I trained other people to be leaders for a living. I couldn’t do it for myself. Rivas helped me become the CEO of my own health.
— Anita Brady · Rivas Patient
Background
“I took care of everyone else. I forgot to take care of me.”
I’m Anita. I’m in my mid-50s, I’m a grandmother, and I’ve spent my career as a leadership trainer, helping people build great careers and become outstanding leaders. So I’m sitting there one day thinking: I’m coaching all these people to transform themselves, and I can’t even train myself to lose this extra weight. What am I doing?
Menopause hit me suddenly in my 50s. After that, my blood pressure went up. My blood sugar climbed into pre-diabetic range. I gained a lot of weight. I just felt horrible.
My OB-GYN prescribed me Prozac. I refused to take it. My primary care doctor handed me a Mediterranean diet cookbook. That was the answer. A cookbook. I was so frustrated I could have screamed.
All of my life, I took care of others. And when I reached my mid-50s, I didn’t know who I was looking at in the mirror. My weight had ballooned. I was depressed. I wanted to hide in a corner and never take photos.
— Anita
I’d been a yo-yo dieter for years before that. You name it, I’d tried it. Every program worked for six to eight weeks. Then I’d get bored. The weight would come back. Sometimes more than I’d lost. It was, honestly, emotionally traumatizing. You try so hard, and then it just slips away.
The Call
“I saw Rivas in a magazine. That call changed my life.”
I saw an ad for Rivas in a magazine. I went online. I read about them. Then I picked up the phone.
I was nervous. Mostly about the shots. As a kid, I dreaded flu shots every single year. So that was my biggest worry going in.
Then I had my first appointment, and the needle was so small I genuinely didn’t feel it. It was a finger prick. That was it.
What I did feel, immediately, was something I hadn’t felt at any other provider. From the front desk staff, to the medical assistants, to the doctors and physician assistants — they had my back. And if I gained weight, they didn’t make me feel bad. They inspired me with hope.
I knew it from the moment I called. The people were so kind. The doctors were so knowledgeable. From the moment I walked in, I knew: we’ve got your back.
— Anita
I started at the Ellicott City clinic. Over the years I’ve been to the Glen Burnie office, and now I’m at the Rockville location. Three different clinics. Same standard of care every single time.
The Detour
I left Rivas. The weight came back in months.
After I’d been with Rivas for about two years, my holistic nutritionist told me I didn’t need a GLP-1 anymore. She said I could replace it with a berberine supplement and get the same results.
So I tried it. I took the berberine for about six months.
I gained 11 pounds.
The supplement helped a little with blood sugar. But the food cravings came roaring back. That part it couldn’t touch. So I came back to Rivas, and I haven’t left since.
People say “it’s just willpower.” No, no, no, no, no. I have so much willpower. It’s not willpower. It’s in your gut.
— Anita
Here’s how I think about it now. When you have a GLP-1, you can’t just stop. It’s like a diabetes medicine. It’s like blood pressure medicine. It’s like cholesterol medication. You don’t stop because you feel better. You feel better because you’re taking it.
That mindset shift is what changed everything for me.
The Results
The numbers speak for themselves:
After decades of yo-yo dieting, 50+ pounds gone and three years (and counting) of maintenance. The first weight loss in her life that didn’t come back.
She came off the blood pressure medication she’d been prescribed after menopause. Her blood sugar fell out of pre-diabetic range and stayed there. The inflammation in her hands and knees subsided as the weight dropped, and Rivas spotted something else along the way: providers flagged a pattern that led to a primary-care referral, which led to a Lyme disease diagnosis Anita had been carrying undetected for who knows how long.
She plays with her grandkids longer. She takes photos again. She lobbied for a Rivas location closer to home and was one of the first patients through the door when the Rockville clinic opened. As she puts it: “I got my groove back.”
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Why I Keep Coming Back
“Rivas is a guilt-free zone. I get re-energized every week.”
The reason I keep going back is the accountability. I like knowing someone has my back. For me, Rivas is a guilt-free zone. I do my weekly check-in, I talk to my provider, and I leave re-energized. I feel like I have a whole team of people cheering me on.
That matters when you’ve spent your whole life cheering on everyone else.
And here’s something most clinics don’t do. They didn’t just treat my weight. When my providers noticed I had inflammation, they told me to go back to my primary care doctor and get it checked out. After a lot of testing, it turned out I had Lyme disease, undiagnosed. I’d been carrying it for who knows how long. If they had only looked at my weight, I’d never have known.
They didn’t just deal with my diet issues. They referred me back when something wasn’t normal. That was really cool. They look at the whole person.
— Anita
Anita’s ongoing care
- GLP-1 Medication (Ongoing)
- Weekly Provider Check-ins
- Whole-Person Health Monitoring
- Coordinated Referrals
A Journey, Not a Six-Week Thing
Anita’s path with Rivas, in her own words.
Mid-50s · The trigger
Sudden menopause changes everything
Blood pressure climbed. Blood sugar climbed. Weight climbed. The OB-GYN offered Prozac. The primary care doctor offered a Mediterranean diet cookbook. Neither felt like a real answer.
The decision
She picks up the phone
After seeing Rivas in a magazine and reading reviews online, she made the call. “That phone call changed my life.”
First visit · Ellicott City
Nervous about needles. Felt supported on day one.
The shot felt like a finger prick. The team made her feel welcome before she’d even committed to the program.
Years 1–2
Consistent weekly visits. Weight steadily comes off.
Builds a relationship with her clinical team. Visits Glen Burnie when convenient. Same care quality everywhere.
The detour
A nutritionist convinces her to stop GLP-1 therapy
Replaced with berberine. Six months later, 11 pounds back. The supplement helped blood sugar but couldn’t touch the cravings.
The return
Comes back to Rivas. Hasn’t left since.
Reframes the GLP-1 as long-term care, like blood pressure medication. Stops thinking of it as a short-term fix.
Rockville opens
Cuts her commute from 40 minutes to 15
Anita lobbied for a Montgomery County location for years. When Rockville opened, she was one of the first patients through the door.
Today
50+ pounds lost. Off blood pressure meds. Maintaining for years.
Plays with her grandkids. Takes photos. Calls herself the CEO of her own health. The transformation is, in her words, “the biggest investment I ever made in myself.”
A Message From Anita
If you’re sitting at home dealing with what I was dealing with: you have to make the move. Sometimes you worry about the cost. But if you think of the cost in terms of your long-term health and your wellbeing, it’s such a great investment to finally invest in yourself.
I chose me. And I chose to invest in myself and take care of myself.
— Anita Brady, Rivas patient since 2021
Ready to write your story?
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