“I started working with Scott in November of 2022, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, to be exact. He was referred to me by my co-worker and friend, who has been working with him for a month.

In March of 2022, I went for my annual physical. When the results of my blood work came back, my hemoglobin A1c had gone up to 6. I was pre-diabetic. My cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL were elevated, and I had gained so much weight. My primary care doctor wanted to start me on Metformin and cholesterol medicine. I knew other people who were on both medications and the side effects that they experienced were diarrhea and joint pain. I, for one, did not want to experience those side effects, so I asked my doctor to let me work on making changes in my eating habits, start exercising and come back in 6 months for follow-up.

In September 2022, I went back for my follow-up. I had lost 5 lbs. but my A1c was still at 6. My cholesterol went down from 257 to 254, triglycerides from 129 to 109, LDL from 171.2 to 162.2. My HDL went up from 60 to 70. My doctor brought up the subject of Metformin and cholesterol medication once again. Still, I resisted. She told me that she wanted me to lose 15 lbs. by the time I come back for my annual physical in March and to exercise 150 minutes/week, and I agreed. I was determined not to take Metformin or any cholesterol medication.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving I weighed in and gained 4 lbs. I told my friend about it and she suggested that I start working with Scott. That evening I received a call from Scott, and I told him about my visit with my primary care doctor and our goal for me lose 15 lbs. in 6 months. Scott was very positive and encouraging. He helped me form a plan to increase my daily intake of fruits and vegetables but still be able to eat a slice of cake or a piece of chocolate, but in moderation. He reiterated that this was not a diet but more of a lifestyle change. He also increased my workout time to 300 minutes/week. Since then, I have increased my activity level by either walking 3 miles or using my elliptical, and more recently following a TABATA and 5400 walk/dance workouts on YouTube that was fun to do. Instead of taking the elevators at work, I started taking the stairs and I am now able to climb 5 flights of stairs at one time to get to my office.

Working with Scott has been a positive and great learning experience. He is very knowledgeable, which made it easier to ask hi questions and know that you’ll get an answer. He even went out of his way to send me a list of foods with low sodium and potassium for my niece who was hospitalized twice for lupus nephritis flare up. Scott is kindhearted and a giving person. Not only does he ask about how I was, but he also asks about my niece and my elderly dog Casey.

Scott is a very good listener and pays attention to what I am saying. My weight loss journey has had its ups and downs. Scott always has a positive perspective especially on those times that I gained instead of losing weight. He makes me think of all the positive things that has happened during the week such as how I felt, how my clothes fit and the fact that I was able to wear old clothes that didn’t fit me anymore. He is not the type of person who will chastise you if you gained weight or ate some food a little more that the regular serving or missed a day of working out.

In March of 2023, I went back for my annual physical. I was 5 lbs. shy of meeting my weight loss goal but my A1c was down to 5.8, cholesterol 221, triglycerides 92, LDL 135.6 and HDL 67. My doctor was happy with my weight loss and how my numbers have gone down. I owe it all to Scott. Now we are working on my goal of losing 30 lbs. by March 2024, my next annual physical. As always, Scott was very positive that I can achieve that goal.”