When some people hear the word diet they think of pre-packaged meals and an absence of their favorite food.
But that doesn’t have to be the case according to diet expert and Kansas City native Judy Belzer-Weitzman. In fact, she recently published a book, “How to Eat When Life Gets in the Way,” to help clients and others learn how to eat without ever thinking of the word diet. (The book was published by Dog Eat Publishing and can be purchased on Weitzman’s website, dietcoachjudy.com, as well as at booksellers such as amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. It is available in traditional and e-reader formats.)
“I just want people to learn how to live in the real world and go to parties and still have fun and not gain weight,” Weitzman said.
Weitzman, who was a member of Congregation Beth Shalom while growing up, is the daughter of the late Bernard Belzer and the late Stan and Mirah Rostov. Her nephew and KC native Jeremy Belzer, the son of Irv and Sue Belzer, illustrated the book. He now lives in San Francisco.
Weitzman became an expert in weight loss because of her own weight-loss success. She lost 50 pounds more than 30 years ago and has kept it off since then.
“I was a binge eater,” Weitzman said.
She said she ate whenever she felt stressed. She recalls once eating a whole cheesecake while sitting alone in her apartment.
The diet coach said she decided to lose weight after she started working in sales for a weight-loss company. She did it through healthy eating, portion control and exercise. Today she helps others achieve their weight loss goals using the same common sense approach.
Weitzman said she decided to write a book to consolidate her tips and advice for her clients.
“I couldn’t find a book that had the kind of tips that I wanted in the bookstore,” Weitzman said.
She also hopes her book encourages people to make healthy food choices. One of the keys to those choices, she said, is eating in moderation. She does not make any food off limits to her or her clients.
“It’s about portion control,” Weitzman said.
Her book offers tips for people such as what to order at restaurants and the best items to eat at parties.
Weitzman said she prefers to eat out and explained that most restaurants have healthy options available for diners.
“It’s easier to eat out than to eat at home,” she said.
Weitzman said people should know what they plan to order before they enter the restaurant.
“Once you are there it’s just about ordering clean and ordering simple,” she said.
Another one of Weitzman’s dining out tips is ordering sauces and dressings on the side. She chooses to dip her fork in the dressing before each bite, which enables her to get the flavor of the dressing without ingesting tablespoons of it and the extra calories that brings with it.
Weitzman points out that people don’t have to deny their sweet tooths in order to lose or maintain weight.
“My favorite thing to order when I eat out is dessert,” Weitzman said.
She points out that fruits or sorbets are always good dessert options. Another way to satisfy those cravings, she suggests, is splitting a dessert with the table. For instance she will limit her intake of high-calorie desserts to two or three bites and will savor every single bite.
Hydration, exercise and eating less are the key components to weight loss, Weitzman said. She recommends to her clients that they drink a glass of water with every meal. She takes that one step further by suggesting that at a restaurant, one drink a glass of water before the food arrives and an additional glass of water with the meal.
“Drinking water helps people feel full,” Weitzman said. “It also keeps people from eating when they are actually thirsty and not hungry.”
Another tip Weitzman finds that works well is having her clients record everything they eat each day. At the end of the day, the client emails the list to her.
“It’s the accountability that makes the difference,” Weitzman said.
Dianne Andrews lives in the Chicago area and turned to Weitzman when she wanted to lose weight.
“I heard about Judy from a friend of mine at my Pilates studio,” Andrews said. “I got in touch with Judy because over the last 15 years I was slowly gaining weight to the point that I was tired of it.”
With Weitzman’s guidance Andrews lost more than 25 pounds and went from a size 12 to a size 2.
“Judy is very smart about what she does. She encourages you to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week,” Anderson said. “It never felt like a diet.”
Melissa Price of Scottsdale, Ariz., also had success with Weitzman as her diet coach. Price lost about 20 pounds five years ago and she still uses Weitzman to help her keep the weight off.
“It’s not a diet. It’s a way of living,” Price said. “She really changes the way you look at food forever.”
