Lindsey and I seem to have a lot of similar interests and passions. Having worked in surgical weight loss and getting a personal training certificate along the way, she has now carved out a niche in her strength area, and in an area where her caring and motivating personality are a great fit. 

Why did you become a RD? 

I was heavily active in sports growing up and had a built in love of health and fitness. When I went to Miami University for college orientation, I learned about dietetics and thought that this could not be more perfect (good thing I did not fully grasp the concept of all the chemistry classes and tears ahead of me! Ha.)

What area of dietetics do you work in? 

I spent the last 10 years of my career in surgical weight loss. I fell in love with outpatient counseling and the idea of getting to follow my patients through their journey to health. Due to family needs and the need for flexibility, I left the hospital to start working from home. I now provide skype accountability sessions and lead fitness challenges at an amazing company called “Inside Out Beauty”. I work 100% virtually and continue to love the world of counseling.

How would you explain what you do? 

My accountability sessions are lead like health coaching sessions. My clients come to me with their own needs (most in the category of “I know what to do, I just need to do it”). We do anything from meal planning, fitness calendars, behavior goals…clients walk away with a game plan for the next week or two and then we come back together to review previous goals and adjust accordingly.

My fitness challenges are virtual as well. Clients choose a 7 day jump start accountability group or a 30 day group that will cover fitness, nutrition and behavior goal setting as well. Clients are placed in a virtual group where they get constant support and accountability. They set their own goals and are lead through their days with instructional and motivational videos.

What are your ‘typical’ daily/weekly tasks? 

My schedule is currently light because I am in the process of building my brand and filling my coaching schedule. My daily commitment is to my “like” page on facebook and this is considered my business page.

What has been your career path? 

I started as an acute care RD in a hospital and I covered all floors, so I was able to get a taste of everything (bone marrow unit, ICU, cardiac, ortho). I was working PRN ('pro re nata' - as needed) and decided to interview at an athletic club as a consulting RD. The hours were sporadic throughout the day and they encouraged me to get my personal training license to fill the in-between hours.

I ended up loving personal training and it was a fantastic mix of counseling and being out on the floor. I then happened upon an opportunity to cover a maternity leave in a surgical weight loss center and I almost didn’t take it due to time restraints, but I knew that I loved counseling and this could be an amazing outpatient opportunity. I fell in love with this position and worked the next 10 years in our surgical weight loss center.

When Kindergarten was starting for my oldest I was struggling with logistics of my commute to and from work with kid coverage before and after school (I thought daycare was so much easier to work around!). I decided to take, what I’m calling, a sabbatical and build a virtual clientele to work from home. I worked with a branding coach, have built my niche and brand as an Accountability Coach (functioning more as a health coach vs. doing specific dietary counseling). I officially am loving utilizing skype and other virtual options to provide my clients with easy scheduling, removing barriers for cancellations and time restraints.

What advanced education or special training do you have? 

I would consider my personal training certificate as special training as well as 10 year knowledge base in surgical weight loss.

In an ideal world, what does the industry look like 5 years from now? 

Oh boy, you just opened up my soap box!! In 5 years from now, I hope we are that much further away from “diet mentality”. I hope we have fully jumped into rewriting the rules of what success looks like… individuals are giving themselves credit for all of their amazing efforts that may have nothing to do with the scale.

I hope this generation can start to deemphasize the scale, reaching a specific weight and put emphasize on feeling good and working toward being the best “me” we can be. I don’t truly believe that we can fully change this generation, however the next generation is watching. If our young children are not jumping on & off scales, valuing their self-worth by what they weigh, not trying every new diet fad, look at food and fitness as a way to feel their best, fuel up for sports, etc.…then we are on the right track!

My favorite tags are: #progressoverperfection #rewritetherulestosuccess #smallchanges

What misinformation about RDs would you like to clear up? 

I could be goofy and say a common misconception is that we all are amazing cooks! Ha. However, my serious response is that we are rigid and expect perfection. I cannot tell you how many clients of mine are floored that I’m not immediately taking away their diet cokes, alcohol or bread :). I let people set their own goals and choose their own battles… sometimes we are ready to increase movement and drink more water… but asked to omit soda could send you to the dark side.

What would you like people to know about RDs? 

Dietitian’s want you to succeed!!! Most go into the profession because of the love of people, health and fitness. We are not the fad diet, the fast track to immediate weight loss… however, we are the loving arms that will help you build life long habits that will let you live with energy, sleep better and minimize disease. Dietitians assess their clients from all angles, are thorough and take the time necessary to provide their client/patient with the best care possible.

What are challenges you encounter as a RD? 

Because I have existed in the weight management arena for most of my career, my biggest challenge is fighting the power of the scale! I can get clients to a positive place where they are finally giving themselves credit for the small changes (i.e. hit a step goal, slept 8 hours a night, decreased soda by 2 per day) and if the scale does not provide the expected number, I have to start back at square one. (I honestly struggle that MD’s put so much emphasis on the scale… their patient’s hang on their every word).

What do people think that you do for a living? 

Since I exist on social media and provide coaching… I do not get a lot of confusion. The confusion I stand up against is the person that looks at me and says, “people pay you to keep them accountable? Don’t people know how to workout more? How to eat healthier?”.

There is a population that understands the importance of accountability, they succeed with it, struggle without it. I’m fine with people not truly understanding why someone would hire me, because I get to see first hand the success of individuals who invite me on their journey!!

What are you passionate about in dietetics?

I’m a broken record, but I’m extremely passionate about helping people settle into the mentality of “progress over perfection” when it comes to nutrition and fitness. We can aim for perfection in other facets of life, but it does not work in the health and fitness world.

What makes RDs unique/different from other nutrition/wellness professionals? 

I strongly believe that we are all in it because we care and when helping is coming from a good place, it’s hard to criticize or say that we all cannot make a difference. The only difference I would like to point out is an RD’s background. There is a reason for the schooling, the internship and it is because there is monumental learning and understanding being built!!! The ability to assess a question, a client’s history with great attention to detail and thoroughness. I’m sure there is an answer written better than my wording in a pamphlet somewhere :)

What is your favourite meal? 

I LOVE a full fondue meal, I think it’s not only the taste, but I like when eating takes a long time and it’s more about the social component vs the act of eating.

What tip(s) would you give to our readers? 

I would encourage everyone to find someone that inspires you! I have a client who calls her accountability team her “dream team”. She has built a relationship with a personal trainer, dietitian, physical therapist and at any given point in her life she pulls in a member or all members from her team!!

Do I think we all need a therapist, trainer, dietitian, chef, etc.? Do I think we all have the money for this extensive team? NO!! It can be as simple as following someone on social media that inspires you, listening to podcasts, grabbing a trainer during crazy seasons of life!! It’s truly about understanding your own needs and what has worked for you in successful moments of life!!

More about Lindsey:

Facebook: Lindsey House, Accountability Coach

Website: Inside Out Beauty

Facebook: Inside Out Beauty

Email: houselifestyles@gmail.com

Thanks Lindsey!