Whenever I meet someone new, it’s not uncommon for them to ask me what I do for a living. When I tell them I am a Registered Dietitian, the person will usually proceed to tell me about their nutrition problems and the many things they have tried and failed. (They also like to tell me everything they ate that day.)
Very rarely do I meet a person that says they have actually worked with a dietitian.
Instead, many people have met with doctors, supplement suppliers, or weight loss groups, but never even thought to seek out a dietitian. I see it often, and yet it still surprises me! It’s like hiring a bagpipe teacher when you want to learn the piano. Yes, the bagpipe teacher might know something about music, but they aren’t going to be very successful at teaching you how to play a piano.
So if you know you have a problem with your eating or nutrition, wouldn’t it make sense to hire a Registered Dietitian that specializes in that specific area?
You see, people like me go to school for many years so that we can help others get better. I spend almost one hundred hours every year staying up to date on the current research on various nutrition-related topics so my clients don’t have to. Similarly, I hire a CPA because the thought of having to understand all those complicated tax laws makes me want to cry thinking about it. I am happy to pay someone else to do that for me, thank you very much. Why not pay a dietitian to sort through the many and often complicated nutrition studies for you?
The other comment I often hear is “I know what I am supposed to do, I just don’t do it.” My response is typically, “That is what I help people with.” I am an expert in nutrition, but there is a reason I call myself a nutrition coach. My responsibility to my clients is not just to spew information at them, but to actually work with them to help them make changes and reach their nutrition goals. That is what good dietitians do. Basic nutrition information is just that, basic. Implementing healthy eating behaviors, though, is where things get more challenging, which is a big reason why dietitians can be helpful. They can help to actually make lasting changes, while not making you miserable in the process.
The truth is, the majority of my clients coming to see me for the first time for help with weight loss actually had a binge of their favorite foods the night before, because they were afraid I was going to put them on a “diet” and tell them not to eats those foods anymore. Fortunately for them, I have never done that with any of my clients. I consider myself a foodie, and greatly enjoy eating myself, so I don’t believe in depriving other people the joy of eating either. Not only that, but deprivation will nearly always end in binging, which is the inherent flaw with diets – especially fad diets – in the first place. The good news is that I can teach people how to enjoy their food, but eat reasonably enough to have good nutrition and maintain a healthy weight.
I have found that almost everyone has some type of nutrition concern, but only a wise few choose to hire a registered dietitian. I know that cost can be a huge deciding factor for many. (One of the first questions I always ask when looking for service of any kind is “How much is this going to cost?”) The reality, though, is that hiring a dietitian can be less expensive than you think. Better still, the tools I teach people will last a lifetime, and can ultimately end up saving you a TON of money in the long-run. Plus, I am a preferred provider for several insurance companies and can often get my services covered at 100%!
So, if you are ready to finally address the nutrition concerns you have with something better than a simple Google search, then give me a call. If you would like, I can even answer the phone like this:
I can be reached at 801-935-6500. I look forward to speaking with you!