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