Weight Management Case Study
Esther Gregory started her Weight Management Program with Smarta Healthcare in August 2021, after realising that poor eating habits were affecting her health. Through a combination of regular exercise, meal-replacements and support from Smarta Healthcare, she has broken her cycle of bad habits and has reached her personal weight-loss goal.
Motivation
I knew I had to do something about my weight, because I was out of breath going up the stairs and I started getting aches and pains in my legs. Sometimes when I looked in the mirror, I didn’t always recognise myself. I remember being 70kg and loving to dance, and I really wanted to go back to the old me – it was a me I recognised. As my clothes got tighter, I’ve got to a point where I wouldn’t have the time to be worried about it. So, I’d just buy new, increasingly-elasticated clothes.
I remember once my cat had gone missing, so my daughter and I went out looking for it. After just 10 minutes of walking, I was completely out of breath. My daughter was 12 years old at the time. I didn’t want her to see her mummy in this condition. That was a real spur for me to do something.
Bad habits
As a secondary school science teacher, I don’t get a lot of time to eat properly and sensibly. When you first start teaching one of the things you’re told, is that during your breaks, you can either have tea or a wee – not both! Unfortunately, it can lead to really poor habits. I tended to snack on the nearest thing to me, and the idea of cooking a healthy meal wasn’t what I wanted to do at the end of a long, busy day.
I knew I needed a circuit breaker- something to cut the cycle of bad habits and put me on a healthier, happier path.
Weight Management Program
My Mum’s success with a weight-loss program was what prompted me to try it. Before I gave birth to my eldest child, she was very overweight, but she wanted to make sure she’d be around for her grandchildren.
“It was so convenient for me to go to Smarta Healthcare. It’s such a friendly, calm atmosphere – it feels like you’re at home with family.”
Esther Gregory
I have weekly meetings with Baljit. I get weighed and sometimes do a ketone test to make sure my body is burning fat. I’m in and out in 10 – 15 minutes.
There’s no judgement at all, and it doesn’t matter how much or how little you’ve lost; you’re not made to feel anything but positive when you walk out. It’s like a little bit of therapy every week! She’ll ask me how I’m getting on and I’m incredibly honest – I’ll hold my hand up if I’ve had a cheeky biscuit that week.
Sometimes I’ll get disheartened if I’ve only lost 200g or so – but she’ll correct me, because I’ve still lost 200g! As long as I’m losing, and not gaining weight, then I’m going in the right direction.
Smarta Healthcare Support
Baljit is quite the motivator! I had a break for two weeks at Christmas and I felt really guilty because I put on about 200g. She reminded me that most people have put on much more than that!
Things like that just make me want to keep on going. I’m determined to keep trying and hit the ideal weight I’ve set for myself.
“It’s a much more holistic approach to caring for someone who is on a weight loss journey. I’m asked ‘how are you doing?’, not ‘how much weight have you lost?’.”
Esther Gregory
The Smarta Healthcare team are there to provide you with care, in every sense of the word. And it’s what they do really, really well.
Exercise
I used to do a lot of running which I really enjoyed, because it gave me a lot of head-space and time to think about my day. But I stopped doing it as I got more and more unhealthy, and I just kind of ran out of time.
Taking up running again just made sense. I started with the seven-minute workout on my phone – it was a nice, gentle way of getting my body moving again, at my own pace.
I then did the Couch to 5k challenge. It’s a free NHS running program which takes you from sitting on the couch to running 5k in nine weeks. You do three runs a week, and each set of runs gets longer and longer and progressively harder. I’m now running over 4k in half an hour. I just need to get faster and then I’ll be back to what I used to be.
Goals
I went from being 100kg when I started – that’s 1/10th of a tonne! I’m currently 77kg so I’ve lost 20 – 23 kilos, since August 2021. It may seem like a small amount to some people, but actually, it’s a phenomenal amount. If you think about it – I’ve lost a fifth of my body weight in that time, that’s amazing!
Ideally, I want to get down to 70kg – a total loss of 30kg. From there I can maintain it with exercise and living a more active lifestyle.
Temptations
The hardest part of the program is temptation. I didn’t realise how sensitive I was to smells, and I also find I crave savoury flavours much more.
One thing I realised about my past behaviour, is that I would revert to eating when actually, I was probably thirsty. Because of this I make sure I’m drinking more water and staying hydrated. I’ve also found that I’m sleeping much better than I used to.
Friends and family have told me I look great. But it’s not just the weight-loss, I’m drinking more water and getting more sleep, all of that definitely helps!
Advice
To people who would like to start a weight management program, I would say:
Do it and don’t be too hard on yourself. The more you do, the more you’ll succeed.
There will be set backs along the way, but if you’ve got the right support in place (like Smarta Healthcare), it doesn’t matter. It’s just a setback, and it’s totally normal.
It must be something you’re passionate about and adamant that you want to do. Don’t worry about competing with anybody else. It’s the time that’s right for you.
You will get there, as long as you keep your purpose in your mind: This is for my benefit, this is for my sake, I have chosen to do this.
Smarta Healthcare Weight Management
We can help you kick-start your weight-loss and create a long-term, strategic approach to maintaining a healthy weight, through our Weight Management Workshops, or personal weight-loss plans. Call us to find out more: 01234 831 768
