The Dietitian Myth: A Philosophy in Rant Form

At some point last week, I'd just about had it. 


There are three things that, professionally (and personally), drive me just a little bit bonkers.


1.  People who want me to help them lose weight, and are upset with me when that doesn't happen.


2.  People who are hesitant to engage my services because they think I'm going to be all judge-y and shame-y about how they've lived their lives so far.

and,


3.  People who are all judge-y and shame-y when they come to see me and realize that I'm not actually some waif subsisting on tofu and unrequited desire.


The truth is this:


1.  I am not in the business of weight loss, body sculpting, or helping you fit into that dress you bought two sizes too small because you thought if you just buckled down for the next two months, you'd fit into it by the time you needed to.  Some of these things might happen as a result of our time together, and if that makes you happy, then I'm happy to have been involved, but I would never guarantee you a beach body.  Any dietitian who does is probably lying.


2.  I am in the business of a better life.  Though there is some research to back up a correlation between body composition and long-term health, there are so many other things at play, and there's an equally persuasive argument for fitness over fatness.  Check out this lady for much more eloquent and researched discussion on that topic.  Far more important (to me, anyway) than the number on the scale is how well you sleep at night, how good it feels to move your body, how crusty and crunchy your arteries are and how long they're going to last you, and how often and easily you poop (seriously, pooping is important and I want to make sure everyone does it).  When I'm asked to help with weight loss, I start with a frank conversation about how I can't ever promise anyone that.  A good relationship starts with reasonable expectations.


3.  I learned to love my body a long time ago.  It's the only one I've got, it's pretty strong and tall, though not very fast, my boyfriend seems to like it, and it does a whole bunch of really cool things.    If your inability to accept my self-acceptance keeps you from learning to keep your arteries from being crusty, and keeps you constipated because you couldn't possibly imagine that someone my height, weight, size, colour, whatever would have a clue about what's healthy, then I'm sad for you.  Pooping is awesome, and you may be missing out.


4.  I do not care about the way you lived your life "before".  The only thing I care about is that you're sitting in front of me asking me to help you change.  I am never going to be judge-y and shame-y at someone who is looking for help.  Change will happen as quickly or as slowly as you're ready for, and the only things that I can truly guarantee is that I will provide you with whatever help you will accept from me (within my scope of practice, of course), and you absolutely will not see results overnight.  Because, you know, long-term health happens over  the long-term.


End rant.