Weight Inclusivity and Athletes: Hear From San Diego Dietitian Suzanne Smith, RD

A lot of times people assume that athletics and being thin go hand-in-hand. After all, how can you run down a beach or hike up a trail in San Diego or elsewhere when you’re in a fat body? San Diego eating disorder dietitian Suzanne Smith disagrees. She takes a weight-inclusive approach when working with athletes. Her journey to this approach is fascinating—I’m so glad you’ll get to know her!

Why did you choose to specialize as a dietitian working with athletes from a weight-inclusive approach in San Diego? 

One of the main reasons I’ve chosen this area of work is because of my own experience as a young athlete. In high school, I loved playing soccer but unfortunately came across a fitness magazine that said I should be worried about calories and fat. I started limiting these foods in my diet, and my performance on the field started to suffer. It was very confusing because I was doing what the fitness magazine recommended but I was playing worse. At the time there was only one sports dietitian I was aware of; unfortunately, she wasn’t in my state. This sparked my interest in studying nutrition, and from there it became my passion to be the resource for active individuals that I would have loved to have as a teen and young adult. 

What kind of treatment do you provide?

I provide an anti-diet, weight-inclusive approach to sports nutrition using the Intuitive Eating framework. I help active people wanting to feel less stressed about what’s on their plate find an uncomplicated relationship food. We work on relearning the role of carbohydrates, protein, and fat in sports performance and focus on getting sufficient fuel—not less fuel. 

Do you work with only athletes?

I focus on athletes but I love working with anyone tired of dieting and looking for a healthier relationship to food. 

You have mentioned to me that you have developed a weight-inclusive approach in the last few years. How did you make this shift?

Like many dietitians, my education was weight-centric, and I was taught weight = health. I was also taught that weight loss was something people had control of if they just made lifestyle changes. After I became a dietitian and started working with people, I began to learn that changing one's body size wasn’t that simple. I also fell for the lie that being lighter would make me faster, and so I attempted to change my body size without success. The advice I was giving clients, like choosing veggies instead of chips or having a piece of fruit in place of chocolate, was difficult to follow in my own life! I felt tired and frustrated. That’s when I began seeing messages on social media from other dietitians that there was another way. When I read the Intuitive Eating book it put into words how I was feeling and explained why my clients and myself were struggling with standard diet recommendations. Learning about weight inclusivity and social determinants of health also opened my eye,s and I had permission to let go of the pressure to change the number on the scale. I have never looked back since that time. I finally feel like I’m in a rewarding career that is supporting people. 

How does taking a weight-inclusive approach affect the work you do with clients in San Diego?

A weight-inclusive approach informs all the work I do because of the oath I took as a dietitian, which includes doing no harm. Weight stigma and weight bias causes harm. Although I learned about it later than I would have liked, I do my best, as someone with thin privilege, to not perpetuate it and instead create a safe, non-judgemental space for people. 

What happens during a first appointment with you?

My initial visits with clients are for getting to know them and their goals. I like to understand what someone's values are, and what their relationship to food and body has looked like over time—from a young age to now as an adult. During this visit, we work together to come up with a plan to support fueling activity that aligns with their core values and supports finding food freedom. 

What do you wish athletes knew about a weight-inclusive approach to working with a dietitian?

I want athletes to know that a weight-inclusive approach is performance-enhancing because it focuses on three things: (a) fueling the body well, (b) reducing stress, and (c) optimizing recovery without the need for tracking food or following strict rules. 

How can people learn more about and contact you?

People can learn more about me and my services at https://suzannejsmith.com and I'm active on Instagram @suzannesmith_rd. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Looking for eating disorder support? Here’s what you can do to get to where you need to be!

🌻 Sign up for my FREE Masterclass: The Ultimate Training on Breaking the Binge Eating Cycle. It’s a live, virtual, 1-hour seminar on Tuesday, September 13th—and it’ll include a FANTASTIC bonus surprise for people who stay through the end! It’s an interactive workshop for binge eating online, and it will address both BED and bulimia.

🌻 Check out my Fall 2022 Freedom From Binge Eating class. It is a live, virtual, 4-week class on Tuesday, September 27th, from 12-1p. It’s an interactive workshop on binge eating. There will be many bonuses, including videos from yours truly, journal prompts, worksheets, and notes from each class! Anyone with BED, bulimia, binge eating, or emotional eating will greatly benefit!

🌻 Join my Instagram LIVES on Thursdays from 12-1p. I have conversations with professionals such as eating disorder dietitians and therapists on many topics, such as binge eating, anorexia, BED, weight inclusivity, bulimia, body image, etc. Subscribe to my Instagram @drmariannemiller, and you’ll get eating disorder and weight-inclusive information sent to your phone via my reels, posts, etc.

🌻If you’re in California, you can work with me in therapy!