What to Expect Working with The Outdoors Dietitian

The number one question I receive when I ask about what questions do you have for working with a dietitian is “what should I expect when working with you, a dietitian?"

I'm not surprised that people are skeptical in regards to working with a dietitian, we're the food police are we not?

While I get that some people (and they may not even be a dietitian) can definitely seem like the food police, I will say - that I am not!

I'm human, just like everyone else!  I absolutely love ice cream and chocolate and I will NOT give that up!  I have been told I should write a book about the best ice cream places in the country!  That sounds contradictory for a dietitian, right?

Food is to be enjoyed!  So much of our life happens around food and I am not here to change that!  I am here to help you achieve your goals while still having a healthy and enjoyable relationship with food. 

Life itself is also crazy!  I have been living “on the go” my entire life.  I also get tired, just like everyone else.  I always make sure I have food with me for long work days, but there are times when my lunch is not ideal, but I eat and I make it work!  I am not “perfect” and I do not expect my clients to be perfect either.  We are all striving to do our best and that’s how I focus on life and making realistic goals.  

So, what to expect?

Prior to our first visit, a Welcome Packet will be sent out that includes an Intake Sheet.  This sheet includes information about your goals and how I can best assist you.  This intake form allows me to assess your nutrition and hydration status and get an initial understanding of how many meals and snacks you eat a day, your current training or event schedule, foods you like, foods you hate, and if there are any medical concerns that we need to keep in mind.  From there, I’ll start to tailor a plan to meet your goals.

 During our first visit, nutrition education will be tailored to your goals and lifestyle.  We will review the intake sheet and go more in depth about your goals and form a plan together.  We will set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based) goals that will give you guidance and we will assess your progress at the follow up visits.  

 And I get it! Life happens!  That’s why follow up appointments for accountability and support are so important.  Accountability to challenge you to accomplish your goals and support to help you figure out how to make everything work within your lifestyle and what you want to accomplish.  The SMART goals can be reassessed to determine if they are truly working for you or if something else in life has come up and we need to re-evaluate to best serve your needs and lifestyle.  

Follow ups are also important to avoid overwhelm.  Of course, we can sit for 2 hours on a first visit and go through a TON of information, but how much will you actually retain?  Once you start to implement that information, will it still make sense?  Will you have trouble actually making it work for you and your lifestyle?  Will you zone out because it’s just too much?  That’s why to best SERVE YOU, I provide shorter, more focused visits where we implement small measurable goals and see how things truly work for you, your schedule, your training, and your body.  

 I would love to hear from you!  If you are seeking to find a program that will be individualized for you, let’s hope on a call and see how I can help you!