Meet Caila Yates of Steady State Nutrition, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caila Yates.

Hi Caila, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It’s ironic that I’m a dietitian today because when I was little, I wouldn’t let a vegetable touch my plate. I wouldn’t think twice about what I would eat before a track meet. In fact, I seem to recall eating a funnel cake before a 400m relay in high school.

Despite that, I knew that I wanted to make an impact in the health field in some capacity. I wasn’t sure where or how yet, so I broadly studied public health and human services in college. As I progressed through school, I, like so many other young adults, were learning to navigate grocery shopping, cooking, and exercise on my own. This unfortunately manifested as a pre-occupation with “healthy eating,” and over-exercising. I began experiencing symptoms of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), then known as the female athlete triad. My body was in survival mode – I was experiencing hair loss, body temperature dysregulation, loss of my menstrual cycle, and “food noise” that was interfering with my life.

Experiencing this, combined with learning more about human physiology in school, I knew I wanted to help others navigate what I had experienced and play a role in getting them back to doing what they love with confidence.

I received my masters in nutrition at Boston University after completing two years of class work and clinical hours. After this, I worked in a hospital setting with severe eating disorder cases, then in outpatient eating disorder settings before starting my own practice where I specialize in working with athletes with eating disorders and RED-S. I’ve had my practice for 3 years now, and have loved working in Boulder with this population.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course not! I’m trained as a clinician – not a business person. There is a lot to learn when starting a business – most of which you know know you even need to learn until something prompts it. Every day is a new challenge, and few days look the same. However, starting a practice is one of the most empowering things I’ve ever done, and all the more rewarding knowing that I am helping the exact population that I am most passionate about. It’s fun to think that it’s always evolving based on my clients’ needs, but it certainly keeps me on my toes!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Steady State Nutrition is a virtual outpatient nutrition practice specializing in the treatment of athletes with disordered eating or eating disorders. Athletes are 2-3x more likely to experience an eating disorder than non-athletes due to pressures that are endemic to their sport and an intrinsic sense of competition and perfectionism. Further, studies show that up to 94% of athletes have engaged in disordered eating or weight control behaviors. Though these stats are astounding, there is a relatively small subset of clinicians who specialize at the intersection of sport and eating disorders.

Born out of lived experience and clinical expertise, Steady State Nutrition helps clients become more confident with fueling for doing what they love. I use an evidence-based approach, meaning that I will always explain WHY we are changing something in your diet, tying it to current literature, biochemistry, and physiology. There is SO much nutrition information out there, which is why it’s so important to me to make sure that I am staying current on research and recommendations to ensure that my clients are receiving the best possible care.

I also prioritize collaborating with other providers (i.e. therapists, doctors, sports psychologists) to ensure that a client is receiving streamlined care.

I offer 1:1 sessions virtually with clients all over Colorado and surrounding states. Sessions include setting small goals (we’re not going to overhaul your diet in one session), debunking nutrition myths, planning for the week, and moving towards intuitive eating. In each session, we talk about what worked, what didn’t, and what we can try differently if needed to achieve your goals.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I HATE cooking. People assume that because I’m a dietitian, I love to cook. Nope. That’s also why I’m good at recommending extremely easy, low-lift meals and snacks – because I don’t spend a lot of time making my meals either!

Another one is that I OFTEN recommend (or even require) my clients to eat dessert every day – I personally can’t go a day without ice cream. In sessions, we break down what’s actually in dessert – usually carbs and fat, right? Those things are helpful for a lot of reasons – energy, cognition, hormone balance, injury prevention, etc. I also recommend pre-run candy to a lot of my athletes – namely, gummy worms, sour patch kids, whatever you like. That’s because those things have helpful carbs in them that break down quickly to give you energy for your workout. Food should be enjoyable and comforting.

Pricing:

• Initial consultation: $175 (1 hr)
• Biweekly appts: $298/month (45 min sessions)
• Weekly appts: $498/month (45 min sessions)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://steadystatenutrition.co
• Instagram: @steadystatenutrition

Image Credits
Tina Bowers