In May, a BBC TV documentary ‘The Big Crash Diet Experiment’, presented by Dr Javid Abdelmoneim and featuring four overweight volunteers, put crash dieting to the test to find our whether it could be a viable method for improving their health.
The volunteers embarked upon a very low calorie diet, the Cambridge Weight Plan, and were given one-to-one support by a trained Cambridge consultant. All four volunteers lost weight, which had a significant impact on their health. A report in the British Medical Journal followed.
It was that documentary that sparked the interest of Westbury resident Lorraine Goodwin, who was facing a second bout of spinal fusion surgery. Having signed the consent forms for the operation to help relieve chronic back and leg pain, she had resolved to lose weight in order to give herself the best chance of successful surgery and post-operative recovery.
She found a Cambridge consultant and embarked upon a carefully monitored weight loss plan. Three months later, she realised that she was no longer experiencing the same level of chronic pain. She saw her orthopaedic surgeon and asked if the surgery could be deferred for a while. He was surprised and delighted at her improved condition. He advised her to continue to lose weight and to undertake yoga or Pilates classes to strengthen her core stability. The question of surgery was put on hold.
Four months into the diet, and three stone lighter, Lorraine felt she had been given a new lease of life. “I knew that I would probably never be completely pain-free, but I was now able to manage without the strong pain-killers that had been prescribed. My mobility improved dramatically and I began to enjoy life again. But one of the biggest benefits of the diet was that I had broken the food addiction that had trapped me for such a long time. Other diets depended on making the right food choices…..well I wasn’t very good at that, so I needed to kick-start my weight loss with something different!
“Now, my approach to eating has been re-set, and I know that I will be able to carry on eating healthily for life. I still have the occasional treat, but I don’t routinely eat unhealthy food any more, and I don’t overeat (well, not often!).
“Throughout the weight loss programme I was motivated by stories of other people who had used the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan to lose weight and had managed to keep it off. I felt so much more confident, so much fitter and healthier, that I decided to train as a consultant myself. It was the 1:1 support I received that kept me on track, and it’s also what makes the Cambridge Weight Plan unique. Now, my passion is giving 1:1 support to others who also want to transform their lives. It gives me a huge buzz when a client tells me how good they feel about themselves.”
Lorraine lives in Westbury and offers appointments to residents in Westbury and the surrounding area. Contact her on 07591 585033 for an appointment or informal chat about the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan.
