The Quest for a Lifetime of Fat Loss

I have a BA in English, worked in social services and for 20 years have owned and operated an organic vineyard. Farm life is the perfect lifestyle for me because I've always been drawn to natural healing and nutrition. When you nurture plants and animals you come to appreciate the principles of working with the forces of nature and of nourishing the body with real food and plant nutrients. We had some extra challenges because we had a child with very complicated special needs. But we saw positive results by approaching his health in a nutritional, holistic way rather than relying only on medications.

This is the same approach that I take with weight management. Several years ago I was introduced to the extensive research on the glycemic index and to the Glycemic Research Institute in Washington D.C. Understanding the biochemistry of fat metabolism and fat-storing carbohydrates makes the difference between success and failure as applied to weight management. Good nutrition has a very significant impact on hormones and weight. It just makes sense and it supports using a low glycemic food plan and natural supplements that support the body instead of working against it.

I completed a certification program in science based weight management practices through Proevity, a continuing education company. It is accredited by the American Council of Continuing Medical Education, an association recognized by the AMA. I've been working with overweight clients successfully for the past 3 years. It is very satisfying to me to see people succeed with the Lifetime Fat Loss Low Glycemic Plan. I went through the struggle of cycling on and off diets and I know how frustrating and heart breaking it is!

I got on the diet merry-go-round after I went off to college and gained 20 pounds my freshman year! That was almost 15% of my body weight and when you consider that 20% over normal weight is obese you will understand why I was alarmed.

This was the beginning of my yo yo dieting pattern that went on for several years. My method of losing weight was starvation through fasting which often ended in overeating. I was the model crash dieter. Who knew good nutrition could help me lose fat? Good nutrition to me meant eating too much. I couldn't understand why my metabolism grew more sluggish in my twenties when in my teen years I could eat anything I wanted and never gain an ounce. In college and later I could not even eat a piece of bread without gaining a pound. And did I mention that I loved sweets?

So I struggled for many years and did manage to lose some fat during that time but it was only with an extremely restrictive diet eating no carbohydrates, no sweets and actually very little food. If I deviated from this I immediately gained weight so my weight went up and down. I ate a high protein diet and avoided fat. Of course this led to binging on white carbohydrates and sweets and led to food cravings. It was an unhealthy cycle. Fasting and then eating high glycemic foods leads to getting fatter. Now I know that it was eating too few calories and the crash dieting that actually slowed my metabolism significantly. But then I was stuck and I couldn't figure out why.

Then I had a life experience that impacted everything including my understanding of fat metabolism and how it relates to nutrition and health. My husband and I took a sailing trip on our small sailboat from Hawaii to California. I had to consider only nutrition and no refrigeration when packing for the month long trip which meant I could not follow my animal protein, low fat diet. Since I had to maximize our nutrition I took lots of whole grains with us, bulgur, barley, beans and lots of fruits, vegetables and raw nuts for protein. I took sprout seeds so we would have fresh greens and we knew we would catch some fish.

On the boat we were in constant motion which meant consistent exercise. What I ate and how I moved shifted my fat metabolism dramatically! Not only that but my food cravings went away! It was liberating. I lost ALL my extra weight even though I ate a lot on the trip. Everyone can't go sailing across the Pacific obviously, but what I learned was I absolutely have to exercise every day and I can eat what I want and not gain weight IF it's low glycemic. I was eating low glycemically although I didn't know that's what it was then.

What this trip did to my body I must say changed how I have lived ever since. I learned how my energy was positively impacted by eating whole grains, nuts, fish and produce primarily. Carbs were not the issue; it was the type of carbs that made the difference. I am addicted now to walking and I walk at least 2 miles every day. I never think about calories; I can eat what I want but I crave low glycemic, healthy foods.

There were no bakeries at sea. I am no longer hooked on sugar. If you don't eat white foods, sugar laden sweets and other tempting processed foods that you are constantly surrounded with, you won't get sugar cravings. Is that hard? It wasn't at sea. Here at home we have lots of temptations but lots of other options too. When you can eat cream cheese, butter, yogurt, agave syrup, avocados, nuts and sweets made with whole fructose (not corn syrup) you are satisfied. Believe me you get over sugar. The science of fat loss that I learned later in my weight management courses confirmed my own personal experiences.

You can be free of the burden of being fat. Food impacts how we live, how we feel, our health, our quality of life and the environment we live in. I created this site to share what I have learned and to help others in their quest for a lifetime of fat loss and excellent health. I'd love to hear from you! Whether you get a consultation or not let me know what you'd like to see on the website to help you on your journey. Write me a note at contact us - I'll get back to you.

Return from About Us to Lifetime Fat Loss home page.