Every weight loss journey is unique.
We all have different experiences, lives, challenges, hurdles and goals.
But what we often have in common is how we feel, how we talk to ourselves and how we see ourselves.
Which of these sound familiar to you?
- I’m ashamed
- I’m embarrassed
- I feel guilty I’ve let it get this bad
- I feel guilty when I eat the ‘wrong stuff’
- I don’t think I’ll ever be slim
- I’m sad
- I’m upset at myself
- I feel alone with my battles with food
- I’ve tried so many times and failed, I’ll never do it
- Why are all my friends slim?
- I don’t like being in photos
- I don’t like what I see in the mirror
- It’s hopeless
- I’m angry at myself
- I wish I had more self-confidence
- I don’t know what to do about my weight
- I’m uncomfortable talking about my weight with anyone
- I’m a failure
All of the above are just some of the statements I spent years telling myself - there's many many more all along similar lines and some a lot worse.
This was me, a photo taken in December 2004.
I have no idea what I weighed at this point in my life as I hadn’t stepped on any scales for several years but I was wearing size 28 clothes. I was 28 years of age. I’d lost my mum two years earlier to a sudden heart attack and the doctor looking after her in intensive care had given me the stark warning that unless I did something about my own weight, it was most likely I wouldn’t reach 50 myself due to a family history of heart disease and my own obesity.
You’d think that would be enough of a wake up call for me to change. However life was hard – I’d just lost my mum and spent the next 18 months nursing my dad through terminal cancer and losing weight was the furthest thing from my mind and I actually went up a couple of dress sizes in that period.
I’d tried dieting many times – always searching for that miracle. I was the ‘fad diet’ queen and show me a pill, a potion, a shake and I’d jump at it – and get nowhere. And every time I quit, it reinforced all of the statements I’ve listed above: I was a failure, I was ashamed, I was never going to be able to change and so on and so on.
So, I completely understand.
If you are struggling with your weight, I know exactly how you feel.
I stood on a set of scales in 2005, not long after that photo was taken and was completely shocked at the number I saw: 22 stone and I won’t lie, the self-loathing was very real at that point but it was also the start of my journey to turn it around. I realised there was no quick fix miracle – no matter what I did, I was not going to go to bed one night and wake up 10 stone lighter. Over the next couple of years, I lost 7 stone on a various set of strict diets – only to put most of it back on in less than a year when I moved abroad for work and faced a whole set of new challenges – both emotional and practical and once again, the sense of failure overwhelmed me.
It was in 2010, at age 34 that I finally understood that more fundamental changes were needed – I needed to overhaul not just my eating habits but my whole relationship with food; I learned to cook, I became interested in nutrition and what was healthy and why. And probably, most importantly, I started the journey to understand why I binge ate, why I comfort ate, what I had all of these issues with food. A huge step was realising I needed to ask for help and I needed support to change.
I’ve lost over 11 stone and maintained my current weight for 7 years.
There were (and are) times when it seemed relatively easy but there were (and still are) many times when it was a struggle.
I had to find determination, motivation, willpower and strength I didn’t know I had. I had to learn how to pick myself up when things didn’t go as expected, I had to find resilience, I had to change my inner monologue, I learned to be proud of myself, I found strategies and techniques to help me when I struggled, I changed my habits, I changed my relationship with food and eating and I discovered a lot about myself, my triggers and found new ways to cope.
I also made helping others lose weight my career and my passion. After 8 years working as a consultant for Slimming World, I now provide one-to-one coaching to help people on a deeper level to make life long changes that stick using all of the knowledge I’ve gained on my own journey as well as from helping thousands of others make changes to their lives.
Together, we'll identify what you want to achieve, and then we'll get to work achieving it!
What I promise my coaching clients
- Understanding – you aren’t on your own and I completely understand what you are going through
- No judgement – no matter where you are starting from, no matter how many times you’ve tried, no matter if you have ups and downs, I will never judge
- Personal and individual support with regular one-to-one sessions – I’ll spend time to get to know you, what you are working towards, your goals, your challenges and provide you with support tailored to you and your needs
- An honest and open relationship based on trust – this is key from both sides for your success
- Help you to understand more about your own struggles with food and help to find ways to change them
- To be your cheerleader and motivator – to celebrate every single victory (and they aren’t just related to numbers on scales)
- To hold you accountable in a safe environment where you feel completely comfortable
- Help you to remove guilt and the negative self-talk – you deserve to be kind to yourself
- To listen – sometimes, you just need to talk and let go of things that you may never have voiced to someone before
- Help with practical tips and strategies specific to you: such as specific food choices, meal plans, recipes, nutrition advice, managing your triggers, better shopping habits, planning, preparation, snacking, weekends, etc etc – whatever it is you need help with managing and changing
- To help you lose weight, reach your goals and feel amazing about yourself.
My one-to-one coaching programmes
I can tailor a programme to suit your needs – whether that would be a short term consultation, a specific time frame or on an ongoing basis. If you’d like to receive some support on your journey, please just get in touch with me and we can work on a programme that suits your needs.
An example of one of my coaching programmes is a 3-month programme which is tailored around your goals providing you with support, accountability and lots of practical advice and guidance to make lifelong changes. This programme comprises:
- A free initial conversation for you to find out more about the programme
- An ‘Insights Questionnaire’ before our first session to make our time together most effective
- 1 hour introduction and goal setting consultation in which we’ll discuss your goals, any challenges you currently face and begin working on your individual plan
- Eight 45 minute follow up sessions over the next 3 months
- Personalised meal plans, recipes, shopping lists, tips and guidance
- Food diary feedback
- Ongoing support between sessions