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Peterson Nutrition and Fitness: Services

Testimonials:

Sharon's Success Story

I have been working with Elisabeth since June, 2011. In about 6 months, she has taken me on a from using food for all the wrong reasons to eating intuitively. My weekly-ish individual sessions and weekly ELTM group sessions have changed my world. I was a 30 year bulimic. That started in college. Not really any big mental reasons for it - I come from a loving family and am a pretty "buttoned up" woman, wife, mother, daughter, friend, full time worker.... Lot on my plate so to speak.

I do come from the south where looking your best is absolutely respected. Being slim was "better" than being yourself in my case. And southern food is darn good! Who doesn't LOVE fried chicken and mashed potatoes?? Hence my usage of binging and purging to control weight starting around the age of 20. I used that "weight control method" for 30 years until 2011 when I turned 50 and just thought that I am SO TIRED of thinking about food all the time. And then one day I opened my pad version of the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper and saw the article on Elisabeth. I loved everything I saw - I like the way Elisabeth looked, her office was cool shabby chic, and I really loved the words in that article. After every diet known to man, maybe, just maybe, this counseling thing was something I should try.

So, I emailed Elisabeth and asked to join the next Eating in the Light of the Moon group. She suggested I come in at least once before that to get to know each other. As soon as I walked in to her office, I felt light and hopeful and scared. We talked and I decided that individual sessions would be helpful also. And they were...Boy, were they. Instinctual eating was literally the first thing Elisabeth explained to me. How odd - eat only when you're hungry... Stop when you're full... Only eat what you love... WHAT??? So, we started the journey together to return my screwed up eating habits (Elisabeth calls it "diddling with food") to eating the way we were born to eat. Babies eat when they're hungry - you can't MAKE them eat if they aren't hungry. They stop when they are full. You can't MAKE them eat when they are full. As they grow up (unless we mess it up for them), they don't finish everything on their plates... They stop mid-sandwich if they are full.

As part of this journey, Elisabeth told me of a book that outlined 7 "secrets" for instinctual eating. We kind of whizzed through them in my last few sessions. I was astounded, shocked. freaked out (in a good way - you try eating all alone with no distractions once and see how revealing that is), blown away by the simplicity of it all. I was relieved to know that I could throw all "rules" out the door and just listen to what my body says to do. I knew she had a daytime book group going on this, so I suggested an evening group so that I could attend and really DIG in to these very, very simple concepts. Like any addiction or issue in life, you have to constantly work to maintain the healthy habits you have worked to create.

I encourage all of you to reach out to get help with eating issues, Elisabeth has changed by life. I plan to fire her soon so we can be best friends, too. With people like her in your corner offering classes like Intuitive Eating and ELTM, you will never be alone. Help is within reach. Go for it! Hope to see you in the class starting soon!

--Sharon