How I Became a Non-Diet Dietitian

Sharing is caring!

First, what in the world is a non-diet dietitian? Don’t dietitians help people diet? Not exactly! Many people relate dietitians with weight loss and dieting. Not me. Today, I want to share my story about how I became a non-diet dietitian.

My Story

I went to college with the intention of becoming a physician’s assistant. Chemistry was kicking my butt and I knew in order to get into PA school, that I’d need to take many more chem classes. I had to switch majors. After taking my required introduction nutrition class, I decided dietetics would be fun. Still had to take 3 more chemistry classes, but fun nonetheless. 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 thought 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 could only come from calorie restriction and excessive exercise.  I desired an unrealistic weight that I could only achieve with extreme effort.   Dieting had become an idol I worshiped. It was consuming and stressful.

Making peace with food

Meanwhile, 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 tried to 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.  And I was ready. Feeling so passionate about how it helped me, I continued the requirements to get certified as an intuitive eating counselor.  I was officially a non-diet dietitian. 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. 

Diets don’t work

Have you ever been on a diet? It is our human nature to want physical beauty. We desire to have the perfect body and spend billions to get it. 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.

Don’t get me wrong. There are restrictive diets that work for weight loss. You will likely lose weight while fasting, on keto, counting macro, etc. Maintaining weight loss is where it goes south. We have a hard time following a restrictive diet for any length of time.

Health beyond weight

There are so many factors that impact your health. It isn’t just about your weight. You can improve your health through lifestyle behaviors such as adequate sleep, regular physical activity, stress management, maintaining relationships, and adding nutrient-dense foods to your diet. These habits can be changed, regardless of what it says on the scale.

What a non-diet dietitian can do for you

A non-diet dietitian can help you ditch the toxic diet mindset. You can be free from restriction—no more counting, desperate hunger, bingeing, loss of control, etc. Rather than focusing on limiting foods, we can add food to your diet to optimize your health.

Are you ready to make peace with food?  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. I’ll partner with you on your journey to improving your relationship with food.