Small Changes, Big Results: How Working with a Nourish Dietitian Jumpstarted My Weight Loss

Why I Tried Something New

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’ve been a longtime Weight Watchers (WW) member—and overall, it’s been a program that’s worked for me. But like many of us on a health journey, I hit a plateau that no amount of logging or point shuffling could fix. So, I decided to try something new: working one-on-one with a registered dietitian through Nourish.com.

Discovering Nourish.com

I was scrolling social media when I saw the ad—and I was intrigued that it said it was covered by insurance. A free dietician? Sign me up! I do suggest calling your insurance company first—I did and found out in fact it was covered 100%.

When you set up the account on nourish.com, you can view different dieticians, what their specialties are, their schooling, and choose one that sounds good to you. My dietician is Natalie and she is amazing. I filled out some questions before our first ZOOM meeting so she knew a little about me, and our meeting was an hour long—it went by so fast!

Meeting My Dietitian, Natalie

Natalie specializes in general health, weight stablization, losing weight, heart health, high cholesterol, bariatric surgery and emotional eating. She has a Masters Degree in Nutrition and Dietics.

Nourish has an app that I’m able to log in my foods (I have a 46 day streak going!) and I can also share photos of my meals with her and ask questions.  I’ve met with her 3 times so far- every 2 weeks for an hour.   We meet over Zoom – which is nice to get the face to face connection.

Small Changes, Big Results

She immediately pinpointed a few minor things to change—a 10 minute walk after dinner to help with my glucose levels (I am diabetic), adding a 6 pound weighted vest for my daily walks, adding more color to my plate with fruits and veggies, listening to my hunger cues, asking myself halfway or 3/4 of the way through my meal if I am still hungry. I can choose to eat more later if I get hungry—but I don’t have to finish my plate.

I also rely on pre-packed foods—even though I love to cook, there are nights I take the easy route with frozen chicken nuggets, frozen fish fillets or leftover pizza. For the last 2 weeks I’ve been fixated on Tyson’s Teriyaki Chicken—it’s chicken thighs with this amazing sauce. Today was my last piece from a large Costco bag! It does have more sodium than I need and some preservatives that aren’t that great—so I’ll be looking for boneless chicken thighs and seasoning them myself now.

Protein Goals & New Foods I’ve Tried

Another suggestion was to pay attention to my protein count—aiming for 90 grams a day. To be honest, I never really paid that much attention to how much protein I was eating—so that has been eye opening. Natalie recommended cottage cheese (which I don’t like)—but I ended up buying a container and made copycat Starbucks egg bites by blending the cottage cheese with eggs and veggies—so good!

I also tried a Japanese sweet potato and cucumbers too and I  loved them!   And each week we make goals of things I also want to try – salmon, grilling cod, eating a salad or fruit with pizza (which I enjoy every Friday night!)

The Scale Is Moving Again + What are my macro goals?

And guess what? The scale is finally moving again.

Sometimes it’s not about overhauling your lifestyle—it’s about making a few small, strategic tweaks. With Nourish, I was able to talk through my habits, get customized support from Natalie, and see my meals through a fresh (and professional) lens. It didn’t feel restrictive. It felt supportive.

I literally was gaining and losing the same few pounds all year.  In the 6 weeks since I started Nourish – here are my results:

Week 1 – Down .6

Week 2 – Down 0

Week 3 – Down 1.4

Week 4 – Down .6

Week 5 – Down 1.0

Week 6 – Down 1.2

I do have target macros –

CALORIES PER DAY 1,800

PROTEIN – 90 grams

CARBS – 225 grams or less

FAT – 60 grams

FIBER – 25 grams

Switching to Non-Alcoholic Beer

Another shift I’ve made recently? Switching to non-alcoholic beer. And let me tell you: they’ve come a long way. These days, there are some really flavorful options that give you that “weekend wind-down” feel—without the calories.

My favorite non-alcoholic beer is Athletic Brewing Company.

Athletic Brewing is the only non-alcoholic brewery in the US! They also have non-alcoholic cocktails as well. They taste just like beer and are between 25 and 70 calories a can! My husband and I have also tried non-alcoholic Heineken, Stella Artois, and Guinness—and they are all great!

What Weight Loss Food Looks Like to Me

If you’ve been on the fence about switching things up or have hit a frustrating stall, I can’t recommend talking to a dietitian enough. Even if you’ve followed WW (or any program) for years, a new perspective might be just what you need.

Below are a few of the meals I’ve been loving lately—flavorful, satisfying, and completely sustainable. This doesn’t feel like a temporary plan.

• Apple “nachos” – sliced apple with almond butter, sugar free chocolate chips, and 1/2 a crushed graham cracker.

• Tyson Foods Teriyaki chicken (I buy it at Sam’s Club) – air fry for 10 minutes a side at 400°, served with roasted potatoes, bell peppers and ranch dressing—so good!

• Gorton’s Fish Fillet Sandwich – with Stax chips, peppers, pickles, and ranch dressing.

• Chicken burger (bought in the butcher section of the grocery store—this flavor is feta and spinach) – I decided on sliced avocado instead of the bun, side salad with fruit and potato salad.

• Chicken enchiladas – using Frontera Foods enchilada sauce, low carb tortillas filled with shredded chicken and black beans.

Why I’m Sticking With This

The reason I’m sticking with Nourish is the 1:1 support I get from Natalie. I still love being a Weight Watchers member—it’s been such a big part of my journey—but I also like knowing more about my macros and being more consistent with my calories each day. For me, it’s not about replacing WW, it’s about adding another layer of guidance and accountability that’s tailored specifically to me.

Have questions about Nourish or curious about what I’ve been eating? Drop a comment or message me—I’d love to share more.  This is not a sponsored post – just something I’m excited about and wanted to share with my friends!

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