Before finding the Academy I’d been on every diet known to man, from the age of 20, after having my first baby I started dieting, I am now 47. Every diet I went on was usually either cutting calories, counting calories, points, sins,  cutting food groups, exercising like a crazy person, drinking milkshakes, juice only diets, supplements, powders and potions, fasting, even those little blue pills prescribed by the doctor that make you fearful of leaving your house in case an embarrassing situation occurred.

Most I lost weight, some very quickly, but none were sustainable leaving me getting on and off the wagon repeatedly every time feeling like a failure and gaining the weight I lost back and more.  

All these bad food habits led to a messed up metabolism and an almost fear of food, I was so used to restricting calories and not listening to my body I hardly ate or I’d eat everything in sight there was no middle ground, no balance. 

I did my research and there was so much conflicting information I didn’t know how to eat anymore, eat fats, cut fat, eat carbs but carbs are bad, don’t eat to many eggs but eggs are good but only if you eat the whites but yolks are full of protein, to much water is bad you could drown but water is the only drink you should have, red meat is bad, to much white meat is bad but veggies have to much sugar and you should only eat fruit every other week and only before 1pm , I mean what the hell are you supposed to eat. I was at my heaviest and I had no clue what to do, I needed clear information and guidance that was sustainable for life, I just wanted to eat normally and healthy, I needed to be educated.

Then I saw an advert for a 3 week reset and a promise of step by step coaching and support from a qualified nutritionist, all for a very reasonable price, so I went for it.

The meals were normal, no crazy food that you had to scale the world to find and clear simple instructions. The Facebook group was full of amazing supportive ladies, all with much the same experiences and a great sense of humour. I found education on how to eat normally given by a lovely straight talking lady who’d been through it to who could relate to everything we were feeling, there was no one talking down to you or making you feel stupid it was clear information from someone who was passionate about helping. 

I learnt that yes the food was important but so was your mindset and the way you ate, I learnt to start listening to my body and once my body realised I was listening again it’s instructions and needs became clearer than ever, I’d stopped listening before instead, following strict rules and ignoring what it was instinctively telling me so it gave up telling me.  I went from skipping meals to eating 3xs a day more if I needed to, I formed good habits and learnt how to balance my meals, my portions got smaller without me even realising it. 

Food became just food not a reward or because I thought I’d deserved it for some reason, there was no good or bad food it was just food. I didn’t deny myself anything if I wanted something I had it just in a mindful controlled way, for once in my life I wasn’t dieting anymore I was just eating like a normal healthy person, I was eating out and ordering like a normal person, not ordering the whole menu because I’d been good all week and deserved a treat or just ordering a salad because I was being good. I began being in complete control and enjoying food again, discovering new foods too, I wasn’t afraid of eating anymore.

So now I’ve been doing this since July and I’ve lost 36lbs, 2 dress sizes and food is now something that doesn’t rule my life, I’m not constantly thinking about it, I control food it doesn’t control me, I actually own a full length mirror, the photos I’ve taken are actually a month after I joined the academy as I was too ashamed to look at myself. 

Now I’m still no skinny bean and I still have a long way to go but I feel amazing and I actually feel that being a healthy person that’s comfortable in my own skin is so achievable, weight doesn’t really matter to me anymore, I don’t have a set number I want to be, I have a dress size in mind and I know what I would like to see in the mirror and I know I’ll get there.

It may take me a while but that’s ok because it’s achievable and I’m doing it by balance and eating normal food normally, realising when I need to push myself and when I need to rest, not rewarding myself with food ( I’m not a dog) but finding some other way to pamper myself.

I’ve learnt to treat myself better to “would you talk to your best friend like that?”, to forgive myself, I’m human, I make mistakes and that’s fine it’s what I do next that matters.

I recommend this to everyone, it’s liberating to finally be in control and to give up that diet mentality.