A Dietitian’s Journey – competent to counsel

A week or two ago, there was some discussion on a Twitter thread that some “wouldn’t trust a fat Dietitian” and yesterday I was told “once you get in shape then you can dish out advice” – as if my past or current health status makes me less credible or competent to counsel others. Both of these got me thinking, is a ‘slim Dietitian’ really more credible? What is a Dietitian’s credibility and competency based on?

There is no question that there is a ‘fat bias’ and am not arguing whether there should be or shouldn’t be, but what makes any clinician credible is the scientific evidence on which we stand. What makes me credible in teaching others to follow a low carb / keto lifestyle has nothing to do with my body weight; it has to do with the 76 studies with almost 7000 subjects over the past 18 years which provides the scientific basis on which I base my practice. What makes me competent to counsel is my education, as well as my experience in clinical practice.

I have a post graduate degree in Human Nutrition, am a published researcher and have over a decade of experience in private practice and my learning didn’t stop there.  If it had, I would not have made the transition in thinking that I did approximately 3 years ago. It took a huge amount of research and reading and very strong scientific evidence for me to come to the conviction that what constitutes best-practice in helping people address overweight, obesity and insulin resistance, including Type 2 Diabetes is following a low carb / keto lifestyle. I continue to spend most of my free time reading scientific studies in order to more fully understand the strength of the evidence on which my clinical practice is based.

Competence is the ability to achieve a desired result and my ability to help others lose weight and lower their metabolic markers is independent of my body mass. My competence is dependent on the scientific research.

My current body weight does not make me less competent to counsel others. I am a “sample set of one” (n=1) and my personal health and weight-loss journey is just that – personal, anecdotal evidence. It encourages my clients and those that read my articles that I actually understand what is involved in living a low carb / keto lifestyle, and when I say that it can be done fairly easily and over the long-term, I know this first-hand.

Someone pointing out that I am not skinny is not news, as my past and current health status is on my web page and plastered all over the internet in Technicolor, for all the world to see. But, eleven months ago, I was an obese Dietitian with a host of metabolic issues including Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, high visceral adipose, etc.). I was the poster woman for Metabolic Syndrome. I started “practicing what I preach” and the results speak for themselves.

My progress is well documented, I’ve lost 35 pounds, 7½ inches off my waist and have only 2 ½ more inches to lose to achieve an ideal waist to height ratio. I am in partial remission from my Type 2 Diabetes, have almost normal blood pressure and have a lipid profile that is considered ‘ideal’, and no longer take medication for chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) – something I have done for years.

If you want to read the technical details of my progress, you can read this article.

…and I have the mirror.

Eleven months ago (March 16 2017), this is what I looked like;

March 16 2017

Today, this is what I look like:

January 28 2018

Sure, I still have 15 pounds to lose to be in the normal weight category and probably closer to 25 pounds to lose to be at my ideal body weight and waist circumference, but eating low carb isn’t a ‘diet’ for me, but a permanent change in lifestyle. It has to be because of the degree to which I have become intolerant to more than a small amount of carbohydrate. I just need to keep doing what I am doing and continued improved health and appearance will come. This is my journey.

If you would like to know how I can help you on your own health and nutrition journey, please send me a note using the ”Contact Me” form above.

To our good health,

Joy

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