The Dietitian Stops Dieting

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Dieting: A Fruitless Pursuit

Have you ever been on a diet? It is our human nature to want physical beauty. We desire to have the perfect body, great skin, the newest wardrobe, etc. In an effort to improve our appearance, we spend much of our time, as well as money. Consequently, the beauty industry is valued at $532 billion! According to Forbes, even in times of economic hardship, we spend our hard-earned money on our beauty. Likewise, we spend $72 billion on weight loss efforts. We try new supplements, specialty foods, medications, surgeries, exercise programs, and a lifetime of dieting, desperate to lose weight. All with the hope of that amazing before and after result. However, we tend to ignore the “These results aren’t typical” warning. If it doesn’t work, we move to the next new thing. Never content, never quite happy with ourselves, always wanting more.

My Story

A state of discontentment is where I sat for many years. I went to college with the intention of becoming a physician’s assistant. After taking my required introduction nutrition class, I decided to switch majors to become a dietitian. Freshman year, I ate what I wanted, when I wanted, with no worries about nutrition. However, the more nutrition classes I took, the more I decided I could change my body.

By the time I was in grad school, I was obsessed with manipulating my body. I aimed for 1200 calories or less, which led to a terrible relationship with food. All week, I would deprive myself of nourishment, only to end up binge eating on the weekend.  Consequently, I’d punish myself with further restriction on Monday.  This continued until my first pregnancy.  I finally allowed myself to eat, and this seemed to normalize my eating.  Over the course of the next 8 years, I was pregnant or nursing, so I ate to make sure my children were getting what they needed.  However, dieting quietly snuck back into my life.

I have always struggled with acne, and the pregnancies and breastfeeding wreaked havoc on my skin.  A doctor told me to cut out dairy and sugar to improve my skin.  What started out as an innocent attempt to eliminate acne ended in full-blown restriction.  I tried Whole 30, keto and low-carb, fasting, etc.  Although I wanted my skin to clear, I secretly wanted to have my pre-baby body back.  The body that came from calorie restriction and excessive exercise.  A weight I could only achieve with extreme effort.   Dieting had become an idol I worshiped. It was consuming and stressful.

Dieting Wasn’t Working!

Similarly, as I was dieting, I was feeling burnt out professionally.  People attempting weight loss came in feeling defeated when the scale didn’t change.  My office was the confessional where they admitted their food sins.  I could see the emotional toll of dieting on my clients.  For 10 years, I would encourage people through the guilt, shame, and desperation of dieting.  Completely over it, I was considering a career change.  While searching for a new direction, I found Intuitive Eating by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole.  I read the book over the course of 2 days. As a result, it completely changed me, personally and professionally! 

My road to becoming an intuitive eater was surprisingly short.  I attribute this to the concept meshing so well with God’s design for beauty and biology.  Feeling so passionate about how it helped me, I continued the requirements to get certified as an intuitive eating counselor.  For the first time, I had clients complete a group class feeling like they succeeded.  Clients I had seen beat themselves up for years finally felt their burdens lightened. 

Are you ready to stop dieting?  Have you had it with the guilt and emotions that come with dieting?  Are you done letting the scale dictate your happiness?  I’d love to help you become a normal eater, choosing foods for both health and enjoyment.  Contact me if you’d like to improve your relationship with food.