My girlfriend and I are looking for a nutritionist or dietician (not sure what the difference is). I'm looking for a place that performs a full gamut of metabolic testing. I'd be curious to see if anyone here has used one and if it's something they'd recommend.
I'm in the Philly area, so if you happen to know of a good place nearby, lemme know.
Picking a 'nutritionist' make sure you get letters of recommendation and get one with experience and one who can show 'results' for what your nutritional goals are. Many dietiticians and nutritionists are books-smart, but real world ignorant. They only know how to set up a 'balanced-diet' by way of a nutrition book that follows the (now-outdated) 'food pyramid'.
Second, I'm curious as to what you mean by 'full gamut of metabolic testing'. Can you list what params you plan to check?
Good luck!
The tests I'm referring to are resting metabolic rate, hydrostatic body fat measurement, vo2 max, etc. Actually, now that I think of it, it's more likely that an independent sports/fitness testing centeris what I'm looking for. However, I do intend to take the results of those tests to a good nutritionist or dietician to see what they have to say regarding my goals.
There is also a difference between a run-of-the-mill nutritionist and one who specializes in athletes. The nutritional needs of sedentary people seeking to lower cholesterol or drop a couple pounds are very different from athletes. Make sure they are qualified to work with athletic populations.
beekman - The tests I'm referring to are resting metabolic rate, hydrostatic body fat measurement, vo2 max, etc. Actually, now that I think of it, it's more likely that an independent sports/fitness testing centeris what I'm looking for. However, I do intend to take the results of those tests to a good nutritionist or dietician to see what they have to say regarding my goals.
OK, but be aware that none of those things are going to be useful or helpful to you. Metabolic rate?? You can't really change the resting metabolic rate, despite what the faddists will tell you.
BF measurement? Just look in the mirror. If you 'jiggle' you're >25%. If you have abs you're around 10%.
VO2max? Here's a calculator:
http://health.drgily.com/walking-test-peak-aerobic-capacity.php
The average young untrained male will have a VO2 max of approximately 3.5 litres/minute and 45 ml/kg/min. Around 60ml/kg/min you're considered 'athletic' and excellent fitness.
Your goal, whatever your activity is simple. In one word - consistency. Do you particular activity 5-7 days/week >300 days/year and you're getting the best you can possibly achieve with your genetics (other than world class athletes/superior genetics).
Many, many people can ramp up their activity for a season or a year, but then quit. It's far more important to not quit and to be consistent than to seek lofty goals for short periods.
HTH.