As I dragged my feet into VLCC this morning for a massage I was hoping I didn't have to bump into any of their irritating staff who always jump at the opportunity to sell me their weight loss programs. I don't know if its a global thing, but its definitely an Indian thing. Anywhere you go, people look at you and decide what you need and offer you unsolicited advice on the same.
When I walked through the doors I was relieved to see a guy at the reception. His duty is to deal with male clients only so he wasn't going to waste my time. He checked the appointment diary and led me towards the waiting area which also happened to be a place where the dietitian's consult their clients.
I find it very strange that there is no privacy when there's a consultation going on but at the same time it offered me some amusement and food for my blog. So here I am sharing what I witnessed this morning.
While I was waiting, there was a girl just getting on the scales while her dietitian looked on.
"What happened?", asked the dietitian. Lets call her D for now.
"I don't know" replied this girl. For narration sake lets call her A.
"Well, you've put on 1 kilo since the last time, which was yesterday", said D.
"I have documented everything I did in my diary. Its there for you to see. I don't know how I put on the weight" replied A.
At that point, D got out a checklist and started to tick it off.
"Are you suffering from constipation?" - "No"
"Are you about to get your period?" - "No"
"Are you eating more fruit?" - "Yes"
"What fruit did you eat yesterday?" - "Watermelon"
"What did you eat for dinner last night?" - "Bhel and salad. I've written it in my diary"
"Did you add the sweet chutney to your bhel?" - "No"
"Did you add potatoes to it?" - "No"
"Did you add sev?" - "Yes"
As soon as A said those words, D looked up and gave her one of those looks. That look which says "And you wonder why you can't lose any weight? " or the one that says "No wonder you didn't lose any weight!"
D scribbled something on A's progress report and said the most redonkulous thing I've heard. "It's because of the sev that you have put on that 1 kilo."
I say redonkulous because she's a dietitian for crying out loud. Ridiculous just doesn't do justice to the kind of crap she is putting her clients through. Eating right and eating well is what she's majored in. Is it just me who gets frustrated when educated people talk like idiots..!!! Even an idiot would know that the total amount of sev in that one cup of bhel would've weight less than 100gms let alone 1 kilo. My guess would be that since this girl is trying to lose weight she would've been very careful about how much she added anyway. Besides, D should probably be encouraging this girl's efforts by saying something like "your body weight usually fluctuates by a kilo here and there. Especially for women because of the hormonal changes happening all the time etc. Don't worry about it. It will drop eventually. Just continue eating right and exercising regularly."
She should be educating her rather than sending her on a guilt trip...!
When A heard all that, her face fell to the ground. She was about to start crying. At which point D suggested she use the stepper and exercise under her supervision for a while. As if doing a few step ups is going to make her lose the 1 kilo almost instantly...!
I couldn't help but laugh out loud. I tried to control myself but still ended up with a big ass grin on my face. I realised that the D will forever continue that same way until someone questions her methods. Maybe I should question it rather than wait for someone else to. Just then I heard a voice over my shoulder. "Miss Patel, please come this way. Your room is ready."
"Maybe some other day, I said to myself" and prepared myself for some relaxation.
Coming from a dietician that really is quite ignorant. First of all, one usually cannot gauge weight gain/loss on a daily basis, which is why most people are asked to weigh themselves weekly and chart that progress. Secondly, water weight is anywhere between 2 and 3 kilos (around 5 lbs) so going up and down by around that much is to be expected! And you're also allowed to indulge in little goodies every now and then and you won't suddenly gain 10 lbs because you ate a slice of double chocolate cake. In fact, that's probably good for your body. I've read (and experienced) that it can trick your body in burning more calories in anticipation of as much or as rich food.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that not only do you know better but you aren't afraid to speak up either! Good for you! :)