Reframing Nutrition and Weight Loss: Toya’s Story

As a supermom to three children who works full time, it’s safe to say Toya leads a busy life. So when she decided she needed help losing weight, she wasn’t sure if working with a registered dietitian would fit into her schedule or her budget. “I was kind of under the impression that only Beyoncé can have a dietitian,” she said. 

After her first session with Culina Health dietitian Nadine Bradley, BS, RDN, CNSC, she quickly realized she could achieve her weight loss goals on her own time, without breaking the bank. In this interview, Toya discusses her experience working with a registered dietitian nutritionist and shares what she’s learned along the way. 

What initially brought you to Culina Health?

I was interested in getting some advice on healthy weight loss and the best ways to introduce a vegetarian or a vegan lifestyle. You hear that it’s not good to be vegetarian or vegan because of a lack of protein, so I wanted to make sure that I was educated and had the support that I needed. 

What surprised you most about working with a registered dietitian?

The cost was the most surprising part. My insurance through my employer is amazing — I don’t even have a copay. So there’s literally no excuse. It’s not a benefit if you don’t use it!

How is working with a registered dietitian different from working with your primary care physician on your health?

With the doctor, it’s about rapid weight loss, even if it’s not something that you can sustain. I went to several doctors who suggested weight loss surgery, but that was not something that I wanted to pursue.

My goal is to be here for my family physically. And so being able to address the habits that kind of led to where I am now, that really helps me move forward and be a great example for my family. With a dietitian, I can be educated on how to make better decisions. 

“We come here with these bodies and we just assume that we know how to take care of them. Now we’re acknowledging that maybe there are things we need to learn and being open to learning those things.”

Other than providing education and nutrition counseling, what are some ways that your registered dietitian has supported you with your weight loss journey?

After our sessions, Nadine is really good about immediately sharing my session notes. She always provides a summary and outlines my goals. She’s also really good at coming up with a strategy. So for example, if I’m working toward having a variety of vegetables — because I tend to just eat spinach — she will give me a strategy on how to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. 

Another thing she has taught me is how to honor where I am and give myself credit for the things that I’ve done. She said that even if [my family and I] are only eating plant-based meals some of the time, there are still benefits to that. If we can eat one vegetarian meal that’s jam-packed with lots of nutrients, color, and variety, then that’s a win. Because a year ago, that wasn’t something that we were consistently doing.

What are some big lifestyle changes that you’ve made since you started meeting with a registered dietitian nutritionist?

The biggest lifestyle change is really including my kids in the meal prepping or meal planning process. So asking them what they’re interested in or letting them fix the salad. My oldest even wants to take a nutrition class at her school now! 

I’ve been getting my kids interested in nutrition and helping them understand that there’s a science to it. It’s so complex. We come here with these bodies and we just assume that we know how to take care of them. Now we’re acknowledging that maybe there are things we need to learn and being open to learning those things.

What’s your favorite part about working with a nutrition expert?

The reality checks are my favorite. I tend to think all or none, and to not give myself credit for the little things. So having those sessions helps me recenter myself.

When I started working on my exercise goal, it really got to a point where I wasn’t getting enough sleep. Nadine gave me a reality check and said, “you’re going to do more damage if you’re sacrificing your sleep for working out.” So we talked about sleep routines and how I can do things differently to get more sleep and be more present during the day. 

Today everything is so fast, everything is microwave speed, and no one is going to stop you to ask “are you getting enough sleep?” You should not be in the gym working out if you had four hours of sleep, and I needed that reality check.

Have you faced any challenges with nutrition coaching?

Consistency. It’s so easy to discuss something at a session and just say, “yes, I’m going to do it.” And then you realize, maybe I haven’t been doing it as much as I thought I was. 

The Culina Health app is really amazing because it has a tracker. There are times where I think I’m doing really great, and then Nadine is like, “Okay, have you done everything?” And I realize, no, I have not done all the things. So it’s a moment of clarity; we can’t expect the results if we’re not being consistent with ourselves.  

What is something you’ve learned about nutrition that you think needs to be common knowledge?

Carbs are not bad! Carbs are important and your brain needs carbs. Nadine literally had to tell me one session, “the fruit isn’t going to hurt you!” I think they get a bad rep. It’s just about focusing on complex carbs. Learning that, and embracing healthy food that I’ve been taught to run from, is refreshing.

Is there one specific recipe or healthy eating trick that you’ve discovered and would want to share with readers?

Nadine has all the tricks — she is amazing. But there are two things I can think of. I would get overwhelmed with cooking and doing all the chopping. I’m not a chef and I don’t like chopping vegetables! So there’s this amazing vegetable chopper that she introduced me to and helped me find on sale, and I literally use it every day. I use it to chop my onions and I can go through the process so much more quickly. I chop my apples with it, I chop everything with it. 

She also introduced me to how to cook shrimp perfectly in the oven. My 16-year-old is in love with this method because you don’t have to flip them, you don’t have to worry about “some are cooked and others are not.” It’s perfect every time.

What advice do you have for someone who’s seeing a registered dietitian for the first time?

Be honest! Be honest about what your goals are and know that it’s okay if those goals change. I started out [focused on] weight loss, and realized that I really wanted to focus on body recomposition. It’s a fluid process, so you just need to honor where you are. 

If you’re thinking about scheduling an appointment, schedule it. You know, you don’t know if it’s going to be covered by your insurance until you submit the forms and see what happens. And even if it’s not completely covered, you can do a session once a month or every other month just to establish that baseline. 

Take the plunge, take the leap, and get your information in! You never know where you could end up.  

Interested in working with a registered dietitian for weight loss or weight management? 

At Culina Health, we believe that everyone deserves affordable, quality nutrition care from a credentialed nutrition expert. We pair patients with registered dietitian nutritionists for personalized, virtual nutrition care that is science-based, inclusive, and culturally affirming. 

We offer non-judgmental, sustainable, and multilingual support in all specialties, and we honor all patient backgrounds. Culina Health is proud to be clinician, women, and BIPOC owned. Start today.