Hello and thank you for stopping by. Welcome to Plate Your Table Nutrition-Dietetics, PLLC. My name is Vicki Kligerman and I’m the founder.
Everyone has their own story of why health becomes important to them. That pain point that causes them to take action. Mine started when I was a senior account executive at a small public relations firm. The job was very stressful, and demanded long as well as late hours. I was getting about 5 hours of sleep during weeknights. I wasn’t paying attention to self care and at certain points was aware I didn’t feel good in mind, body and soul. Most deadlines, clients and the people in the industry I had to deal with caused stress eating. I made poor food choices choosing fast food, junk food and lots of sweets, all calorie-dense with no nutritional value. I was always tired and had no desire to cook after work so I constantly ate at restaurants. My idea of relaxing and unwinding after a long-hard day of work was to eat an appetizer, main dish and dessert without paying attention to portion sizes. I did go to the gym but I made the mistake of rewarding myself with unhealthy food when I returned home. Food always seemed to be the reward I gave myself when I felt I deserved kudos. Unfortunately, I was also in my 30s and my metabolism was no longer the same. No wonder I was at my heaviest, and became short of breath easily upon exertion. I wasn’t happy at my job, in my appearance and other areas of my life. But most of all, I felt uncomfortable with the extra weight I was carrying as my body had changed so drastically from when I was younger. I wasn’t kind in how I spoke to myself either.
One day at work, my friend Melissa told me some of my co-workers were interested in losing weight and would I be interested in joining an office pool. We all agreed that whoever lost the most amount of weight in three months would win the money. I started to read all sorts of books on nutrition, health and fitness. As I learned more, I paid attention to the food I put in my body and how good physical activity made me feel, without the calorie-laden binges afterwards. I discovered how a healthy mindset is imperative to well-being. I won the challenge and at 35, decided to change careers and go back to school to become a dietitian.
I received my B.S. in food and nutrition science from Hunter College in June 2006, my Registered Dietitian (RD) credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) in October 2007 and my M.S in clinical nutrition from New York University in May 2011. In my close to 15 years of practice as a Registered Dietitian (RD), I have taught workshops on various health and wellness topics in the NYC community. My background also encompasses years of experience providing outpatient nutrition education counseling to individuals throughout the lifecycle. In addition, I have also worked in rehab, long-term care and acute care settings. I currently work at an acute care hospital in New Jersey with main coverage in the intensive care unit (ICU) where we have seen a rise in COVID+ cases and people struggling to survive.
As the healthcare climate evolves and rolls with the punches during the pandemic, telehealth has become an important resource for people to receive nutrition information and guidance to aid them in their wellness journey.
Plate Your Table Nutrition-Dietetics, PLLC is here to service the virtual community and offer motivation and support for making better, healthier decisions in different areas of wellness. I look forward to working with you in the future, and always remember to plate your table with love.
Vicki Kligerman, MS, RD, CNSC, CDN
Founder, Plate Your Table Nutrition-Dietetics, PLLC
