional small piece of fruit (e.g, a few berries on my yogurt - or 1/4 of a banana in my protein shake). Now that I'm in maintenance, I do eat whole grain products occasionally and in limited amounts, but stuff like white rice, pasta, white breads, potatoes - never. They take up a lot of stomach real estate for very little nutritional value. Plus a lot of us are carb sensitive (fortunately, I don't seem to be), so there's that, too. Eating that kind of stuff for a carb-sensitive person can set off cravings.

That's crappy advice. Its also unique -- I've never seen anyone here get that circle-eating concept.

There's a name for people who start a meal with starches -- obese.

Smile, nod, eat your protein, and leave it at that.

Yeah, I don't agree with that either.

I save a bite or two to enjoy a starch, but it is never a priority for me and definitely not worth eating it first in my next meal.