1. The Early Days: A Dietician in the Background
My professional journey began 30 years ago, in 1996, right after completing my post-graduation.
The fitness industry was booming in Mumbai.
Gyms were popping up on every corner, and fresh graduates like me had multiple job offers waiting.
So my first real-world experience was inside gyms.
Clients signed up to “get in shape” and “look good.”
They slogged it out on treadmills, lifted heavier each week, and believed that more reps, more sweat, and more hours would somehow equal health.
Men chased bigger biceps.
Women chased slimmer waistlines.
But almost no one understood the simple, powerful truth:
Health is 70% food and only 30% exercise.
That core principle — still overlooked by many — was invisible in most gym environments.
Back then, nutrition was seen as secondary — and so were we.
We were seen as optional.
An add-on.
An afterthought to the personal trainer.
You might see the dietitian on your way in or out — smile politely, nod — and then head straight for the dumbbells.
And if you did book a session?
The ask was always the same:
“Can you help me lose 10 kilos in 1 month?”
Success wasn’t measured by health.
It was measured by speed.
And setting realistic expectations — or educating clients about a more sustainable approach — was an uphill battle.
What’s more!
Nobody wanted to talk about digestion, blood sugar, inflammation, or hormones.
“Health management through nutrition”?
That sounded like a foreign language — even to gym owners.
It was frustrating.
Because I knew food was the missing piece — the 70% that made the real difference.
But the focus remained on reps, not recipes.
On appearance, not healing.
On urgency, not understanding.
Still, those early gym years taught me a lot.
I learned how to build trust, communicate clearly, and work with people from every walk of life.
But professionally?
It left me hungry for more.
I knew I had more to offer.
And eventually, I’d find the space to offer it.
2. The Itch to Do It Right
That hunger to do things differently eventually became a nudge I couldn’t ignore.
I was already known for weight loss consulting — and I was good at it.
But I wanted to be more than just another dietician handing out meal plans and calorie cuts at gyms.
I wanted to build something of my own.
Something rooted in science and ethics.
No fads.
No shortcuts.
No crash diets.
Just sustainable, real, inside-out health.
That moment sparked a deeper understanding: real health isn’t a quick fix through food — it’s a lifelong relationship with how you eat, move, rest, and live.
3. Nea Mitera: The First Leap
Then came 2012.
Motherhood changed everything.
Not just physically, but emotionally, hormonally, and deeply personally.
I had lived through the rollercoaster of trying to conceive, the pain of fibroids and cysts, the exhaustion of heavy bleeding, and the surgeries that finally paved the way for my baby’s arrival.
Then came postpartum recovery – the sleep deprivation, the breastfeeding hunger, the healing, the pressure to “bounce back.”
It wasn’t about looking good.
It was about surviving, repairing, and restoring.
What I had been through, I believed, qualified me to support other women – new mothers – in the best way possible.
So in 2014, I launched Nea Mitera (“new mother” in Greek), a clinic dedicated to postpartum weight management.
I wanted to help new mothers shed the extra kilos they’d picked up during pregnancy — gently and gradually, in a way that supported their recovery, nourished their bodies, and cared for their babies too.
It was a business idea born from both professional insight and lived experience.
But there was a gap — between what I offered and what the market demanded.
My approach was about healing from the inside out: nourishment, recovery, hormonal balance.
But most women just wanted their old jeans to fit.
Flat stomachs.
Fast fat loss.
No questions asked.
We saw “weight loss” differently.
And in a niche market that didn’t exactly want what I was offering, Nea Mitera became commercially unviable.
It was a tough call, but I chose to shut it down.
4. Nea Zoi: A New Life for My Work
That failure became my turning point.
What came next was the obvious evolution.
Nea Zoi (“new life” in Greek) became my new venture — a broader, more inclusive weight management clinic.
It allowed me to help more people, while still holding onto my core values:
No gimmicks.
No starvation.
Just science.
And slowly, something beautiful began to emerge.
My clients didn’t just lose weight.
They gained energy.
Periods normalized.
PCOS symptoms eased.
Pain disappeared.
Digestion improved.
Mood swings leveled out.
It wasn’t just about the scale.
This was healing. With food. With lifestyle. With clarity and compassion.
And that healing wasn’t just something I gave to others.
I had lived it myself.
5. The Double Confirmation: Their Healing Wasn’t a Fluke
The same approach that helped my clients thrive had helped me too.
Before and after pregnancy, I had battled reproductive issues, hormonal chaos, and chronic, debilitating migraines.
These migraines would strike before my period, after sleepless nights, or when stress and food triggers aligned.
Medications barely touched them.
I’d often lie in bed, nauseous and weak, waiting for the pain to pass.
So I did what I knew best — I listened to my body.
I tracked my triggers.
I cleaned up my diet.
I made food my ally and adopted calming, grounding rituals.
And slowly, the migraines faded.
That was my double-confirmation:
Healing wasn’t just possible.
It was replicable.
6. The Epiphany: Who I Work Best With
The more I looked back, the clearer it became:
The people I helped most — and who resonated most with my approach — were busy women.
Women juggling careers, kids, aging parents, households, and invisible emotional labor.
Women with no time, no bandwidth, and no energy left for themselves — but still pushing forward every single day.
These women came to me for weight loss…
But what they really needed was support.
And I understood them – because I’ve been there.
They didn’t need a detox.
They didn’t need a six-pack.
They needed solutions that worked in the chaos of real life.
That clarity became my compass.
This is who I work best with. This is my calling.
Not because someone suggested it.
But because 30 years of lived experience – mine and my clients’ – made it impossible to ignore.
7. Full Circle: A Life’s Work with a Clear Purpose
Today, I specialize in helping time-pressed, overwhelmed women reclaim their health – on their terms.
Not just weight loss.
But steady energy.
Balanced hormones.
Better sleep.
Healthy periods.
Calm digestion.
Sharper focus.
Clearer skin.
Lighter moods.
Stronger bones.
Over the years, I’ve worked with thousands of people.
But the women who light me up the most are the ones who, with quiet vulnerability, finally say:
“I just want to feel like myself again”
And I know I can help.
Because I’ve lived it.
I’ve healed it.
And I’ve spent the last three decades guiding others through it – with empathy, precision, and results.
Let’s Start This Journey Together
If you’re a woman who’s tired of doing everything for everyone else – while quietly watching your health unravel – I see you.
If you’re done with band-aid fixes and ready for lasting change, you’re in the right place.
You don’t need another crash diet or guilt trip.
You need someone who gets it.
Someone who listens.
Someone who knows how to help.
Let’s build your health back – step by step, in a way that fits your life.
Because your health isn’t optional.
It’s your foundation.
Let’s make it strong.
Together.
Warmly,
Sheetal Patel
Clinical Dietician & Lifestyle Nutritionist
