Sandra Heffernan
Life before Weight Loss
When Sandra Heffernan contacted Motivation she was at a point where her weight never left her mind. Whether food shopping, clothes shopping, socialising or climbing the stairs she knew that every aspect of her life was impacted by the extra load.
Life was mundane, there wasn’t real joy in anything as all activities were tainted by Sandra’s deep unhappiness with her weight. Being constantly exhausted and dragging herself around meant that life was far more difficult than it ought.
Sandra was becoming more concerned about her health as she was experiencing breathlessness and feeling generally unwell.
It wasn’t through lack of trying as Sandra had tried many methods to lose weight. While she had committed and regularly attended the meetings her limited success was short lived and Sandra’s confidence was affected by the regain and the feelings of deprivation she’d experienced.
Finding Motivation
Having heard of Motivation through word of mouth, Sandra took time to research what it was about as she knew the approach had to be right this time. She was impressed with what she read and felt reassured that it was non gimmicky and medically sound.
Sandra knew that the things she was spending her time and money on were pointless as her enjoyment of life came down to looking after her health and well being where her investment needed to be made.
From the word go the journey was a positive one. Helen, Sandra’s weight loss consultant gave her the guidance and tools she needed to move forward. Likening the process to planning to reach a destination she gave Sandra a simple set of rules and stopped the possibility of complicating things unnecessarily. The light bulb went on and Sandra knew this was going to work.
The Motivation Programme
The programme was easy to follow as the foods are easily accessible, easy to prepare and conducive to a busy person’s lifestyle.
She loved the private, one to one meetings with Helen and looked forward to seeing her each week. Sandra soon realised a lot more about herself through talking and completing the unique behavioural questionnaire. Shocked to discover that she was perfectionist and a reward eater, Sandra also learned that emotions, especially stress were strong triggers. Through their many chats and Helen’s expert advice Sandra was constantly learning and accepted that a new way of thinking would work for lasting success. Using the tools provided Sandra with relatable case studies and forced her to challenge herself and be completely honest.
Sandra learned to plan for trips, parties and holidays and how to manage any situation without panic. Taking the emphasis off the scales was positive, and getting feedback on hydration, muscle and loss of fat made the weight loss more about health than just numbers. Helen instilled confidence in Sandra with acknowledging her efforts and celebrating her progress as past perceived failures had left Sandra fearful and apprehensive.
A new Sandra
Having lost four stones and four pounds Sandra says “I’m absolutely over the moon”. While Sandra had reached that weight before, maintaining it is a new achievement. She is amazed at how lean she is, as a similar weight in the past hadn’t provided such inch loss. As Helen explained this was down to stripping off fat and maintaining muscle thus causing the body to become smaller. This is fantastic as Sandra is enjoying the figure she had in her twenties, but more importantly the inside of her body is in a much better state as organs have been relieved of internal fat.
Sandra now enjoys life and feels calm and content about the future. Such was her dependence on chocolate that she had fears about ever eating it again. Instead though, Helen encouraged her to have some to prove her fears were unfounded. She was amazed at her indifference to it which showed her how far she’d come having broken her natural reaction to reach for chocolate when stressed.
Sandra Heffernan is enjoying improvements in all areas. “This just keeps giving” she says with delight. “Long after the initial success I am finding more and more positives”. Sandra describes Motivation as a philosophy as she’s learned so much and has left her dieting mentality behind. She describes it as a sense of freedom and says that Motivation has transformed her life. For her, it proved that she could change, that she could be the person she wanted to be. “I love how I look and how I feel, I can run up the stairs, swim in the ocean, I no longer hide in the corner.”
Motivation helped Sandra to change her whole way of thinking about food and the way she thought about herself. She continues to demonstrate those changes every day and accepts that monthly visits are key for keeping her on track.
If you have any more questions about the Motivation program please visit our FAQ or if you would like to talk to one of our advisors, please call 1850 30 6000.
