Diet counselor coaches dieters

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Diet Counselor Carol Montano prepares to counsel clients in her Middlebury office. Her goal is to help dieters lose pounds and keep them off. (Marjorie Needham photo)

Carol Montano has been helping dieters lose weight and keep it off since she first came to Middlebury in 1979. At that time, her office was in the Middlebury Hamlet. In 2016, she will begin her 37th year of counseling dieters.

She said of her work, “We are introducing people to healthier eating habits and teaching them how to make good choices for their food. We teach them to read labels and be aware of what they are eating.”

She said people who are trying to lose weight need to eat enough food. “Don’t eat just one meal a day,” she said, “but be sure you eat proper portions of food.”

Her clients tell her the hardest part of following her diet plan is making sure they eat all the food that is part of the plan. They usually want to eat less. In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, they eat healthy snacks in between meals. Montano said the meal plan helps keep their metabolism going all day and gives them energy.

They also have to drink 8 cups of water a day. That can be a real challenge for those who start the program and are used to drinking 8 cups of coffee and one glass of water a day.

Her clients don’t lose just pounds. They also lose inches. “Their body shape changes,” she said.

After their initial visit, they come see Montano twice a week for a weigh-in and counseling. And once they complete the program and have lost weight, there is no charge for joining the maintenance program.

Grace, a Waterbury resident, has been a client since 1986 and is on the maintenance program. She said of the diet, “Its important for me to come here. You have to answer to somebody. You can’t fool yourself. You have to get on the scale.”

Grace said she liked the diet because you eat real food and it’s healthy. “You don’t have to buy special food,” she said.

Montano said she has helped men, women and children lose weight. The youngest was an 8-year-old. The most an individual client lost was 175 pounds.

She offers her clients a wide range of healthy recipes. The most popular are tofu potato salad, Italian sausage made from ground chicken, muffins (lemon or orange bran), and chicken Florentine. She also has recipes for sloppy joes made with spaghetti squash and for a tasty diet lasagna.

Some clients are referred to her by doctors who send her patients with high blood pressure and diabetes. Two of those medical referrals are down 80 pounds and will be down 100 pounds when they finish.

Montano’s office is at 2030 Straits Turnpike in Middlebury. She can be reached at 203-758-8561. Call for information on her holiday diet special.

Editor’s notes: Grace’s last name was withheld at her request. The Diet Center and the Bee-Intelligencer share office space.