I have to say since starting programme there has been a significant shift in my body and mind and here’s why.

Before I started the programme, my diet consisted of snacking as opposed to proper meals.  For over 15 years I have been looking for a lifestyle improvement plan.  I knew what was required, eating wise, but I could never break the rut of snacking then compensating the calories consumed by having a snack style lunch and dinner.  This resulted in years of:

  • feeling constantly tired (no energy to complete tasks I started or sometimes couldn’t be bothered to start);
  • craving chocolate, crisps, salted nuts, pastries;
  • increasingly noticeable dark circles under my eyes;
  • being moody for no apparent reason;
  • poor sleep quality.

Since starting the programme this has now changed.  I now:

  • wake up refreshed having had a decent night’s sleep;
  • feel less moody/irritable;
  • see a reduction in the dark circles under my eyes;
  • haven’t experienced cravings for chocolate, crisps, nuts or pastries;
  • have the energy to complete the tasks I start.

I feel the programme is what I have been searching for.  I tried slimming classes in the past but they were just about the quick fix … calorie counting, cutting out food groups etc which I always regarded as a faff. I enjoy food but I was stuck in the rut of thinking my tiredness would be alleviated if I just had some sugar and that’s where I became stuck (it may have been a mix of tiredness and emotional eating).  I was always too tired to think of meals so would end up eating anything that was quick.  Now, I am using the portion plate for my meals, which is the easiest practice for me. All of this improvement is the lifestyle change I need – I say lifestyle because everything we eat is our “diet” and I don’t want to sit in a diet class to be applauded for losing 1lb or commiserated with because I gained 1lb – not natural.  I could wax lyrical about the programme until the cows come home, but the long and the short of it is.  The programme is a no-nonsense, no gimmick approach to getting back to sensible eating and drinking to assist my body to do what it needs to.

All of this would not have been achievable without your support and knowledge Vicky.  This is a personal journey, not a one size fits all “DIET” and you have the ability to structure the plan and iron out the ruts for which I am extremely grateful.

S.P

I have heaps of energy, I am feeling much much better than before. My skin is looking much better as well.

I am now more mindful of what I eat. In the beginning I truly was a careless eater consuming everything and anything that I felt like. The sessions brought about an awareness and a heightened care of my health and how it is in my hands to take care of it.

From someone who would finish a can of Pringles to now someone who doesn’t even eat them at all, I would say my eating has changed a great deal. One of the things you said that stood out for me was that I should ask myself before I eat anything: Is this taking me towards my goal/vision? If the answer is no, then I save myself from the misery that would follow after. So like I said in my previous response, I am more mindful now of what I eat, which translates to me eating much more healthily.

There’s a mindset shift that has happened as a result and for that I am grateful and very proud!

N.K

I used to regularly suffer from obstruction in my bowel (ileus); I used to think that it was part of life to have abdominal pain and be bloated. Since working with Vicky and learning to eat food that suits my body, I am free from abdominal pain and am not bloated anymore. I have lost 5cm around my waist.

A.V

I feel rested, more stable and have a feeling of lightness. I am in control of my body, I control what goes in and in exchange my body gives the best outcome. Food was made a friend.

I was eating for survival but I wasn’t really surviving. My eating pattern was out of balance because my sleeping pattern was out of balance. This way of eating, drinking and sleeping impacts my whole life. I am able to give a better version of myself because my energy is really really good. I felt that my work was just too much but it was not that, it was because I was not resting well enough and not eating well enough. Now my energy is really great and I’m also giving off positive energy myself.

K.M

You were very graceful and practical, you worked with my budget; with what I could afford. I’m actually saving money because I am not wasting it on food that doesn’t serve my body. I have stopped drinking Coke, eating Simba chips and buying junk food, and I use my money wisely now. I used to almost live in my local takeaway, I am proud of not spending my time and money in there anymore. I was worried when I started this programme that it would cost money in terms of food and stuff I had to buy but I was pleasantly surprised that I was actually saving money.

It is not like doing it online with, for instance, some American programme that may not fit you, it is the personal touch one has with your coach, with available resources, that makes the difference. 

Many of us, like myself, across cultures and race, take for granted how a healthy lifestyle impacts one’s whole life because we focus more on just losing weight. And we can do really scary things to lose that weight.

I was not listening to my body because I was just plastering it with junk and also not sleeping. Now my body has a rhythm. I was brain-tired, exercise also helps me to sleep better now. I used to be too tired to do any form of exercise, now I have the energy to go for long walks in the evenings. There are a lot of things I thought I could never live without, I also thought I could never sleep early, I always told myself I am a night person, going to bed late and trying to get up at a certain time. My body clock was warring against it, I am proud of my sleep now, my body wakes up rested. It is fascinating how my body now tells me what I need.

R.K

Weekends used to be time to build up energy to survive the coming week, now I have the energy to do things I enjoy over weekends, like see friends, hiking and Vicky has also helped me to incorporate self-care into my weekends.

I used lockdown as an excuse not to exercise, I never liked exercise. I have found movement (as Vicky calls it) that works for me and I now have the energy to want to do something.

L.M

I have never heard about sleep hygiene until Vicky asked me about mine; I now know that my sleep hygiene was terrible. Today it is non-negotiable. I sleep, and that is the best feeling in the world.

A.J

I asked Vicky for help because I felt helpless, I felt tired every day of my life. I have tried various things to feel better but nothing seemed to help. Vicky’s knowledge of foods to eat, what to avoid and her making me accountable, made me change the way I eat. I was eating healthy but my body needed more. I now get home from work and I have energy to do the things that are important to me.

O.N

What a great and amazing experience I had with our chats and all the information you have given me. I thought I had this diet thing waxed but still had lots to learn. This is not a Diet but my new lifestyle, it includes self-care, and my eating is guilt-free.

C.S

Over the years, I have asked my GP on a few occasions why I was feeling so tired and if there was anything I could do. He always replied that it is just old age (I’m in my 50’s) and that I should live with it. This programme has changed my life because I have the energy to cook tasty, healthy meals (instead of grabbing rubbish), I exercise 3 times a week and am definitely less moody. Oh, and I fit into my pants again.”

B.J

In the beginning sleep was a challenge to me. I discovered that I had to learn the pattern of sleep. I had to learn how to sleep again and I never knew – I thought it was just sort of an automatic thing, getting the rhythm of it. It is soooo good sleeping. It came with sacrifices, in terms of time. But my productivity has increased so much that it has made up in terms of time, big-time. 

K.M