Kelsey Kendall Nutrition PC

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Kelsey Kendall Nutrition PC

Hi! I'm Kelsey! I’m Kelsey, Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist.

My mission is to educate and empower women who want to better understand and heal their eating disorder diagnosis so they can re-establish a healthy, joyful and peaceful relationship with food, body image and movement. When I first started working in the field of eating disorders in 2012, my hope was to share my personal and professional experience so others would feel encouraged and a little less alone if they too were struggling with an eating disorder. Since then I've helped hundreds of women recover from their eating disorders and restore a healthy, joyful and peaceful relationship with food, body image and exercise.

16/01/2025

'm SO excited for our first support group call!!!!

Wherever you are at in your recovery journey, you don't have to do this alone. Join our eating disorder support group call for a safe space to share, listen, and heal together. Support starts here—come as you are.

Join my eating disorder recovery community, Get RecoverED! (https://www.facebook.com/groups/getrecovered) and you will get access to the zoom link for our WEEKLY ED Support Group call!

Wednesdays at 5:30pm PST starting February 5th!

Can't wait to see you there!

06/01/2025

Remembering why you want eating disorder recovery is crucial because it provides motivation, focus, and a sense of purpose as you navigate the challenges of recovery. Eating disorders often involve deeply ingrained behaviors and thought patterns, making recovery difficult. Keeping your reasons in mind can serve as a powerful anchor to keep you grounded and committed to the process.

Tips for Keeping Your "Why" Front and Center:

Write It Down: Create a list of your reasons and keep it visible—on your phone, in a journal, or on sticky notes.
Create a Vision Board: Include images, quotes, and reminders of what life in recovery looks like for you.
Share With Trusted People: Let your support network know your reasons so they can help remind you during difficult times.
Revisit and Reflect: Regularly revisit your list and update it as your perspective and priorities evolve.

Your "why" is unique to you and is a powerful tool to help you stay resilient and hopeful throughout your recovery journey.

If you need more support - I'd love to help! Join my eating disorder support group - Get RecoverED!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/getrecovered

26/12/2024

Diet culture makes knowing how to build an appropriate meal and snack very confusing!

If you haven’t noticed, diet trends change every 5-10 years: low fat, low carb, carnivore, paleo, keto, gluten-free, dairy-free. It makes knowing how to eat so confusing!

The reality is, we need food sources from ALL food groups in order to nourish our brain and bodies. This is especially important when we are healing from the physical and psychological effects of an eating disorder.

Enter: “The Balanced Plate Method.” This easy method gets back to the basics with balanced nutrition. No deprivation, no diets, no overthinking…and it’s evidence based!

So, what does it entail?

-Get a 10-inch dinner plate
-Fill up the plate according to your nutritional needs.

This is “The Half Plate”:
50% Starch, 25% Protein, 25% Fruit/Veg, 1 serving Dairy, 1 Serving Fat

"The Half Plate" are for those who:
-Need to weight restore
-Are Athletes
-Have incorporated movement back into their lives
-Those who are pregnant/breastfeeding

This plate consists of:
50% Starch: 2 slices bread
25% Protein: 2 eggs
25% Fruit/Veg: 1 banana
Dairy: Cheese
Fat: 1/2 avocado

The Balanced Plate Method is a simple way of re-establishing your connection with food, meeting your nutritional needs, healing your relationship with food, and letting go of the obsessions around tracking and dieting.

If you need more support with knowing when, what and how much to eat, I'd love to help! Join Get RecoverED, my virtual eating disorder support group!

Link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/getrecovered

25/12/2024

Over the past 13 years working with clients with eating disorders, I kept hearing the same thing: my clients needed MORE support! I kept researching support groups but could never find one that I loved. So, I created my own!

Introducing Get RecoverED, a virtual eating disorder support group for women!

Get RecoverED is a safe space where women can connect with others who understand their struggles. This shared experience can reduce feelings of isolation and foster a sense of belonging.

Women can share their feelings, challenges, and successes in an environment of empathy and understanding. This emotional support can be a powerful motivator during recovery.

Being part of a group where eating disorders are openly discussed can help normalize the experience and reduce feelings of shame or stigma.

Members often share tips, techniques, and resources that have helped them in reocvery. Learning from others' experiences can provide valuable insights.

Witnessing others' progress and hearing success stories can inspire hope and motivation. Group members often encourage one another to stay committed to recovery.

Plus, this group is led by ED professionals (including myself!) who provide information about eating disorder recovery, treatment options, and self-care techniques.

Support groups can be a powerful tool in helping individuals maintain recovery and prevent relapse.

The best part? Right now, Get RecoverED is FREE!! That's right. Join today so you can get this amazing resource absolutely FREE.

You deserve to get the support you need to recovery. I'm here to help.

Link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/380541318253047

23/12/2024

Deciding to recover from an eating disorder is often one of the hardest steps in the journey. It’s common to feel unready or hesitant, but waiting for a sense of “readiness” may delay the process indefinitely.

Starting recovery, even when you don’t feel fully ready, is essential.

How to Start Recovery, Even If You Don’t Feel Ready:

*Take One Small Step: This could mean reaching out to a therapist, researching a support group, or confiding in someone you trust.
*Acknowledge Ambivalence: It’s okay to feel unsure—acknowledge these feelings without judgment and focus on the benefits of recovery.
*Seek Support: Professional help and a strong support network can guide you through the process.
*Focus on the Why: Identify reasons for recovery, like improving your health, relationships, or future opportunities.
*Celebrate Progress: Recognize and celebrate even the smallest victories.

Are you ready to start recovery? I'd love to support you! Schedule a FREE Clarity Call with me to learn more! https://l.bttr.to/5Wi6p

23/10/2024

I often have clients tell me that their low heart rate is because they are an athlete. Unfortunately this can often be supported and reaffirmed by doctors.

But its time for some TRUTH!

Individuals with eating disorders often have a low heart rate due to malnutrition. Due to lack of nutrition and the body’s need to preserve as much energy as possible, the body slows down all metabolic functions, including heart rate!

In addition, as nutrition intake drops and the body has to use its own muscle and fat stores for energy, not only does an individual lose weight, but the body can actually start breaking down cardiac muscle for energy.

That’s right, a low heart rate is due to:
>The body’s need to preserve energy and slow down bodily functions
>Loss of cardiac muscle (the heart actually shrinks!) due to malnutrition

This holds true even if the individual has continued to exercise throughout their eating disorder. In fact, exercise only serves to weaken and break down cardiac muscle more quickly and puts individuals at a greater risk for low heart rate. A malnourished heart rate is low at rest and high upon minimal exertion due to its compromised state.

So what is an "athlete’s heart"?

An athlete’s cardiac muscles are strong and conditioned. As a result of adequate nutrition, ample rest days, and appropriate training, the heart needs less oxygen and less energy to keep it beating.

Therefore, when an athlete’s heart is at rest, it's so strong that it may only need to beat 55 times per minute. It's important to note that research shows that athletes’ hearts rarely drop below 50 beats per minute. Additionally, there is little variability between an athlete’s resting and walking heart rate because the cardiac muscle is so strong and healthy.

How can you tell an undernourished heart versus an athlete's heart?

By the “Walk Across The Room Test”!

-Check your pulse at rest (after lying down for 5 minutes)
-Then get up and walk across the room/down the hall and back
-Then immediately check your pulse again after the walk

If your heart rate varies by 20 beats or more this indicates an undernourished heart! An athletes heart would not significantly change!

21/10/2024

Unfortunately cholesterol has gotten a bad reputation. In actuality, we need cholesterol for many important bodily functions, including:

-Helping build new tissue and repair damage to existing tissue
-Produce steroid hormones and s*x hormones (hello, estrogen!)
-Help create bile in the liver (important for digestion!)
-Aides in production of vitamin D (bone health, immune system, mental health)

We absolutely need cholesterol!

High cholesterol has been found across all eating disorder diagnoses. Research has found that people with eating disorders have higher cholesterol levels than individuals without EDs. Experts believe that malnutrition, hormones, and the body’s attempt to protect itself are the primary causes.

Increased cholesterol levels in individuals with eating disorders is the body’s protective mechanism against starvation. Because cholesterol is so important to the body (building new tissue cells, repairing tissue damage, building s*x hormones, synthesizing vitamins and minerals, and aiding in digestion), maintaining an adequate and even a surplus of cholesterol is your body’s only way it can counteract the effect of malnutrition. Your body is trying to save itself!

Unfortunately, well meaning but non-eating disorder informed doctors may see high cholesterol levels and immediately recommend people with eating disorders to “eat healthier” and limit “saturated fats”. This will only cause further issues as individuals will further limit their food intake and therefore, signal to the body more food restriction and malnutrition! The body goes further into “protection mode” and continues to make more cholesterol!

So, how do we treat high cholesterol in eating disorders? Yep, it all goes back to full nutrition rehabilitation. Cholesterol levels will normalize when the body has been fully renourished and has reached its Biological Appropriate Weight (BAW).

Remember, we don’t want to “treat” high cholesterol when your body is starving. It could quite literally be one of the main mechanisms keeping your body functioning.

20/10/2024

Many females with eating disorders have absent or irregular periods. If you have had inconsistent or irregular periods for the past 12 months, I highly recommend that you request a DEXA scan.

A DEXA scan assesses your bone health by measuring your bone density.

The biggest risk factor for irregular and absent periods is the effects that it has on bone health. The same hormones that create a period are the same hormones that keep our bones healthy and strong. So, if we are not making adequate hormones, our bones will be subsequently impacted.

Amenorrhea (loss of period) is associated with osteopenia (bone softening) and osteoporosis (brittle bone). It's vitally important that we measure bone health in order to address any issues as soon as possible. While osteopenia is reversible, osteoporosis is not! Time is of the essence when it comes to bone health. We only build bone up until our mid 20’s. So, the bones we have in our 20s are the bones we take with us for the rest of our lives!

Let me know if you found this helpful!

17/10/2024

4 Reasons Why You Need to Get Your Labs Done During ED Recovery

1. Getting labs and vitals done is an important part of assessing overall nutrition and health status.

2. Eating disorders affect every organ system in the body. Getting labs and vitals done is an objective measurement on how the body is functioning and allows us to assess any immediate issues and respond or supplement accordingly!

3. One of the most dangerous aspects of eating disorders is that most people “feel fine”. In actuality, the body can be significantly struggling even when the person “feels fine”. Labs and vitals can show us this!

4. Many individuals with eating disorders are in denial about the severity of their eating disorder. Getting labs and vitals done can be a great way to challenge this!

I always recommend my clients to have a doctor monitoring their medical and health status. This is imperative as eating disorders pose significant health risks.

Not sure what labs and vitals to asses? I can help! Shoot me a 🙋and I’ll DM you!

*Although I can recommend getting labs and vitals done, your doctor must order and interpret all findings. I cannot order labs for you.* This is not medical advice*

16/10/2024

Gentle reminder…

You deserve a comprehensive approach to ED recovery. Based on my 13 years of experience treating eating disorders, this is the BEST way of achieving FULL and LASTING ED recovery.

If one or more things is missing from your treatment plan, I’d love to support you! Post READY below and then watch for a DM from me!

I’m rooting for you in recovery

15/10/2024

Did you know the first 8 weeks of eating disorder recovery are often the hardest?

Yup! This because of a combination of physical, psychological, and emotional challenges:

1. Body Adjustments: Physically, the body is adjusting to new eating patterns, which may cause discomfort, digestive issues, or fluctuations in weight. This can trigger anxiety or reinforce old disordered thoughts.

2. Breaking Habits: It involves breaking deeply ingrained habits and behaviors around food, which is mentally exhausting. The brain has been wired over time to associate certain foods or behaviors with control, comfort, or avoidance, making it hard to shift to healthier patterns.

3. Intense Emotions: As people start to eat more regularly or reintroduce certain foods, they often experience a flood of emotions that were previously suppressed or numbed by disordered eating. This emotional intensity can feel overwhelming.

4. Resistance and Ambivalence: There is often internal resistance to recovery because the eating disorder has served as a coping mechanism. Feelings of ambivalence—wanting to recover but also fearing what that will mean—are very common in this phase.

5. Fear of Weight Change: If weight restoration is a goal, the fear of weight gain can provoke intense anxiety. It takes time to learn to accept and trust the recovery process, which can be especially hard in the beginning.

6. Lack of Immediate Reward: Recovery doesn’t provide immediate relief or rewards, especially in the early stages. The positive changes (like better physical health, improved mood, or less obsession with food) often take time, which can feel discouraging when the process is tough.

All of these factors make the first 8 weeks particularly challenging, but also pivotal for setting the foundation for long-term recovery.

So, DON'T GIVE UP! If you need more support on how to make it through the first 8 weeks...and beyond...I'd love to support you!!

Comment "Recovery" and I'll send you over a link to schedule a call with me!

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