This is online coaching client Angela’s story.
As a coach, I am super proud of this lady – the habits she’s built and the progress she’s made.
Angela has done incredibly well, and while the photos show the results you can see (and she deserves to be proud of them), what she’s written below shows the other fantastic progress she’s made. Including improving her physical and mental health, getting stronger, feeling happier and more confident, and building a healthier and happier relationship with food. And all of that is what I want to help more people with.
So below is what the lady herself has written. I’ve broken it down into chunks so it’s easier to read than a big block of text. Angela – thank you so much for writing it, and a huge well done.
Angela’s testimonial
“For most of my adult life I have been either really good or bad on a diet. I have gone weeks or even months eating clean foods but then I’d crack and have an all-out binge which can last for days or weeks. Really, I just wanted to have a normal weight and have a healthy relationship with food, where I ate nutritiously most of the time but could fit in other foods that I really loved that are not so nutritious.
I really wanted to stop yo yo dieting. And I wanted to get back into running. After moving house in March this year and successfully reaching my target weight, I started eating takeaways and drinking alcohol, which was not usually part of my diet. This was a mixture of not having the time to cook and also not feeling that I had to be accountable to anyone. As a result, my weight started creeping up and I gained around 2 stone.
Past diet experiences
I had done most diets. Weight watchers, slimming world, Cambridge diet, Atkins, Stockholm diet, Keto, fasting diets. I can’t remember the half of them. Around 10 years ago, I signed up with a Personal Trainer that, looking back, was only interested in results. He had me doing around 2 workouts a day (only Sunday rest). I was burning around 3000 calories per day, and I was only allowed to eat 1200 and the calories had to be ‘clean’. Inevitably lost a lot of weight quickly, but it wasn’t sustainable long term so after month 3 or 4 I started to binge eat.
I went to the supermarket and bought everything I was not allowed, and I brought them back to my flat and ate everything until it was gone. At the time I enjoyed it but afterwards I regretted it, and then I was going days with eating very much. This happened time and time again. I did let the PT know that this was happening, but he was not sure how he could help as binge eating was not something he said he had ever encountered with clients. Eventually he moved to another gym, and we parted ways.
Finding support
After a while I starting looking at Online Coaching. I wanted to get support because old habits were creeping in, and I didn’t have a great relationship with food. I saw foods as either good or bad and I really hated how I couldn’t have certain foods in the house. If they were in the cupboard I would eat them all in a very short space of time. So, either my partner would have to hide them on me at my request, or we just didn’t bring those foods into the house.
I started binge eating cereal, yogurt, nuts and yoghurt when my partner went out for the evening walk with the dogs. At the time I was following a 20hr fast diet. As a result, I was so hungry that I ate my dinner as normal, but later that night I consumed so many calories in this big bowl of sweet food. While it didn’t happen every night, I was stuck in this cycle, and it was starting to become more and more frequent. Subsequently I searched online and came across Hayley’s website.
Online Coaching
After speaking on the phone, we began a plan to help with nutrition, exercise and mindset around food. Since starting Online Coaching, I now work out regularly using weights at home, and have built quite a bit of muscle definition. I love working out in the mornings and look forward to it most days. I have a better relationship with food. No food is off limits now. I can bring any foods into my house now without the fear of overeating or binging on them.
I also fit in coffee and cake every second weekend, and really enjoy the homemade cakes that they have at my local cafe. Before I would not have dreamed of having cake as part of my diet. I had low calorie or homemade ice cream regularly when I first started with Hayley, but now I don’t have them so much as it is not as appealing as it once was. I prefer to eat more natural foods most of the time, and really enjoy that slice of cake at the weekend. Now I know I can have what I want anytime, certain foods are no longer on a pedestal.
Things that helped
Getting advice on my nutrition and upping protein and fibre has made me feel more satiated – I don’t feel as tired as I once did come mid-afternoon. I always aim to go out with my partner for the evening walk with the dogs. This not only gives me some more exercise and quality time with my partner and dogs, but it got me out of the cycle of binge eating when he went out.
I also only eat until satisfied now and will leave food on my plate and then bin or save it for the next day it, so I am not overeating. And I know that the times I used to binge I was not hungry. I don’t feel the need to binge anymore, probably because my body is getting fuelled properly. Now if I feel like snacking at night, I know it is usually because I am tired. So I will usually curb this by having a hot chocolate and then brushing my teeth.
The weekly check ins are invaluable to go over struggles that you may have encountered over the week. Also having Hayley looking over my food diary to give me little pointers as to what I can do to improve my nutrition really helped. And the fitness app that we use for our workouts. Seeing progress with weights and reps going up is a massive boost to see how far I have progressed. Another bonus is I have done the majority of my exercise a home and not in a gym. I also love the monthly recipe’s and listening to Hayley’s podcasts. I listen to podcasts while working out, so I feel like I am multitasking.
To sum up
Above all, I would say speak to Hayley if you are struggling. In the past 12 weeks I have lost 21lbs, 20cm from my waist, dropped a dress size, and got fitter and stronger. My relationship with food is so much better. I am in a much better place mentally as well as physically than I ever have been.”
Many women get to the point where they’ve tried various diets and are left feeling lost, frustrated and confused.
If that’s you, seeking professional guidance from a nutritionist, personal trainer, or weight loss coach (I am all three) can make a huge difference.
Through online coaching, my goal is to help you reach YOUR goals in a way that’s both enjoyable and sustainable. We work together to simplify the process, focus on what really works, and support you in creating a lifestyle that works for you.
There is a ton of free information and advice on both my instagram page – @hayleyplummerpt – and my podcast:
Think Healthy with Hayley
And if you’re interested in having personalised support, find out more about Online Weight Loss Coaching here:
Benefits of Having an Online Weight Loss Coach
