Hey Friends!

I’m so glad you’re here. I’m Melissa, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who has struggled with my weight and relationship with food my entire life. While I haven’t had weight loss surgery myself, I completely understand first hand how hard it is to struggle with weight as well as my relationship with my body and food. I also know what it’s like to struggle with being consistent with exercise. These are the things everyone expects you to know how to do, but no one ever actually teaches you.

I first decided I wanted to be a dietitian after watching my own family struggle. My dad was diagnosed with diabetes, and he was always told what to do without clear instructions on how to change his habits. It wasn’t until I was in my dietetic internship year, when my focus on helping people with diabetes shifted to a desire to help the WLS community instead.

Did you know that Jamie and I are best friends in real life? I first met Jamie when we were finishing up our dietetic internship together. Her and I quickly became the best of friends. I watched her go through her entire WLS journey, from pre op all the way until now. I saw how hard this journey was and I related to her and her struggles SO much.

I remember when she was 9 months post op, she was really struggling with fueling for workouts. That summer, we spent a lot of time together studying for our RD exams. She would say to me “I just don’t understand, I need to eat more to fuel for my runs, but I can’t fuel more for my runs because I’m not supposed to eat too many carbs and I get so full! It’s also so hard to stay hydrated.”

Turns out, there is actually very limited research on bariatric athletes and fueling for exercise after WLS. That is, until now.

You see, Jamie’s story didn’t just inspired me to become a Bariatric Dietitian, but inspired me to research how WLS patients can fuel for exercise so they can be as strong, fit, and healthy as possible after WLS.

I’m currently finishing up my PhD program at Teachers College, Columbia University focusing my studies on fueling for exercise and the motivators/barriers to exercise after WLS. My specialty is in kinesiology and helping WLS patients overcome their struggles with food, exercise, and motivation.

When I’m not studying or working on my research, you can usually find me….

Working with people in the bariatric communty understand nutrition, reach their goals, and maintain their culture throughout their journey is my ultimate passion. I’m also incredibly passionate about supporting people of color on their journeys and helping bring more awareness to the barriers people of color face when it comes to getting surgery. Oh yea, and did I mention I also speak Spanish?!