Weight Loss And Conscious Awareness

Weight Loss And Conscious Awareness

What actually is conscious awareness? And could is be the missing part of the weight loss puzzle?

Over the past decade I have worked extensively with the national press in the UK. I’ve written for a wide range of publications, from The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and The Sun to peer reviewed medical journals. I regularly get interviewed by journalists and editors and asked for my expert advice and opinions. 

One question that has come up time and again over the years is this: “If you could encourage people to do one thing in the interests of promoting health / weight loss / longevity, what would it be?”

This is not an easy question to answer because the answer is different for everyone. If I’m working with a client who exercises regularly and eats well, but they stay up late and don’t get the sleep their body needs to recover, getting more sleep would be the priority for them. On the other hand, if someone sleeps well but they’re inactive, I’d be encouraging them to increase their activity. My work is about creating tailored solutions for individuals, so giving blanket recommendations can sometimes be challenging. 

This question came up yet again this week in an interview for Vogue, so how did I answer? 

CULTIVATING CONSCIOUS AWARENESS

Here’s what I told Vogue…

Work on cultivating conscious awareness. Take consistent action towards evolving your understanding of what supports your health and happiness and what doesn’t. Then take action based on your observations. 

Meditation helps to cultivate mindfulness and conscious awareness, as can journaling. Wearables like a WHOOP or Oura ring can also help you to gain more clarity on how your habits and behaviours impact your health. 

For example, often when people start wearing a WHOOP strap or Oura ring they become aware of just how detrimental even a small amount of alcohol is to sleep and recovery. Once aware of this, they are often much more conscious of their drinking habits. I regularly see people cut down their alcohol intake having gained this newfound awareness.  

Self-observation leads to self-correction. 

UNCONSCIOUS ACTIONS

Many of us lead busy lives and don’t regularly take time to reflect on our habits and behaviours and how they help or hinder our health. In the past, this has been the case for me personally. 

I qualified as a nutritionist 15 years ago now, yet despite possessing a nutrition degree, I still struggled with my relationship with food and eating. There were days that my appetite and cravings were overwhelming. I knew what I should be eating to be healthy, but I was constantly batting cravings for sugar and starchy carbohydrates. I had no idea why some days I had no problem sticking to a healthy nutritious diet and other days my car seemed to drive itself to the local bakery that sold giant sultana, oat and honey cookies. 

Frustrated at going around in circles, I booked in for a consultation with a psychotherapist who specialised in eating disorders and disordered eating. I didn’t have an eating disorder, but my eating felt out of my control and certainly disordered. After our first appointment, the therapist advised me to keep a food and mood journal. This meant noting down everything I ate and how I felt at the time. 

It took all of three days for me to notice a clear correlation between tiredness and cookie consumption. Despite years of studying, I wasn’t aware that lack of sleep disrupts the hormones that regulate our appetite and satiety. The result? We feel hungrier and less satisfied by the food we do eat. 

With this newfound awareness, the solution was obvious. If I wanted to regain control of my eating, I simply needed to make sure I consistently got enough sleep. It was so simple and yet (a little embarrassingly, I must say) I hadn’t made the connection until I sought expert help. 

HOW TO CULTIVATE CONSCIOUS AWARENESS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

There are a number of things that you can do to become more consciously aware of the habits and behaviours that impact your weight. As I mentioned above, meditation and journaling can be powerful tools. 

Meditation helps us become more mindful, aware and grounded. It’s only when you begin to meditate regularly that you can fully appreciate the extent of its benefits. One of my clients is a monk who has spent many days in meditation. His level of awareness is something I am regularly in awe of. 

Journaling can also be very helpful. Some people prefer to write freely, allowing their thoughts to flow out onto paper. Others prefer to use a journal that gives prompts. There are many health and wellness journals available to purchase online. 

Working with a practitioner, whether that’s a good therapist, coach or nutritionist, is another highly effective way of helping us to better understand ourselves. I am a big advocate for therapy. You don’t have to be going through a particularly challenging time in your life to benefit. 

Health tech wearables are another practical tool for helping us develop a deeper understanding of how our daily actions affect our health and wellbeing. I have a WHOOP strap and despite having worn it for years now, it still provides me with valuable insights. 

EVOLVING INSIGHTS

Cultivating conscious awareness doesn’t happen overnight. It takes sustained commitment to getting to know ourselves. The better we know ourselves and our bodies, the more we are empowered with the knowledge of how to best take care of ourselves. 

If you’d like professional support and guidance in evolving your understanding of your body’s needs, we are here to help. Contact our team today to find out how we can help you overcome your weight challenges, achieve your desired weight and maintain it long term.



LINDA ROBINSON

Linda is our Practice Coordinator, helping to keep the clinic running smoothly.

 

Originally from Texas, Linda completed her MBA at SDA Bocconi in Milan. Linda has worked as a Strategy Consultant across multiple industries globally in cities including Kyoto, Paris, Chicago and San Francisco. She developed an interest in nutrition whilst volunteering for an organisation that provides cooking and nutrition education to children and families.

Linda is now settled in London with her husband, two children, and her very bouncy, sociable dog.

SARAH LAW

Sarah has worked with hundreds of clients over the past decade to help them live in a healthy body that they feel confident in.


Sarah spent a large part of her teens and 20’s as a professional dancer battling with orthorexia and an unhealthy relationship with food and her body. This created a desire to understand the human body more so she could finally cut through the confusion and end the cycle of yoyo dieting. This fuelled her passion to help other women do the same.

 

Sarah specialises in supporting women who are struggling to lose weight due to underlying health issues. She’s helped many women manage their weight during and after the menopause, as well as clients with thyroid disease and immune system dysfunction. Sarah loves food and sharing healthy recipes with her clients. Her aim is to ensure that clients don’t feel deprived and instead, achieve their weight loss and health goals in a positive and sustainable way.

 

To enquire about working with Sarah, please contact us.

AILSA HICHENS

 

Ailsa is one of our most experienced practitioners. She specialises in helping clients to lose weight, develop a healthy relationship with food and finally feel comfortable in their skin. Ailsa’s mission is for everyone she works with to enjoy the journey and that working with a nutritionist should not be a punishment, but your access to a new possibility.

 

Ailsa is not only an experienced weight loss nutritionist, she is also a skilled coach. She helps our clients overcome emotional eating, destructive habits and self-sabotaging behaviours that have prevented successful weight loss in the past. Ailsa has spent years in clinic working with clients who have experienced yo-yo dieting and have discovered that long term weight loss is not just about eating less until you can stand it no longer.

 

Working with Ailsa you will be comprehensively supported, not only in improving your nutrition and lifestyle, but also your eating habits and your relationship with food. When you work on all these elements together, the results can be truly astonishing.

 

To enquire about working with Ailsa, please contact us.

Test Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of the business. Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning. A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

NIKKI ANDRIANI

Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team and heading up the day-to-day running of our clinic.

 

Coming from a background in town planning, Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, continually ensuring we are delivering the very best service to our clients.


A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 where she lives with her husband, two children, and her rescue dog Skyy.

STÉPHANIE ACHAR

Stéphanie is a skilled nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner with additional training in eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity. She believes that working towards both physiological and mental health is key in achieving optimum wellbeing.

 

Stéphanie’s personal experience of emotional eating and the ongoing struggle to find the right support led her to combine the science of nutrition with behavioural coaching to motivate and empower her clients. She specialises in helping people who struggle with their weight and their relationship with food. She helps them develop a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies.

 

To enquire about working with Stéphanie, please contact us.

INNA WEARN

Inna is passionate about supporting women on their journey to improved health and wellbeing. She believes that the solution to effective weight loss does not lie in ever more restrictive diets, but a more sophisticated approach that optimises health and vitality, as well as promoting effective weight loss.

 

Working with Inna you will benefit from her in-depth knowledge of female health and hormones. She will support you in developing a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset that ensures you reach your ideal weight and maintain it in the years to come.

 

Inna is passionate about food with a wide repertoire of delicious healthy recipes and meal ideas to ensure your weight loss journey is as enjoyable as possible!

 

To enquire about working with Inna, please contact us.

ANIA MASON

 

Ania is a firm believer that improving your health and losing weight should be a positive, empowering journey, not one centred around deprivation.

 

After being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions in her twenties, Ania spent several years educating herself on the power of food and nutrition. She put it all into practise and changed her diet and lifestyle, reversing her endometriosis and thyroid disease. After experiencing such a significant improvement in her health, Ania had a big desire to help others. She embarked on a four year journey to study nutrition, graduating from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with distinction.

 

Ania specialises in autoimmunity and works with clients who have underlying health issues preventing successful weight loss. Her expertise enables her to successfully support our clients with conditions such as hypothyroidsm (underactive thyroid), PCOS and diabetes. 

 

To enquire about working with Ania, please contact us.

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