About

Wendy Sterling, MS, RD, CSSD, CEDS-S
Photo by: Jenny Pfeiffer

Wendy Sterling, MS, RD, CSSD, CEDS-S (she/hers), is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian, Approved Supervisor through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, and a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics based in the Bay Area, California. She specializes in sports nutrition and eating disorders, and utilizes a Health at Every Size® approach. Wendy sees clients in her private practice virtually across the U.S. 

Wendy co-founded the Plate-by-Plate Approach®, a revolutionary tool that simplifies eating disorder recovery without calorie counting or measuring. This method, now used in over 36 countries, has been widely adopted by treatment centers and hospitals. She co-authored How to Nourish Your Child Through an Eating Disorder:  A Simple, Plate-by-Plate Approach to Reestablishing a Healthy Relationship with Foodand “How to Nourish Yourself Through an Eating Disorder: Recovery for Adults Using the Plate-by-Plate Approach®.  Her  instagram platform, @platebyplateapproach, features balanced plates and recovery messages.

Wendy is a sought-after national and international lecturer. She was featured in the “MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series,” which brings nationally recognized speakers to the Bay Area, as well as the “Common Ground Speaker Series,” a parent education initiative that highlights distinguished speakers on topics related to education, parenting, and health. 

She collaborates with schools and sports teams on eating disorder prevention, a focus reflected in her books for teens and parents: No Weigh! A Teen’s Guide to Body Image, Food, and Emotional Wisdom, and  “Raising Body Positive Teens: A Parent’s Guide to Diet-Free Living, Exercise and Body Image.” 

Wendy has consulted for elite sports teams, including the Oakland Athletics (2016-2021). Golden State Warriors (2014-2016), New York Jets  (2006-2013), NY Islanders, and Hofstra University’s Women’s Lacrosse and Volleyball teams. She works with athletes to enhance endurance, speed, and explosiveness, and has developed sports nutrition curricula for schools like Menlo School. Wendy also consults for independent schools, sports clubs, and elite sports teams nationwide and advises sports agencies on performance nutrition for the NBA Draft and NFL Combine. She is a member of the United States Olympic Committee Sports Dietitian Registry.

From 2014 to 2017, Wendy worked at The Healthy Teen Project, providing care to teens in the intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs. She worked at the Eating Disorders Center at Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York 2001-2011, where she was part of a multidisciplinary team treating a wide spectrum of eating disorders. Wendy’s research on amenorrhea, osteoporosis, and metabolism in adolescents has been published in leading journals.

Currently, Wendy serves on the  Equip and was part of the first Clinical Advisory Board for Project HEAL. She received her B.S. in Dietetics/Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University, where she is also part of the Human Ecology Alumni Board, and earned her Master’s in Nutrition Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she also completed her dietetic internship (RD). Wendy is a former competitive dancer and All-American Cheerleader.

Free ‘Joyful Movement’ Exercise

Enter the email to receive the PDF.