Meet Cindy Dallow | Registered Dietitian, master health coach, and intuitive eating counselor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy Dallow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to create a business where I was helping women stop dieting and feel better about their bodies and there wasn’t an actual job where I could do that. I also wanted to be my own boss and have flexible working hours.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been a registered dietitian since 1987 and have worked in various capacities. I left my “cush” job at a hospital where I was providing both in-patient and out-patient nutrition counseling (the latter was mostly weight management counseling) to pursue my doctorate in nutrition at Colorado State University. I was tired of handing out weight loss diets that led to yo-yo dieting and a revolving door to my office. I thought there had to be a better way to help women be healthy! While at CSU, I became heavily involved in a national movement called “health at every size” (long story – too long to write) and ended up speaking at several national conferences on this topic and was even called by the Dr Phil show to debate him on the “fat and fit” topic, but was never scheduled on the show. My PhD study was also mentioned in O magazine!

Fast forward about 5 years (after taking time off to adopt my children) I started my own business called Midlife Food & Fitness where I specialize in helping women over 40 eat healthfully without dieting and improve their fitness. I became certified by Evelyn Tribole, co-author of Intuitive Eating, as an intuitive eating counselor and I’m currently working toward being a certified personal trainer because of my strong interest in strength training for women over 40.

What sets me apart from other dietitians is that I have a much deeper understanding of the effects of dieting on physical, mental, and social health, as well as exercise science and behavior change psychology. I’m well-versed on the research that supports the health at every size movement and intuitive eating.

It was not easy getting to where i am today, partly because starting your own business in my field is not easy. I’ve had to learn business basics and social media marketing – two things I was not taught in grad school!

Now, because of social media, I feel like I’m constantly competing with influencers who know nothing about nutrition but who are continually pedaling all kinds of misinformation about nutrition and promoting ridiculous fad diets.

I want women over 40 to know that the scale does not dictate how healthy they are. Improving cardiorespiratory fitness and strength, eating a healthy diet most of the time, and managing stress are the most important things to do for longevity. Fundamentals > fads! But it takes time, support, and education to implement those fundamentals and I’m here to help women do that!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Summit County, Colorado….I would take them on a hike and eat at local restaurants…to many to write about!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All the women I’ve worked with over the years! Their honesty and vulnerability is what I attribute my success to, as well as the book Intuitive Eating by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Triboli.

Website: https://www.midlifefoodandfitness.com

Instagram: https://dr.cindydallow.rd

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-dallow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/midlifefoodandfitness

Youtube: youtube@CindyDallowPhDRD

Image Credits
One photo was taken by Greenhouse Creative Studio in Breckenridge