Why Beyond?
Food is always more than just food- it's culture, beliefs, religion, social experiences, memories, physical fitness, health, mental health, body image, and more. I believe it's important to acknowledge the motivation behind your food choices. I also believe healing your relationship with food is an opportunity to reach goals and enjoy life beyond what you currently think possible.
Callie Graff RDN, LD, CD
Hi! I am so glad you're here!
Let me tell you a little bit about myself
When I moved from Minnesota to Washington for my dietetic internship, my plan was to specialize in sports nutrition. This led me to a rotation in eating disorder treatment, due to the prevalence of disordered eating in athletes. As I completed this rotation and began working with athletes, I reflected on my own experience of marathon training the previous year, remembering how poorly I was fueling my body for that level of activity. My fear of weight gain being responsible for causing low energy, slow recovery, and injuries.
This realization caused me to swing to the opposite extreme. I was so fearful of having an eating disorder, I began limiting my physical activity and making sure to include all the foods I had previously restricted. Though this did help my preoccupation with eating perfectly, I had also given up exercising and running- activities I had always loved.
Feeling stuck in a place between two extremes, I became determined to heal my relationship with food and exercise. I wanted nutrition to be empowering, rather than fear driven. Meanwhile I found out my hormones had been out of balance since going off of birth control a few years back (read more here). Over time, I regained control of food, using it as a tool to reach my goals and fuel my body, while also enjoying it with friends and exploring recipes and restaurants. Finding this balance for myself eventually led me to starting Beyond. I have found so much joy in taking care of my body while still enjoying life, and I'm passionate about helping others find the same!
Education
Degree in nutrition & dietetics from South Dakota State University
Internship at Bastyr University with an emphasis on whole foods and natural medicine
Supervised practice experience
Clinical - dialysis, inpatient, endocrine
Sports - University of Oregon athletics, Seattle Mariners
Community - WIC, natural health clinic, food service
Professional
Outpatient
Endocrinology clinic - working with various types of diabetes
Maternal Fetal Medicine working with high risk pregnancies and gestational diabetes
Pre/post bariatric surgery and weight management clinic
Eating disorder treatment - outpatient, intensive outpatient, and partial hospitalization care with adults and adolescents
EXPERIENCE
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Though I believe an individualized approach is essential for everyone to find their version of health, there are a few foundational principles from which I operate.
EMPOWERMENT
We are not meant to be slaves to our bodies, but rather we are meant to care for them. This means pursuing health should feel empowering and life-giving, not limiting.
GRACE
Personally, I am a christian and this drives my pursuit of living abundant life. Whether or not this is something we discuss will be up to you.
MOTIVATION
We are all capable of doing hard things and reaching big goals, but the first step is understanding motivation. Why is this what you're working towards, and what keeps you showing up every day?
HAES
I work from a health at every size approach, as I believe there is more to health than simply being at a lower body weight.
BALANCE
We are all capable of doing hard things and reaching big goals, but the first step is understanding motivation. Why is this what you're working towards, and what keeps you showing up every day?
SIMPLICITY
In a culture that is constantly trying to sell us on the next fad diet, it's important to bring it back to the basics, first.