Having spent the last 15 years of my life bouncing up and down between 160 pounds and 275 pounds, I know all the tricks of every diet on the planet.  The problem is once you go off your diet; the pounds start to pile back on.  Just before my 31st birthday I looked down at the scale and it was above 270 again (probably the fifth time in my adult life).  I could easily eat half a dozen donuts because I was not on a diet and I might as well enjoy them before I went back on one right?  Well, something had to change, and I was tired of dieting only to gain weight back.  That is when I found one of the best things that has happened to me in quite a few years. . . Creative Health Solutions.  I happened across their weight maintenance page and realized that is what I needed.  I needed a doctor who could help me get the weight off, but more importantly help teach me how to live skinny within reason for me and my family.  (My husband was tired of eating fat free cheese and mashed cauliflower – he wanted real cheese and potatoes again)  I needed someone who cared about keeping me thin for the long term, not just helping me lose weight.  At my first appointment, Dr. Ricciardi took the time to really listen to what I needed we discussed ALL of my ups and downs and what drove my eating.  Most importantly he was willing to work with what I could live with.  What an awesome change!!  I hate the gym and every doctor I have ever had said that in order to lose weight I have to go to the gym every day, not a reality for me or my life.  Dr. Ricciardi accepts what you can and cannot do and tailors a program to work with your lifestyle.  We found ways to incorporate extra movement into my day, and it has made a HUGE difference in how I look at exercise.  It was amazing. 

Dr. Ricciardi and his staff are unbelievable attentive and very supportive.  I started with CHSLV in September of 2008, at 272 pounds and total cholesterol of 263.  My size 22 jeans were super tight and almost cutting off the circulation to my legs, but I was determined not to buy a size 24.  I was upset with myself for getting to this point again.  He worked with me to quickly put an end to the guilty feelings and start focusing on the positives instead.  Our focus on maintaining my weight between what I like to call “power months” has made all the difference in the world.  We focus on cutting my calories and increasing my protein in a power month while in a regular month we put weight maintenance on my peripheral vision and I focus on living my life normally.  That way I know it is there, but it is not a daily focus.  This works great!  Additionally, by maintaining my weight every other month, I am ensuring I keep a healthy resting metabolism.  As of December 23, I was down to 249 pounds and cholesterol of 173!!!  That is 23 pounds and 90 points off my cholesterol!!  Additionally, my size 18 jeans (that were once so tight I could not get them above my thighs) are a little big and hopefully before Valentine’s day I will be in my size 16s.  It has been amazing!!  I feel good, I do not have the urge to binge (because I can have what I really want within reason).  J  One thing I have found so important (thanks to Dr. Ricciardi) is keeping realistic expectations and I am honestly learning when my expectations become unrealistic.   I love to attend the classes and group, they really help keep me motivated and it is great to see other people who are as excited about working with both the Dr. Ricciardi’s as I am!! 

The ENTIRE staff at CHSLV has been incredibly supportive.  They know my name, they remember things I have shared with them, and they are kind and compassionate.  I have finally found a Las Vegas doctor that I not only trust, but who actually takes the time to listen to what I have to say and develops a treatment plan that works for me.   It is so refreshing.  I have a new advocate in my corner.  When I got my cholesterol results last week, the first email I sent was to Dr Ricciardi’s office.  They are a huge part of my support system and I would not have it any other way.  The best part of my care, is that I know that my doctor and his team are 100% committed to ensuring that I keep that weight off for the long term.  I am so grateful that I found CHSLV; they really have changed my life for the better. 

C.Z.

This program is liberating.  I finally realized that my weight is a thousand little choices and I am learning to recognize them.  For once, I got all that I paid for and more.

C.G.

In June 2008, I made my first appointment with Dr. Ricciardi. I was at the point that I knew that I needed something or someone to help me with my weight that had now ballooned to 221 pounds. I was never really aware of how heavy I was but as I look at old pictures I can’t believe I couldn’t see the weight. After meeting with Dr. Ricciardi, the first time, I was a little mad at how much I needed to do in order to regain back my life. Dr. Ricciardi gave me a few things that I needed to do that I wasn’t very happy about, but he promised me that I would see results if I did what he wanted me to do. The first thing that Dr. Ricciardi had me do was keep a journal on what I ate everyday. This was hard at first for me but as I got into it I was able to see what exactly I was eating and how many calories I was consuming on a daily basis. I was amazed of how many calories on a daily basis I was eating even though I thought that I was not eating very much at all. The other thing that I was told to do was to start eating breakfast everyday regardless of what it was. So I started and months later I am still getting up and making breakfast every morning no matter what I am doing. Most mornings I make an egg, bacon, and a piece of toast. All this for fewer than 200 calories and I’m full. In my first couple of appointments with Dr. Ricciardi he also took a look at my current medications and he worked with me and I was able to stop taking medication that was known for weight gain. I was not overly excited about the work that I needed to put in, in order to get the weight off, but after the first five weeks under Dr. Ricciardi’s care, I had dropped 17 pounds. I was hooked from then on. With every appointment Dr. Ricciardi gave me more information, tips, and tricks to help me continue to lose the weight that I needed and for such a very long time wanted to get off. I also began to work out at home religiously once if not twice a day. Journaling what I ate everyday, counting calories, reading labels, and weighing my food became very important to me because this was how I was going to continue to loose the weight. Another important thing that I did was look for sugar free and reduced fat items to use in my kitchen. If there is a sugar free item equivalent to an item that I had in my kitchen I would get it and try it. Most of the sugar-free items I liked and use in my kitchen all the time. There are some things that my family and I just didn’t like but most of the food items tasted the same or the taste was not that different so the items became permanent fixtures in my fridge. By the end of August I had lost 29 pounds and I had gone from a size 16-18 to a size 12. I couldn’t remember the last time that I was ever in a size 12. I was ecstatic. My next challenge was the starting of the new school year. I work for the school district and my summer hours were very different than the normal school year. I talked with Dr. Ricciardi about my concerns of returning to my normal schedule but the next month that I was in his office I had dropped another 7-8 pounds. I was loosing weight while I was on and off the weight lose medication and I was extremely happy. I no longer looked at journaling as a chore but a way of life in order to track and monitor what I consume everyday. My next concerns that I feared was the holiday season. Dr. Ricciardi eased my fears and reminded me that I was doing everyday that I needed to do in order to reach my goal and I would reach that goal regardless if I ate that Christmas cookie. At my December appointment I was 163 pounds. 59 pounds lighter than I was just 6 months earlier. I was in a size 8 which was the smallest I had ever been as an adult and even a teenager. I couldn’t believe the complements that I would get on a daily basis. Now a few months later I have slowed down the weight lose sitting at 160 pounds and wearing a size 6 comfortably. I no longer journal everyday but I read labels, weigh my food, and work out everyday. My initial weight lose goal was to get to 130 pounds but I have readjusted my goal and would like to get to 140 pounds by the summer. I am very grateful to Dr. Ricciardi and his office staff for the drive and confidence that they gave me to help me reach my goal. I am unsure if I would have been able to have gotten this far without his help. I have 20 pounds to go and I am amazed everyday of how I look when I look at myself in the mirror.

K.B.

Dear Dr’s Ricciardi:

I want you to know how much I appreciate your dedication and care. Having lost and gained 100 lbs three times and 50 lbs twice, all under medical supervision over the past 25 years, I believe your program is the ultimate answer to long term weight loss. Optifast and strict low calorie diets just don’t work long term for me.
Awareness, group meetings, classes on the emotional and physical effects of food and drink and one on one therapy are key to long term success. The best part is learning to eat what we like to eat without having to follow a specific weight loss diet. I have attended all your educational classes some twice. I have participated in group and individual therapy giving and receiving the support and care needed to help cope with my compulsions, especially food and drink. The main thing I have learned is to quit beating my self up when I don’t measure up to my ideal self.
Dominic and Lindsey, thank you for your 100% commitment to your patients.
You are great professionals and wonderful caring people.
Very truly yours,

R.S…A work in progress…