Emily: Coaching that catered to my inner rebel. I feel great!
Click here to listen to Emily’s story
Louise: From Binge Eating Every Weekend to Occasionally
I have suffered with binge eating for over 25 years which is my entire adult life. This has been something that has been a constant source of distress for me, it has also consumed a lot of my waking hours (and, come to think of it, also my sleeping hours because the excessive amounts of sugar I was consuming gave me stomach cramps and night sweats.) I have been a self-confessed yo-yo dieter having tried every fad-diet in an attempt to gain control of my compulsive behaviour around food.
Working with Harriet has helped me reduce my binges significantly from every weekend to now occasionally. She has also helped me understand that the very things I was doing in order to stop the binges were actually causing them and keeping me stuck in a constant cycle of binge-remorse-shame-restrict…
Undoing 25 years of habits and coping mechanisms is very challenging work, however, it’s rewarding, insightful and progressive but because of Harriet it’s also FUN!
Because of this work, for the first time I feel I’m addressing the root cause and I’m on the road to recovery.
Louise Mitchell, UK
Sally: A Real Transformation In Only 12 Weeks
I had had a problem binge eating for almost 20 years when I started working with Harriet. I had
spent thousands having coaching from some very well-respected practitioners, but I saw very little change.
In 12 weeks, I have experienced a real transformation in my mindset around this problem. I now only eat chocolate occasionally, and eat more pleasurable replacements. But more importantly, I don’t pin the old emotions (guilt, shame) to the eating.
She is very different from previous professionals I’ve seen. The sessions were tailored around my personal needs, rather than someone reeling off a theory. The check ins and extra email support really kept my spirits up. While the work was sometimes hard, I definitely felt supported. The upside of the hard work is I have a lot more clarity and direction in my life now.
Harriet helped me not feel so bad about what I was doing – even getting me to change what we call it (chaotic eating) so it’s less powerful. The work I did with her made me question everything about my relationship with food – in a good way! I’m a lot easier on myself these days. Sally Bolton, personal trainer www.eattrainlove.uk
Jessica: I turned failure on its head
Jessica followed the online Freedom From Sugar course, and had add-on 1 to 1 coaching sessions with it.
Food Is No Longer A Crutch for Sam
I was fed up of being tired all the time – no matter how much sugar I ate. Since then I have lost more than 2 stone, and feel like I have regained control of my life.
I used to hunt for food to solve how I felt – but it’s no longer a crutch for me. There were strategies & tricks I got from the coaching that I never would have thought of myself, which have been invaluable and very effective. My skin has improved, I’m no longer on a moody roller coaster and I feel energised and generally fantastic!” Sam Warner, Telford UK
Easier On Himself…and More Self-Disciplined
Before I started working with Harriet, I was completely out of control around food, compulsively eating things that were not good for me – it was like my body was not listening to my head. It undermined the other things I was doing for my health (like the gym) and I felt cross with myself, guilty and despondant.
I started to gain control very soon into the coaching sessions. I now feel significantly stronger mentally, and am much more disciplined – I’m talking about a 90% reduction in processed sugar. Going to a shop or petrol station is no longer a minefield of temptation. I think a lot of it has developed into unconscious competence. The daily check ins have really helped turn my goals into habits.
The best thing is I am actually easier on myself – I just don’t feel the guilt I used to. We worked on different ways to avoid feeling like I was depriving myself. Although weight loss was not the focus of the coaching, I am pleased to say that I have also lost (a previously immoveable) half a stone (7lb) in spite of a full social life and a holiday – and kept it off.
Mr G Thomas, Cardiff
Fran: I Feel Like A New Person
I feel enlightened to have seen the light finally on a healthier lifestyle. It certainly has felt more
sustainable, mainly because you can feel a difference in yourself almost straight away – not just physically, but mentally stronger. I also started questioning social aspects of food such as advertising brand media and how we perceive food. I feel this is an important factor in how myself and many others have been/are overweight.
Since changing my way of eating, I now do not have migraines (which literally were disabling my life). No doctor had been able to help me for 3 years. Not one doctor spoke to me about sugars in foods. I now do not drinks like diet coke, or any caffeine. I feel amazing, full of life and health. I sleep properly and am no longer angry and depressed, I feel like a new person. I have lost 3 stone, and my confidence and self esteem are though the roof!
I felt I could trust in Harriet 100% as she is so personable and a real human being with real experiences. When I’ve tried previous diets they have been branded big name diets and I felt a bit lost. Thanks to Harriet for helping me change me life. Fran, Shrewsbury
Toni: Not even a thought in my head
Before I started working with Harriet, I was a mess when it came to food. It was like an obsession – constant. My cravings for potatoes and potato chips were very strong. I was type II diabetic and seeing a nurse.
Thanksgiving in particular I was dreading but a few weeks beforehand Harriet helped me decode the meaning of certain foods and it was the first year that I can remember not being bothered about the food that used to be like a magnet to me.
Now I only think about food when I am meal planning. I leave it at that. Yesterday me and my husband went to a baseball game. This time 6 months ago I would have been preoccupied the whole first half about what I could get at half time. Instead we just decided to get a hot dog, but it wasn’t even a thought in my head. It was also funny because the shorts I put on that I bought 5 months ago were also far too big for me.
I am still diabetic, but last month when I went for an operation on my wrist, 6 different nurses all looked at my numbers and started talking to me about how great it is that I am no longer diabetic, because my numbers are so good – down more than 100 points since I started this work with Harriet. I had to correct them – I am still diabetic, but my doctor has said that he is looking to reduce or get me off medication in the coming year.
Toni, Fort Lauderdale
Tony: I don’t worry about food anymore
I met with Harriet because I was fed up of worrying about food. I have self-discipline but was not getting the results that I expected from the efforts I was putting in. I had body confidence issues and no one to talk to about them.
Harriet helped me address specific behaviours and we worked together to find a fun way that they stuck for me. After some initial gains we were able to look at the roots of what was really going on with me around stress and acceptance. Harriet thoughtfully reflected on our sessions and came back with provocative questions and new challenges to move me forward.
I don’t worry about food anymore. I am happy that I have examined my behaviours and triggers around food and that they are actually healthy. I need to address my personal acceptance and stress which is life long work. I now clearly see all the options, choices and tools available to me. Thank you Harriet for guiding me on the leg of my journey.
Tony (Dublin)
Alison: Cutting Down On Sugar Has Changed My Life
Harriet made the lights come on for me with my eating issues. She broke down the process of
tackling my sugar addiction so I could do it in an effortless way, a day at a time. Her replacements made all the difference. I haven’t given it up completely, but cutting down on it has changed my life. It released a tidal wave of creativity and potential. I’ve left the financial hell I’d created and even manifested my own car. I have a better social life nowadays.
I am also grateful for how I have been able to reframe my abusive childhood using tools Harriet taught me like the concept of stage 2. I am no longer living caught up in the past. Alison Rowanna, Shropshire, UK
Neil: Ending Night Time Binges In Less Than A Month
In less than a month, Harriet was able to coach me so I was able to overcome the negative habit of overeating at night. The changes she helped me make have been sustained and I am so happy with the resulting weight loss that is still happening! She really understands the complex subject of the psychology of eating and is able to give that over in a fun and compelling way that creates lasting change.
Neil Rischall, New York
Richard: Making Me Do What I Love Again
Nicole: I Feel More Confident & Happy
The coaching was amazing!! I have more energy nowadays from the nutritional changes that Harriet showed me. I still leave some thing on my plate every meal – even if it is the tiniest bit, it makes me feel more in control. I eat slower and tend to enjoy more of what I’m eating and actually notice the taste of food now! I feel more confident in my appearance because “It is what it is!” I feel happier in myself and more accepting of my body and who I am.
The coaching made me feel very scared but in a really positive way. It made me look deeper into my food habits, some of which stem from my childhood. It was more personalised and enjoyable than previous weight loss methods, as it made me more aware of what I was putting in my mouth and why I ate certain foods at certain times. It made me realise if I want certain foods it’s probably because my body needs them and it’s not just me being greedy.
I’ve learnt a lot, not only about food but about myself and I feel a much happier person because of it. Many thanks for everything. Nicole Anslow Milward, Shrewsbury, UK
Maria: I Now Have The Drive To Move Forward
Last year I went to Alton Towers, I had been there many times before but this was the first time I was too big to get on the major rides. My daughter paid for this trip with her savings as a present for us all at Christmas, and it broke my heart to not to be able fully enjoy the experience as a family.
The guilt I felt played on my mind eventually I decided set up my own exercise group for overweight people, I lost 3 stone (42lb) but again my momentum stopped just around Christmas and even though I kept attending the fitness sessions, I was overeating which led me to start to put the weight back on. 1.5 stone up. When I met Harriet it was great to meet with someone who understood the life journey I had been on with my constant yo-yo dieting.
Harriet has a great knowledge the trials and tribulations people face with weight loss but she helps me to work out “Why” I have the issues I have and looks at ways in which I can knock down the barriers I face ,and looks at how the mind works in relation to barriers. I have met with Diet clubs, GP and health workers – but for me Harriet’s support is the missing link between fitness and healthy eating.
I have a long way to go and I am accepting that I will have highs and lows and the devil on my shoulder will always try and rear its ugly head. I have lost 5lb in the last 3 weeks with Harriet’s help, and I now have the drive, focus and tools to help me move forward and before too long I will be back at Alton Towers and on every ride ! Maria Williams, Shrewsbury UK
Frankie: No Sugar Equals No Mood Swings
Thank you for the coaching to help me reduce my sugar intake. My motivation was acne, weight gain, and feeling like I was on an emotional rollercoaster.
Since giving up one month ago sugar my spots reduced on my face instantly. My mood and emotions are more stable and I have a lot more energy than before because sugar can keep your energy very low. My tummy area where I stored my fat (because any unused sugar turns into fat) is now going. I have never had a flat tummy, so I am really happy with the results I have had in only a month.
Giving up sugar, I will never look back. Sugar is highly addictive, more than we realise. It is socially acceptable to eat a lot of refined sugar. Our bodies cannot cope with high amounts as it puts our organs under extreme stress i.e. our pancreas. My mother is a Type 1 diabetic, so giving up sugar was also something I needed to do for health reasons because diabetes can be genetic. Frankie Greer, Shrewsbury UK
Kzee: 100% Success
I was on a real roller coaster with sugar – insomnia and cravings were par for the course. I wanted to do something about it for health reasons and my low energy levels. I had had enough! Through the programme, I have had 100% success giving up biscuits and chocolate since going through this process 2 months ago. Ideas like The Double Dare have made social situations a place to actually feel empowered around food – the other day I was at someone’s house, stood near the cake and didn’t have any! Kzee Herz, Shrewsbury, UK
Now I Can Walk Away
Sugar used to dull my senses, sap my energy and muddle my thinking. I would go into a trance around sweets – it was like a Pavlovian response. While working with Harriet, I would feel my heart race seeing sweets, but I was able to walk away. The Cravings Busters were really useful. I have not only successfully stayed off them for 6 weeks now, but I feel ready to tackle the next thing. Really empowering. MB, Birmingham
I have stopped giving my power away
I wanted to give up sugar because of my lack of energy and my weight – it just made me feel bad (and guilty and ashamed). I had an all or nothing approach. Chocolate was my comfort – to deal with any situation I found myself in. Temptation was often too great to resist. Since doing this programme, I have stopped giving my power away to sugar. I particularly loved the motivational videos. I do have the odd piece of chocolate, but I can leave most of a box whereas before I would have eaten the lot. I decided to make my easter egg a tiny cream egg instead of the usual big one I used to have – and ended up not even having that – amazing! I also have lots more energy now and my diet is much healthier. And because I’m eating healthier, so is my family. J.A., Northern Ireland