My Story
It took me years to figure out how to lose fat the right way & I don’t want that same ball-ache of a journey for you...
I made all the mistakes so you don’t have to.
The one with weight watchers...
I've struggled with my weight and body image for over 20 years. I went from joining Weight Watchers at 12 (unofficially, using a journal my friend "borrowed" from her mum) to trying every diet plan, app and tracker in existence.
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With each attempt, I'd tell myself that this was the diet that would change my life but it never was. I knew what to do and I'd start off great, but I struggled to stick to it.
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(Gosh, there's nothing quite like being publicly weighed and shamed in a room full of strangers is there? AKA"the shaming ceremony")
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The more I failed, the more I believed I’d never achieve it. Every abandoned diet felt like more proof I’d never get there.
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I was very all-or-nothing. Every occasion was ruined not only by the way I felt in my body, but by the frustration of not being 'allowed' what I actually wanted to eat.
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After years of this cycle, I started to shrink my life to match: hiding in dark, baggy clothes, avoiding social occasions, never wanting to be in photos. I erased myself from my own life because of how shit I felt.
The one with Wii Fit...
I didn’t grow up sporty either, but I tried.
I went swimming, tried teen cardio classes, even went for a jog with my dad but got a stitch about 10ft from our front door (we went home).
Exercise was effort I couldn't be arsed to make.
It made me hot, sweaty and uncomfortable. PE was a nightmare and I was always the red-faced chubby kid in the photos at someone’s activity-themed birthday party.
I did love dance until someone told me I was too fat for it…
As you can imagine, exercise was never something I associated with fun or confidence.​ For years it was punishment - forcing myself through my mum's Rosemary Conley aerobic videos or dicking around on Wii Fit was the most I was prepared to do.
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It wasn’t until my mid-20s that I started to learn more about food and exercise in a different way.​ I started learning about actual nutrition and trying to teach myself what to do at the gym.
The one where even becoming a PT didn't work...
I loved it so much I qualified as a nutritionist and personal trainer because I was so excited about the idea of helping others discover a new way to lose weight that didn't involve counting made up points or crying over the scales like I did.
I also thought having a certificate would ‘fix’ my own weight loss struggles.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
I did see some results but I couldn't maintain them. It turns out knowledge alone isn't enough. Life happened, and shockingly doing a course or two doesn’t magically undo 20+ years of poor habits, beliefs and an awful relationship with food and exercise. Who knew?! Apparently, not me.​
The one where it (finally) clicked...
I yo-yo’d for years. I knew what to do, but even when I was trying my best, I just couldn’t do it consistently.
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I hired 1:1 coaches, joined fantastic programmes, subscribed to workout apps and while I learned loads, I still didn’t get anywhere.
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Whenever I joined something, I’d either get lost in the crowd or the 1:1 support just wasn’t at the level I needed. I’d end up back on my own and the only number going down through all of this was my bank balance.
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After I kept tweaking things, trying, then trying again, it finally started to fall into place. I built a routine and fat loss approach that worked for ME.
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I did then find an amazing group programme that was perfect for me, but it also reminded me of why I started coaching in the first place because if you're trying to lose fat as a newbie to fitness, it's still really intimidating and unless you've been through that like I have, it's hard to understand how challenging it is.
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I’ve always wanted to create a safe space for people to lose fat in a way that fits their life — without punishment, guilt, or missing out on fun foods. A space where beginners can learn to exercise at their own level and build confidence slowly.
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That’s why I built Snack & Thrive: the kind of supportive, shame-free space I wish had existed for me.
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I won’t lie to you, I’m still on my own journey and haven’t reached my final goal yet but I know exactly how to get there, and if you can relate to anything I’ve said here, I can help you do the same.