I was attracted to the virtual group coaching program because I wanted to figure out how to eat in a way that would be sustainable for the rest of my life. I was so sick of meal plans, apps, tracking calories and steps etc. and wanted to recapture all that brain space for bigger, better things. Intellectually, I knew that life was about way more than all that nonsense, but I couldn't figure my way out of it. I needed some expert help, and Sammy, this course, and my group all helped me start to break free! The virtual group coaching program has transformed how I see myself. For DECADES I'd labeled myself an emotional eater. Sammy and this course helped me understand my "emotional eating", which I learned was really just HUNGER- I was not fueling myself consistently throughout the day, so by the time I got home, no wonder I was ready to eat the whole house!! Today, as I get better at listening to my body and eating more frequently, I feel so much more balanced and clear-headed throughout the day. Making choices on food when out with friends or picking up a meal or snack on the go or just figuring out what to cook for dinner is now a quick and pretty easy thing. No more obsessing about calories, labels or weighing food. I am getting better at trusting my body to let me know what it needs. Today, I don't really notice my body- it's just there. I'm not evaluating it every time I wake up or or get out of the shower or post a photo online. That's freed up so much brain space to focus on other, bigger things: work, hobbies, volunteering, family, and my dog! I no longer equate weight with health. Living in a larger body, I always assumed that I was unhealthy or that there was something wrong with me. Today, I understand that health is about behaviors (fueling and moving your body, sleeping, drinking enough water) and not the number on the scale. I would recommend the virtual group coaching program in a heartbeat! Sammy's RD chops and sense of humor, all the course resources, and a cohort of ladies who just "get it" provided a powerful mix of science, lived experience and diet culture bashing that's got me on the path to healing my relationship with food and my body for the rest of my life.

I happen to be sitting in Starbucks grading and found myself recognizing I was starting to get hungry. My deliberate thought was, I should eat, which in the past would have been, hmmmm… how can I eat the least to manage my calories. So, I ordered up a feta wrap, which as you know, has a nice mix of all the things that make a balanced meal. Before Dietitians of Palm Valley (DPV), I never tried the feta wrap at Starbucks. I actually never spent much time considering food of any kind at Starbucks and was really consuming way too much sugar in a couple hour work session at Starbucks. Other ways my relationship with food has changed. I now see food as fuel and realize that high quality fuel leads to high quality energy. Balanced fuel leads to balanced energy, a key ingredient in the life of a busy working mom. Blood sugar, blood sugar, blood sugar. This one in worth saying three times. Regulating blood sugar, along with managing hydration, have become my anchors, and I mean that. These together have offered benefits of alertness, satiety (if I can use that fancy word), and a feeling of general well being. I also think it has affected the fact that I no longer, or very seldom, eat much at night. I do eat, but I find myself looking for cheese squares or leftover dinner food rather than heading straight to the kids bag of Hershey chocolates and Reeses. Sammy has heard me say this in our meetings together but, I feel a bit like a recovering addict when I say I have been operating fully hydrated, generally meeting my hydration goals each day, for a good couple of months now. I have also not craved a Coca Cola for several months. Cannot remember when I last had a Coke, even when taking the children to Chick-fil-A, which pretty much makes DPV magicians. Watching myself sail through Chick-fil-A with a group of young teenagers, not craving or ordering a thing for myself, is akin to an out of body experience…. : ) Lastly, for this this writing anyway, is the fact that I am seeing measured sustainable results. My hydration, alertness and satiety are trending up and my weight is trending down. My goal in coming to DPV was overall well being, feeding my family in a more healthy way, and achieving results that will stay the course. I think we’re on track for all of that thanks to the informed counseling and good judgement of DPV. If you want good sense nutrition counseling that will help not only you, but everyone around you, I highly recommend DPV.

I truly enjoyed my journey with Dietitians of Palm Valley (DOPV); I feel like Sammy and I really developed a good relationship. At times, this journey has been challenging for me and Sammy continued to be a great supporter and made me feel better about whatever I was going through. Sammy asked me what I valued most about this process and two things really stick out to me. 1.) Having a better understanding of my body and what it needs and 2.) Recognizing my emotional relationship with food and how that impacts my body image. Honestly, I think any good dietitian can teach you #1. I’m very grateful to Sammy for helping me see #2. This process has really helped me change my outlook on food and my body because I realized how much our culture was influencing how I felt about myself. It also helped me to recognize ways that I was harming myself with my internal dialogue. When I began with Sammy, my overall goals for working with a dietitian changed. I found out about DOPV through Orange Theory and I wanted to work on my diet so I could reach my weight loss goals. Walking away now, I really have NO interest in the number on the scale. I have done lots of diets throughout my life – fallen on and off the wagon with “healthy” eating and I realized I was just tired of the cycle. The pressure of sticking to a plan or staying under 1,200 calories a day is just gone and I couldn’t be happier. Since I’ve been working with DOPV for the past year I’ve learned how to find balance in my life. I’ve developed a lot of healthier habits, better consistency, but most exciting for me is that I don’t feel like there is a wagon to get on and off of. It’s just me, fueling my body as best I can. Everyday is different and I’ve learned to adapt to that and just go with what I can do day-to-day. I used to try and ignore my hunger and now I listen to my body. The concept of Intuitive Eating was brand new to me, but I’m glad it’s something I can now explore and continue to grow on my food journey. My final thought is about my two young daughters. When I began to really look at myself and my self-talk and my negativity surrounding my body it really opened my eyes to the impact I was having on my own self esteem and even my ability to be healthy. It started me thinking about what things I would inadvertently teach my girls. That was it for me – I had to do better! The last thing I want is for my girls to learn about diets or poor self-image from me! I’m supposed to be their example – so how do they have a shot in this world to be confident in who they are if I’m teaching them to criticize their own body. I want them to be healthy, learn about healthy foods and find balance in their lives so that they never even think about dieting and that starts with me. Thank you Sammy for all your help and support! Love you girl!

Before coming to Dietitians of Palm Valley, my husband and I started and failed multiple times at losing weight. We tried working out all of the time, counting calories, cutting out “bad foods” –but none of it gave us results, as after a month or two we’d get tired of whatever fad we were on and go back to our old habits. This past summer we joined Orange Theory Fitness. They told us that as a member of the gym, we got a complimentary session with Dietitians of Palm Valley. I was against the idea–after all, I know what food is good and bad (yet I still failed to lose weight). We finally went and met with Sammy and after liking her philosophy of food…we invested in a program and started working with her. It’s been 4 months and I am so happy that we made this decision! My husband has lost 27 pounds and I lost 10. The great thing? WE DIDN’T DIET or focus on weight loss at all! Sammy never told us we couldn’t eat any particular food, she never told us to deprive ourselves. With her help, we learned to eat better foods, how macronutrients (carbs, proteins, and fat) play a role in our bodies, and how to make better choices. We snacked more, ate more frequent/smaller meals, but also had pizza, ice cream, AND chocolate! Sammy didn’t give us a temporary diet to follow. Instead, she guided us to learn what it takes to eat healthy food and also taught us what makes certain foods healthier option versus not so much. I can’t say it enough…I never felt deprived or hungry. Never. With what we learned at Dietitians of Palm Valley, I am confident that my husband and I will continue this new healthy lifestyle. Dietitians of Palm Valley don’t offer a quick fix–they offer a solid foundation of building sustainable habits.

A couple of years ago, I was 283 lbs. and out of shape when I began trying to live a healthier lifestyle on my own. By the end of 2017, I had lost much of the excess weight but my progress had plateaued and I was frustrated. I contacted the Dietitians of Palm Valley and began meeting with Sammy on a regular basis. What followed was nothing short of life changing. Sammy designed a nutrition plan based around my work and personal life schedule. This had been a challenge for me previously because I work nights and manage a team of over 50 employees. She worked out a plan of when I should eat with easy to prepare meal options based on my lifestyle. My goal was to build muscle and lose fat and with Sammy’s guidance the results were dramatic! By using her nutrition plan with my workout schedule I’ve had to update my wardrobe. I am now buying smaller belts due to fat loss and the muscle gains have meant my jeans no longer look baggy and I’ve had to start wearing larger shirts due to an increase in upper body size. You might think this experience is just about eating healthy, but it is so much more than that. Due to my previous weight, I was calorie-phobic and afraid of eating too much. Ironically, I wasn’t eating enough and it was affecting the very goals I was trying to attain. Sammy helped me understand how to see food in a different light. To use it as an energy source instead of trying to avoid it until you are starving. My time with Sammy has changed both my physical appearance as well as my attitude towards healthy living for the better. It is an experience that I will keep with me the rest of my life and I will always be grateful for what she has done for me.

I was drawn to the Virtual Group Coaching Program because I was relieved by the words, food freedom, and the idea of learning how to get there. I have put so much negative focus on food and what I eat. All while not making an effort to make changes to feel better. The idea of finding a way of life, that was not a diet and earn a better understanding of how to respect my body was what ultimately attracted me to this program. I can now eat food without thinking 🙂 I do not put pressure on what I should/shouldn't eat. I keep healthy food, that gives me fuel and energy and other things, that gives me joy 🙂 I have found that I do not need to eat the food that makes me feel like crap as much when I am not telling myself I "cannot" have it. I allow myself the treats, and enjoy them. I put more emphasis on eating food that I feel like respects my body, fuels it, and makes me feel good in the long run. Health used to mean, lean/fit/veggies/protein. Now it is much more encompassing of all aspects of life. Intuitive eating principals should be a way of life and a way of raising kids! If a friend asked me if they should do the virtual group coaching program, I would say “Hell yeah!” to any friend It is a huge blessing to have taken the time to learn more about intuitive eating. The dietitian team was amazing; allowing the group to be about us (group members) and facilitated realistic conversations, and made sharing something so personal, so welcomed.

I have been thinking about how much my mindset has changed over the last 2 years and just wanted to drop a note to thank you again. It is so hard for me to believe that I met you 2 years ago and how much your impact has changed me. I am so proud of how your business and influence has grown too. Mentally I have had my ups and downs since this all started for me, mainly around body image and thinking I would be binge eating certain foods for the rest of time (I started to type "junk" food but we both know food is food - see you still help me!). However, I can happily say that I finally feel at peace with my body and food. To be honest, I thought it would happen sooner than that so I just wanted to encourage any of your current clients to KEEP GOING. It has taken so long for me to unlearn diet culture and I still have to keep at it daily. Sometimes I still see photos from 7-8 years ago and think oof I wish I was still that thin but then I immediately remind myself why I was that way with all that ridiculous food tracking and exercise fixation. Now when I look at my body in the mirror if I start to spiral I tell myself that this is what my body looks like when I eat and drink the way I want and exercise in a way that is enjoyable. Also, the whole mindset of clothes working for me rather than my body fitting into clothes has really helped me accept and respect my body. I cannot believe I first heard you on a podcast at the end of 2019, at a time when I was trying to lose weight again with MyFitnessPal. I knew it wasn't working for me but didn't know what to do next, nearly bought a scale again even and then boom there you were with the most intriguing Instagram handle of my life @find.food.freedom and the rest is history. Thank you, thank you again! Caitie