Get healthy and lose weight the sensible way!
NO DIETS, NO GIMMICKS.
Just real food advice and the support you need to stop dieting for good. Zoe Nicholson and Marlene Gojanovic are Accredited Practising Dietitians specialising in weight management, behaviour change counseling and gastrointestinal problems.
SERVICES
At figureate, Accredited Practising Dietitians Zoe Nicholson and Marlene Gojanovic will help you get off the dieting merry-go-round and show you how to change your eating habits and achieve the long-term results you want. Please visit www.figureate.com.au for information on rates and availability.
Zoe also specialises in food intolerance. Through dietary change, Zoe can assist with the management and symptom relief of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fructose malabsorption/FODMAPs, Coeliac disease, natural food chemical intolerance (salicylates, amines, glutamates) and general bloating and constipation.
figureate's Philosophy
Enjoy food, especially your favorite food. If you learn how to eat sensibly and healthily day to day there is no need to cut out or feel guilty about enjoying a special treat. Don't diet. Diets are only short term solutions and they won't give you the knowledge or skills you need to stay fit and healthy for life.
Healthy eating is generally not rocket science. You probably already have a general idea of the foods you should be eating more of or less of in order to improve your health or lose weight. Therefore, the issue is often not what you are eating but why you choose to eat what you do and until this is dealt with, you may find it very difficult to make long-term dietary changes. It is also for this reason that diets don’t work. Diets only deal with what are you eating rather than the reasons why.
This is where we can help you.
Dealing with the reasons why you eat the way you do, involves behaviour modification and an understanding of where your behaviours stem from. To help you with this, Zoe and Marlene have been trained in Health Coaching techniques by Health Coaching Australia. Health coaching uses evidence-based psychological, counselling and coaching principles and techniques to assist people to achieve long-term behaviour change.
Visit Health Coaching Australia at http://www.healthcoachingaustralia.com/ to find out more.
Please scroll down for specific information on each service and if you feel our approach is suitable for you, please call 0419 585 415 to make an appointment and get started today!
Your private consultation will focus on your specific and individual needs. We will assess your readiness and desire to make dietary and lifestyle changes and together we will come up with a plan of exactly how you will start making small but significant changes to your eating that can be maintained long-term in order for you to achieve life-long results.
You will be provided with all the appropriate skills and education you need to start managing your health problem and refer you for any necessary testing.
Private consultations can be one on one or you can bring your partner or spouse. If you both require specific dietary advice, we will do an extended consultation (90 minutes) at a cheaper rate than 2 full consultations.
Weight Loss and Management
You will receive dietary advice that is tailored to your specific needs and together we will set your specific goals and develop an action plan of how you will achieve these goals.
You will be given all the skills you need to make healthy food choices, to do your own meal planning and assess your diet to know if you are on the right track to achieve the results you want.
You will receive support and motivation and help with motivating yourself through the ups and downs of making long-term lifestyle changes.
If you have an idea of what you should be doing but are struggling with actually making the change, we will uncover and deal with the reasons behind why you are finding it difficult to make the change.
There will be a focus on increasing physical activity and we will help you develop an exercise regime that you enjoy and can stick to.
You will be provided with delicious, healthy meal and snack ideas that are quick and easy to prepare. You will receive tips for meal planning, shopping lists and cooking that will save you time and money.
You don't have to give up your favourite foods or indulgences. Instead you'll learn how to incorporate these into a healthier diet.
Our dietary advice is suitable for the whole family and it gives us great pleasure when we see changes benefiting other family members. Just a few simple changes to your eating can;- Increase your energy levels and make you feel happier and healthier both mentally and physically
- Help you start losing weight sensibly and keep it off
- Improve bowel habits and relieve any abdominal discomfort
- Decrease your risk of chronic lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease
Gastrointestinal Problems
Gastrointestinal health is a specialty area of mine and I help people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fructose malabsorption, Coeliac Disease, lactose intolerance and food chemical intolerances (salicylates, amines, glutamate).
If you are experiencing bloating, excess wind, gas, abdominal discomfort, constipation or diarrhoea or have been diagnosed with IBS, there is a chance you have a food sensitivity that is the cause for your symptoms or that exacerbates symptoms. I can help you work out which specific foods are the problem and show you how to remove them from your diet without compromising your nutritional intake. You may have already tried eliminating some food groups such as wheat or dairy and be feeling a little better but not 100% better. This is because you have removed some of the problem foods but not all of them. Eliminating whole food groups from your diet is unnecessary and can also be dangerous. By correctly indentifying the problem foods, your diet will be less restrictive, easier to follow and your symptoms may fully resolve.
More and more people are being diagnosed with Fructose Malabsorption (FM) and I can help you identify if you have FM and refer you to the appropriate breath testing centers in Melbourne if need be. I also supervise Melbourne’s Fructose Malabsorption support groups which are an initiative of Dr Sue Shepherd.
I can also help with the correct diagnosis of Coeliac Disease and provide up to date education on a strict gluten free diet.
Diabetes and Impaired Glucose Tolerance
The recommended diet for people with diabetes is exactly the same as what is recommended for the rest of the healthy adult population. A normal healthy diet encourages a reduction in refined sugar and fat and recommends eating lower glycaemic index carbohydrate foods.
If you are carrying excess body weight, a 5-10% body weight loss will significantly improve your blood sugar levels and help you manage your diabetes. See weight loss and management above.
If you have been diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or high insulin and been told by your doctor that you are at risk of diabetes, you can completely avoid diabetes with the right lifestyle and dietary changes.
At figureate we also believe that you can reverse your diabetes if you are able to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight and increase your daily physical activity or exercise levels for life.
High Cholesterol
If you are carrying excess body weight, a 5-10% body weight loss will significantly improve your cholesterol profile. See weight loss and management above.
There are also a number of dietary and physical activity changes we can help you with that will start improving your cholesterol without weight loss.
If you have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol and are already a healthy body weight, your doctor may insist on medication. However, there may be some small but specific dietary changes we can help you identify that may mean you can improve your cholesterol without medication.
Nutrition for Pregnancy
If you are pregnant, or thinking about becoming pregnant, there are a number of dietary considerations you need to be aware of. These will be discussed with you and you will be shown how to ensure your diet is optimal for the development of your unborn child and for yourself.
We can help you avoid gaining excess body weight during pregnancy and show you how to safely lose any excess weight after you have given birth.
At figureate we are also passionate about ensuring your eating habits and food choices are healthy so that your whole family benefits and so that your children learn healthy eating habits.
Muscle Building and Weight Gain
If you are struggling to build muscle or gain weight, then we can show you just how many extra kilojoules (energy from food) you need to eat and provide simple and practical tips on how to do this.
The emphasis will be on eating more kilojoules from food to avoid spending money on expensive, and often unnecessary, protein powders.
We will also ensure your training regime matches your increased food intake so you gain mostly muscle and avoid gaining excess body fat.
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 Mike & Lili, Prahran, Victoria
Zoe has changed our lives.
"We eat everything we want and we know how to eat it sensibly”.
We have received countless comments about the positive changes in our appearance and attitude. These observations come from not only our friends and family but from many business clients. We are often asked what the secret is, and we tell them, SEE ZOE!!
Figuerate doesn’t feel like a regimented diet program, it’s a simple lifestyle choice.
Thank you for all your advice and support – we look forward to seeing you soon with our new baby Rocco!"
Sara Elkas, Occupational Therapist, Elsternwick, Victoria
"I am very grateful to Zoe for pointing me in the right direction to enable me to achieve better health and quality of life. With quite minimal but important changes in diet and a focus on a daily exercise regime (not to mention the occasional glass of red wine) I have experienced a transformation. My energy levels have increased 100% and the change has been apparent to everyone at work and with my partner and grandchildren."
Jo Twycross, Victoria
"After seven months of tests, tests and more tests with no real identification of any problem and many off hand diagnosis such as IBS, I was lucky enough to find Zoe. By conducting an elimination diet (after testing negative for Coeliac Disease) Zoe was able to determine I did have a gluten intolerance, and after months and months of sickness, tears and frustration I began following a gluten free diet and started to get better. Zoe even contacted my Doctors and discovered they’d misread my blood tests, which led to further investigations and resolved some additional iron deficiency problems. I am now living happily, symptom free on a tasty, healthy, gluten free diet and can’t thank Zoe enough for her support and persistence in finding a solution when most other medical professionals simply gave up. Not only did seeing Zoe mean that I am now well, I have also learnt the benefits of a healthy balanced diet and how I can incorporate this into normal day to day living with ease. I honestly can’t recommend Zoe and figureate enough!!!"
Priscilla - Kensington, Victoria
"I have been exercising intensely for quite a while and initially lost weight but found I could not lose those last few kilos no matter how hard I tried. Zoe has helped me to not only lose those niggling kilos but has also guided me in ensuring my diet is free of any gluten (I have Coeliac Disease). Zoe provides great advice in a clear and concise manner and she answers all your questions and gives you a number of great and yummy food ideas to try. These are often simple and easy to prepare and all ingredients are available at the supermarket. I now have lost those kilos and continue to keep them off and make better food choices whilst still enjoying life's little indulgences. Thanks for all your help and advice Zoe."
Qualifications
Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics
Bachelor of Applied Science (Health Science)
Professional member of the Dietitian's Association of Australia (DAA).
Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) with DAA
Health Coaching certificate
QUALIFICATION DETAILS
Counselling, Dietitians, Life Coaching, Mens Health, Nutrition, Weight Loss, Womens Health
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