CASE STUDY: Weight loss

MARIA: A full-time healthcare worker in her mid-40’s

Maria’s situation: 

Maria was acutely aware of the impact that being overweight would have on her long-term health, but despite going to the gym every week and being very active with her young grandson, she had not lost any weight in over a year. Maria was making the classic mistake of trying to lose weight by exercising hard once or twice a week.  It is very difficult to lose weight this way, so people are often demotivated and give up.

Lifestyle and Dietary Analysis

Maria had very erratic eating habits. She ate very little for breakfast, often skipped lunch, and sometimes ate late at night. At work, she relied heavily on high-calorie, processed foods, including sandwiches and crisps. She ate little fruit and veg, and her fibre consumption was very low. As a consequence, her gut microbiome was in very poor shape, which was hindering her ability to lose weight.

Maria went to the gym, but her workouts were not supported by adequate nutrition or hydration, so she felt tired and demotivated after each session.

How support helped

Maria listened to advice and added probiotic foods, some higher-fibre foods, and more fruit and salad. She also paid more attention to keeping hydrated during her gym workouts and made sure she had a snack before the session (a banana) and a small, balanced meal in the evening.

Weight loss was slow to start, but as we gradually adjusted her diet to fit healthier foods into her hectic schedule, she began to see results. By week 8, Maria had lost 5 kg. She felt she had much more energy during the day and was motivated to try different types of exercise at the gym.

What the client said

“Thank you so much – combining your nutritional knowledge with psychology has really worked for me”.