Our Stories, - get to know your Dietitians

Hi! My name is Tayde Cook and I am your friendly neighborhood registered dietitian nutritionist/personal trainer.  Yes – that’s a nod at the amazing spiderman *ahem* geek alert. I grew up in south Texas and am Mexican American. My culture is tightly woven with food. We are sad, we eat, we are happy- we eat, we have troubles – we eat. I grew up hearing about all these fad diets and all these crazy methods to lose weight and therefore achieve the thin standard of beauty. Having struggled with weight nearly all my teenage years, I bought into so many of those fad diets. My weight yo-yoing through it all. As I began growing older, I learned how easily someone can develop a bad relationship with food. I realized that all throughout my “thin” years I didn’t really understand sustainable eating habits. I obsessed going over, so far as crying when a size small t-shirt would feel snug. With the stress of school- while working on my Bachelor of Science in nutrition and dietetics, I had undiagnosed cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation) that greatly contributed to my weight gain. Among the pain and frustration with my weight I felt broken. If I went to the doctor for a cold, I would be inadvertently told something about my weight. I wanted to change, and I knew the risks associated with being overweight – I mean, hello, was studying that every day! I began avoiding going to the doctor all together to avoid being weight shamed. Even through my worst pains I went as far as living with the condition throughout my internship. I hit rock bottom when I felt I rather be unalive then continue living with pain. I sought medical attention and found that I needed surgery. I share all this because I truly learned lessons that I will never forget. I learned I didn’t want an easy solution or to be quickly thin. I wanted to be healthy, not obsess over food and calories, or my weight. I wanted peace of mind as I navigated towards my goals, enjoying the process of working hard without hating my body- but rather being appreciative of it. I wanted to fall in love with the journey and the process; taking my time and learning what worked for me and most importantly making permanent sustainable lifestyle changes. After all, I had already done the do it fast and see great results only to have the weight come back when my routine was a little disrupted.

Most of all, I yearned for a place that would help me get better without making me feel like crap- I didn’t need a sermon about my weight all those times, I was fully aware of all the risks and how badly things could go for me if continued down the same road. What I needed was to be listened to and supported, given tools to help me navigate into a healthy lifestyle. I never found it- not in anyone else other than my husband- who also happens to be a registered dietitian and personal trainer. We quickly wanted to help people adopt a healthier lifestyle without shaming, without giving sermons or using scare tactics to try and get people to change their eating habits. So, we created Harper & Cook, a place where we could educate people in a welcoming atmosphere that didn’t want to make you run the other way as soon as you heard “diet and nutrition,” a place where you could be listened to and work with experts to help guide you on your own journey to becoming the best version of yourself.

To be honest, I haven’t reached my goals yet. But I work on them every single day. I learn something every day and I get at least 1% better each day. What I have reached is what I wanted the most – that I thought I could never have. I love my body, in the past stages and the present stage. I love that I work hard every day, that I am not taking short cuts. I love that I am truly enjoying this journey. And that is what I hope this blog does for you, that my lessons help you, or inspire you, even simply help you see that you aren’t alone. That my little piece of internet finds you in your health journey and that it hopefully sheds light on real evidenced based nutrition and fitness information given by experts communicated to you in the simplest way all the while knowing that we share the personal experiences.