Transformations: The Napa Valley Weight and Lifestyle Management Program ™

Patient Stories

	It’s so wonderful to have my life back! Patty finally found a program that made everything  make sense: the Transformations program at the St. Helena Center for Health. "Participating in this 11-day residential program, I realized I really didn’t know what it was like to live a healthy lifestyle. I’m an intelligent woman and know the theory about calories in and calories out but had no concept that living a balanced and healthy lifestyle was more than that."
	I’m not on a diet but on a new way of life! For Fred, 58, of Alameda, finding a way to reclaim his health was like coming back to life. “I was dying on the vine,” he says. Morbidly obese at 330 pounds, Fred was in the beginning stages of diabetes and had mild kidney failure. Today Fred feels like a new man. He easily walks several miles a day and is an active member of a local gym. He tells everyone he meets about his experience at the Center for Health.
	Claire Berger, President/CIO, FunnyWorks,Inc. "The staff - you are all wonderful, dedicated, excellent, compassionate communicators. Chefs Erick and Susan did a great job making every meal interesting and beautifully presented which is so important, the tools - our pedometer, watch, literature and Palm Pilot are great."
	Lyn Siep, President of Etiquette West, Inc. "Lyse was so attentive to everyone's needs. Lyse and Mary Jane are fantastic! Vicki, Lisa and Russ do a fantastic job, too. Everyone was skilled and helpful. I truly appreciated Erick making special foods for me and others who had allergies or severe dislikes. Dr. Peña has a wonderful understanding of women patients. She definitely exceeded my expectations."
	Transformations Experience Life Changing for Dan Aguiar Dan Aguiar says the Transformations program has given him all the tools he needs to drop weight in a healthy way-- and keep it off. “I have thrown out my old clothes. My neck and arms are different. My wedding ring falls off. I’ve even reduced my shoe size,” he says enthusiastically. “I am now at rock bottom for cholesterol. I am off Lipitor. And I’m also no longer checking my blood sugar for diabetes.”
	Making Life-Changing Progress for Her Health I smoked for 37 years and never tried to quit before now, says May Mary Cummings, a resident of Garden City, Kansas. "I always thought I could quit myself, but then I realized I really couldn't."
	Since her two-week experience she has lost 80 pounds. Pam O’Brien, a single, 44-year-old, professional, had reached a low point in her life on January 1, 2005, when she climbed on a bathroom scale and realized she weighed 330 pounds. “I have been on a diet since the age of six,” she said. “And I realized that my whole life consisted of work, sleep, eat, work. I wasn’t living the life I wanted.”
	Her Experience Opened Her Eyes to Better Health Anna Ghandour smoked for 45 years until the birth of her granddaughter. One day when she was playing on the floor with her grandchild, she realized that she was out of breath. She had tried on her own to quit smoking many times, but never managed to last more than three weeks. This time she felt it was important to quit for her granddaughter's sake. Her progress was remarkable. After she quit smoking in the Center for a Smoke-free Life, she spent another 11 days in the Transformations weight and lifestyle management program learning how to prepare and eat nutritious food and how to integrate exercise into her life. She felt that both programs gave her control over her health and her life.