Philosophy and Approach
Bodacious Nutrition (Nutrition for Women) provides compassionate, collaborative nutrition support through a non-diet, weight neutral lens that supports the development of positive embodiment and a nourished relationship with food.
Weight Neutral, Non-Diet Approach
A weight neutral approach means that we recognize that:
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weight stigma is harmful psychologically and metabolically
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telling someone to lose weight is a form of weight stigma
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dieting can lead to eating disorders and disordered eating habits
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dieting often doesn't cause sustained weight loss anyway and promotes stress and anxiety as well as a risk for inadequate nutrition
Being weight neutral means we don't focus on weight loss as a means to "improve your health".
We recognize that dieting is harmful, and that you are not defined by a number on a scale. We are interested in your weight history, because you probably have thoughts about it and it might help tell your body story. But we won't be pushing you to restrict your food to get to a different BMI or number. Nope. We want to discuss your relationship with your body, your dieting history, your health habits, and how your weight history may have shaped your sense of embodiment.
But as a non-diet (or better yet, anti-diet!) dietitian, we focus on health changes that have a positive impact on health and happiness without pushing for weight loss. This doesn't mean we are anti-weight loss, though, as many clients stop gaining weight and find their natural weight without focusing on it as they modify behaviors.
We also use an Intuitive Eating framework, but we expand the focus outside of this framework as needed with clinical knowledge and consideration of client's goals and unique needs.
Dieting and the Diet Cycle
There are no long-term studies showing weight loss through dieting is sustainable, and 75-95% of people regain the weight they lost- and more. This weight cycling causes inflammation and body image distress along with metabolic consequences.
The dieting cycle is something we've seen, over and over, and we help clients end chronic dieting by supporting a better way to think about health.
Food Relationship First
We also take a "food relationship first" approach where we tackle any cooccurring concerns (blood sugars, hormonal imbalance, fertility, desire for weight loss, elevated cholesterol, ect) by healing the food and body relationship as a priority and then discussing nutrition changes through the gentle nutrition lens.
This is a self-compassionate lens that also values satisfaction and body trust. The discussion of how you feel, what you want, and what you need are always first and foremost.
Values
Connection
Fostering healing and growth through virtual support groups and 1 on 1 collaborative relationships
Inclusion
Offering inclusive pricing, rejecting all forms of oppression, acknowledging our own privilege, and valuing diversity in all forms
Sustainability
Offering a virtual, zero-waste model of sustainable care, and working to support plant-forward, environmentally-friendly dietary patterns
Collaborative
Working with clients and care team to optimize care and collaborating with client to access own body wisdom and lived experiences to guide treatment process
Curiousity
Offering kind, non-judgemental and transparent care with openness to whatever comes up
