Case Study

Peter

When Peter first came to see me, he was approaching his fortieth birthday with a feeling of dread. He was overweight, stressed out and tired all the time. Peter is a solicitor in Belfast and works long hours, often skipping mealtimes and eating on the run.

Peter was starting his day with a breakfast of toast and marmalade and a mug of tea. Then at 10am, he would snack on a scone and a coffee. Lunchtime was usually a sandwich, with a bag of crisps and a bar of chocolate and his evening meal varied between white rice, pasta or potatoes with meat and vegetables. Peter always had a couple of slices of toast at suppertime. He was also drinking a can of fizzy drink every afternoon, to help boost his energy levels.

Peter was on an energy rollercoaster, so it was time to take action, before he reached burn-out. I started by cutting out the sugars in Peter's diet - replacing the snacks with smoothies, fruit, oatcakes and nuts. I also wanted Peter to get a lot more variety in his diet, so instead of a sandwich, he was opting for something different every day - sandwiches, wraps, baked potatoes, soups, salads and omelettes. His tea and coffee was reduced from eight cups a day to four and he replaced his fizzy drinks with water.

Within one week, Peter sent me an email to say how amazed he was at how quickly he noticed improvements. At his follow-up consultation four weeks later, Peter had lost 8lbs, he was bounding with energy and was feeling that his stress management was under control. He also noticed a few welcome side effects, including better sleep, waking up each morning feeling refreshed and no more sugar cravings.

Peter has found a new way of eating that fits in with his hectic lifestyle. He is enjoying introducing new foods into his diet and is looking forward to his fortieth birthday with a new lease of life.