Ali Shapiro

Karen makes peace with food, embraces her truths AND leaves her toxic job!

I have been dieting since I was 10.  I have tried every approach to weight loss available and was more confused and frustrated about food than ever.  After attending an information session about Emotional Eating with Ali, I was impressed by her common sense approach.  More than anything, I longed for the simplicity of her approach to food. 

I always looked forward to my meetings with Ali.  She was always upbeat and encouraging, even when I was second-guessing myself and focusing on the negative.  I loved the simplicity of Ali’s approach to food and eating: more greens, more water, pay attention to what goes into your body.  I loved when I started to by-pass the newest diet books on the shelves and skipped over the articles on the latest weight loss secrets.  How could they know more than what I already knew?  With Ali, I embraced the simple truths of taking care of myself: take time for yourself, eat whole foods, drink water, rest, do what you love most.

As a result of working with Ali, I have made peace with food.  (Part of me wants to shout this from the rooftops!)  Pasta no longer calls to me from the fridge late at night. I’ve ended my love hate relationship with bagels I crave greens.  When I started to eat more whole foods, my body started to regulate.  The more healthy foods I ate, the more I craved.  My body felt so good, there was no way I could fill myself up with foods that made me feel sluggish and weighed down.  I learned what real “health foods” are, and here’s a hint: they aren’t labeled “Light” and marketed in women’s magazines.  They can be found at the farmers’ market with no packaging at all.

I also learned that my body reacted badly to gluten.  After cutting gluten out of my diet, my crippling PMS went away.  My PMS would sometimes last 2 weeks and was an emotional rollercoaster.  I figured it was just something I had to live with.  Well, that is no longer the case and I can’t tell you what residual changes this has made in my life.  Suffice to say, my poor husband is thrilled.

And this one is my favorite:  I have found the courage to leave a job that was toxic and limiting.  I have turned a corner in my life and am about to pursue a career that is more in line with my outlook and desires. 

I have always loved food, but my relationship with food has been tumultuous.  For anyone who knows what I mean by having a tumultuous relationship with food, being able to truly be at peace with it is life changing.  I no longer look at food as the delicious, tantalizing enemy and my hunger as the beast that needs to be tamed. J I’ve embraced my love of cooking, I welcome healthy foods into my house, I take pride in feeding my family healthy food that I’ve prepared myself.  I crave foods that genuinely make me feel good.  I can’t overstate how this has changed my life. 

Also, there are so many things that contributed to my being overweight that had NOTHING to do with food!  Ali and I got to the bottom of these things and I’ve started to make changes in my life and health for the better including leaving a terrible job.  I find that I have much more energy to give to the people in my family and community after I take the time to care for myself.  I am calmer.  I am kinder.  I am more adventurous.  I trust myself. (And I thought at the outset that we were just going to talk about calories!) 

Thank you, Ali, for all you have done for me.  Our time together was life-changing for me. You’re the best.
 
Karen, Philadelphia, PA