Weight Inclusive Nutrition: A Health-Focused, Non-Diet Approach

Most people who reach out to me don’t say they’re looking for weight inclusive nutrition.

They usually say they want to be “healthier.”
Or that their doctor told them to lose weight.
Or that they’ve tried everything and nothing seems to last.

Underneath those concerns is often the same belief: that weight loss is the path to health.

After more than 25 years as a Registered Dietitian—working in hospital settings and now in private practice—I’ve learned something important:

Many people don’t fail at health. They’re failed by a weight-focused system.

That’s why my work today centers on weight inclusive nutrition: an approach that supports health, behavior change, and wellbeing without using weight as the primary goal or measure of success.

What Weight Inclusive Nutrition Really Means

Weight inclusive nutrition is grounded in a simple but often overlooked truth: body weight is not a reliable indicator of health.

Weight is influenced by genetics, hormones, medications, stress, trauma, sleep, aging, and access to care. When we focus only on weight, we often miss what actually helps people feel better.

In practice, this approach shifts the focus away from shrinking bodies and toward:

• Consistent, adequate nourishment
• Energy levels and digestion
• Blood sugar, cholesterol, and other health markers
• Stress, sleep, and daily routines
• A person’s relationship with food

Weight may change—or it may not. Either way, progress still counts.

Why a Weight-Focused Approach Often Misses the Mark

Earlier in my career, while working in a large medical center, I practiced within the traditional weight-focused model I was taught. Weight loss was frequently positioned as the solution to a wide range of health concerns.

Over time, patterns became hard to ignore.

I worked with patients who lost weight but were under-eating, exhausted, and afraid of food. Others followed recommendations closely, only to regain weight and feel discouraged and blamed. Many became more anxious and preoccupied with eating—not healthier.

At the same time, I began to see something different when weight was no longer the main focus.

When clients were supported with consistent meals, adequate intake, and less food stress, they often experienced improvements in energy, digestion, labs, and overall wellbeing—sometimes without any change in weight at all.

That was a turning point in how I practice nutrition.

How I Came to Practice This Way

After decades in healthcare, I don’t believe most people need more discipline.

They need care that:

• Accounts for real lives and real stress
• Respects body diversity
• Reduces shame rather than reinforcing it
• Is rooted in evidence, not assumptions

Weight inclusive nutrition allows me to address health concerns directly—cholesterol, blood sugar, digestive issues, emotional eating—without prescribing weight loss as the solution.

It’s not about ignoring health.
It’s about treating people, not numbers.

What Weight Inclusive Care Looks Like in Real Life

In my practice, weight inclusive nutrition often looks like:

• Helping someone eat breakfast again after years of skipping
• Supporting regular meals during busy, high-stress workdays
• Normalizing appetite changes during perimenopause or menopause
• Addressing emotional eating with compassion rather than control
• Helping teens and adults step out of chronic dieting and into more body trust

These changes may seem subtle, but they are often the foundation for meaningful, lasting health improvements.

A Different Way to Define Health and Progress

In weight inclusive nutrition care, success might look like:

• Eating enough without constant second-guessing
• More stable energy throughout the day
• Improved labs or symptoms
• Less anxiety around food
• Greater trust in your body

Weight may change.
Or it may not.

Health is not a moral achievement, and it’s not something you fail at because your body changes.

Final Thoughts

Weight inclusive nutrition doesn’t lower the bar for health.

It raises the standard of care.

If weight-focused advice has left you feeling blamed, stuck, or exhausted, you are not broken—and your body is not the problem.

Health can be compassionate.
Care can be evidence-based.
And your body deserves respect at every size. 💛

I would be honored to support you in navigating your health through a weight-inclusive lens. Reach out here to schedule discovery call to learn more about how we can work together.