Hi. I’m Michelle, a fat lady who is also a registered dietitian.

Why “fat”?

Because, to be perfectly frank, I’m fat. And I’m telling you this up front because I don’t want you getting the wrong idea about me.

See, I’m not here to give you a stern talking-to about your weight, or your eating habits, or your lack of exercise. And I’m certainly not here to pretend that I’m perfect, that I know it all, and that you’d better do what I say or else.

Nope. Not even remotely.

But I can help you get to a friendly place with food and your body.

So, I call myself fat because not only am I fat, I’m also not especially bothered by it. Because the size of my body, and your body, is morally neutral. Fat doesn’t equal lazy or ugly or even, necessarily, unhealthy.

It’s just a word.

This all might seem a bit strange, since I’m bigger than most people, let alone most nutritionists — but I’m a pretty normal person. And a good nutritionist.

Who is also fat.

Technical stuff:

I am a registered dietitian with the College of Dietitians of Ontario. I have an accredited degree (BASc) in nutrition from Ryerson University. I work online to help people stop dieting, deal with picky eating, and relearn normal eating.

I’m a member of Dietitians of Canada, and the Association for Size Diversity and Health.

I’ve completed the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics-approved Treating the Dieting Casualty workshop, where I learned how to teach people eating competence.

Prior to becoming a RD, I worked in hospitals as a nutrition supervisor, and then a clinical diet tech. All told, I’ve worked in nutrition for over a decade. I’ve helped teach people how to feed themselves through a tube, how to count carbs for an insulin pump, and what to expect from chemo. I’ve analyzed people’s diets and read their medical histories. I’ve held their hands. I’ve brought their Jello. I’ve helped them relearn to eat.

And I’ve pretty much loved every minute of it.

If you need to contact me, you can email michelle@fatnutritionist.com