Healthy habits can make a huge difference.
Alice* and her partner had been trying unsuccessfully to have a baby for more than a year, when her GP said that her weight could be an issue. The doctor advised Alice she would need to have a BMI of 30 or under if she wanted to get fertility treatment in future.
Because this would mean losing a significant amount of weight, she was offered a place on our weight management programme — and she was happy to accept.
Bad eating habits
Working 12-hour shifts as a nurse had caused Alice to get into some bad eating habits.
She would often be too busy to eat for a long time, and then have big portions of high-fat and high-sugar foods.
But rather than giving Alice a strict diet plan to follow, we encouraged her to think about what was stopping her from making healthy choices.
Alice said: “I found looking at my eating habits really useful. We wrote a timeline of our day, and I realised I do most of my eating in the evenings — which was something I could try to adjust.
“It was also interesting to look at portion sizes, which is something I’ve really struggled with in the past.”
Her decisions
This empowered Alice to make her own decisions on improving her diet, letting her make changes and find healthy habits which she knew would fit with her routine.
Now, she prepares her food in advance and tries to eat regular meals throughout the day, so she avoids getting hungry and making unhealthy choices after work.
Talking about the programme, she said: “I really enjoyed the vibe of the group. We were a mix of different ages and backgrounds, and all brought something different to the table.
“It was such a lovely supportive environment. I was really impressed with how the content was appropriate for all of us as well, it wasn’t patronising in any way.”
Physical activity
The physical activity sessions were also enjoyable for Alice, and she has since started to see a personal trainer. She says she’s now feeling better and motivated to maintain her new eating habits.
Alice has continued to lose weight and has a lot more energy than before. But the biggest change? She is now expecting her first child.
“The programme was well worth doing for me. It’s amazing the small changes that you can make that add up to big differences,” she said.
“I found it so helpful, and I’ll continue trying to make the little changes I learnt. “
*Our client wanted to remain anonymous, so we have used a different name.
