A
bout 90% of those who lose
weight will eventually gain it
all back, according to Michigan
Medicine. That’s because most diets and
weight loss programs aren’t sustainable.
Bloomfield Hills resident Shari
Dobrusin didn’t want to try the latest
fad diet that wouldn’t stick. Instead, she
decided to go with a medical expert —
Dr. Sandra Lerner, a Southfield-based
family physician specializing in obesity
and lifestyle medicine.
“I had put on some weight during
COVID, and I was having trouble get-
ting it off. I knew that, as women get
older, our estrogen and metabolism
decreases. So, what had worked for
me in the past no longer did. I needed
guidance, and I needed someone to
hold me accountable,” Dobrusin said.
“Someone had recommended Dr.
Lerner in a women’s Facebook group
I’m part of. When I visited her website,
I liked that she was a D.O. and that she
was more science-based than health
coaches who don’t have that medical
background.”
So, last fall, Dobrusin decided to enroll
in a virtual six-month weight loss pro-
gram, which consisted of weekly hour-
long sessions with Dr. Lerner. During
the program, she learned about hunger
hormones, what her body needs at this
stage in her life and how her own habits
were inhibiting her.
“We talked about how negative self-
talk can affect your weight loss journey,
and she helped me reevaluate how I
talked to myself. When I began to think
positively and stopped judging myself,
After losing 60 pounds, local family physician
coaches others on how to lose weight — and
keep it off.
48 | OCTOBER 12 • 2023 J
N
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Get to a Healthy Weight
SARI CICUREL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS