Like many women, Fleur was used to the calorie-counting, fad-diet weight loss industry. But she lost 20lbs and felt so much better when she switched to a focus on health and wellbeing — and found small positive changes which worked for her lifestyle.
The 45-year-old business analyst, who lives with her husband and pet poodle in Hove, East Sussex, has worked from home since March 2020. She had got into some bad eating habits over lockdown.
She explained: “I was used to travelling quite a bit with work, so as soon as I was anchored to the house all day the temptation was so strong to eat all the time, and to eat the wrong things.
“At the start of the pandemic I had really good intentions. I was taking the dog out for long walks in the morning before work and setting up a little exercise circuit in the garden just to ensure I was moving around – but this soon fell by the wayside.”
“I had been putting on weight”
As Fleur stopped exercising and began to put on weight, a long-standing neck pain issue got worse.
“Don’t get me wrong, I had been putting on weight slowly over the past 10 years and wasn’t happy about it,” she said. “But I was fairly active and used to plan out a whole week’s meals and did try to eat healthily, but the pandemic restrictions really did escalate this issue in a short space of time.
“We were at the stage of two or three takeaways a week, and the meals in between were pretty much easy freezer meals, nothing fresh and all very beige.
“I had got to the point where I was putting on weight rapidly, and the more I didn’t exercise the more my neck was hurting from sitting all day working, and now my sleep was being affected.
“I was starting to look and feel a bit of a mess, looking back it’s surprising how quickly you can fall into bad habits that can affect every part of your life.”
“Exactly what I needed”
Fleur found out about our service from her GP’s website and decided to give it a try.
“It sounded exactly what I needed, and I was so surprised to find out it was council funded,” she explained.
“During the course and since finishing, I am just amazed at how much I have learned.
“The small things from what your portion size should be, to really knowing what the labels on foods mean and what you should be looking for (not what the manufacturers want you to see).”
Fleur’s nutritionist helped her to focus on eating the right foods for breakfast to avoid a slump during the day, and she now uses her new food knowledge every day.
“Found exercises that I really enjoy”
We also helped Fleur get back into the habit of exercising regularly, and found she was unexpectedly enthusiastic about it.
“One week it would be circuits and the next yoga, so you could try different types of exercises, and the booklet on things you can do at home has been really useful,” she explained.
“After years of being a member of various gyms I now know that they are not for me. I have actually found exercises that I really enjoy and am happy to do three-to-four times a week.”
“So many positive changes”
Fleur summed up the most-important changes as being smaller portion sizes and becoming aware of her triggers — as well as fitting in the foods she likes in a healthy way.
She said: “I have made so many positive changes to my life. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The team were so knowledgeable and non-judgmental.
“I have now lost 20lbs in weight and eight inches off my waist, which has made a huge difference to the way I feel.”
