My Story

I often get the question as to why I became a Dietitian. I usually begin by telling people that I always liked math and science in grade school; yet often pass out/get squeamish at the sight of blood, especially if it is my own. That being said, becoming a doctor or nurse was out of the picture. Somewhere during the high school years, I came across the job title of dietitian and haven’t looked back since.

What I usually don’t tell people is that, growing up I myself was obese. In fact most of my immediate family was. I weighed more then as a ten year old, than I do now as a twenty something. Since most people never believe me when I tell them this and because I have no shame, I am going to share a picture with you. Before I do that, I have two disclaimers. The first being that I am the only girl in my family so I was a HUGE (no pun intended) tomboy growing up. The second is that I had a tragic haircut, for which I blame my mother. She thought it would look cute, but you can see for yourself that cute is not quite the word that comes to mind. This resulted in me looking like a boy. But without further ado…

If you couldn’t tell, I am the kid all the way to the right in the white shirt. 

Now, the reason I am writing about this and sharing this picture with you is not to throw a pitty party, get a pat on the back, or become the next Jared Fogle. What made me think of writing this blog was this video.  

During my fat phase as I affectionately call it, I, along side my family, ate like crap. Oreos, Doritos, Little Debbies, Gushers, soda, fast food, you name it, I ate it all. I hated most fruits and veggies, which is ironic since I am now a vegetarian. I was physically inactive; sitting in front of the tv, computer (yes, they did have computers when I was a kid), or playing video games (yes, they had those as well).  

I wrote last week  about how others influence your eating and physical activity habits because I am a living example of this. I ate like crap because that’s how my family ate. I was sedentary because my family was sedentary. What caused me to change my eating habits and exercise habits you ask? My mother. She decided that she was going to eat healthier and start walking for exercise. Did she know that the rest of the family would follow suit? Probably not, but it is amazing what the power of influence can do. If it weren’t for my mother’s motivation to make healthy lifestyle changes, it could have been me in that video; it also could have been her.  (Mom I know you are reading this…please don’t let this go to your head, but do remember this post from your favorite child come Christmas time.) 

The reason I became a dietitian is so that I could not only help people struggling with weight issues, but more importantly to help prevent them from even having weight issues. If you are an avid reader of my blogs, which I know you all are :) , you should know that there is no miracle pill for weight loss. All you have to do is eat right and exercise. Now I recognize that this is easier said than done, but seek out positive influencers in your life to help you along the way. Now if you will excuse me, I have to browse for an equally heinous haircut to pay back my mother for when its time to put her in a home. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth