TESTIMONIAL

What was your relationship with food and your body like before working with Kirsty? How would you describe your relationship with food and your body now? 

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Before working with Kirsty I had a difficult relationship with food. After 15 years on the diet cycle I'd finally decided never again, but what I hadn't realised was how many rules I still had around food leaving me still in the cycle without even knowing it. I still have a long way to go, but my relationship with food is much less emotionally charged. I rarely feel guilt around food, and I eat what my body tells me to not the other way around. I have much more respect for my body and what it can do for me, after years of blaming it for not being fit enough/thin enough I now look at it and see it for what it really is - the vessel that has been fighting to keep me alive for the past 30 years without ever letting me down, despite my best efforts to punish it for not being 'enough'.

 

 

Have your food choices changed? Are they quicker?

Are you choosing different types of foods?

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My food choices definitely vary, some days I choose more nutrient dense options, others I choose the foods which diet culture would tell me are bad. What has definitely changed is why I choose nutrient dense options - because they make me feel good. Not because they are 'free', not because I 'should', not even because I tell myself that’s what I want, but because my body feels better for having them.

 

 

What has been your biggest “ah-ha” moment?

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This journey has definitely been one with twists and turns, I had a huge ah-ha moment after a post-walk trip to M&S. I have a real sweet tooth and M&S pastries have always been a treat I love, but after popping in store on my way home and grabbing a few bits I realised something. I'd been down every aisle, picked up the obligatory Percy Pigs for my housemate, and arrived home to realise the treat I'd picked up for myself was a bunch of grapes. This had been totally subconscious, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind that I should or shouldn't pick up a 'healthier alternative'. This was the moment for me, the first of many, not that I'd made a different choice but that it wasn't a choice at all it was natural. And here I was back home with no pastry just a bunch of grapes - they were delicious! 

 

 

Did you learn or discover things that you didn’t expect

to during these sessions?

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I'm not entirely sure what I expected from these sessions aside from the dreamy idea that this might just change my life, and I can confidently say that it really has. I think I kind of expected to have some sessions to help me change the associations that I had around 'good' and 'bad' foods, some guidance around nutrition, and a friendly face to remind me that food is supposed to be a pleasure not a hindrance. I definitely got those things, but what I also got was a therapist! I had no idea how deeply engrained my feelings around food were. During our sessions I've had real highs where I thought I was cured and would never look back at my old ways, I've also had lows where I've felt utterly lost, what has not changed is Kirsty's ability to help me see the positives and keep going no matter what. Not only do I view food and health differently, I view life differently. Kirsty regularly leads me to discover things about myself which has improved my confidence in all aspects of my life.

 

 

What would you say to someone who is looking to sign

up to work with Kirsty?

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Do it! Take the first step, because it will lead you in directions you couldn't have imagined. It feels like a huge commitment at the beginning, but it’s a commitment to you and your future - when was the last time you did that?! Ditch the guilt, do this for yourself, you won't regret it!

 

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Do you have any other comments about your journey, working with Kirsty or is anything else you would like to share? 

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I first came across Kirsty after a friend told me about some free weekly sessions she was running on facebook. I joined half way through the 8 week course and felt a bit timid that I was late to the party, but I needn't have been. There are three things I remember from that first session:

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1.  Kirsty's infectious positivity radiating from the screen

2.  "If it tastes like shit, get rid of it!" - words to live by!

3.  The feeling as soon as the session ended that I needed to know more

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I attended the rest of the course and loved it, I'd already decided a couple of months previously that I'd never go on another diet again but I wasn't sure what to do next. When the opportunity to do one to one sessions arose I was keen, but had in the back of my head that it was a big commitment that I wasn't sure I was ready for. After a long hard think I decided to go for it, yes it was an investment but what better to invest in than yourself? Worst case scenario I might find that it's not for me, but when I thought about all of the money I'd given slimming world over the years it seemed only fair to give un-dieting the same chance I'd given dieting!

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The first few sessions were an eye-opener, I'd convinced myself that I had a good relationship with my body - mainly because I didn't hate what I saw in the mirror as much as my friends, and because I thought I looked good naked. Those things are still true, but it turns out that not hating yourself isn't the same as loving yourself. Who knew?!

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Likewise with food, I convinced myself that because my relationship didn't fit into my idea of dysfunctional or disordered, it meant that there were no problems. I remember being convinced I had no rules around food, until a couple of sessions in and having a conversation about why I kept chocolate bars in the freezer - and Kirsty's knowing smile as the penny dropped that maybe I did have food rules after all! I hadn't realised quite how damaged I had been by the culture of dieting, but revelation after revelation has shown me how deeply engrained it is and how free I feel knowing I'm escaping from it - one frozen chocolate bar at a time!

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At times this journey has felt amazingly easy with success after success leaving me feeling like I'm walking on clouds, other times I've struggled to even face the thought of leaving the house. One thing that is constant is Kirsty's contagious energy and the knowledge that I will never be judged by her. She has given me the courage to accept myself, to love myself, and to put myself first. I cannot overemphasise how much of an impact she has had on my life, she's not a dietitian, she's a miracle worker! 

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This journey is far from over and I have a long way to go, but I can honestly say that Kirsty has changed me.

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*To protect client identity and maintain confidentiality, this client's name has been anonymised. 

Please note, individual results will vary. Please see the disclaimer for more information.