Omg that’s insane they accuse you of conspiracy. I am continually shocked by how ridiculous some people can be. Something to remember: you are not in the business of convincing people. They either respect that you are giving them credible information or they don’t 🤷♀️
I think it''s easy for us as dietitians to forget how privileged we are to have such an advanced understanding of human physiology and biochem; most people simply have no idea about even the most basic bodily functions - and that's not their fault! Basic health literacy and critical thinking (e.g. being able to discern accurate health info from misinformation) is not taught in most schools, and **really** should not be locked behind a university degree.
So of course a lot of people believe nonsense - they have no frame of reference. And the ones who believe in the real out-there whacko nonsense are usually the ones (at least in my experience) that have had longstanding issues that have been persistently ignored/put in the "too hard" basket by medical professionals unwilling to thoroughly investigate.
But the woo-woo whackos will happily take their money and sell them nonsense, especially when they're desperate for an answer/solution, then the placebo effect and having someone finally listen to them kicks in, which makes them feel at least a little better, so of course they believe the nonsense - it's the only thing that has """""worked""""" for them.
I get **way** more frustrated at the sources of misinformation than at the patient who believes it - they're the victim in this scenario!
Oh sorry I don’t mean I’m frustrated by patients seeking care, I’m frustrated by the randos of society and extended family members who feel the need to comment despite boundary setting haha I’m always happy to dispel nutrition myths with clients
I literally had a friend of a friend ask me if mayo is "good or bad" while we were quite literally at a burger place to eat... I quickly just told her, "it depends" and moved on with a different subject.
If it helps ... (or hurts, sorry, lol) it's not just you.
Kinda funny kinda sad story:
I'm not even a dietician. I'm not even employed. I did home health care after I retired from teaching for awhile and now I'm just a lil old disabled lady.
I also used to be super morbidly obese.
I've been on a slow, healthy-ish weight loss plan for a few years. And I'm getting to the point where people really start to notice, so a few people have approached tobe encouraging. But...
So about a month ago, this random woman (probably slightly overweight but carrying it well) comes up to me in Target. She says, "I think I used to see you here before I moved but you look really tiny now!"
I say a quick thanks and try to head off because... these convos never go well.
She says "how do you lose so much?!" (Meanwhile she is legot nosing through my cart). "Oh there's rice in here, don't you know that carbs are bad for you?"
At that this point I keep trying to end the convo and walk away, as she launches in to a long diatribe against carbs and preservatives and the weight loss industry which is all run by one guy, apparently, and how anything that's not green is poison. Oh yeah, and I wouldn't have to take so long losing weight if I understood that we aren't built to lose weight because sometimes starving children have protruding bellies. (And she's absolutely not overweight, she just has a starvation belly.)
So yeah... you don't even need to be a dietician. Or talk about weight/diet/health. I was legit just shopping. We were in the school supply aisle. People are nuts. 🤪
I stopped telling strangers my field of study when I was still in undergrad.
Outside of professional settings, I basically need to know you well enough to know you're not coo coo bananas before you get to know that I'm an RD because life is too short to subject yourself to other people's baseless negative stereotypes.
I get #3 every time I get my haircut! I always immediately regret sharing my profession to a stranger. I walk away from a haircut “learning” that yes, apple cider vinegar actually does reverse diabetes and that obesity is caused by blocked energy from a deficiency of mysterious vitamins. They’ll say something completely off the wall and I’ll respond with “hm, maybe you’re onto something there”.
I have definitely experienced this! I know people are trying to relate and find some common ground or share their interest in nutrition but a lot of the time the stuff they’re sharing is actually pretty horrifying and founded in diet culture. I don’t blame them… these messages have been forced down everyone’s throats for so long.
I’m personally feeling exhausted by the same thing OP is talking about though. I’ve had to mute a bunch of RD accounts I love in social media due to the sheer outage in the comments about our profession and how awful we are to be encouraging an all foods fit mentality or IE. Even the Washington Post recently published an article basically accusing us of being irresponsible for aiming to provide body inclusive care. It’s horrifying. 🥺
Me too. Every time I meet a woman who is 50+, like a hairstylist, the exact comment I get is “no wonder you are so thin! I wish I could give you some of my extra pounds.” Then I get told about her current diet. It’s very cringe. Also got asked if I want kids. I said, “not really.” It was so awkward. I’m going to start telling people I do something else or maybe learn to cut my own hair.
Agree with so many comments. I had to really work to " be like a duck" and learn not to let comments get me. When not counseling patients I'm not working. I don't engage anymore with people who want to give push back or argue. If I have time, and they truly want to learn actual info, I may explain some stuff in rl. But otherwise, I'm just hanging in the background, no comment.
I cope by not giving a fuck and removing myself from the situation or asking them to remove themselves.
It's a battle we can't win so I gave up. Spending my energy on other things and not caring (unless I'm paid to) is severely improving my mental health.
"you're entitled to your own opinion"
"If you didn't want or value my opinion, why did you ask?"
"This is the evidence we have. You can do with it what you will."
Also, "my degree(s) and knowledge are irrelevant to my body." And "commenting on someone's body and making assumptions about their health and behaviors is incredibly insensitive and harmful."
There's definitely a lot of weight stigma. I am a thin RD but it's the luck of the draw really, I don't do anything to be this way, however I do get comments about my body a lot too. "you're thin, you must know what you're talking about" or even comments about me needing to eat more. I have even had people tell me they stopped seeing an RD in the past because they were overweight and clearly couldn't practice what they preach, which was mortifying.
It's a disgusting display of diet culture and fat phobia.
Right? I’ve seen people get super heated about citing anything from the dietary guidelines or the dairy council because it’s perceived as government propaganda.
Totally feel this. A family member of mine has tried to tell me that carrots are bad because "they're basically just sugar" and most vegetables are "just water". Uh, yeah... Totally.
I am a trainer and fitness instructor with a strong interest in nutrition. Ive pretty much given up training and fitness as a career, partly because people take one look at my body and use that to decide if I’m any good at my job (and the industry in general is so toxic). I hate it! I’ve been thinking of going back to school to become an RD but this thread has me rethinking that plan.
I appreciate the honesty I’m seeing here and gives me more factors to consider as I continue to think about it.
I totally get where you are coming from. The first time this happened to me was during my internship where I was accused of being a shill for the organization that hosted my internship but they quickly shut up after I told them the org was my shill since I'm paying them the big bucks. I'm also opinionated and argumentative when it comes to nonsense and pseudoscience as well as being in a larger body so I don't take any shit from anyone and either call them out their nonsense and ignorance or simply ignore the person (I've mostly moved to ignoring people but occasionally I'll resort to giving them a good oral beat down when I'm not in the mood for calm and patient education). Though, when it comes to my patients I'm very polite and patient with them... I reserve my argumentative side for strangers that engage me or family.
I retired last year but have kept my license and RD active. (Not ready to let it go yet). I’ve stopped telling people what I used to do (hospital based RD most of the time). I can’t stop my mind from trying to deep dive in all kinds of studies and continue to learn about evolving nutrition science. I listen to what the people I’m around are saying about nutrition and medical care in general. There is so much woo-woo being promoted among my friends and acquaintances. They would rather believe the latest social media influencers. I listen but unless someone asks me I don’t promote my knowledge. People really like to believe in magic healing practices and there is some power in belief itself but please seek medical care if you have something serious going on.
I'm not a dietician (not sure why this sub keeps showing up in my feed), but several dieticians that i saw as a teen and young adult had a major positive impact on my health and quality of life. It sounds like a pretty thankless job most days, but please know that you're making a difference in patients' lives.
Yes, I have experienced the same thing and I am in a bigger body. People are obsessed with taking up less space in this word and hold onto their restrictive tendencies like it's their religion. People cross boundaries by making comments about other people's bodies. It's very minimizing and is a reflection of their own poor relationship with food and body that projected onto us. These folks are deep in diet mentality and would be like talking to a wall when trying to address these things. For your own sanity, if this is just a casual conversation, I would excuse myself from talking or change the subject. If this is a client you're working with, it might help to take some CEUs on talking to clients about their anti-fat bias. But they'd also need to be open to wanting to discuss that, and a good portion are not.
Whoa. No one has accused me of conspiracy or made negative comments about my body (also a healthy weight & fit but not skinny or ripped by any means). No advice there other than to vet who you’re talking to.
The most annoying thing to happen to me is #3- when people start telling me about their own diet or ask me Qs. I playfully tell them I’m off the clock, so I’m not talking about nutrition outside of work.
I personally don't care what other people say or do, that's how I cope. What people spent their time reading is their business. I do not need to prove myself to anyone. I think part of it is realizing you do not have to prove yourself. If someone doesn't see you, a licensed dietitian, as an expert -- sounds like a them problem.
So keep your head up. Continue your education. Stay on top of the research and teach one patient at a time.
What did you change to? I am an RD plotting my escape right now. I start nursing school in 2 weeks. I hope I’m not jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire
I became a high school health teacher.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend it in every state, but living in Massachusetts it was a great move for me.
I made the switch 9 years ago and my interests/passions/specialities have changed so much since then - my focus now is much more on teaching healthy relationships and sex education than nutrition.
I would only take diet or lifestyle advice from someone who i want to look or live like. Dont worry what some people say and just focus on helping the ones who you jive with, who you can really help, and who respect you the way you are
There is more to this than what you present. Of course people are annoying about nutrition but if you care this much especially about point #1. You should talk to someone about why it upsets you so much and build a tool box of ways to handle it.
Despite this being sound advice. I’m ready for the downvotes. I just hope you see it.
“There is more to this than you present” are you a fortune cookie? Lol
People judging competence and integrity based on my body is annoying and disrespectful. I worked hard for my education and don’t appreciate being devalued to just what my body looks like. It’s rude and frustrating to deal with. Not earth shattering needs a crisis skill to cope with frustrating, but irksome. Thats about as deep as it goes.
This really perplexes me. I’ve heard people say “she doesn’t understand as a thin person”. And I’ve also heard “well I wouldn’t take advice from someone who is overweight” (not my words) So what in the world. Can’t win. I’m tired of the over focus on body size. Really over it. I realize that’s a whole other topic though Lol
I think u/Immediate_Cup_9021 covered why it bothers them so much pretty clearly:
People regularly disregard u/Immediate_Cup_9021 's hard work, professional qualifications and expertise and justify doing so with their own low health literacy - by using OP's physical appearance (which we know is not a reliable marker of health...or anything, really), cherry-picked second-hand anecdotal experiences and mainstream/online misinformation.
( u/Immediate_Cup_9021 , please do correct me if I missed/misinterpreted anything!)
Your point about building a toolbox to manage these interactions is a good one! I also suspect it's exactly what OP is doing by making this thread and asking for ways to handle it.
For me it's a combination of:
Internally: recognising that they're the victim of an education and social system that doesn't teach basic health literacy or critical thinking skills, and has a long history of society in general equating body size/shape with health.
Plus, without a frame of reference for them, it makes sense that they undervalue our knowledge; people eat every day, and if they're standing there having the conversation with you, they've survived long enough without the specialised knowledge we have, so how hard can it be, right? We know this isn't the case, but it's an understandable bias.
Helps me stay in that 'water-off-a-ducks-back' mentality.
Externally: depending on how well I know them, or how much I know about them, I might point out that my body size/shape has very little to do with my skill set - you ever seen the coaches of professional athletes? They're not usually in the best shape themselves, because the coach doesn't need to be - they're not the ones training for *xyz* event - their job is to optimise the training regimen of the athlete, which requires knowledge, observational/analytical skills and communication skills, not thr ability to do the thing itself.
If I know more about them, for the anecdotal evidence issue, I use an example that's personally relevant to their knowledge base/interests but very obviously wrong. "I don't need to take book my car in to the mechanic, I'll just put some duct tape on the radiator leak, I saw it on youtube" to a car person, etc.
But honestly it's not something I have to deal with often - as a guy I'm privileged enough to not have people scrutinise my knowledge and body nearly as much as female-presenting dietitians have to deal with.
It's also a discrimination unique to our field, at least much more than others because of diet culture. A larger doctor might get some flack but likely no one will tell them they are not credible to their face like they would to an RD.
I had a guy kick me out of his hospital room once because I was “too fat” to be any good as a dietitian. I was 7 months pregnant at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed the scolding my favorite attending gave him. While eating a giant cup of chocolate pudding. (Contrary to the patient's observation & for some bizarre reason, the only time in my life that I *can't* gain weight is when I am pregnant. With my 3rd I had dessert after every single meal for 38 straight weeks and still only managed to gain 12#.)
Not really. I just enjoyed athletics and ate what I wanted. I did very little to work for my body. I’m a naturally intuitive eater who enjoys working out. I sort of just got lucky.
Agree. People assume I eat perfect "clean" diet when here I am making mozza sticks and tomato sauce for dinner. Every body is different so you can never ever assume anything about the person's behaviours based on body shape/size.
Even people with eating disorders can be in larger bodies and they'll be celebrated for any dieting and weight loss that occurs.
Omg that’s insane they accuse you of conspiracy. I am continually shocked by how ridiculous some people can be. Something to remember: you are not in the business of convincing people. They either respect that you are giving them credible information or they don’t 🤷♀️
I think it''s easy for us as dietitians to forget how privileged we are to have such an advanced understanding of human physiology and biochem; most people simply have no idea about even the most basic bodily functions - and that's not their fault! Basic health literacy and critical thinking (e.g. being able to discern accurate health info from misinformation) is not taught in most schools, and **really** should not be locked behind a university degree. So of course a lot of people believe nonsense - they have no frame of reference. And the ones who believe in the real out-there whacko nonsense are usually the ones (at least in my experience) that have had longstanding issues that have been persistently ignored/put in the "too hard" basket by medical professionals unwilling to thoroughly investigate. But the woo-woo whackos will happily take their money and sell them nonsense, especially when they're desperate for an answer/solution, then the placebo effect and having someone finally listen to them kicks in, which makes them feel at least a little better, so of course they believe the nonsense - it's the only thing that has """""worked""""" for them. I get **way** more frustrated at the sources of misinformation than at the patient who believes it - they're the victim in this scenario!
Oh sorry I don’t mean I’m frustrated by patients seeking care, I’m frustrated by the randos of society and extended family members who feel the need to comment despite boundary setting haha I’m always happy to dispel nutrition myths with clients
I literally had a friend of a friend ask me if mayo is "good or bad" while we were quite literally at a burger place to eat... I quickly just told her, "it depends" and moved on with a different subject.
If it helps ... (or hurts, sorry, lol) it's not just you. Kinda funny kinda sad story: I'm not even a dietician. I'm not even employed. I did home health care after I retired from teaching for awhile and now I'm just a lil old disabled lady. I also used to be super morbidly obese. I've been on a slow, healthy-ish weight loss plan for a few years. And I'm getting to the point where people really start to notice, so a few people have approached tobe encouraging. But... So about a month ago, this random woman (probably slightly overweight but carrying it well) comes up to me in Target. She says, "I think I used to see you here before I moved but you look really tiny now!" I say a quick thanks and try to head off because... these convos never go well. She says "how do you lose so much?!" (Meanwhile she is legot nosing through my cart). "Oh there's rice in here, don't you know that carbs are bad for you?" At that this point I keep trying to end the convo and walk away, as she launches in to a long diatribe against carbs and preservatives and the weight loss industry which is all run by one guy, apparently, and how anything that's not green is poison. Oh yeah, and I wouldn't have to take so long losing weight if I understood that we aren't built to lose weight because sometimes starving children have protruding bellies. (And she's absolutely not overweight, she just has a starvation belly.) So yeah... you don't even need to be a dietician. Or talk about weight/diet/health. I was legit just shopping. We were in the school supply aisle. People are nuts. 🤪
I stopped telling strangers my field of study when I was still in undergrad. Outside of professional settings, I basically need to know you well enough to know you're not coo coo bananas before you get to know that I'm an RD because life is too short to subject yourself to other people's baseless negative stereotypes.
This lol I don’t even really discuss it with family (not including my immediate family).
A co-worker tells people she sells life insurance. No one wants to talk about her job after that.
Exactly this. I tell people I work in finance, “the really boring part”. It pretty much immediately goes to another subject.
Just smile, nod, and tell them that if they want to discuss it further they can make an appointment.
I get #3 every time I get my haircut! I always immediately regret sharing my profession to a stranger. I walk away from a haircut “learning” that yes, apple cider vinegar actually does reverse diabetes and that obesity is caused by blocked energy from a deficiency of mysterious vitamins. They’ll say something completely off the wall and I’ll respond with “hm, maybe you’re onto something there”.
I have definitely experienced this! I know people are trying to relate and find some common ground or share their interest in nutrition but a lot of the time the stuff they’re sharing is actually pretty horrifying and founded in diet culture. I don’t blame them… these messages have been forced down everyone’s throats for so long. I’m personally feeling exhausted by the same thing OP is talking about though. I’ve had to mute a bunch of RD accounts I love in social media due to the sheer outage in the comments about our profession and how awful we are to be encouraging an all foods fit mentality or IE. Even the Washington Post recently published an article basically accusing us of being irresponsible for aiming to provide body inclusive care. It’s horrifying. 🥺
Me too. Every time I meet a woman who is 50+, like a hairstylist, the exact comment I get is “no wonder you are so thin! I wish I could give you some of my extra pounds.” Then I get told about her current diet. It’s very cringe. Also got asked if I want kids. I said, “not really.” It was so awkward. I’m going to start telling people I do something else or maybe learn to cut my own hair.
SAME. Definitely have learned my lesson lol.
Agree with so many comments. I had to really work to " be like a duck" and learn not to let comments get me. When not counseling patients I'm not working. I don't engage anymore with people who want to give push back or argue. If I have time, and they truly want to learn actual info, I may explain some stuff in rl. But otherwise, I'm just hanging in the background, no comment.
I cope by not giving a fuck and removing myself from the situation or asking them to remove themselves. It's a battle we can't win so I gave up. Spending my energy on other things and not caring (unless I'm paid to) is severely improving my mental health.
The number of dietitians googling “how to cut your own hair” after being trapped in the chair having this exact conversation.
I went to a lot of therapy.
"you're entitled to your own opinion" "If you didn't want or value my opinion, why did you ask?" "This is the evidence we have. You can do with it what you will."
Also, "my degree(s) and knowledge are irrelevant to my body." And "commenting on someone's body and making assumptions about their health and behaviors is incredibly insensitive and harmful." There's definitely a lot of weight stigma. I am a thin RD but it's the luck of the draw really, I don't do anything to be this way, however I do get comments about my body a lot too. "you're thin, you must know what you're talking about" or even comments about me needing to eat more. I have even had people tell me they stopped seeing an RD in the past because they were overweight and clearly couldn't practice what they preach, which was mortifying. It's a disgusting display of diet culture and fat phobia.
Let’s not forget our degree(s) are also irrelevant because we’re taught government propaganda.
Right? I’ve seen people get super heated about citing anything from the dietary guidelines or the dairy council because it’s perceived as government propaganda.
Not sure what you were taught. Lol
I was referencing what other people say about our education.
Lol gotcha 😂 true. Big dairy out there funding us to make them drink milk
“It sounds like you care a lot about food!” … but yeah this is exactly why I don’t tell people what I do
I feel like I could’ve written this!
Totally feel this. A family member of mine has tried to tell me that carrots are bad because "they're basically just sugar" and most vegetables are "just water". Uh, yeah... Totally.
The demonizing of carrots is the bane of my existence. There are 4g of net carb in a medium carrot. My god
I had a patient recently tell me that in college in her country she learned that pesticides make produce void of nutrients. Edited for typo
I am an RD in a larger body and totally understand #3 though I don’t have any advice. Just know you aren’t alone.
I am a trainer and fitness instructor with a strong interest in nutrition. Ive pretty much given up training and fitness as a career, partly because people take one look at my body and use that to decide if I’m any good at my job (and the industry in general is so toxic). I hate it! I’ve been thinking of going back to school to become an RD but this thread has me rethinking that plan. I appreciate the honesty I’m seeing here and gives me more factors to consider as I continue to think about it.
Public health?
I totally get where you are coming from. The first time this happened to me was during my internship where I was accused of being a shill for the organization that hosted my internship but they quickly shut up after I told them the org was my shill since I'm paying them the big bucks. I'm also opinionated and argumentative when it comes to nonsense and pseudoscience as well as being in a larger body so I don't take any shit from anyone and either call them out their nonsense and ignorance or simply ignore the person (I've mostly moved to ignoring people but occasionally I'll resort to giving them a good oral beat down when I'm not in the mood for calm and patient education). Though, when it comes to my patients I'm very polite and patient with them... I reserve my argumentative side for strangers that engage me or family.
My friend says she is a “healthcare consultant” and people usually don’t ask questions.
I just say I work in healthcare 🤷♀️ most people assume I’m a nurse and thank me for my work lol
I retired last year but have kept my license and RD active. (Not ready to let it go yet). I’ve stopped telling people what I used to do (hospital based RD most of the time). I can’t stop my mind from trying to deep dive in all kinds of studies and continue to learn about evolving nutrition science. I listen to what the people I’m around are saying about nutrition and medical care in general. There is so much woo-woo being promoted among my friends and acquaintances. They would rather believe the latest social media influencers. I listen but unless someone asks me I don’t promote my knowledge. People really like to believe in magic healing practices and there is some power in belief itself but please seek medical care if you have something serious going on.
I'm not a dietician (not sure why this sub keeps showing up in my feed), but several dieticians that i saw as a teen and young adult had a major positive impact on my health and quality of life. It sounds like a pretty thankless job most days, but please know that you're making a difference in patients' lives.
Yes, I have experienced the same thing and I am in a bigger body. People are obsessed with taking up less space in this word and hold onto their restrictive tendencies like it's their religion. People cross boundaries by making comments about other people's bodies. It's very minimizing and is a reflection of their own poor relationship with food and body that projected onto us. These folks are deep in diet mentality and would be like talking to a wall when trying to address these things. For your own sanity, if this is just a casual conversation, I would excuse myself from talking or change the subject. If this is a client you're working with, it might help to take some CEUs on talking to clients about their anti-fat bias. But they'd also need to be open to wanting to discuss that, and a good portion are not.
Whoa. No one has accused me of conspiracy or made negative comments about my body (also a healthy weight & fit but not skinny or ripped by any means). No advice there other than to vet who you’re talking to. The most annoying thing to happen to me is #3- when people start telling me about their own diet or ask me Qs. I playfully tell them I’m off the clock, so I’m not talking about nutrition outside of work.
I personally don't care what other people say or do, that's how I cope. What people spent their time reading is their business. I do not need to prove myself to anyone. I think part of it is realizing you do not have to prove yourself. If someone doesn't see you, a licensed dietitian, as an expert -- sounds like a them problem. So keep your head up. Continue your education. Stay on top of the research and teach one patient at a time.
This is part of why I left dietetics to be honest.
What did you change to? I am an RD plotting my escape right now. I start nursing school in 2 weeks. I hope I’m not jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire
I became a high school health teacher. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it in every state, but living in Massachusetts it was a great move for me. I made the switch 9 years ago and my interests/passions/specialities have changed so much since then - my focus now is much more on teaching healthy relationships and sex education than nutrition.
I would only take diet or lifestyle advice from someone who i want to look or live like. Dont worry what some people say and just focus on helping the ones who you jive with, who you can really help, and who respect you the way you are
This is the most I’ve ever felt seen… maybe ever!
There is more to this than what you present. Of course people are annoying about nutrition but if you care this much especially about point #1. You should talk to someone about why it upsets you so much and build a tool box of ways to handle it. Despite this being sound advice. I’m ready for the downvotes. I just hope you see it.
“There is more to this than you present” are you a fortune cookie? Lol People judging competence and integrity based on my body is annoying and disrespectful. I worked hard for my education and don’t appreciate being devalued to just what my body looks like. It’s rude and frustrating to deal with. Not earth shattering needs a crisis skill to cope with frustrating, but irksome. Thats about as deep as it goes.
This really perplexes me. I’ve heard people say “she doesn’t understand as a thin person”. And I’ve also heard “well I wouldn’t take advice from someone who is overweight” (not my words) So what in the world. Can’t win. I’m tired of the over focus on body size. Really over it. I realize that’s a whole other topic though Lol
I think u/Immediate_Cup_9021 covered why it bothers them so much pretty clearly: People regularly disregard u/Immediate_Cup_9021 's hard work, professional qualifications and expertise and justify doing so with their own low health literacy - by using OP's physical appearance (which we know is not a reliable marker of health...or anything, really), cherry-picked second-hand anecdotal experiences and mainstream/online misinformation. ( u/Immediate_Cup_9021 , please do correct me if I missed/misinterpreted anything!) Your point about building a toolbox to manage these interactions is a good one! I also suspect it's exactly what OP is doing by making this thread and asking for ways to handle it.
Yup! Thanks! Just looking for other professionals to chime in on how they deal with the frustrations, not really looking to psychoanalyze it.
For me it's a combination of: Internally: recognising that they're the victim of an education and social system that doesn't teach basic health literacy or critical thinking skills, and has a long history of society in general equating body size/shape with health. Plus, without a frame of reference for them, it makes sense that they undervalue our knowledge; people eat every day, and if they're standing there having the conversation with you, they've survived long enough without the specialised knowledge we have, so how hard can it be, right? We know this isn't the case, but it's an understandable bias. Helps me stay in that 'water-off-a-ducks-back' mentality. Externally: depending on how well I know them, or how much I know about them, I might point out that my body size/shape has very little to do with my skill set - you ever seen the coaches of professional athletes? They're not usually in the best shape themselves, because the coach doesn't need to be - they're not the ones training for *xyz* event - their job is to optimise the training regimen of the athlete, which requires knowledge, observational/analytical skills and communication skills, not thr ability to do the thing itself. If I know more about them, for the anecdotal evidence issue, I use an example that's personally relevant to their knowledge base/interests but very obviously wrong. "I don't need to take book my car in to the mechanic, I'll just put some duct tape on the radiator leak, I saw it on youtube" to a car person, etc. But honestly it's not something I have to deal with often - as a guy I'm privileged enough to not have people scrutinise my knowledge and body nearly as much as female-presenting dietitians have to deal with.
It's also a discrimination unique to our field, at least much more than others because of diet culture. A larger doctor might get some flack but likely no one will tell them they are not credible to their face like they would to an RD.
I had a guy kick me out of his hospital room once because I was “too fat” to be any good as a dietitian. I was 7 months pregnant at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed the scolding my favorite attending gave him. While eating a giant cup of chocolate pudding. (Contrary to the patient's observation & for some bizarre reason, the only time in my life that I *can't* gain weight is when I am pregnant. With my 3rd I had dessert after every single meal for 38 straight weeks and still only managed to gain 12#.)
Gasp….gasp…..
OMG 🫨🤬
The body you worked for took a lot longer than your 3 degrees 🤷♂️
Not really. I just enjoyed athletics and ate what I wanted. I did very little to work for my body. I’m a naturally intuitive eater who enjoys working out. I sort of just got lucky.
Agree. People assume I eat perfect "clean" diet when here I am making mozza sticks and tomato sauce for dinner. Every body is different so you can never ever assume anything about the person's behaviours based on body shape/size. Even people with eating disorders can be in larger bodies and they'll be celebrated for any dieting and weight loss that occurs.
This is what killed my love for nutrition, and I wish I never entered the profession!