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Meet Sophie Hung of Alhambra

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophie Hung.

Sophie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I received my Bachelor of Science from UCLA and my Masters of Public Health in Nutrition from Loma Linda University. I am also a Certified Personal Trainer through ACSM. I have a lot of experience working with clients providing one-on-one nutrition and fitness counseling to address different health concerns and promote wellness. I have also conducted many nutrition presentations/seminars in conferences and community-based organization. In addition to English, I also speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish, which allows me to work with clients who with different culture or background.

I focus on holistic approach because you can be WELL, not just physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and socially. Therefore, acquiring good nutrition, staying physically active, managing stress properly and having a good social support are all key components for a healthy lifestyle. I don’t believe in any fad diets or quick fixes because they just don’t work, they can make someone’s weight fluctuate even more. In order to achieve long-lasting result, what we really need is LIFESTYLE CHANGES.

Instead of spending the last part of our life in pain or suffering, we would probably want to live quality life that we actually enjoy. Rather than spending our money on a whole cocktail of medicine we take, we might want to spend time traveling around the world or doing things we enjoy. That is why I emphasize the preventive approach in my practice. Even we might have seen a lot of crazy diet or invasive surgeries on TV, the best solution for weigh loss is still eating healthy, living an actively lifestyle, drinking plenty of water instead of sugary drinks, and getting enough rest on a regular basis. Strict diets do not work because sometimes when we deprive ourselves too much, then one day we could not do it anymore, we will end up breaking down and over-indulge. Therefore, moderation is the key. I believe as long as we eat 80% healthy food 80% of the time, then that’s pretty good. Even though I am a Dietitian and a personal trainer, I don’t eat a super strict diet and exercise like 3 hours a day. Rather, I tried to eat a plant-based diet during the week day, but I still eat some good quality animal protein such as organic chicken and wild caught salmon once a week. Then I go out on the weekend, eating things I enjoy. I tried to exercise 3 times a week including planning lots of outdoor activities such as kayaking, rock climbing, mini-golfing, snow-boarding, etc on the weekend.

I first got interested in nutrition when I went to UCLA for college. At that time, UCLA did not offer nutrition as one of the majors for their undergraduate program. But in the dining hall, it always had some table tents with nutrition information displayed on the tables, and I always enjoyed reading them.

Besides, my father has always had high cholesterol and we have a family history of diabetes, which sparks me some interest in learning more about nutrition. Therefore, it motivates me to pursue my MPH in nutrition. I was able to use the nutrition knowledge I learn from school to help my father to lower his cholesterol and control his diabetes. My father is currently 75, he is still staying going swimming, doing some weight training, and play lawn bowling every day.

He still follows the meal plans I gave him and every time he went to the doctor, his doctor always gave him an A+ for his bloodwork. I was so proud of my father and I am glad I was able to help many of my friends and families through nutrition.

As soon as I received my RD license, I worked fulltime with Riverside County Department of Health Nutrition Services Woman, Infant, and Children (WIC) program, where I was equipped with a lot of client counseling and nutrition class teaching skills.

At the same time, I started working part-time with another Dietitian who has a nutrition private practice near where I live. I worked with her for 3 years during my days-off to see clients. Most of the clients I see there are insurance-covered clients. There are some limitations in terms of flexibility, appointment duration, and client motivations when insurance is involved. For example, some of my clients come because they were told by the doctor to see a Dietitian, and they may not necessarily to be motivated themselves or ready to make any changes. Also, since insurance-covered clients usually have zero or minimum copay, they may feel that they are less vested into the program and don’t see the value or importance of the counseling session as much. Moreover, once the number of insurance-approved counseling session went out, I usually experience a loss to follow up with them since they most likely are not able to afford or do not see the benefits of the continued accountability that I offer. After doing this for a few years, I want to do something different that really changes people’s lives. Therefore, I started my own in-home nutrition & fitness practice 3 years ago. Since it is my own practice, I have more control over different factors, including appointment duration, follow-up frequency, meeting location, and payment method. I can determine the frequency of my visits without having to wait for insurance authorization. Also, I have longer appointments with my clients, so that they won’t feel rushed when they see me. Currently, my practice accepts cash, check, or venmo. With a greater monetary value tied to the appointment, my clients tend to be a lot more motivated, have greater buy-in, and follow my prescribed meal plan closely. Therefore, they all see immediate results and feel more accomplished.

Also, I choose to provide in-home service, because I enjoyed a more “homey” environment, and I can better understand their lifestyle and living situation.

Since I started my own practice, I had a lot more success stories and I was able to help a lot of happy motivated clients.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For the past 7 years, even I have a full-time job in the public health nutrition or food service field, I always enjoy working with clients one-on-one. I just enjoyed the relationship I get to develop with them, coach them through their wellness journey, empower them with the tools they need, and be their cheerleaders.

Growing as a nutritionist while learning to be an entrepreneur is not easy, but I enjoyed each step of the way. A lot of the business aspects of nutrition was not taught in school, so I have to do a lot of research on my own. For example, I have to figure out what kind of business model I would like to follow, what kind of program and services I can provide, how to build a website, how to market myself, how to file my own taxes, etc.

Being self-motivated and keeping a positive attitude even when things don’t work out is the key. After trying to continuously polish my program, strategies, marketing techniques based on client’s feedback and outcome, I have gained a lot of valuable knowledge and experiences along the way. Having a fulltime job for the past 7 years did give me financial stability to experiment with this side business of mine, but recently, as my practice continues to grow, I am thinking about expanding this practice, so I am hoping to help even more clients to reach their health goals and touch more lives through nutrition.

Sophie Hung, MPH, RDN, CPT – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My practice provides In-Home nutrition counseling and personal training, that way my clients can work with me in the calming familiarity of their home environment and without having to worry about transportation. Please see below for my specialties:

• Weight Management / Weight Loss
• Wellness Counseling/Health Coaching
• Behavior Modification
• High Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Cholesterol/Triglyceride
• Vegetarian
• Gluten-Free Diet
• Cancer Nutrition
• Prenatal Nutrition
• Lactation Support
• Pediatric Nutrition
• Corporate Wellness
• Personal Training

Since I speak 4 different languages, I am able to reach out to a wide spectrum of clients, allowing me to help people from different background and culture. Some of the services I provide include designing customized meal plan for my clients based on their daily routines, food preferences, allergies, or intolerance. I also provide shopping list or going grocery shopping with my clients, so that they know where exactly to find those healthy foods I recommended. Additionally, I teach my clients how to read food label, so that they are empowered to discern the different health claims on the label and make the best choice for themselves. Moreover, I go over healthy snacks and eat-out tips with my clients.

Furthermore, I also share with my client’s behavior change strategies during our counseling sessions.

We are all creature of habits, even though we have a lot of head knowledge of what should we do to be healthy, it may be difficult to acquire new habits.

That’s why I share behavior change strategies with my clients so that it can make their journey to wellness easier.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is not all about money, it is more about how many lives can I touch or make a difference in. For example, I found joy when I was able to help a newly diagnosed diabetic clients to better understand their medical condition, so that he can better manage his blood sugar. He was told by his doctor that he should just cut out carbohydrates completely, which makes his diabetes worse. When we first met, his blood sugar was in the 300 range. I explained to him and his wife the myth of cutting carbohydrates from his diet and how it doesn’t help with blood sugar management.

Since our body actually needs sugar, and if we eat a low-carb or no carb diet, our liver actually has to work harder to produce more sugar which may create a sugar spike.

Doctors may not have the luxury to sit down with their patients for an hour to explain a lot of details to them, and that’s what we are here for, being able to take the time to educate the patients about the mechanism, and plan a personalized meal plan that works for them. Or I helped a client to better control their diabetes through lifestyle so that they don’t have to take medications. I also enjoyed being the cheerleaders of patients who are battling cancer and using nutrition to help them relieve some of the symptoms or finding something they can eat which can give them strength throughout the treatment.

Moreover, I worked with a few cancer patients before. I enjoyed being their cheerleaders when they are actively battling cancers. Also, I tried to help them find nutritious food that my clients enjoy to help them gain strength in order to get through treatments.

Since I am a Christian, besides providing them nutrition support, I also love to pray for their discomfort and their medical conditions, that type of spiritual connection I had with my clients are just so precious and is not something I am allowed to do at other work settings

Besides serving locally, I also have the heart for global health. In the past, I went on a lot of medical mission trip to provide public health nutrition education in developing countries such as Honduras, Mexico, Tanzania, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. All these trips and experiences help me to see the bigger need in this world and learn not to take things for granted. Being able to use nutrition to touch lives both locally and globally is my ultimate calling.

Pricing:

  • Initial assessment (90 min) for $90
  • Follow up appointment (60 min) for $75

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
O & S Photography

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