Read what some of Linda’s clients have to say:
If you’d like to change your eating habits but don’t know where to start, take the first step and have a comfortable, confidential conversation with Linda DiBella, like I did two months ago. I was fortunate to pick up a flyer at a Human Resources Association of Central CT meeting which offered a health coaching consultation, and I gave her a call. That consultation led to a fun and helpful progression of nutrition counseling sessions, gifts, recipes, and much more with Linda.
The reason that Linda’s approach to nutrition works is that she doesn’t make the same recommendations to each client in a one-size-fits-all manner. Linda really wants to know about YOU – what you enjoy eating, what you grew up eating, and what foods don’t agree with your body chemistry so that she can make recommendations for some satisfying and fun substitutions. I’ve found that by reducing or eliminating certain foods and substituting fun, new choices, I no longer find myself bloated or tired after eating. I’ve lost a few pounds too. I’m learning from Linda some easy, interesting changes to make in my grocery and cooking habits that make a huge difference. I also cook for my husband and my two young adults who live at home – and they appreciate the more wholesome snacks and meals too. Who doesn’t want to feel and look better without any sacrifices? These are gradual changes that you can maintain through your lifetime, not fad diets.
Linda has also made me aware of “mindful” eating and in our sessions we talk about many things relating to lifestyle, including stress and how that affects eating too. Through my skype visits with Linda every two weeks I feel encouraged and able to not only maintain my new healthy habits, but add to them.
I could go on and on but I think you get the picture! I’m so glad I took that first step and gave Linda a call. ~Nancy Green, Rocky Hill, CT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Linda is Amazing! Working with Linda has changed the way I look at myself and my relationship with food. My goal was to change the way I eat for my health. After spending a decade on medication for acid reflux it finally got to the point where I could barely talk as I was always choking on acid. I just wanted to feel better and get off the medication. Working with Linda has helped me do just that. I have been off reflux medication for four months and by eating the right diet it is no longer a problem. I have also reduced the amount of hives from eliminating foods that didn’t work for me. And as a added benefit I lost eight pounds which made me very happy!! She provided me with healthy recipes for my busy lifestyle as well as the support needed to move forward. I have reduced stress and sleep well due to her guidance. I can’t thank her enough for all she has done. I am on my way to a happier healthier future! ~Tammy Tefft, Simsbury, CT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I worked with Linda on the three week detox in October and I have to say it was a very rewarding experience. The first few days were very difficult but after a week passed, my energy started to increase with no coffee or processed foods. I have trouble sleeping at times and after being on the detox I was able to get a very restful night’s sleep. It has been a month now since I was on the program and I’m down to a half a cup of coffee a day and very little sugar. I also each much more fruits and vegetables and feel Great! The banana ice cream was fantastic! ~Paul Delskey, Somers, CT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I completed the 14 Day Detox with Get Real 4 Health feeling refreshed and rejuvenated! My results were fantastic- I lost 5 pounds and several inches, including 2 1/2 inches of belly fat!
I admit, that the first couple of days were hard- giving up sugar, caffeine and alcohol. But as the days went on, my sugar cravings subsided and i enjoyed loading up on fresh veggies and fish. I was never hungry.
I liked the “holistic approach” of the detox, which included meditations, journaling, and lots of self-care. Linda provided support and encouragement through daily emails. She helped me to slowly add items back into my diet so that I could detect any food sensitivities. Plus my skin is glowing!
I highly recommend this detox because it’s fairly easy to do and produces results. I’ve embraced a healthier diet and encourage you to talk to Linda to get yourself on the right track. ~Lisa Bonner, Suffield, CT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you Linda for working with me last year as I tried to achieve my health goals. It was always a pleasure to talk with you and I learned a lot from you about how my metabolism works. Before working with you, I had a hit or miss approach to nutrition. After learning from you over the course of a year, I have a purposeful approach to my meal planning. I especially appreciate your advice to buy the Vitamix machine because it has completely altered the number of vegetables consumed by my family. Who knew the kids would love to drink a bright green shake? Spinach, cucumber, yogurt and limes are now standard for breakfast.
Thank you also for the recipes that have become a great addition to my repertoire of meals that are nutritious, low-glycemic and delicious. Your breakfast frittata, your multitude of soup ideas, your baked kale, your quinoa salads, and your sauted greens recipes have all bumped up nutrition but not sacrificed taste or quality.
Additionally, your knowledge of how the biochemistry works in the human body makes you seem different to me from other nutrition educators. I have learned so much from you on how food is broken down and used and how sugar interacts with insulin. Understanding this better than before leads me to make better choices and influences me to avoid highly processed, sugary or carbohydrate-rich foods. Your emphasis on “clean eating” has been eye opening. I really appreciate your depth of knowledge and that you are able to recommend so many additional information sources to find out more about any given topic. You have really opened up new worlds to me.
I also want to thank you for helping my husband who has benefited immensely from these new ways of eating. Overall, he eats much less processed food, much less meat, more vegetables and less gluten. He has lost weight, resolved some digestive issues and has more energy to exercise. He is obsessed with the Vita-mixer and even brought it with him on vacation this year. Having never cooked in his life, he now regularly makes a red pepper, almond and quinoa stir-fry for lunch. It is remarkable to me how much he has changed in the course of a year.
Thank you for the work that you do, for the things that you know and for your gracious, encouraging manner of delivery. You are a gift to this world Linda! ~Beth Duzy, West Hartford, CT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before working with Linda, I was in need of a complete remake of my nutritional habits. I was lethargic and felt like an uber-blob. I felt bloated in my face and my abdomen all the time.
I chose to work with Linda’s detox program at first to plunge into a better way of eating. What I didn’t know is that I would get so much more than just how to eat better. Her program allowed me to take a long, hard look at my emotions around eating and address these at the same time.
The three most significant improvements I experienced during Linda’s detox program were:
~Weight loss & healthier looking skin
~Much more energy
~Improved self-care both nutritionally and emotionally
I feel lighter from a physical stand point and that transcends into an emotional one because of the content of this program. I was able to get rid of a lot of weight (water weight, poundage AND emotional garbage).
Linda’s program is not only a program of information and tasty ideas ~ which it is. But, it is also filled with empathy, compassion and understanding. You can feel it every time you read something from her. She has a wealth of knowledge and understanding that is both supportive and inspiring. Her kindness has helped me make some changes that my body and spirit have long been waiting for and I’m certain will be long lasting. ~Laura Clark, Hope Valley, Rhode Island
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four months ago, I decided I was sick and tired of being sick and tired (and 30 pounds overweight). I had swung back and forth between utilizing a lemon-maple syrup detox to the Atkins diet, always reverting back to eating the things I shouldn’t because it was a holiday, or someone’s birthday, or a wedding, or the Fall (who doesn’t like comfort foods in the Fall!), or the sky was blue today or it was raining. I always found a reason for comforting myself with food – and knew without a doubt that one bite would lead to weeks of bad habits…I would refer to sugar being like crack to me (no – I never did crack!) I would always justify what I was doing to myself and decide that “It’s the weekend – I might as well enjoy it and start over on Monday”. So many Mondays came and went, and the result was my deteriorating health, confidence, and well-being.
I changed myself over to a more “whole foods / organic / no preservative” way of eating and lost 7 pounds, but I still wasn’t feeling good and was very frustrated with the amount of arthritic pain I was experiencing at only 46 years of age. I felt like I was 86! This was keeping me from fully enjoying life, including what one would consider normal activities with my husband, children, and grandchildren. Climbing a flight of stairs winded me. My legs would ache and my heart would pound. I woke each morning with pain in my back (inherited degenerative spine) and significant pain in my hips and ankles. I would literally shuffle to the bathroom like someone twice my age. Everything hurt – and I was tired of it. If this was how I felt at 46 – what would the next 30-40 years bring? Would I even be here in 30-40 years? I honestly wondered (and worried).
I was on the phone one day, complaining about the things that were getting in the way of my getting in better shape. My friend mentioned that she had a friend who was a nutritionist, and that she had done a detoxification program with her that she thought might be beneficial to me. My friend gave me Linda’s contact information, and that was the beginning of a real transformation in my life. Truly, working with Linda and utilizing the guidance she provided has most certainly added years to my life, and more importantly, life to my years.
After speaking with Linda for my one hour consultation, I knew I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. While I wasn’t thrilled with not being able to eat some of the things I truly enjoyed (pasta, BREAD – basically anything with gluten), I knew I could do anything for three months, which was the initial amount of time I signed up for. I felt my health was worth the investment, and I owed it to myself and my family to give it a try.
Within the first two months of working with Linda, I had dropped an additional 15 pounds and no longer required blood pressure medication. I believe this to be far more important than the weight loss. The side effects from my blood pressure medication were not pleasant, one of which was constant throat-clearing, which interfered with my music not to mention being an annoyance to those around me. I noticed that, despite still hurting in the morning, I awoke looking forward to my day. More of the clothes in my closet were fitting, and people were noticing not just the weight loss, but that I looked healthy and had more energy.
At one point during the end of my third month working with Linda, I started snacking on “all natural” corn tortillas (no gluten there!) Within a few days I realized I wasn’t feeling well – I had lost a lot of my energy and mentally I just did not feel as good. We’ve since tied this to the crushed processed corn and some of the oils in the chips. I have learned to pay attention to how I feel. Our bodies do tell us what they want and what they don’t want. Mine was telling me (screaming at me) for years – I just wasn’t paying attention!
While I was feeling better, had lost some weight and gotten off the blood pressure medication, I was still dealing with the issues of the arthritis, and this was frustrating to me. Talking through this with Linda, we decided that it could be beneficial for me to go through her detoxification program. While I was no longer taking narcotic pain medication, I’d been on a lot of narcotic pain medications over the years for Fibromyalgia and following several difficult surgeries (spinal fusion and two shoulder surgeries). Years of being in pain and on medication could not have been good for my liver, and Linda explained that sometimes our bodies hold onto this, causing a myriad of health issues. If the detoxification program could be helpful in dealing with the arthritis, I was willing to try anything and signed up for the 28 day detox.
I am in week three of the detox as I write this testimonial. I have lost a total of 27 pounds (20 since starting with Linda). What is most significant about the detox is that I have absolutely no joint or muscle pain. Funny – it suddenly struck me in the middle of week two that my pain was completely gone. I could get up in the morning and walk down the stairs normally (not sideways to ease the hip pain like before the detox) and get the coffee instead of having to shower first just to limber up my joints. I no longer shuffle, my ankles do not hurt and I wake up each morning pain-free.
I am completely gluten free – and I believe this to be the largest contributor to the change in my health. While I was not having any stomach issues relating to gluten, it was most definitely responsible for the inflammatory response in my body, resulting in significant pain. I won’t lie – while I would absolutely enjoy a piece of cake, and I am certain it would taste good, I no longer feel that a few moments of pleasure is worth the pain I was in prior to working with Linda. I can’t say I have really been tempted, which is something different for me as well. Temptation was always a struggle for me and I often gave in. I no longer feel tempted, because I have truly learned to enjoy my new life and my health and the opportunities this brings me. It has been amazing to me to learn how sweet a grilled carrot can be! Once I stopped putting all of the garbage in, my palate became much more sensitive and I could taste the natural sweetness of whole foods!
I believe I have found the way my body wants me to eat. I can’t even imagine going back to my old habits and ways of eating. I really appreciate that I am no longer living to eat, but eating to live. There is a very big difference. Food no longer consumes my thinking.
In terms of weight loss, I’m within 8 pounds of my original goal. I’m not sure where my body will settle in in terms of weight, but I do believe that my body will find the right weight. It’s not about the number anymore; it’s about how I feel.
I am now 47 years old. My husband and I have thirteen (very energetic) grandchildren, whom I want to be around to enjoy for years to come. The pictures included with this testimonial say it all. The first couple are from this past Christmas…you can see how tired and worn out I looked. There’s one from last Fall on a motorcycle ride to Lake George. You can see the weight I was holding onto. I felt even worse than I looked. The other pictures are recent…with grandchildren, of course. I no longer look tired and worn out – nor do I feel it!
It’s my hope in writing this testimonial that others will have hope; that you will realize your health is worth it. Three months is not an exorbitant amount of time. You can do anything for three months. I say three months because I knew that was enough time for me to determine whether or not the program was having an impact on me and then make an educated decision about moving forward. I’ve since decided to continue with Linda for a bit while I finish out the detox program. It has been worth every moment and every cent. Laura Maragnano, Bristol, CT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve followed Linda’s blog and newsletter for a long time and always appreciated her inspiration on healthy eating and lifestyle but have to admit I didn’t actually DO a whole lot about it. This last year was a bit of a crazy, stressful one for me and I found myself being drawn to new (to me) ways of healing or nurturing myself such as meditation but I still I felt sluggish and knew that my eating habits were contributing to my general malaise and low energy levels.
One day I received Linda’s newsletter by email and in it she referred to detoxing and the benefits. This time I replied to her right away and asked her to help me get on track. Am I ever glad I did!
Linda’s advice for me was to do the 28 day detox, something my friends and family were all impressed with but said they couldn’t imagine being successful at sticking to it and probably secretly thought I wouldn’t last either. It wasn’t easy but the program clearly spelled out the process and gave me some really great recipes and with Linda’s coaching I got through the 4 weeks and learned a lot about why she is so passionate about what she does.
28 days may seem a bit intimidating but had I done a shorter detox program I would never have been able to rewire my habits. I lost those last few pesky pounds that make all my clothes fit a little too snugly but that wasn’t the main goal or most important lesson learned. I felt great when I was done. Not quite leaping tall buildings, super-hero great – I was sleeping better and had a bit more energy but I was just wonderfully peaceful and centered. That was certainly NOT what I went looking for but what a spectacular bonus!
Freeing your system of toxins also meant releasing stress and negative emotions stored in the body. It really does work! Doing the program pushed me to be more creative with my cooking/food preparation and I find myself making much healthier choices naturally now and reading labels has become a habit. A shorter program would NOT have made a real, long term difference in my behavior patterns.
Reintroducing foods that were off limits during the detox has been an interesting process. Things I used to eat no longer make me feel good or in some cases aren’t even attractive. The first time I had pizza again was probably the last time I’ll consume standard pizza chain fare as I instantly felt bloated, tired and had a mild headache. I am now ultra-careful about wheat consumption.
Since I finished the program I’ve had good days and bad days at sticking with my new habits but in the end I return to what I learned in that 28 days. I just feel SO MUCH BETTER when I eat properly. Most importantly – I couldn’t have done this on my own. Linda’s support and encouragement made all the difference and being accountable to someone certainly doesn’t hurt. There were times I wanted to cheat but I wasn’t going to let both of us down so I stuck to it. ~ Tracy Nash, Salmon Arm, BC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since working with Linda, I’ve lost 40 pounds and cut my insulin intake in half. I’m eating healthier, sleeping better, and even getting up early to exercise before work. Even my wife is eating healthier and has lost weight. Linda has shown me how to make changes to my diet and lifestyle that don’t feel like I’m depriving myself and that I know will keep me on a path to further improving my health. ~Clarke King, Jersey City, NJ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In today’s society we are led to believe so many things about our food. What we put into our bodies used to be simple. Today more than ever we are pulled in so many different directions and are told to eat a number of different ways. While you can choose to be blissfully unaware and consume whatever you please, your mental and physical health could be compromised.
Although I am only twenty years old I made the choice to talk to Linda and discover what changes I could make to my diet. Before I met with Linda I was desperately searching for a quick easy solution that would help me lose ten pounds and wake up every day with loads of energy and a positive attitude. I had been diagnosed with depression three years earlier and food became an obsession and a constant battle. I would read a magazine and change my approach to eating entirely, at least, for that day. The number on the scale would go up and down but my happiness stayed at an all time low. After many months of this I knew I needed to make a change.
What Linda gave me was a new approach to diet and lifestyle full of hope, inspiration and truth. I remember reading a line from a newsletter she sent, “It is not about a ten day cleanse or a two day fast. It is a process of constant elimination”. Food is not your best friend or your worst enemy. It is a source of natural energy and when consumed properly it can cure you. Since meeting with Linda I have learned so much. She and I are only just beginning but I have already noticed an enormous change in myself. Each day I am helping myself rather than hurting myself. I am no longer bogged down by my antidepressant medication or false hope from trendy “health” magazines. Linda designs her program to help fit your lifestyle and your dietary needs. Unlike a magazine or a fad diet she customizes a plan for your needs and helps you personally. With Linda its not about a quick fix, it is about a gradual change that will take you to new levels of happiness, health, and fitness. ~Maysie Childs, Suffield, CT