Dr. Jeff a local physician from Walnut Creek, CA, decided to take advantage of my 8 Week Royal Treatment weight loss program. This special program is based upon several studies that confirm if a person changes their eating habits over a two month period they have the optimal chance of reducing weight and keeping it off – less time is not as effective and more time has diminishing returns. My eight week program is the Royal Treatment where it includes visiting the client’s home and making an assessment of their refrigerator and pantry, taking them on a supermarket tour, detailed menu planning and frequent follow up communications through phone, e-mail and face to face sessions
When Dr. Jeff from Walnut Creek, CA called me and was complaining that in his quest to lose weight he felt he was always hungry and craved sweets and as a result could not drop the weight he wanted. He came to my office in Alamo, CA for an initial session with his lovely wife Ellyn and brought a food diary of a few days. I could see immediately why he is always hungry – his diet was very low in protein and fiber, especially during his busy day. For the next session I went to his home in Walnut Creek, CA and made an inventory of their refrigerator and pantry where my low protein and fiber diagnosis was confirmed. There were several types of cheese, leftover spaghetti with marinara sauce, fresh eggs, veggies in the bin and a fruit bowl on the counter. Dr. Jeff is a cracker boy as he agreed and explained the many boxes of unhealthy crackers in the pantry. There was not available ready to take meals or snacks for the office, such as hard boiled eggs.
They agreed to go with me to Trader Joe’s in Walnut Creek, CA to set them up with fresh, tasty meals that would be available for their high paced lifestyle. Jeff loves Trader Joe’s in Walnut Creek, CA but was shocked to see all the great food items that he simply overlooked or was not aware of how to prepare. We went aisle by aisle and went thru each item where we discussed meal and snack ideas based on what we saw.
In the lettuce section I introduced him to the organic bags of arugula that are delicious with diced fennel, fresh beets along with fresh quartered artichokes to be thrown in salads. We bought shredded cabbage along with shoestring carrots that would make delicious Asian coleslaw along with Persian cucumbers, cilantro, sundried tomatoes, and sesame oil to be used to make low-fat hummus. I introduced them to Just Chicken, Fresh Grilled Chicken Strips, Balsamic Grilled Chicken Breasts, all better than greasy rotisserie chickens. We bought the 97% fat free Hebrew National hot dogs that will be enjoyed with fat free baked beans, and pickles. We bought individual serving packages of almonds that Jeff really liked for the office and I suggested he create a trail mix with dried cranberries and Kashi Go Lean cereal which would help slow down his consumption of too many nuts. In addition, I showed Jeff the best cracker on the market called Akmak that has lots of protein and fiber. He opened it in the store and liked the nutty, grainy taste.
We went to the grains section of the store where they never heard about such things as quinoa, whole wheat couscous, faro, barley and bulgur. I told them that we will have a cooking lesson the next day where I would show them how to simply prepare these grains. I was glad to tell them about the popular Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Soups which I recommend as a side to lunch. They learned that heartier soups that provide protein and fiber are the lentil vegetable, black bean and minestrone soups that are a great complement to a sandwich or a chicken caesar salad.
Elynn and Jeff from Walnut Creek, CA were very excited to see how I was putting meals together for them while shopping at TJ’s. At their home I helped them prepare hot dogs with fat free baked beans, pickles and sauerkraut that they had in the pantry. Jeff was so full after this meal and said I feel like I will never be hungry again. We then made tabouli with whole wheat couscous and veggies, coleslaw and low fat hummus in the blender.
I set up a meal plan for Dr. Jeff and then followed this up with evening phone calls to see how he liked the menu I planned. I was thrilled to hear that Dr. Jeff was experiencing a happy fullness after each meal without wanting to snack. He felt that his energy level during the day was high and remained constant while seeing patients. I am also glad to inform you that Jeff has lost 10 pounds which he said was painless. Now Dr. Jeff shops weekly at Trader Joe’s in Walnut Creek, CA and makes sure that at home there are many choices for meals that are properly balanced with protein and fiber.
I am glad to inform you that your health insurance may pay for nutritional counseling. Please call me at
(925) 855-0150 or e-mail me at lifeweight1@yahoo.com and tell me about your nutritional concerns.