I’ve struggled with my weight and been an emotional eater for about thirty years. I’ve lost many kilos along the way only for them to creep back along with a few more buddies in tow. I was caught in a classic diet/no diet bind. I knew an awful lot about food as I bought every health magazine on the planet and tried many different programmes from food delivery services (great until you supplement with macaroni cheese and chocolate biscuits) and slimming groups. I felt helpless and out of control.
I have a job that often involves very long hours (M and A lawyer) and regular long haul travel when jet lag and boredom on 13 hour flights lead one straight to the ice cream/chocolate/cheese/any food trough. Yes I’ve eaten Dulce de Leche ice cream at 5am in a departure lounge.
I spoke to Marcelle in July of 2015 about the programme. She asked me a number of questions to determine if the programme was for me. On that call, for the first time in forever, I felt like I might just find a way to lose the weight and keep it off.
So the journey began and I am now (some 15 months later) 27 kilos lighter and down from a size 20 to a size 14. I’m tall so I’m almost there. I can now say with absolute certainty for the first time in my life that the weight I’ve taken off is never coming back. It’s not to say that I don’t have days when the siren song of chocolate and Dulce de Leche ice cream does not overwhelm me but now I have a feast (ok a huge feast) and move on the next day to eating normally instead of spending weeks eating. Those days are also very rare – a handful in 15 months.
I could not have done this without Marcelle. I must admit I was cautious, well down right dubious, about coaching in the beginning but Marcelle is just brilliant at it. She has an incredible ability to home in on what you need when you don’t have a clue what you need. The tools she gave me in the beginning set me up – I remember reciting my mantra endlessly when faced with pizza deliveries in deal rooms at 2 am. She never judges and her advice on food is sensible, pragmatic and tailored to you. I don’t like cooking so I am never going to prepare complicated meals and Marcelle understands and works with that instead of trying to change me. I always feel better after a coaching call with Marcelle. She’s also worked in the corporate world so she completely gets how it all works; the pressure, stress, work functions etc. That helps enormously.
The eating programme itself is infinitely manageable and you can adapt it to any circumstance. I’ve managed on it on business trips all over the world. I have also been fascinated to see how stabilising your blood sugar changes so much. I can honestly say that if I have a sugar binge I feel tired and grumpy the next day – that’s been fascinating to me. No wonder I was grumpy 18 months ago on a regular diet of macaroni cheese/lasagne/chocolate!
People ask me how I feel and I feel just brilliant. A friend who weighed what I did summed it up; when you are the size I was you do grateful shopping – you are so grateful to find something at size 20 that fits that you buy it even if its not your colour fabric etc. Now I have choices! I’ve discovered all the shops everyone else takes for granted on the high street and it’s so much fun. I’ve gone from wearing black suits to work to every colour under the rainbow – a veritable legal peacock. I feel so proud and so much healthier- my energy levels are transformed.
I’ve tried so many times before and never succeeded. This success is as much Marcelle’s as it is mine and it is forever. I can never thank her or recommend her highly enough.
VAD Corporate Lawyer