Nutrition Assessment at Remuda Ranch

Nutrition Assessment

Nutrition Therapy plays a very important role in the treatment of eating disorders. Properly nourishing the body and achieving a healthy body weight are both essential for physical and psychological health. Unless the body is well nourished, the brain does not function properly, making it difficult for the patient to fully engage in her treatment. Therefore, the foundation of eating disorder treatment at Remuda Ranch at The Meadows is nourishment. The Registered Dieticians make sure that every patient is receiving the correct meal plan with the accurate number of calories for her individual weight restoration or weight maintenance needs.

The first step in working toward proper nourishment is a thorough nutrition assessment and the development of an individualize plan of care. During the nutrition assessment, the RD learns the history of the eating disorder, including restricting, exercising, binging, and/or purging behaviors. It is during this meeting that the RD gets to know the patient and discovers her motivation for treatment and recovery.

Reaching a Healthy Weight
An important part of establishing a healthy goal weight is the patient’s weight history. This history includes the patients highest/lowest weight and what behaviors led to those particular weights. The patient’s “fear” weight helps the RD understand how much support and education will be needed as she progresses in weight restoration. A patient’s family weight history is also taken into account when establishing a goal weight as a consideration of the genetic component of body weight.

During the nutrition assessment process, body composition measurements are taken in the form of skinfold measurements using Lange skinfold calipers. These measurements, along with height, weight, frame size, and age are inserted into a scientifically developed formula, which calculates percent body fat and muscle mass. Based on these body composition values, the patient’s weight history, the family’s weight history, and any available growth charts, the dietitian is able to establish an Ideal Body Weight (IBW). 

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Eating Disorder Recovery

The road to eating disorder recovery begins with recognizing that there is a problem. This can be extremely challenging, especially if you’re still clinging to the belief that weight loss is the key to happiness. Even when you recognize that your happiness and worth come from loving yourself for who you truly are, old habits are very hard to break. The good news is that those learned eating disorder behaviors can be addressed if you want to change and are willing to ask for help.

Sustained recovery requires careful planning and for many patients, this means utilizing the full continuum of care. Recovery takes place over years of mindful application and lessons learned in treatment. At Remuda Ranch at The Meadows, we help you learn to let go of unhealthy eating behaviors. More importantly, we help you discover who you are beyond your eating habits, weight, and body image so you can overcome your eating disorder and gain true self-confidence.

The Ten Components of Recovery

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration has defined ten fundamental elements that are required along the road to recovery.

• Self-Direction: choosing to seek recovery and actively seeking it out
• Individualized and Person-Centered: recovery is unique to each individual in regard to that person’s strengths, needs, experiences and cultural background
• Empowerment: the patient has control over her future and the ability to speak for herself about what she needs, wants and aspires to
• Holistic: recovery emphasizes the whole person – mind, body, spirit and emotions
• Nonlinear: recovery doesn’t always happen in a consistent step-by-step basis – there is continual growth, learning and occasional setbacks – recovery begins when the patient recognizes that positive change is possible
• Strengths-Based: recovery focuses on building on the multiple capacities, resiliencies, talents, coping abilities and inherent worth of the individual
• Peer Support: support through sharing experiences, knowledge and skills with others during the recovery process can help the patient and others by giving each a sense of belonging and community
• Respect: acceptance, protection of rights and elimination of discrimination and stigma are necessary for regaining self-acceptance and the patient’s personal belief in her worth
• Hope: the message of a positive future and the understanding that people can overcome even the hardest challenges is a belief that must be internalized

The exact treatment needs for individuals struggling with an eating disorder vary from person to person. For this reason, it’s important to coordinate a treatment plan with the provider and healthcare professional that is best suited to the patient’s unique requirements.

Asking for Help

It can be scary to ask for help to overcome an eating disorder, but gaining support from a trusted person in your life, is for many people, the first step on the road to recovery. Alternately, some find it less threatening to confide in a treatment specialist, such as an eating disorder counselor or nutritionist, to initiate change.

Your friend or family member may be shocked when you tell them about your eating disorder, but it’s important to remain hopeful. Take the time to discuss the ways you’d like them to support you during your recovery process.
The next step is to find a healthcare specialist to guide you through the recovery process. At Remuda Ranch at The Meadows, we partner with healthcare professionals to help patients feel comfortable, accepted and safe when transitioning into treatment. For more information about the treatment of eating disorders, please call to speak to one of our Intake Coordinators at 866-390-5100. You can also complete the Take the Next Step form and we will contact you with the information you need.

For more than 20 years, Remuda Ranch at The Meadows has partnered with hundreds of psychologists, psychiatrists, primary care providers, registered dieticians and primary therapists. The vast majority of our patient referrals come from these professionals. Through inpatient eating disorder and anxiety treatment, we help women and girls to stabilize and commit to recovery. Then, we return them to the referring professional for ongoing outpatient care. Together, we make recovery a reality.

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