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Down Home Dietitian - Healthy doesn't have to be hard.
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Browsing Tag
healthy meal plan
Wellness Tips

Why I Don’t Make Meal Plans for my Clients

How to Make an Effective Meal Plan

 

Ahhh pre-made meal plans…I gotta tell ya, I love to hate ’em. Finding them, selecting them, and most of all, following them. They are stinky, like fish. That will make more sense in a few paragraphs. Promise.

Why are they stinky, you ask? Well I would be more than happy to tell you.

The food we eat is connected to everything in our lives. Everything. Your budget, your spouse (or lack of spouse), your kids (and their preferences, allergies, and appetites), your schedule, your culture, and your mood all play in to the food you choose to eat. That being said, someone would have to thoroughly understand all of those things about you in order to select foods that are good options for a meal plan for you. Now, how many meal plan makers know you that well?

Let’s take, for example, some meal plans I’ve been on in the past for different blog experiments. For the heart healthy meal plan I followed, the ingredients increased my grocery budget by 75%! Typically I use dinner leftovers for lunches, but that meal plan used NO leftovers for ANYTHING. You know what that gets you (besides an expensive grocery trip)? A fridge full of leftovers waiting to go bad. It also leaves you cooking two meals every night – dinner and tomorrow’s lunch. Not sustainable, functional, or enjoyable.

 



 

My final gripe about following meal plans made by others? Sometimes I just don’t like the food. Like, for example, coleslaw. I’m not a huge fan, but it’s on the meal plan, because the person who made it didn’t know me and my lack of appreciation for coleslaw. So here I am, either eating coleslaw or feeling as though I somehow “failed” my meal plan because I didn’t like it.

And you know what else (yes, I lied about the final gripe part)? As a dietitian, my goal is to empower my patients to live a healthy life they love. Now even if I gave them the perfect meal plan that worked great for their lifestyle, are they empowered? What will they do when the week-long meal plan is over? Will they just eat the same food week after week forever?

Of course not.

Remember the old saying, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and feed him for the rest of his life”? Well, a meal plan is a fish.

 



 

I can give someone a meal plan fish and they can meet their nutritional goals for a week (if they manage to stick with a meal plan someone else made), or I can teach someone how to plan for themselves and meet their health and quality of life goals. Truly, they are the only ones who know themselves well enough to do it. So usually, if my client’s would like to have weekly meal plans, we set aside a portion of each of their appointments and make the meal plan together. It’s not easy and it’s awkward at first, but once they get the hang of it they are empowered. After a few sessions they’ve got the hang of it and they’re making their own meals plans (that they love, that fit their budget and their health goals). They can eat for life – on a budget and with foods they love! And that is why I love what I do.

And why I hate stinky meal plan fish. End rant.

 

Related Articles

How to Meal Plan on a Budget (step-by-step walkthrough)

The Must-Try Meal-Planning Hack to Stop Wasting Food and Money

How to Meal Plan to Save Time and Money (with free printable meal-planning template!)

 



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Down Home Dietitian

Diet culture is determined to tell you that you have to be miserable to be healthy.

That couldn’t be more wrong.

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beckiparsons.rd.ep

I am OVER confusing advice, disgusting diets, and boring exercise.
Healthy doesn't have to be hard!
🍎 Dietitian
🚶‍♀️ Exercise Physiologist

Becki Parsons, MS, RD, CEP
Are you ready to start dating healthy changes? Pro Are you ready to start dating healthy changes? Prospective clients always want to know what it's like to work with me and what their plan will look like (understandably)! Everyone's plan ends up different, so I can't tell you what your plan will look like beforehand...I haven't gotten to know you yet! But I can tell you that we will work to match your personality, schedule, budget, goals and more to healthy changes so they are streamlined and aligned with your lifestyle. We are looking for a long-term relationship here...but that means dating first! 
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♥️ Like this post if you've ever beat yourself up for "failing" at a new healthy change that, in hindsight, just wasn't the right fit.
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💪 Comment below and tell me about it if you're feeling brave! I'll start...
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#dietitian #lifestylechange #donedieting #antidiet #wellnessjourney #nutritionist #fitness #fitforlife #fitfam #wellnesscoach #wellnesscoaching #nutritioncoach #fitnesscoach #exercisecoach #olympianutrition #seattlenutrition #olympiadietitian #seattledietitian #seattleweightloss #olympiaweightloss #weightlosstips #weightlosscoaching
If you need a bit of accountability to keep yourse If you need a bit of accountability to keep yourself in the game for your goals - my Virtual Accountability Subscription is for you! One 60-minute goal setting appointment and 11 weekly e-mail follow-ups to stay in touch and keep you supported and encouraged along the way. Plus, you can get 10% off with the promo code "DHD22" if you start your subscription today - don't miss out! Click the link in my bio to get started.
You don't know why they are the weight they are. You don't know why they are the weight they are.

You don't know what struggles they may face.

If you think it's just "eat less, move more," you're missing a big part of the picture.

If you think they are eating more than they "should," keep in mind that you can't know that by observing one meal or even a few.

If you think it might be nice to compliment someone on their weight loss, I totally get it. I love to cheer someone on! But unless you are REALLY informed on their situation, keep in mind that you might be:

-Reinforcing an eating disorder
-Encouraging them to continue an over-restrictive deprivation diet
-Noticing the effects of a scary diagnosis
-Confirming their fears that everyone pays attention to their size.
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#weightstigma #weightloss #weightbias #nutrition #fitness #exercise #dietitian #registereddietitian #antidiet #antidietdietitian #wellness #besupportive #eatingdisorderawareness
January 2021 I injured my back, causing an extrude January 2021 I injured my back, causing an extruded L5/S1 disc (think REALLY bad bulging disc) that led to sciatica. At the time, I had to stop doing all of my regular workouts including weightlifting, and focus on walking and rest for several months. Sitting, especially for long periods, became very painful. Since a lot of my job involves virtual appointments and computer work that was obviously a big bummer, to say the least.

I've really missed weight lifting over the last year or so, and I could not wait to get back to it. But if you've ever dealt with chronic pain and injury, you know that re-injury is certainly not something anyone is interested in. I waited a very long time to get back to lifting and make sure that I rehabbed my back properly with PT and bodyweight exercises before I started again.

Getting back to it has been awesome, but it certainly has its challenges. I have to choose my core work very carefully and limit my high impact exercises (I avoid jump roping for more than a couple-minute warm up, for example). I'm lifting much lighter weights than I used to, which can feel defeating after I had worked so hard. Prior to my injury, one of the goals I had been working towards was to increase my chin-ups. It was a hard-fought victory to get to three chin-ups, and I was pretty darn sure I was going to be starting again at square one when I got back to it. I put it off trying it for longer than I had to because I didn't want to know...lol. 🙈 I could not believe that over a year later, I'm still able to do two! Thank you body, for having my back. I've got yours too. 😉

P.S. I love this shirt from @activefaithsports - #icandoallthings #notsponsoredjustloveit
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This is one of my favorite things to hear from cli This is one of my favorite things to hear from clients, because it's often when we are focusing elsewhere that the weight loss happens. It is seriously 75% mindset and mental shifts, and 25% habits. It doesn't have to be hard!
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#weightloss #loseweight #healthyhabits #healthymindset #healthydoesnthavetobeboring #healthynothard #healthydoesnthavetobehard #healthymind #healthymindhealthybody #olympiadietitian #olympiaweightloss #olympianutrition #seattleweightloss #seattledietitian
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I have and will put my heart and soul into serving I have and will put my heart and soul into serving my clients - and I LOVE doing it! ♥️ 

I actually went to school intending to be a crime scene investigator. I had interned at the coroner's office throughout high school and had my eyes set on Eastern Washington University's forensic science program. I think I had known for a while that I was leaning away from that but when you're a senior and everyone is asking about your plans, it's nice to have an answer to give them. 😆

Once I got to @washington_state_university I changed my major to Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. I LOVED that program - the perfect balance of science and serving people. I was shocked to learn how many different settings dietitians work in: food service, workplace wellness, hospitals, clinics, sports teams, schools, military, community health...

Coming out of school I honestly wasn't sure which way I wanted to take my career, but I DID say that I would NEVER want to open a private practice. 😆 I am so grateful to have had the experiences I had that led me to change my mind. Being an entrepreneur is hard and messy and absolutely awesome. 🤩
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It is not my job to: - Tell you what you "shouldn It is not my job to:

- Tell you what you "shouldn't" eat.
- Tell you what you "should" eat.
- To restrict your favorite foods.
- To force you to eat foods you hate.
- To give you a pre-made meal plan that is one-size-fits-almost-none
- To tell you how much exercise you "must do."

Outside of deadly allergies, celiac disease, dangerous addictions, and rare medical situations, there is almost never a food you can never have.

It is my job to tell you:
- How different foods are digested, absorbed, and metabolized, and how that relates to your lived experience, symptoms, or medical conditions.
- That healthy doesn't have to look a certain way.
- To get to know you well enough to recommend healthy strategies that may likely be good fits for you.
- To clear up what research does and does not say about food and exercise and health.

So often people fear RDs as "the food police." I'm sure they are out there, as every profession has their own bad apples, but most of my colleagues are awesome and will partner with you to live your best healthy life. 😊

Have you worried about these things when thinking about trying nutrition counseling?
Some movement is WAY better than none...in fact, r Some movement is WAY better than none...in fact, research shows that going to some movement from none brings the greatest health benefits. Don't expect yourself to show up over and over to do activity you hate - where's the happy in that? 

I am personally a cardio machine hater...they are great tools and an awesome fit for some people! I am not that person. I spend every step watching that stinkin' timer and thinking, "when...can I...get off...this...is so...boring!"

Think outside the box and try something you wouldn't have considered a "workout," but that will keep you coming back because you love it! It's amazing the doors that fun and enjoyable movement can open!

Ever tried geocaching? It's one of my faves! What are your favorite fun movements?
Food is meant to be enjoyed, absorbed, and metabol Food is meant to be enjoyed, absorbed, and metabolized, not obsessed over. That is all! 😁🍓
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If you've ever been victimized by the mental anguish of a diet, pop a 🖐️ down below - we can start a support group!
Load More... Follow on Instagram
  • Planting a Small Permaculture Orchard on our Homestead
  • How Much to Plant in Your Vegetable Garden
  • Recipe: Immune Boosting Winter Smoothie
  • Choosing an Exercise Plan you can Stick To
  • Working Toward Your Health Goals When Life is Busy or Stressful

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