Mar 21, 2013 | Emotional Wellbeing, Food, Health, Real Life Stories
Maxine S decided it was time for change…and let a friend’s recommendation help her start her journey back to health after a few years that have been really emotionally tough. This is how she found the 5 Day Detox…
Where do you live?
In Droylsden, Manchester.
Do you have or work with children – if so doing what?
Not only do I have 2 children, but for my sins, I am an Assistant Beaver Scout Leader!
How did your weight affect you/and how you were around the children you work with?
Even though I am tall (5″7) the weight was not visible to the naked eye, however, having sat down at work for most of the day, when I looked down at my feet, it was as though I was sharing my chair with another person. The later in the day, the more the gravity took hold. Knowing this, I would deliberately chose an outfit every morning, that would hide my shape. To make matters worst, on an evening when I would go to scouts, I found it difficult to keep up with the Beavers – not surprisingly, they are aged 4 – 8 years! That sluggish feeling, at the end of the day, was taking a hold.
Have you ever tried to loose weight before?
Yes and I was successful. But I’ve been through a lot in the last few years, and it has all crept back on again.
So why did you choose this program?
I was at the stage where I had convinced myself I was suffering from the SAD syndrome. My friend saw straight through this and suggested I take some supplements to give my body back what it was lacking, alongside this weight programme. I did not have an illness, I was just tired – like most people – but instead of trying to find out why, I just self-diagnosed myself with something that was closest to the way I was feeling. After just 5 days, I found myself with a new lease on life and so she suggested I go to the gym to utilize this extra energy. To my surprise, I enjoy it! I have started to feel healthier – running around with Beavers isn’t such a chore! I have seen first hand how these products work as my friend has been using them for some time, and she looks good!
What is your favourite new product so far?
The strawberry nutrimeal is (and probably always will be!) my favourite. It is so easy to make. A few ounces of water, 3 scoops of shake and result! For the busy lifestyle I am leading, this is ideal.
What was it like starting to loose weight this way?
I think it’s the best way. I know exactly what I am putting into my body, and exactly what it is doing for my body. I know that everything is science-based and top quality – which is why it works.
What has surprised you so far?
The speed at which I started to feel the difference. The lack of tiredness. That sluggish feeling. It all went away so quickly.
What was your biggest challenge?
Getting used to the idea of not eating, but mainly drinking for a few days! Sounds strange, but it is a hard habit to break. I think it’s just habit though…because all food ends up as liquid inside us eventually!
How helpful / supportive were the people around you?
At no point did I ever feel I was on my own. Not only did I work with my friend who put me on the programme, but I knew there was a wider team available for support, should I need any.
Have you noticed any changes other than weight loss / shrinking!?
Yes, the energy. I feel like I could take on the world – I even registered to run the Manchester half marathon.
What have your learned so far?
So much about health and wellness. To be aware of what you’re putting into your body, but most importantly, you cannot put a cost on your health.
How are you feeling about the next phase?
Scared out of my wits! I know it can work, but I don’t know if I have the sticking power. It’s more about me really. I know loads of others have been able to do it, so I guess I should too. I’ll just keep setting short term goals – anything longer scares me.
How do you think this journey might affect the way you are around the children you know?
Massive awareness. I don’t buy my children sugary cereal anymore and I limit the amount of sweets they have. Education is a good thing, and I’m passing it on to them too.
What do your children think of you and your weight loss journey so far?
They are pleased for me. I have more time and energy to spend with them. I do things now I could not be bothered to do before. The kind of things that would involve me using my legs for walking rather than just pushing the pedals in my car!
Anything else you think other people should know about this experience?
Yes. It is well worth it, but they should be warned about possible headaches. I know these don’t happen to everyone, and they can be controlled easily by drinking plenty of water, but lack of experience and being ‘hard of hearing’ (I just didn’t listen to the advice when I was given it), made me find out the hard way.
5 DAYS in : down 6 lbs so far…
Thanks for that Maxine. What a great start to getting back in control again. Keep going like this and those Beavers will be finding it hard to keep up with you!
Mar 1, 2013 | Children, Emotional Wellbeing, Food, Real Life Stories
Clair H recently got in touch to ask for some guidance in loosing weight. She jumped at our award-winning, science-based weight management program and has such great focus and clarity about what she wanted and why. She is loving her results (although we are not so surprised by those) and we are loving her attitude. She is only 3 weeks in and already down 1 stone 3lbs. This is how she has found it so far…
Where do you live?
I currently live in Dublin’s fair city, well South of Dublin really in a little village called Rathcoole. I am, however, (and feel compelled to point this out) a Lancastrian by birth and a true Northerner through and through.
Do you work with children – if so doing what?
I do indeed work with children and have done for nearly all of my adult life. I am currently working with a family who have three children one of whom is physically disabled with cerebral palsy, they are all a joy and a challenge at times.
How did your weight affect you/and how you were around the children you work with?
I have always been quite self conscious about my weight, and when I first started this job in particular I felt my fitness was not up to scratch and that the few extra pounds I had gained from having stopped smoking were impacting on my health and keeping up with generally running around after three children. I was aware that at times the eldest child particularly picked up on my being down a little.
Have you ever tried to loose weight before?
Blimey where do you want me to start with that epic story??? LOL. I have lost count of the number of times I have tried to lose weight, I have been successful but for some reason it always creeps back on when I least expect it to.
So why did you choose this program?
I chose this program because I was inspired by the status of an old friend on facebook….See Social Media is not all bad (and Claire I don’t actually mean that you are old!!!!! lol) [of course you didn’t – we’re the same age! -Ed]. I was at a low ebb at that time and had started to think about trying to lose weight again, mainly because I discovered that I was the heaviest I had ever been at 14st 1lb, I had lost a few pounds and wavered at around 13st 9lb – 13st 6lb, but it got me down with the yoyo-ing. I spoke at length to Claire who explained the principles of the program based on a low GI diet after a detox and I thought this is for you girl go to it and so I did.
What is your favourite new product so far?
I love the peanut butter bars they really satisfy my sweet tooth and taste really good. I also like the vanilla shake….but you can keep the strawberry one, it’s not for me I’m afraid.
What was it like during the 5 Day RESET phase?
Surprisingly I managed really well with this. As well as the low GI meals and snacks I got in my pack, I had some low GI fruit and ate a few walnuts if I felt peckish during the day at all. Going out with friends was a massive challenge especially as they all had lunch, but I was very good and asked for a garden salad of lettuce, onion, tomatoes without dressing and had a snack bar after this. I avoided tea and coffee as well which was no mean feat, but I thought detox means detox, no cheating that sets me up to cheat and have bad habits. Anyone who knows me well will know once I start something I become stubborn and determined to succeed.
What has surprised you so far?
The biggest surprise so far has been that I have not really missed not eating cakes, sweets or biscuits, for me not to eat those is nothing short of a miracle.
What was your biggest challenge?
My biggest struggle has been not having bread, potatoes, rice and pasta as they were part of my staple diet previously. That said, because I am stubborn and determined I have learnt about foods with low GI that I could use as a substitute.
How helpful / supportive were the people around you?
My parents have been brilliant, even my dad who would be the first to try and tempt has been really good and when I have declined anything, and has not pursued it further (and trust me that’s a big thing.) My partner has not been the greatest when I came back to Dublin and told him about this, all he was bothered about was how much it was costing me. (Typical). Claire Wilson has been amazing with her phone calls, emails, messages on facebook and I am eternally grateful for that. Also the 21 Day Trim Down daily emails and other resources, have provided further support and useful information I can keep going back to.
Have you noticed any changes other than weight loss / shrinking!?
Yes. Even after the first 5 Days, I felt a great deal of difference in terms of my energy levels and I was sleeping better too.
What have your learned so far?
I have learnt that losing weight does not need to be a chore, all you need to do is listen to your body and make sure it gets a good balanced diet but one that keeps your blood sugars balanced.
How are you feeling about the next phase?
I’m looking forward to the next phase, where I can introduce a few more carbs, but I think I will be keeping them all low GI. I will continue my current plan for a while longer till I hit my goal weight.
How do you think this journey might affect the way you are around the children you work with?
I think this will have a quite profound and positive effect on way I am around the children I work with. Feeling happier in yourself shows outwardly, children are very perceptive (something we should never forget). They can sense if you are not yourself. A happy you means they too will be happy.
Anything else you think other people should know about this experience?
I advise anybody to give this a go, it’s not a diet rather more it is an education programme about eating the right things for you body, mind and spirit. Thanks Claire.
3 WEEKS : down 1 stone 3 lbs so far…
Thanks for sharing your story with us Clair. Congratulations on your success so far. We know you’ll be at your goal before you know it. We’ll catch up with you again for a chat and maybe a full length pic then too?!
Feb 22, 2013 | Emotional Wellbeing, Food, Health, Uncategorized
I have been staying in Bowness on Windermere for a few days break this half term. Time for some serious unplugging and R&R. I set a vision for how I wanted to feel at the end of these 5 days; to go home feeling refreshed, revitalised and ready for the next part of this year’s adventures. I knew that eating the regular ‘holiday food’ would not lead me towards that. Full English breakfasts and fish n chips would have me feeling sluggish and adding ‘loose weight’ to my already long enough to-do-list! So I have been consciously making choices about what I have put in my mouth for these last few days, as I do normally when I am home- it’s just all too easy to let it slip when I am ‘on holiday’. I need nourishing.
This afternoon I was truly nourished, by my experience at Cafe Latte. If you are EVER near Windermere I really recommend you go there. It is small, but more than perfectly formed…and the best bit is that the food tastes different! Have you ever had food made and served with so much love and passion you can taste it? If you have you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, then you should book a trip to the Lake District just to go and experience it!
4 St Martins Hill, LA23 3DD. 015394 43076
In my experience this kind of food is rare when you are eating out…it’s more like the extra something that makes your mum’s roasts the best ever.
Cafe Latte is run by Caroline and Sharon (mother and daughter team) as their joint dream venture. The care and commitment that has gone into CAFE LATTE is clear from the moment you see it: the decor, the fabrics, the furniture (Caroline tracked down the pews after seeing them in a dream), the welcome, the hospitality, the desire to connect with and serve their customers, who they treat with so much care and respect ….and that’s all before you out anything IN your mouth!
Everything is homemade. I mean EVERYTHING. They make their own jam for scones, even their own butter. The goats cheese and red onion tart I had was gorgeous. It came with fresh coleslaw and a sublime side salad that was soo much more than the few lettuce leaves you so often get as the token gesture. The quality across the board is exceptional.
The food I had was great (yes I still had to make choices to steer away from the high GI options), nourishing and soul food. But more than the food, the whole experience was nurturing. I had the strange experience of feeling cared for by them, rather than the non-descript anonymity you can so easily feel in eating establishments these days. I arrived as a customer, and left as a fan.
I want to support them in their mission. There is a myriad of eating places in Bowness. But I believe Cafe Latte has a clear USP – quality & love. You’ll have to go yourself to see if you agree with me.
What I know is I spent 1 hour in there. I had some wonderful food, fantastic service, I got to meet 2 lovely people and I left fully nourished: body and soul. Their vision and dream making has encouraged and inspired me again to keep moving on with the vision I carry…
I only found Cafe Latte today- the day before I go home…if it had been any earlier I think I might have eaten there everyday! However… I WILL be back!
The whole experience left me pondering more about all of us in the CHEW network
~ how intentional are we about unplugging from the emotional intensity of our work?
~ have you ever set a goal/ vision for how you want to be at the end of your break, and used that to guide your choices of food, sleep time, activities etc?
~ have you had an experience recently (outside of your work) that really nourished you emotionally?
Let me know what your thoughts are… I’d love to hear them. 
Jan 4, 2012 | Emotional Wellbeing, Food, Health
Today I absolutely want to celebrate 2 women I know. They work in the same office as me (currently – but that’s a whole other blog!). I went in today for the first day back after the Christmas break to see one of them floating round the office, soaking up compliments with a new hair do, new clothes and brand spanking new self-confidence to accompany her new self-image.
The other sidled up to me in a more reserved way, but still had something to tell me…
You see if you turned the clock back several months, the picture was very different. The first lady barely left her desk and was really struggling with her weight – despite, as she told me ‘having done every diet under the sun’. The other lady was (unbeknownst to me) silently going through a private nightmare researching everything she could find about weight loss and how to do it. She was gaining a lot of knowledge and yet still putting on the pounds.
Since then the first lady took me up on my suggestion she try the RESET program… she has stuck with it and today’s version of herself is over 2 stone less than she was. She said she now has no back pain, is sleeping better, no hip pain,and has been able to start exercising too. She was an inspiration to the second lady…
Who took courage in her hands and asked me what it was all about. She told me she could talk at me for an hour about everything she knew she needed to do to loose weight, but still, with her best will-power to do it, was putting on a pound a day. I explained about the blood glucose addiction factor, which is really tough to break with will-power alone. I told her about the 2 stages of the RESET programe she could do to break that pattern – a 5 day DETOX and cleanse that would reset her system, and then a Transform phase which would continue to establish new, low-glycemic habits for her body and lifestyle. Once she realised this is not a diet… but a science-based, sensible program to help stop the out-of-control choas and guilt and develop a better lifestyle…She began within days.
So what of todays great news? When she got on the scales on Christmas Day (for the first time in over a month) she was 13 lbs lighter! The quiet delight in her was so precious. There is hope there now where before she had none.
They have both told me how much they enjoy the balanced meal replacement nutritious smoothies, and snacks… but most of all they love the sense of being in control of their bodies again – getting healthier day by day – and being able to head towards their health goals, free from the down-ward spiral.
Ladies, I take my hat off to you both. I knew Reset could help – but you have stuck with it, and are seeing the results! You have inspired me too…I don’t have stones to loose… but I’m off to order what I need, to do my next 5 day Detox next week. Thank you.
