Elissa Lueckemeyer RDN, LD, owner of Food 4 Success, LLC

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself and share my passion. Let me start off by saying, I really like good food and want you to enjoy good food too. Life is way too short to not enjoy your food, or let feelings of uncertainty or guilt get in the way.  I have experienced those feelings myself first hand, actually. Before dietetics, my passion was becoming a professional ballet dancer. Unfortunately, not understanding how to properly fuel my body really stunted my performance goals with fatigue and injury. I also had friends and family that were struggling with chronic diseases they were trying to manage, but were left frustrated and confused by an overload of misleading and conflicting diet advice.  Thus, another passion was born. I attended Texas State University to earn my Bachelors of Science degree in Nutrition with a minor in Chemistry from Texas State University-San Marcos, and then graduated from Texas State University’s Dietetic Internship in 2010.  As a registered dietitian licensed in the state of Texas, I have been equipped with the education, life experiences and training to provide individuals of all backgrounds CREDIBLE, evidence-based nutrition therapy and recommendations. These services provide results for life, while facilitating positive relationships with food. It brings me such great joy to see my client’s health improve, see their goals being reached, and have them STILL enjoy what they eat! What a blessing to get to do this for a living!

I am a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, South Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and have experience in many clinical settings including long-term care and rehabilitation, as well as in personal nutritional counseling. I have enjoyed writing numerous online and print nutrition publications including Moxie Magazine, TheNest.com, LiveStrong.com, Modern Mom Nutrition, and for the Houston Chronicle, as well as maintaining my own nutrition blog, Wholesome Simplicity.  I have served as the company dietitian for Ballet San Antonio and as the lead dietitian at New Braunfels Regional Rehabilitation Hospital.

I am a firm believer in natural, whole foods, and that a healthy eating lifestyle should be about the small, positive changes rather than achieving “diet perfection.” I do not condone diets for weight loss. They stink, have the word “die” in them, and as I’ve seen time after time, DO NOT WORK. Diets in this case are temporary and usually cause more harm than good, including destroying your metabolism with yo-yo results. I am much more interested in helping individuals achieve permanent results through behavioral change lifestyle therapies and nutrition education. I am also very passionate about medical nutrition therapy – using food to help manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, gastrointestinal problems, cancer, and more. I provide enteral nutrition support for individuals on tube-feedings. I also enjoy helping medical organizations and businesses help their patients or employees meet health goals through wellness presentations on a variety of topics. I love developing online courses, so people can gain helpful tips whenever is convenient for them.

Other fun facts: I am a very messy cook–ask my husband. I love seafood, chocolate, and doing pirouettes in my kitchen without breaking anything. I am the very proud mama of Matthew and Emily. When I was pregnant, I craved Whataburger. Much of this business has been built on nap-times.

I am pleased to announce Food 4 Success, LLC is now a GROUP practice, so let me introduce you to our new dietitians, Atlanta and Carrie!

Atlanta Macklin RDN, LD

Hi, I’m Atlanta (not from Georgia!). I come all the way from Alaska with several years of clinical experience, providing medical nutrition therapy and creating individualized nutrition plans with positive outcomes.

Before relocating to central Texas, I spent time with Providence Alaska Medical Center where I worked primarily in acute care, but also with oncology, cardiac and renal patients. I then  moved over to Alaska Regional Hospital as the Clinical Nutrition/Patient Services Manager and was able to spend time working with patients healing from a variety of medical conditions. Most recently I was at St. Elias Specialty Hospital and Rehab Facility working mostly in wound care, but also covered weight loss, diabetes and heart failure.

In addition to joining the Food 4 Success team, I am currently the lead dietitian at Cross Creek Behavioral Health Hospital in Austin.

I am really looking forward to helping you reach your nutrition goals and am especially excited to help those of you who may be struggling with any underlying or recently diagnosed medical conditions.

I am a firm believer that even small changes to what and how food is consumed can produce sizeable life-changing results. I practice with a holistic, evidence-based approach and am excited to help you achieve your health and nutrition goals without excluding the foods you love to eat. It will be fun, I promise!

More about me:  I have enjoyed a plant-based diet for almost twenty years. I am the world’s proudest dog mom. I love yoga, gardening and baking.

Carrie Gustafson RDN, LD

Hi! My name is Carrie. I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and I have a passion for food. I can often be found creating new recipes. The thing I am most passionate about in life is helping people to live healthier and happier lives. I love to work with people who are in search of ways to implement simple changes to feel their best selves.

All of us are different, so I tailor my education and counseling techniques to find a personalized solution that works for you, as a “one size fits all” approach just doesn’t work. My methods include compassionate guidance and careful listening so that together we can create a plan, protocol, and personal approach that works best for you. I use a science-based approach to nutrition, linking it with the mind-body connection to health and well-being.

My desire to become a dietitian grew over years of caring for my oldest son who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of two years old. As my understanding of diabetes and the role that nutrition played, I began a journey of learning how food impacted my child’s health and my world opened up and my passion for nutrition was born. Thankfully, my son is doing well and is now 30 years old. I am a mother of six children and a grandmother of nine. While I still had four kids at home, I decided to go back to school and get a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics degree from Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas. I went on to pursue a dietetic internship with Keith and Associates in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

As a Registered Dietitian, licensed in Texas, my career began in long term care and rehabilitation as well as working in clinical nutrition for Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. I am presently work in renal nutrition for SNG Dialysis in San Antonio, as such, I work with people who have End Stage Renal Disease which means individuals who have advance to dialysis treatment. Currently, many of my patients have diabetes, heart conditions, hypertension among other serious conditions. My knowledge in renal dietetics has advanced, which has fueled my desire to help other people before their disease progresses to these advanced stages.

My desire is to continue to work with people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, CKD, hypertension and other chronic diseases. My aspiration is to help  individuals change their lives through simple, healthy lifestyle changes that will last a lifetime and help restore and maintain good health.

Joining the Food 4 Success team has provided me with my ultimate dream to work with people individually to make a plan to live healthier and happier lives. I want to give people their lives back, to see them find joy in learning how to navigate the world of nutrition and find the right path for them.

If I were to capture my philosophy regarding food in just a few words, I would quote my first nutrition professor and say: “Eat a balanced diet and eat more plants.” It’s all about balance! Balance helps with energy and mood levels and helps control food cravings. This is the key to wellness and longevity. Eating a balanced diet will help balance hormones in your body, leaving you feeling great. My approach will help you cope more easily with life’s challenges and aid you in reaching your nutrition goals, thereby helping you to become your best self.

I love food and I love enjoying food with family and friends! Food is one of the greatest pleasures in our lives. It is important to develop a healthy relationship with food.  Together we will work through any guilt or fear that sometimes surrounds food. My aim is to help you find the most practical and realistic approach to making healthy changes through guidance with planning and preparing meals and grocery shopping, in addition to teaching you how to make informed decisions while dining out. No matter where you are in the process, we will build on your knowledge together!