Success Story: Holly, a busy mum of two regained her energy, no longer craves sugar and lost half a stone - all in 6 weeks!
Meet Holly, a busy mum of 2, who is also trying to navigate getting back into working life after her maternity leave. Prioritising her family meant that Holly got into some bad habits that were affecting her energy levels, and weight. Holly was also experiencing PMS which manifested as irritability, brain fog, cravings and anxiety.
Focussing on her two babies often meant skipping breakfast which meant Holly would snack on bags of chocolate or whatever she could quickly grab throughout the day. When it came to the evening, Holly was already in the habit of cooking for the family but when she was able to get some down time, she would associate that evening wind down with treating herself to sugary snacks such as ice cream, cake or more chocolate.
Holly felt ready to make some changes but wanted to do it the right way, without any fad diets so she signed up to my 6 week Nutrition review.
Hollys main goals were:
Weight loss
Eat healthier food more consistently
Have a better understanding on the nutrients she needs to feel energised and support her hormones
Build healthy habits and have the right support to implement these habits
Having had an initial consultation with Holly, I had a good idea of what her daily routine looked like and where she needed my support. Given her busy lifestyle, I wanted the changes to be simple, but effective.
The main area i wanted to address was the constant snacking as this would have lead to huge blood sugar spikes and dips throughout the day, contributing to her low energy, PMS and weight gain.
To address the snacking, I recommended she stick to 3 meals each day, where she prioritised protein, fats and fibre. Rather than take foods away, I wanted to add nutrients to her plate to fill her up and give her the nourishment her hormones were crying out for.
Just like any change, it can feel hard and habits are difficult to break.
We didn’t stop the snacking in the evening, I just gave her better options. Luckily Holly loves baking so we worked with that. She was able to make snacks that were high in fibre, essential fats and protein which still satisfied that sweet craving.
Holly blew me away with how quickly she was able to implement the protocol. She was consistent with sending me her food diary so I was able to see what she was eating most days. The food diary is helpful for both me and Holly because when we add what we’re eating to a food journal, we naturally become more conscious of what we’re eating and it can highlight any area’s or habits that we’re not necessarily aware of such as that biscuit with a brew or that daily pumpkin spice late which is full of sugar.
It’s not something I advise long term as the aim is to be intuitive with our eating but it can be helpful to begin with. The food journal also allows me to make recommendations on what else to add to the plate to make it even more nourishing
Holly and I were in regular contact, and within 3 weeks Holly had already messaged me saying how much better she felt. She had
More energy
No longer addicted to sugar
Eating healthier and more consistently
We had our follow up 6 weeks later and Holly just casually dropped into our conversation that she had lost half a stone! She said it in a way where she didn’t quite believe it because it felt effortless. She didn’t have to restrict or deny herself and because she was no longer addicted to the sugary snacks, she naturally made healthier choices which helped with her weight loss.
We also reviewed her blood tests during her follow up which she had done through the GP. There were a few nutrient deficiencies including vitamin D and B12 which could be contributing to her PMS so we are working on correcting those deficiencies through diet and supplementation.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with Holly’s success, and more importantly, I know how happy Holly is now she has more energy, lost weight and feels healthier within herself.
Holly is a great example of someone who decided to make her health a priority, and when you make small changes even over a short period of time and remain consistent, you can achieve some great results!
