Confessions of a Dietitian – What Balance Actually Looks Like

As a registered dietitian, I am well educated in the science of nutrition, can whip up calculations for macronutrients, and articulate how sleep, movement, and stress are connected to nutrition. You might be wondering what a dietitian with professional knowledge does with all that knowledge on a personal level. It might not be what you think… I have a few confessions to make…

Despite my credentials, I don’t live in a state of “nutritional or wellness perfection.” I eat out. I eat for comfort. I love chocolate and chocolate chip cookies. I scroll before bed and go to bed late. I don’t feel like working out. Stress gets the best of me. I even have the same mental hurdles as the next person. What I’ve found to be true is that balance isn’t about eliminating the “bad” days; it’s about the response to them. Here is how I actually apply my professional knowledge when real life gets messy:

What I don’t do…

#1: Choose guilt

The number one thing I don’t do is heap guilt or shame on myself when nutrition and wellness don’t go as planned. It’s inevitable that there will be surprise treats at work, workouts will be missed or skipped, not enough sleep, or there will be seasons of more stress. These are real life moments. Heaping guilt or shame on top never helps, it is a terrible motivator that only tends to make progress more difficult.

#2: Skip all-or-nothing

I also don’t get caught in the all-or-nothing mindset. Thinking it has to be perfect, or it doesn’t count only keeps me stuck. If success is defined by my ability to stick to a plan perfectly or make perfect decisions without any room for the reality of how daily life changes it ends up being impossible to feel successful. Every little bit counts when it comes to health and wellness.

#3: Tie wellness to one number

The last thing I don’t do is measure my wellness by the number on the scale. There are so many aspects of our lives that play into our wellness from how we eat and move, the relationships we cultivate, the stress we carry, to the health of our minds and spirits. The number on the scale may stay the same, go up or down but it doesn’t tell the whole story or show the whole picture.

What I do…

#1: Choose grace over guilt

In those moments when things aren’t going just right – the extra piece of cake, sleeping in instead of getting up to move, and making choices that don’t align with my goals are all opportunities to offer grace and kindness to myself. Remembering that it is normal to have an off day and I am not a failure; I am a human!

#2: Focus on Balance

Balance doesn’t have a lot of rigid rules, it looks at the big picture and makes adjustments as needed often adding in rather than taking away. A few ways I incorporate balance into my wellness routine include:

• The 80/20 principle – aiming for nutrient dense foods 80% of the time allows 20% of the time to be more fluid with real life and even fun. The same could be true in all areas of wellness.
• The very next… bite or step or… instead of focusing on guilt and shame which tends to linger longer than it should, focusing on the very next… allows for a quicker turn around to realign with my goals.
• Ask different questions… Instead of asking “why I am so lazy?”, a better question is why does my body need rest? Instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?”, a better question is what is my body telling me?

#3: Practice progress over perfection

Consistently showing up and practicing wellness day in and day out serves me way better in the long run and helps me meet my wellness goals. Just like a sports team, not every practice is perfect but in the long run progress can be seen.

My biggest confession? My healthiest “macro” isn’t protein or carbs – it’s flexibility. By letting go of the guilt, all-or-nothing pressure, and striving for perfection creates the space needed to align my choices with my wellness goals.