registered dietitian
About
MY STORY
Growing up, I never knew much about nutrition. My dad had type 1 diabetes but all I knew was that he needed to take his injection at certain times of the day otherwise he’d get sick. We predominantly ate a highly processed diet with very little nutrient dense foods and variety. School wasn’t great either – my mom always did her best to pack me a sandwich of some kind but I loved the school tuckshop. Snacks were dirt cheap – I ate chips, frozen ice lollies and sweets nearly every day and nutrient dense foods like fruit featured once or twice a week.
Going to university proved to be a tough time, my personal life was in utter disarray and I resorted to emotional eating to cope. Naturally, I gained a lot of weight, at 164cm tall I was weighing around 88kg – while this might be normal for some, I felt uncomfortable in this heavier body. Furthermore, my energy levels were in the dumps and my emotional and mental health took a beating.
And so, due to my poor dietary habits, major lack in physical activity and poor stress coping mechanisms, I landed up in the doctor’s office at the ripe age of 20. I suffered from severe anxiety attacks and was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Needless to say, I was shocked. I had no idea what high blood pressure was or what it meant for my health. I decided that if I wanted to be around in the next ten years and not have issues with my health, I needed to change. Just one problem - I had no idea where to start.
in diet culture
GETTING LOST
When this happened, I hadn't yet started studying dietetics. You can see how it became motive for me to pursue this career. However, at the time I fell into the deep dark never-ending pit of diet culture. I tried different diets, took supplements for fat loss, protein supplements, herbal concoctions for weight loss, I calorie restricted... the list goes on. I spent a lot of money, got little to no results and was left feeling frustrated and hopeless. The constant food restriction eventually led to a really unhealthy relationship with food and binge eating. I'd restrict all week and binge on weekends – I recall one weekend where I finished a 1kg of biscuits in 2 days. I had no idea how to stop this vicious cycle of restrictive dieting followed by binge eating.
I had no idea what macro- or micronutrients were and what their impact on my health was. I thought health was determined only by my weight. I had a workout routine that now makes me wonder how I never sustained any serious injuries.
WHERE AM I TODAY?
Going to study nutrition, all this changed for me. Understanding your body and how it works, how food impacts it, the importance of physical activity – this made all the difference for me. Things finally made sense, I understood why none of my prior efforts worked for me and could finally pave a healthier way forward with my journey. I restored my relationship with food, I learnt how to best organise my environment to ensure I achieved my nutrition goals, I now am able to listen to and respect my body's hunger and fullness cues, I follow reputable workout regimes that I actually enjoy and through all this, I lost weight sustainably.
I know how scary the world of diet culture is, I know how frustrating this journey can be and how alone you can feel. My hope is to help clients end diet culture, achieve their nutrition goals in a manner that works best for them inclusive of any medical conditions and nutrition goals they may have and to restore their relationship with food. If you identify with any of this and would like help, contact me to see how we can work together.