The irony is not lost on me that I see patients with concerns about their weight, yet I am not a weight-loss dietitian... “but isn’t that what dietitian’s do? Help people lose weight?”
Well yes, some dietitian’s do offer weight loss focused services. But also no, not ALL dietitian’s take this approach.
See what what we know is that for a large majority of people – focusing on weight (regardless of if they are at a comfortable, healthy weight for themselves, or not) is related to worse health outcomes & helps people feel WORSE, not BETTER, about who they are. This includes: increased body dissatisfaction, decrease in dietary variety, extreme/harmful behaviours with food and exercise (over exercising, injuries, fasting, bingeing, increased risk of eating disorders), increased stress levels and weight cycling – generally ending up at a higher weight as a result of restrictive dieting practices.
If focusing on weight control finds you in a comfortable, calm, relaxed and enjoyable place with eating and your body, allowing you to take care of yourself in all aspects of your health and wellbeing, then power to you. That's awesome that you’ve found something that fits for you.
But if that doesn’t or isn’t working for you currently, what i can offer is an environment and approach to build your skills in the process of moving away from a weight based focus. We can discuss your challenges, triumphs, fears and joys with food and eating. I can help you develop trust in your own body cues that let you know what, when and how much to eat that is right for you. I can help you find satisfaction with eating. I can help you enjoy all foods that nourish you physically and for pleasure. I can help you take care of your body.
But I can’t guarantee your weight will change – it may, but it also may not.
Regardless, I can offer you connection, trust and autonomy with eating experiences and a movement toward wellbeing that is life and health enhancing. Eating well, moving our bodies, rest and relaxation is for everybody & every BODY. Operating from a place of body respect and acceptance is important to me, after all – do we ever really take care of something that we hate?
“Surrender to what is, let go of what was, have faith in what will be. ” - Sonia Ricotti
Live Fully,
Rhea