Hey, I'm Rachel Benight!

I am a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and NASM Certified Personal Trainer. I also have a Masters of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Central Oklahoma -- I was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma... and still here! I am married to my best friend, Stefan. At the moment we have two furry children, Dax and Cali. We love to travel, especially exploring new cities and trying delicious food!

I help driven, health-focused women, who have been burned by fad diets, learn how to fuel their bodies for performance, increased muscle definition, and sustainable fat loss.

Unlike restrictive diets that focus on what you can’t eat, I use a flexible macro tracking approach that focuses on what you can eat while supporting your unique needs, including your hormones, your digestion, your relationship with food and your body, and your lifestyle.

After I finished graduate school and completed my dietetic internship, I worked as an outpatient dietitian, working with clients with a myriad of health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and digestive issues. I did this for about 2 years, then slowly transitioned to working for a private practice that specialized in a type of medicine called Functional Medicine. During my 3 years at this job, I was trained in a “functional medicine” approach, which views the person from a “whole-body” perspective. This approach looks at the body as interconnected, acknowledging that poor or proper nutrition can impact a person’s entire physiology, not just one individual system. I gained much experience and knowledge during this time, working with clients with autoimmune disease, complex digestive issues, hormone imbalances, and metabolic issues. I was trained to see food as a form of medicine to the body.

One of my favorite things about what I do is shifting the way my clients view their approach to health, with both nutrition and fitness. I absolutely love when my clients experience a new found freedom around their food choices, no longer feeling like certain foods are “off limits.”

While I love many facets of the functional medicine approach, I quickly realized that I was beginning to seek perfection in my own health, as well as my clients. It was my desire to find “perfection” in my health, and the health of others, which led to extremely restrictive eating habits. In my pursuit of “health”, I had tried nearly every diet under the sun - keto, paleo, vegan, autoimmune paleo, intermittent fasting and eventually developed fear around eating anything that wasn’t “clean.” I was the queen of gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, grain-free, bean-free, night-shade free...all the frees! This eventually took a toll on my mental health, resulting in anxiety around most meals and social events that included food. Ironically, my health during this time was nowhere near “perfect” as I was dealing with crippling anxiety and “unexplained digestive issues.” It wasn’t until I realized that my pursuit of perfection in my health was actually making my physical and mental health worse, and I was experiencing these unwanted symptoms of anxiety and digestive issues because of my extreme restriction. I knew that I was also projecting this same “perfectionism” on my clients and decided my approach needed to change.

I started my own business in May 2019 to be able to help people in a different way. It seemed the most common issue my potential clients came to me with was the desire to lose weight, having tried “eating clean”, low carb, keto, Whole 30, with short-lived results. Most of these clients were women, who were also experiencing anxiety, hormone imbalances, and digestive issues. I started seeing this trend and realized that further restriction was not the answer.

My platform very quickly became centered around teaching women how to eat enough to support their metabolism, hormones, digestion, mood, and recovery. With a billion-dollar diet industry that brainwashes women into thinking they should be eating LESS, I made it my mission to convince women that the opposite is actually true - we have to give our body’s adequate nourishment in order to lose body fat and establish healthy hormones, mood, and digestion.

I decided to niche down my approach even further by taking a macro counting approach with my clients, as I had seen this be very effective in my own health and fitness journey. I teach my clients how much protein, fat, and carbohydrates their body needs in order to support their unique needs and goals. This approach gives people much more freedom because there are no specific rules or restrictions around what they “should” or “shouldn’t have.” Using my training in functional medicine, I consider current hormone status, diet history, digestion, and activity level to determine what each client needs to reach their specific goal.

 

One of my favorite things about what I do is shifting the way my clients view their approach to health, with both nutrition and fitness. I absolutely love when my clients experience a new found freedom around their food choices, no longer feeling like certain foods are “off limits.” I find most often that my clients come to me having severely restricted things like bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes, so it brings me a lot of joy when they are able to eat those foods without guilt, realizing they can still reach their goals. It brings me satisfaction when my clients start to view food as fuel versus something to be feared. I especially love when my clients start eating more and notice immediate changes in their sleep, mood, energy, digestion, and body weight. It is not uncommon to see my clients actually lose body fat when they start giving their body what it needs! In regards to fitness, rather than preaching the “no pain, no gain,” I help my clients determine what type of exercise is best for their individual body in order to balance hormones, achieve desired fat loss goals, while not spending 2 hours in the gym 7 days per week.

My goal for my clients is to have a new-found sense of confidence, freedom and knowledge.

I want them to reject the mentality that they need to eat less food in order to shrink down, rather fuel their body with enough food to build up a strong, confident, well fed woman.

I want them to feel complete freedom in their food choices, knowing that they can still enjoy the foods they love without compromising their individual goals.

I want them to have the knowledge of what their unique body needs for continued progress towards their individual goals.

Besides working on my business helping clients find their ground with food, you can usually find me in the gym weightlifting, listening to true crime podcasts, cuddling with my dogs while watching a good documentary, having cookouts with my family, or just enjoying good food and drinks with friends.

The key to success with diet and exercise is finding a balance that lets you live and be well.

I can’t wait to start working with you!

Personalized results, just for you.


Goodbye to the guesswork! 
My 1:1 Coaching option is a unique and customized approach to get you to your goals.

Together, we'll craft a plan that is a perfect balance of fitness and nutrition!

Get started with 1:1 Coaching today!