My Story
Hi everyone!
I thought a great way kick off my blog would be to introduce myself and explain how as a Registered Dietitian, I discovered my passion for intuitive eating.
From the moment I decided to change my degree to Dietetics while a sophomore at Kansas State University, I was thrilled with my choice to go into a field where I could help people live a healthier life. What I did not know was just how much my perspective on what “healthy” is would change throughout my education, research, and experience as a clinical RDN.
I first discovered intuitive eating at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) while attending as an intern from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2016.
It was exciting to be around so many other RDs, to attend a variety of educational sessions, and realize how much opportunity for specializing there is in the field of dietetics and nutrition. Of all the information I learned from that conference, the one thing that stuck with me the most was the ideology behind intuitive eating.
Immediately after FNCE, I started researching more about what it meant to become an intuitive eater and trying to implement these habits to improve my own relationship with food. Although, as for many of us, it took a few years before I would let myself go all the way in and fully let go of my dieting habits and weight loss goals.
I have personally spent most of my life dieting, obsessing about my weight, and with very poor body image. I have even come to realize I might have become an RD simply because I thought if my whole job was to help people become fit and healthy, I would finally be able to achieve and maintain my health and weight goals.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret my decision to become an RD now! But, like many other dietitians out there who have had the same realization, I wonder what other career paths I might have pursued if my desire for a smaller body hadn’t had so much power over me. Safe to say, becoming an intuitive eater has changed my life and allowed me to refocus my energy and passions on things I really enjoy.
Intuitive eating helped me rediscover how much I enjoy cooking and experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. I no longer assign moral values to food like “good” and “bad”. I don’t feel guilt about any of the foods I eat, and I have no problem honoring my cravings. To be honest, I find myself craving nutritious foods I never would have imagined craving if you had asked me a few years ago!
I am more in tune with my body and its needs, and I am more appreciative of all the things my body is capable of doing. I enjoy movement because it makes me feel good. Exercise is no longer punishment for food I eat!
I am not here to pretend unlearning 15+ years of what diet culture (and even my professional education at times) taught me was easy. Turns out.. you don’t have to be a certain weight or BMI to be healthy. You can be proud of yourself and happy in your body no matter what size you are. You would be surprised at the amount of freedom that comes with changing your view of yourself and learning about diet culture’s influence on your life.
While unlearning these things will take time and effort, the pay off is so worth the work. If you are ready to do the work and feel this freedom for yourself, click here and let’s chat about how I can help you!