Reducing cholesterol with dietary changes
I recently was referred to your company by my PCP, Dr. Ed Hartman. My cholesterol was a bit high and he thought a change in diet would be an effective first step in trying to lower it.
At 6′ 2″, 235 pounds, I never thought the weight would come off as quickly as it did, but being regimented to Margot’s plan and with a little help from my wife, I’ve lost just under 18 pounds in a 2 month period! I’m feeling better, have more energy and in another 5-7 pounds, will hopefully be back right into all those skinny cloths in the back of my closet!
Margot was a pleasure to deal with, a great resource and very knowledgeable and professional in her nutritional knowledge.”
Achieving a healthy weight without dieting
Lori Lieberman has been working with me for two years. Seeking her help was the best decision I have made in a very long time. I have been a yo-yo dieter for most of my adult life with no permanent success. I have tried Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and my own diets but I always put back all that I lost and more. Lori has shown me how to eat all the foods I like in moderation and without guilt. She has been very patient, supportive, encouraging, and instructive.
I finally feel that I am in control of my eating habits (most of the time) for the first time in my life. And she has taught me not to feel the distructive guilt when I do have a slip. I am now able to acknowledge that I’ve had a bad time and move forward instead of the previous “what the heck, I’ve blown it so I might as well really blow it”.
I could continue endlessly with how Lori’s help has changed my life for the better and how I now have the confidence to keep to my better eating habits for the rest of my life. The final compliment that I will give her is that she has finally convinced me of the value of exercise. I have avoided it actively but now realize the benefits to my physical and mental health. I am very grateful to her for all that she has shown me. I plan to continue working with Lori for quite a long time into the future. Even when I have reached an appropriate weight for my age and height, I want to have her support and ideas to keep me on track. This is the biggest commitment I have made to myself and it has so far been worth every second of thought and planning. I might have lost weight before but I credit Lori with showing me how to sustain it over the last 2 years and into the rest of my life.
Not eating enough? How can that be?
How does one shift a lifetime behavior in a short period of time? How does one realize that the lifetime behavior needs to change in the first place? How does one take the plunge and trust in someone that one hardly knows?
After a single meeting with Lori, I knew she ‘gets it’. She asked questions, listened to my replies, heard what I was saying and not saying and gave me guidance to begin my recovery. I had described to doctors over the course of a year that I was feeling constant muscle fatigue and weariness in spite of an exercise program, adequate sleep and what I thought to be a healthy low calorie diet.
Lori quickly honed in on the crux of the problem – not enough fuel for my body. Who would have thought that one could actually ‘diet’ too much. Restricting calories had been my guide all of my life – I had no idea what the true impact of that could be on my body and my spirit. Increasing food intake to meet my body’s fuel requirements for existence and exercise was the ticket to feeling alive again.
Learning about nutrition and changing eating patterns does not happen overnight but, I have a great coach and sounding board to guide me through to a healthy place that is finally balanced.
Moving from the allure of dieting
I chose to seek professional nutritional counseling with Lori Lieberman in an effort to manage my high cholesterol, lose weight, and just feel better. Like most women, I have a history of being a seasoned dieter with plans that included: carb only diet, diet shakes, counting points, and also a high protein low carb diet. Each plan resulted in no long term success. Lori Lieberman is an excellent Registered Dietitian who is very well educated, has lot of experience and is extremely knowledgeable. She is very easy to talk to as well as a good listener. Each session with Lori is invaluable. She has taught me to break some old bad habits, introduced me to some new ideas and always answers my questions. She has offered sensible advice and still encourages me to eat what I enjoy. Although I am a new patient, I am already starting to feel better, gradually losing weight and gaining a lot more knowledge!
Overcoming bingeing and restricting
I had been struggling with an eating disorder (binge eating and restrictive eating) for the past 12 years. I had come to a point over the past year and half where I would eat normally and then would binge for a period of time.
I began to binge everyday and literally got to the point that I didn’t think I could pull myself out of it. Then I saw a tag line from Lori on Twitter which led me to her website and a quote that still reminds me to this day how far I’ve come…it was “You will have a normal relationship with food.” I never thought that would happen. I had been dealing with food issues since I was 18 and was about to turn 30 and still couldn’t kick it. I finally decided that this was the time to get help and truly get help, however there was one problem – I live in New York City and Lori is in Massachusetts.
Thankfully this was not an issue. Lori had an opening for a Skype patient. I started Skyping with Lori about 4 months ago to treat my binge and restrictive eating disorder. To actually have it diagnosed was huge. No one ever said I had an eating disorder…it was always oh you have ‘eating issues’. However her labeling my eating disorder helped me to further heal and get better.
Lori is an amazing person and an amazing nutritionist…she helped me trust myself and learn to love cooking more than eating out. I didn’t feel any difference Skyping vs. talking in person. She was still there with me every step of the way. I realized what I had been doing all these years and am here to say that I am on the other side of it. I beat it! I beat my eating disorder! I know there will be bumps in the road but I have such a confidence in myself and trust myself to know how to cope and deal with my emotions and eating. I now truly enjoy eating and everything that comes with it.
Thank you Lori for everything!
Counseling via Internet and the road to recovery
I remember that one of the first things I asked you when I emailed to see if we could work together was how you managed the delicate balance between nutrition counseling and therapy. Could you get close enough to my emotional issues without trying to do therapy? I was skeptical and worried since I know I carry an ample armload of baggage. I can’t fully express my amazement at your ability to point out really sensitive issues that are tripping me up and then coming to a full stop as you say, “so, take that one to therapy.” You don’t even know what all of those issues are, but we’re still managing to work with them and create positive change in my life.
Your approach is compassionate – how many times do you interrupt rather than reinforce self-blame, guilt and shame in each session? But your approach is also so respectful. I really have come to trust that you will treat me with respect. This makes it possible for me to let you see, and to help me change, behavior that shames me.
I have personal experience, through a good friend’s struggle with anorexia, of “support professionals” who regard the women they work with with barely hidden irritation and contempt. I’ve never heard a whiff of that from you, about me or about any other person who struggles with food and eating.
Your capacity to know where the painful parts are without overexposing me, prying, or offering solutions to those problems is truly unique. It makes our work together unbelievably safe. I’m learning so much about myself on this journey we’re on together that our sessions feel rich, interesting and meaningful. That’s something I never imagined I’d say about an RD!
My kids have a knack for expressing things in short, apt, phrases. When I told my eldest child that I was considering contacting you, she turned to me and said, “and what information is it that you will get that you don’t have now?” It’s true. I’ve read myself silly and could easily lay out many different theories about weight gain and loss. I’m a good and enthusiastic cook. What would I get from you?
This clarity about how my emotional challenges and patterns interact with my eating patterns is what I am getting from our work. I’m learning about self-care (and my own tendency to be harsh with myself) in a clear and tangible way. This learning is already carrying over to other parts of my life as I become more aware of how harshness undermines my ability to pursue my goals just as it undermines my ability to enjoy my dinner.
It’s hard for me to believe that we have managed to create this full and rewarding relationship about my eating patterns when I don’t even live in the United States! Our Skype sessions have been lively, connected and real. It’s a real gift to be able to benefit from your expertise even at this distance.
With great appreciation,