Book on Nourish Non-Diet & HAES Dietitian
I'm Paige Hartnett, RD LDN — a non-diet, HAES-aligned (Health at Every Size) dietitian working virtually with adults across the U.S. from Charlotte, NC. The work is not about a better set of rules. It is about a different relationship with food. Here are the questions I hear most.
What is a non-diet dietitian?
A non-diet dietitian is a Registered Dietitian who does not use weight loss, food rules, or restriction as the primary tool. Instead of handing you a plan to fight against biology, stress, and years of restriction, we work one layer underneath: why the last plan didn't hold, and what shifts when eating stops being a graded event. If you want the longer version, I wrote what is a non-diet dietitian, exactly? and keep more on the non-diet topic hub.
Non-diet vs. intuitive eating — what's the difference?
They overlap, and I use both. Non-diet is the broader stance: care that doesn't center weight loss or restriction. Intuitive eating is a specific framework (Tribole and Resch, 1995) with ten principles for rebuilding a relationship with hunger, fullness, and satisfaction. In practice most non-diet dietitians pull heavily from intuitive eating, and most intuitive eating counselors practice from a non-diet stance. If you see me labeled either way, the work is the same.
What does HAES actually mean in practice?
HAES stands for Health at Every Size. It is a weight-inclusive framework that says health can be pursued at any body size, and that weight-focused care often does more harm than good. In practice it means I don't weigh you, I don't set weight loss as a goal, and we work on health behaviors and your relationship with food rather than a number. The what HAES actually means post has the fuller version, including what HAES is not.
But will I gain weight?
The honest answer is: some bodies change during this work, and some don't. It depends on where your body has been held below its natural set point through restriction, how your body responds to being fed consistently, and other factors that are not fully in your control. I will not promise weight loss and I will not promise weight stability. What I will tell you is that the goal of the work is a peaceful, sustainable relationship with food. If you cannot come to this work unless a specific number on the scale is guaranteed, this is probably not the right fit — and I'd rather tell you that now.
Why do I feel guilty after eating?
Food guilt is usually a leftover rule, not a moral conscience. Somewhere along the line you learned that certain foods are 'bad' and eating them makes you 'bad' — and the guilt shows up automatically, even when the rule is one you don't consciously believe in anymore. The work is naming the rule, tracing where it came from, and slowly reintroducing the food so it becomes ordinary rather than charged. Longer version: why do I feel guilty after eating?.
Isn't the problem that I just need more discipline?
If discipline could fix your relationship with food, you would have fixed it already. You are not under-trying. You have been trying, in some form, for years. Discipline is most available when you are calm, fed, rested, and regulated. Food struggles usually happen when you are hungry, tired, stressed, or ashamed. A plan that depends on willpower is depending on the thing least available in the hardest moment. That is a structural problem, not a character flaw. Fuller version: why 'just have more discipline' is bad advice.
Is a non-diet approach right for me?
A few markers, honest: you tend to be a good fit if you have tried more than one diet or plan and it hasn't held; if the mental load food takes up in your day feels louder than it should be; if you have a complicated history with food or eating and want care that is trauma-informed; or if you are on a GLP-1 medication and want to build lasting food skills alongside it. You are probably not a fit if weight loss is the only outcome you would consider a success. That is a real preference and I respect it — it is just not what I do.
How do I work with you?
Two paths. The most common: book a 1:1 session through Nourish — often insurance-covered, and the eligibility check runs before you commit. The other path is the 12-Week Program, a structured private program with kickoff and phase check-ins, direct email access, and an interactive workbook. Founding rate is $1,097 for cohort one, application only, 4–6 clients per cohort. Not sure which fits? Start with a Nourish session and we'll figure it out.
Real reviews.
Genuine caring and interest in what I had to say. Made me feel very comfortable and gave me hope that I can finally change my relationship with food.
Always helps with my stumbling blocks and it feels very personalized.
You don't have to keep figuring this out alone.
Book a session through Nourish, or apply for the 12-Week Program.
Many insurances accepted through Nourish.