Rebecca Bitzer and Associates: Maryland Dietitians

07/06/2025

“Am I allowed to say no to food… if I’m practicing intuitive eating?”

Yes. But it depends why and how you’re saying no.


If you’ve been working on full, radical permission with food, the idea of not eating something might feel confusing. Maybe even a little triggering.


That’s where the compassionate no comes in.


A compassionate no isn’t about control, restriction, or moral judgment.
It’s not “I shouldn’t.”
It’s not “I’ll be good if I skip this.”
It’s not “I already ate too much.”


A compassionate no is:
👉 “I could eat that, and also — I don’t need to right now.”
👉 “That food doesn’t feel good in my body today.”
👉 “I’m full, satisfied, and allowed to stop eating here.”


It’s self-care, not self-denial.


But here’s the key:
You can’t rush to a compassionate no until you’ve said yes over and over and over again — without guilt or conditions.


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06/29/2025

ONE OF THE BIGGEST LIES diet culture tells us is that eating nourishing foods and moving more will unequivocally result in weight loss.
It’s the basis of every diet out there, right? Just eat “healthy” and exercise and BOOM, skinny! So simple!
The reality is you can eat “healthy” and exercise and STILL be in a larger body.
Please just let that sink in for a moment...
You can eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats,
You can exercise for the recommended 150 minutes per week,
You can drink 64 oz of water a day,
You can sleep for 8 hours a night,
You can meditate, stretch, and do yoga,
You can take your multivitamin and supplements,
You can do all the health promoting behaviors,
AND YES, you can BE HEALTHY,
AND STILL be in a larger body.
So many people give up on behaviors that are otherwise health promoting because they don’t result in weight loss. So many people assume they’re not doing it right because they aren’t losing weight. So many people resort to extreme diet and exercise behaviors to induce weight loss because they think its the only way to measure success.
So PLEASE let this be a reminder— that you can eat nourishing foods and move your body joyfully and exist PEACEFULLY, HAPPILY, and HEALTHFULLY in a larger body. And you’re not doing anything wrong.

06/23/2025

This is one of the most common questions we hear — and it makes total sense, especially if you’ve spent years being told that lower = better.

Here’s the truth:
Your set point isn’t one fixed number — it’s a range your body tends to return to when you’re nourishing yourself consistently, not restricting, and not micromanaging your weight.

And yes — your set point can change over time. But usually not for the reasons people hope (like following a “clean” diet or exercising more).
Set point weight can shift due to things like:
✨ Hormonal changes (puberty, pregnancy, menopause)
✨ Medications
✨ Chronic stress or trauma
✨ Medical conditions
✨ And yes, chronic dieting can push it upward over time.

So instead of chasing weight loss at all costs, what if you focused on healing your relationship with food, your body, and yourself?

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✨ Link in bio.

06/17/2025

What you eat earlier in the day dictates hunger and cravings at night— but maybe not in the way you think.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that getting the day off to a “good start” will help you stay “on track” once night falls. We’re all told, after all, that with enough “willpower” you can stick to any diet 🙄 *eye roll*
Skipping breakfast or over-caffeinating in the morning may blunt your hunger, but doesn’t change the fact that your body needs energy over the whole day to function.
Going light on lunch and waiting too long to eat also ensures you’ll be going into your evening meal overly hungry, meaning it will be much harder to recognize and honor comfortable fullness.
It can be tempting to try to squash a snack craving with something “healthier,” but often low calorie, low carb, low flavor snacks just don’t satisfy, meaning you’ll be back and forth to the pantry all night.
Finally, eating with distractions detracts from your ability to be present and find pleasure in what you’re eating, no matter what it is.
Want to know how to really get your day off to a good start?
👉Plan for meals and snacks so you’re not going longer than 4 hours without eating
👉Make time to eat while sitting down and being present with your meal
👉Balance meals with protein, fat, and carbs to ensure long lasting energy and satisfaction
👉Incorporate fun foods into your day, especially those that you find you crave most often
LISTEN 📢 Eating a snack or a dessert after dinner is NOT objectively a bad thing!!! In fact, even after a full day of eating, you may still want or need a snack and that’s OK! But after a full and satisfying day of eating, nighttime snacks will no longer feel so urgent and overwhelming, meaning you’ll be more likely to eat to comfortable, pleasurable fullness.

06/02/2025

NEGATIVE ➡️ NEUTRAL
If body LOVE and POSITIVITY feels like a giant leap from where you are, consider body neutrality instead.
For each one of these statements, we’ve reframed a NEGATIVE and JUDGMENTAL thought into a completely NEUTRAL and FACTUAL thought instead.
Neutralizing negativity, instead of trying to spin it into something positive, can feel so much more accessible and realistic— especially in those moments when the body image thoughts feel the heaviest.
Just a reminder— you don’t have to LOVE everything about the way your body looks in order to accept, respect, and take care of it.

05/27/2025

05/20/2025

As your anti-diet dietitians, we want you, our clients, to know that we have your back.
We only ever want the best for you.
It truly pains us when you’re in pain.
When we hear that you want weight loss, sometimes our urge is to “fix it.”
We want to help you rise above the diet culture noise.
Whatever it is that feels wrong, we want to reassure you that weight loss isn’t going to help.
But we realize too that in being “fixers” sometimes we miss the point.
Sometimes we dig in our heels to reinforce our stance on diets.
And in doing so, we don’t make enough space for you when you need us most. We have and will continue to invest in education from advocates and mentors like who taught us about topics like “sitting in the suck” or “body grief” so we might do better.
As your anti-diet dietitians, we may not focus on weight loss.
But we also aren’t going to shame you about your desire to do so.
And if you decide a new diet is what’s best for you, we’re not going to abandon you.
We’ll stick by you to explore with curiosity and educate without bias.
We’ll help you assess if dieting is in line with your values. We’ll sit with you as you grieve.
We’ll offer perspective and reminders that you have always been, and still are worthy.
And if you decide dieting isn’t for you after all, we’ll help you recover.
We’ll show you how to get and stay nourished, mind, body, and soul.
We’ll never point the finger and say “I told you so.”
This work is not black and white.
We’re here to navigate the messy gray.
And we’re here doing it with you.

05/11/2025

In honor of Mother’s Day... 💛
The comments you make about your body will shape the comments they make about their own bodies for years to come.
Even if you never say a negative word to them about their own bodies. They’re listening. They’re watching. They’re internalizing the guilt, shame, and hatred you show towards yourself.
One of my best suggestions for how to talk about your body in front of your kids is....don’t.
Bodies don’t need to be the focal point of every conversation.
Shift the focus to how you’ll spend time together, how you’ll have fun, how you’ll make happy memories. And then do it. SHOW them that having a “good” body means having a body to experience the world with them.
Reassure them that you’ll be there, you’ll show up, you’ll be present. And then do it. SHOW them that body size shouldn’t dictate how big a life you’re allowed to live.
Talk about bodies around your children the way you wish someone had talked about bodies when you were a child.
That’s where generational healing can start.

05/04/2025

Eating disorders aren’t just about “wanting control.”


They can be a way to cope, to be seen, to disappear, to follow rules, to break them, or to feel something when everything else feels numb.


Sometimes, disordered behaviors communicate what words can’t.
And while these strategies might have once felt protective, they don’t have to be your only option anymore. 💛


✨ Which of these reasons resonated most with you—or surprised you? You’re not alone. Healing is possible.

04/30/2025

Did you realize that just because your stomach is full it doesn’t mean you’re properly fueled??
When you consume caffeine, liquids, and foods that are mostly just air, water or fiber you might be filling your stomach, but you aren’t FUELING your body.
The whole purpose of eating is to provide your body and all its cells ENERGY!
And your body is SMART, so it definitely knows the difference (ie. you’re not going to be able to “hack your hunger” by eating air and water).
Diet foods are often DESIGNED to FILL but not FUEL you. So you might eat a meal or snack and think “I’m supposed to be full,” and wonder why you still feel hungry, snacky, unable to focus, and obsessed with food.
The only way to truly feel full and satisfied after eating is to eat food. Food that contains proteins, carbs, and fats. Food that contains CALORIES (they’re not scary, I promise). Food that fills you AND fuels you.
Want MORE about intuitive eating and how to fuel your body with NUTRIENT DENSE and PLEASURE DENSE foods?? Sign up for our newsletter by following the link in our bio!

04/21/2025

Appetite suppressants may kill your hunger cues, but they do NOT eliminate your body’s need for fuel.
Think of it this way— just because you silence the alarm doesn’t mean there isn’t a fire.
I’ve been having this conversation A LOT in relation to weight loss drugs and folks who are under the impression that if they “don’t feel hungry, they don’t need to eat.”
And this couldn’t be further from the truth.
If anything, when taking a drug that acts as an appetite suppressant it’s important to be MORE intentional about eating, simply because your brain won’t be receiving those signals as clearly from your body.
Killing the hunger signal may mute the “food noise,” but it doesn’t eliminate your body’s need for consistent, adequate, balanced nutrition.
Remember, your hunger is not the enemy.

04/14/2025

It’s easy to feel like you’re “doing intuitive eating wrong” when all you’re seeing are polished reels and bold quotes—but intuitive eating isn’t black and white.


➡️ Real healing happens in the gray areas:

When you’re not sure if you’re hungry or just stressed

When permission to eat still feels scary

When body acceptance feels like a foreign language


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