At age 12, I went on my first diet. I had been told I was too fat. (And, like many of you, hindsight and a few pictures reveals I was not fat at all.)

By age 14, my life was completely entrenched around food and the scale. I read every book about dieting and nutrition. When I was 16, my mother took me to meet with a Registered Dietitian. I left that meeting with new levels of hopelessness. She just simply had no clue.

But that did not dissuade me from the goal I set when I was 14--to be a dietitian. That would solve my food and weight struggles.

On the contrary, my struggles got worse. Why--with all the knowledge I gained-- wasn't I able to control my food or weight? I will never forget when the major professor for the program called me in to tell me I was too fat to be a dietitian--I would be a poor role model. I don't recall, but I bet that was worth a few binges! Possibly she thought I didn't know that it was uncool to be fat, and that by telling me, she would get me to lose weight? Shheeesss!

Well, a degree in nutrition did not help. Maybe a degree in exercise would. So, off I went to get a masters degree in exercise physiology. As you may know by now, that knowledge did not help either. I was still crazy as a bug regarding food and weight.

Over the years, I began to understand that the problem was not with me, but with the diets I kept going on, with restricting food intake. Slowly, over time, I began to devise a new way to approach food and weight. An approach that I found other professionals were beginning to experiment with.  This phenomenal nondiet approach was the cornerstone of my recovery from food and weight issues, and has become the basis of my professional work.

My life's passion (one of them) is to help others break out of diet prison and get back to the freedom around food and body that is so rightfully theirs.

And for the past 20 years, I have devoted my work to helping women and men heal from eating and weight issues, including those with eating disorders.  My life and work are validated each time I help someone avoid or shorten the pain I went through. It is the most incredible experience

I appreciate the trust my clients place in me as they begin this journey. I have learned a great deal from them over the years. And watching them walk out of diet prison, knowing they will never go back, is incredible! That is why I do this work!

To learn about her private practice and/or to make an appointment, click here.

For client handouts and information, click here.