Weight-inclusive dietitian in Kilsyth and online

I'm Jack, an Accredited Practising Dietitian. My care is weight-inclusive and Health At Every Size (HAES) informed. I focus on habits that support your health and wellbeing, and I don't set weight loss as the goal.

Why I don't focus on weight

Many larger-bodied people face weight stigma throughout their lives: at school, at work, and in health care [1]. That experience can make it harder to seek care at all. I want my appointments to be a place where your body isn't the problem we're trying to fix.

Diets also don't work the way they promise. Most people lose some weight in the short term, but regain often starts around 8 months after a diet [2]. In a review of high-quality long-term studies, people were back to their starting weight about 4 years later, on average [3]. Some reviews found one third to two thirds of dieters regain more weight than they lost [4]. Repeated loss and regain, often called weight cycling or yo-yo dieting, is linked with a higher risk of heart disease and death [5]. A similar pattern shows up when people stop weight loss medications. After people stop liraglutide or semaglutide, they typically regain about two thirds or more of the weight they lost within a year, unless they stay on the medication or add exercise [6,7].

A focus on weight and dieting can also change how you relate to food and your body. It can make it harder to notice and trust your hunger, fullness and other body signals [1].

What I focus on instead

• Eating well, in a way that works for you. I use the Australian Dietary Guidelines as a starting point: a variety of foods from the five food groups, with plenty of whole foods [8]. We adapt it to your tastes, culture, budget and energy levels.

• Movement you enjoy. Movement for fun, connection or feeling good, not as a punishment or a way to "earn" food.

• Connection with others. Community and relationships are part of health too.

• Kindness towards yourself. Working on a more respectful relationship with your body and with food.

What this means in a session

I only weigh you when there's a medical reason to. For example, when you're taking a GLP-1 medication (like Ozempic or Mounjaro), when you're at risk of malnutrition, or when your body is holding extra fluid. You can always choose not to see the number. Just tell me, and I'll keep it to myself.

What a session looks like

• The first appointment is 60 minutes. We talk about what's going well, what feels hard and what you'd like from our time together. You decide what we focus on, and we go at your pace.

• Follow-up appointments are 30 minutes. I see people in person in Kilsyth on Saturdays and Sundays, and by telehealth from Wednesday to Sunday.

• The first appointment costs $180 and follow-ups cost $110.