When I first met Annamaria about a year ago in February of 2006 I was heavier than I had ever been in my life, and I was depressed about it. As soon as I walked into Annamaria's office I immediately felt that I was going to be able to accomplish my goals. I felt supported by Annamaria. She was able to answer all of my questions and we came up with goals that felt comfortable to me. She did not push me into unrealistic goals, and pointed out that if I met these goals, then we could set more goals. Honestly, even though I wanted to meet these goals there was a part of me that did not know if I would be able to do it. It seemed like such a huge sacrifice to give up the eating habits that I had developed from eating out of convenience and in attempts to soothe troubling emotions. Plus, I did not think that I could maintain the exercise routines, because I had always been a bit lazy about regular exercise. But, I wanted to fit into all the clothes that were pushed to the back of my closet. My options for outfits had dwindled, making getting dressed to go out a depressing chore. I needed help!

The first week or so I resisted, but knowing that I was going to be meeting with Annamaria I persisted. I felt that she believed in me and I did not want to let her down, never mind let myself down. I truly feel that I could not have accomplished my weight loss, nutrition and exercise goals without Annamaria's steady guidance and support. I never felt that she was critical of me when I had not lost as much as I had the week before, but she would investigate my meal plans and exercise routine to figure out how I could achieve the maximum positive results. Annamaria's support and dedication to my health and weight loss was the force that motivated me to begin to take pride in achieving my nutrition, exercise and weight loss goals. After our meetings, her enthusiasm about the achievements I had accomplished gave me more excitement to achieve the next goal, even when that goal might be giving up more of my 'comfort foods'. After past attempts to lose weight on my own, I tell others that I could not have done it without the support, dedication, enthusiasm, and accountability that Annamaria provided.

In the end I managed to lose almost 17 pounds and 6.5 % body fat in less than 3 months! I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it was to see myself in ALL of my clothes and in addition the skin on my face had cleared as well. One of the other positive outcomes was that I had some much more energy. I had not been aware of the fact that I had been living my life without the energy that was possible. As a young single woman, I was ready to come out of hiding and meet new people with more confidence. The sense of pride I felt from accomplishing my weight loss and health goals was priceless!

Now, almost a year since I first met with Annamaria, I have managed to keep the weight off. In addition, I have maintained my exercise routine and my confidence. With spring right around the corner, I am planning on losing a bit more weight. Thanks to the coaching that I received from Annamaria, I know that I can accomplish my weigh loss goal for 2007. I am grateful for the knowledge, guidance, and faith that Annamaria gave me because I now have tools that I can use for the rest of my life to maintain my health.