What is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)?
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (also know as Registered Dietitians) are experts in the field of food and nutrition. RDNs have completed specified academic course work, completed a period of supervised practice, passed a national registration examination, and complete ongoing continuing education. RDN is a regulated credential, available only to those who follow this process. The term “nutritionist” alone is not a regulated credential and does not guarantee that the person using the term is a qualified nutrition professional.
Do you see clients in-person or online?
Currently my practice is 100% virtual with all sessions being conducted via Telehealth.
However, I am exploring options for seeing clients in-person at some downtown Hayward, CA locations. If an in-person session is of interest to you, and downtown Hayward, CA is an accessible location, please let me know when you fill out your Get Started form and we’ll see what we can do.
Do you see clients outside of the San Francisco Bay Area?
While I am physically located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, my practice is currently 100% virtual, with all sessions done via Telehealth. Being a virtual practice does allow me the freedom to see clients outside of my own area and I can see anyone located within California as well as most other states within the United States.
Registration as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) is a national credential, however some states have a licensing requirement as well. If you live outside of California be sure to mention where you are located when you fill out the Get Started form, so I can confirm that I have met the licensing requirements for your state.
Do you take insurance?
Currently clients must pay out of pocket for each session.
If you find my session prices to be out of reach, please know that I offer sliding scale pricing upon request. Ask about it when you fill out the Get Started form.
Also, I am exploring the idea of accepting insurance in the future, so if you would have been interested in a session with me, but my not taking insurance was a deal breaker, please reach out and let me know, I’d be interested to hear from you.
I see you’re “weight neutral” in your sessions, are you against weight loss?
No, I am not against weight loss. I am all for body autonomy and recognize that people will want to lose weight for various reasons (health, looks, to “feel more like themselves” again), and it’s not wrong to want to lose weight.
However, I fully recognize all of the harm that dieting and the diet industry are able to inflict on the physical and mental health of people. And I want to see weight loss de-centered from its place as the primary goal/tool for improving health.
What I am interested in doing though my practice is making space for celebrating non-weight based successes on the path toward better health and wellbeing. I also want to be a safe place for people in larger bodies to discuss nutrition and health without weight being forced on them as the main focus.
It is also important to me to help us have a better understanding when it comes to weight and weight loss. Here a few of the things I like to keep in mind:
➡️ Weight loss is not the only way to improve health
➡️ Weight loss is not as easy as it is often made out to be (way more complex than calories in/calories out)
➡️ Getting your body weight to an “ideal” weight or a “normal” BMI might not actually be healthy for you – bodies come in a variety of sizes and we shouldn’t all be held to one simplistic size standard
But Amy, I want to lose weight. Can you help me lose weight?
I hear you! Maybe you have a vision for how you want your body to look, or maybe you used to weigh less and you felt better at that weight. I totally understand the desire and it’s not bad to want to feel better and like the way you look. However, sessions with me are a chance to have a more nuanced discussion — to not just look at weight and weight loss as the only marker of success.
Sometimes people will do the all of the “right steps” to lose weight and it will work for them. Others will do the same steps and won’t lose any weight, or might even gain weight. Weight loss is not as simple as it is often made out to be and we can’t manipulate our body shapes as easily as we are led to believe.
In a session with me we can discuss your goals for helping improving your wellbeing, improving your health and feeling good in your body. As you take action on the goals we discuss, you might see a change in your weight, but I cannot predict (let alone guarantee!) exactly what it will be.
If you don’t see the answer to your question here, feel free to reach out to Amy at amy@amyslabaugh.com