I know I haven’t posted anything for a while. Let’s be real, it’s been crazy…for all of us I’m sure…but that’s my excuse. I’ve been thinking about this recently and would like to share some thoughts.

Throughout my career as a dietitian, I’ve seen people succeed with their nutrition goals and some throw their hands up in frustration. Everyone is different and busy schedules sometimes get in the way. I get it… See above…

What I’d like to see more of is communication between frustrated clients and myself. Sometimes a plan that seems to be a good fit at the time of the counseling session may not remain a good fit as time passes. Some folks feel inadequate when they are unable to carry out the prescribed plan and assume there is nothing to talk about until they make changes. This is not the case and suggests that, perhaps, a different strategy should be implemented. There is no shame in admitting things are not working. In fact, it’s beneficial so we can develop a different plan that may work better!

Especially when attempting to achieve complicated goals such as management of PCOS or diabetes or during the elimination/challenge phases of the low FODMAP diet, there will be ups, downs, and complete stalls in the progress. Patients get frustrated because the path is not linear. Knowing that this is part of the process, whether we like it or not, is integral to getting past the hard parts until the goal is met. Furthermore, the goal may change during the process. Maintenance mode may also take more effort than expected. Once better eating habits are in place there will be more of a routine, but ongoing nutrition maintenance takes effort.

Case in point: even though I have extensive nutrition education and an understanding of human metabolism, there are still times that I struggle to make time to prepare healthful meals or choose foods congruent with my nutrition goals. I still struggle with a sweet tooth that wins out more often than I’d care to admit despite my best efforts.

To help the process I have tools handy for patients to use. Healthie provides a means of communication between my patients and myself with the following features:

• chat function to discuss questions in a HIPAA-compliant manner.
• food journaling is available for documenting meal habits. Feedback can be given on specific items between sessions upon request. Most patients using this feature find it valuable as it increases accountability, which improves outcomes. We can refer to specific meals during sessions for further discussion and education. This is also extremely helpful during the challenge phase of the Low FODMAP diet.
• symptom and stool tracking are available for those dealing with GI issues. Again, this will help identify patterns and possible food triggers.
• water intake tracker

You can feel free to use any of these if you believe it will help you on the journey. Some folks do not like tracking online and some do not like tracking anything and that’s OK too. No pressure either way. I’m nothing if not flexible.

Communication also includes me asking questions during sessions to provoke change and gauge factors such as readiness, confidence and need for diet education. And just know there is no judgement of character or otherwise, only professional judgement on how to proceed based on the information provided.

If you feel as though you have been stalling in your efforts to reach nutrition goals or need help getting started, please get in touch or seek out a dietitian in your area. Insurance companies list in-network practitioners to help locate one that fits your needs.