Below are comments we have received from facilitatos and other health professionals regaring the content of our program. For a sample of comments received from participants in the HUGS program, CLICK HERE.

I’ve been working through Tailoring your Tastes, and again want to congratulate you on a fantastic job done. The principles are very clearly demonstrated and explained in a way that will empower people to make changes in their own cooking. We haven’t run Tailoring your Tastes or the Teens course yet, but we’re working to get them going too!

I find it incredibly rewarding to see people make the shift in their thinking, and then in their lifestyle as they grasp the concepts of HUGS.

I’m attaching a “success story” that was published in the South African version of Shape Magazine. I’m still trying to get them to write out non-diet weight management, but this was a great start!

Thanks again for designing such an awesome program! It is improving the quality of people’s lives everywhere."

Maya Snijders, RD Sound Bites Nutrition, Cape Town, South Africa. (Shape Magazine Article Page 1, Page 2)

The more I do the more I believe and the more excited I become. Don't know if you remember meeting me at SCAN last March (in 1999) but I was a little skeptical until I found what nondiet means and realized that I had been teaching a lot of the nondiet messages for awhile and that HUGS was the natural progression.
Karen Dahl, MEd, RD
Sharon, PA

I really appreciate the ease of use of this curriculum, and the minimum of preparation required due to the nice organization of materials, cues, etc. That is exactly what I was looking for when I purchased this curriculum, and the fact that the content was exactly what I would want to include if I had time to write my own, made it really worth the price.
Laura R Asgarian, RD,
Las Vegas, NV

HUGS supports my approach to weight issues and is a professionally prepackaged program (ie saves me time). It has helped me improve my counseling skills. I had some hesitations about offering HUGS because it went beyond my “comfort zone” as a dietitian into more psychological issues but was extremely pleased with the result and enjoyed myself.
Rochelle Anthony, Pasquia Health District,
Tisdale, Saskatchewan

Linda is very available for questions, concerns - often answers the phone herself! Staff is very courteous and helpful. Great program - excellent philosophies I use throughout my counselling and educational settings!
Karen Payne, Platte Valley Medical Center,
Brighton, Colorado

Promptness in response time is a major attribute. Advertising samples, logos etc. I have been extremely pleased with the program. It allows room for individual adaptation on the part of the facilitator, which is so important.
Sherry Veinotte, Eastern Kings Memorial Community Health Center, Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Friendly service, 1 800 #, upbeat…like to have fun, current/updated info in the field, professional/clear look to materials. Thanks for this questionnaire - It gave me the incentive to go through my materials more thoroughly, instead of getting around to it some day….And I’m one of those few people who likes questionnaires/surveys as it gives me a chance to share my ideas/comments!
Jane Brethower,
Digby General Hospital, Digby, Nova Scotia

Putting us on the cutting edge with a new paradigm founded on lifestyle not weight.
Lisa Sadleir Hart,
SEARHC, Sitka, Alaska

This is an excellent program which reinforces the philosophy that the dietitians in our hospital have been promoting. The HUGS program actually puts it on paper for us. Response has been very positive and our hospital administration is very pleased with how the program has been received by our community.
Colchester Regional Hospital,
Truro, Nova Scotia

When I was in my internship and graduate school some 17 years ago I learned about how to put people on diets and so that was the focus of my job for about the first 8 -10 years of my practice. Being based primarily in a hospital, I rarely had an opportunity to see my clients for any length of time. Often, there wouldn't even be a follow-up session at all.

Then I moved/changed jobs because I started a family. Very gradually I became involved with the YMCA in my new town. They didn't offer any nutrition services at all and I saw it as a good opportunity. My first project was to get a weight loss program started. I decided to go with the LEARN Program since they were doing it at the hospital where I previously worked. Well, the program took off and was very successful. I had a large turn out every time I started a new class. Then something happened. I was in a park in my town at a Little League function. Many, many other people from the town were there as well. And I saw quite a few people who had gone through my weight loss program. And guess what, as I stood there looking around at one point, I saw 5 people, all who went through my program, all appeared to have gained back all the weight plus some, AND none of them came over to talk to me. Actually, it seemed as if they were avoiding me probably because they were embarrassed for me to see them. At that moment I knew that something was wrong...not with them...but with the method of dieting. And I was doing them a disservice by putting then on diets...I was embarrassed as well. I knew that I needed to find a way to help people help themselves. That's when it became impossible for me to put people on diets.

I started researching and came across the concept of "non-diet" approach. It was either Francie Berg or Joanne Ikeda that first said "HUGS" to me. I called and it's evolved from there. I no longer feel embarrassed when I run into people who have gone through my program and they are always glad to see me. As a matter of fact, now I have an annual reunion so we can see each other. I am now totally convinced that dieting doesn't work and I am committed to sharing this with other people. The link I have with Hugs International and all that it has to offer has been my major support. Just knowing that there are other people out there who are trying as hard as I am is a driving force to keep me going. I am able to stay current with the literature mostly through the Healthy Weight Journal which I find invaluable. But mostly, it's the gratitude I receive from the Hugs graduates. If it wasn't for that, I know I'd be doing something else right now.

Lorraine Antosiewicz