“I’ve been trying to lose weight and get healthy for years. I’ve tried so diets, shakes, fasting, exercising. I have lost weight in the past, but sticking to the diets over the long-term was hard because they were so restrictive, and I felt unhealthy even when I was on them. Without fail, I’ve put the weight back on over time, sometimes even more. I’d like my life to be about more than my waistline.”
Can you relate to this? Have you found yourself caught up in a cycle of yo-yo dieting? Would you like to move towards healthier living without feeling deprived? Are you committed to lasting, deep change, rather than a quick fix?
I’m so excited to introduce “The Nourish Plan” - a new approach to weight management. We have teamed up with the brilliant Dr. Alan Bowman of Trust Psychology, based in Jesmond, to provide a unique and bespoke programme that combines the benefits of personalised nutritional therapy, with responsive, compassionate psychological therapy, all in the service of helping you move towards a healthier life.
What is The Nourish Plan, and how can it help me?
In short, we want to help you move closer to a healthier life. This includes:
A different, more flexible, and healthier relationship with food.
An understanding of the importance of food quality and not just food quantity.
The tools to optimise nutrition for both body and mind.
An in-depth analysis of your own metabolism, with a plan on how to improve it.
Skills to help you unhook from self-critical or self-sabotaging thoughts that contribute to weight regain.
The ability to surf your cravings, rather than be dominated by them.
Clarity over your purpose – the “why” that gives you the motivation to get on with the “what”.
A move away from yo-yo dieting and towards a greater weight stability.
How is The Nourish Plan different to other forms of diet or weight loss programme?
This is not a diet. I’ll say that again, this is not a diet.
In fact, we take the position that quite often, diets can be a part of the problem, not the solution. There are several, evidence-based reasons for this. For example, when we try to supress our urges, they typically come back even stronger. Food we have deprived ourselves of tastes even better when we finally do get to eat it. We may crave the freedom of not thinking about calories “once the weight is off”. The irony is, once the weight is off, we have to keep thinking about weight and dieting even more.
We offer something different. Nutritional therapy offers the tools to understand at a deep level what nourishment your body is in need of, and how to use food as an ally to meet these needs. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of psychological therapy that has a growing track record for health and weight management, and helps cultivate new ways of responding to your inner thoughts, feelings, cravings, and urges, so that you can do more of the things in life that you value.
By committing to The Nourish Plan, you are not signing up for a list of foods you can and cannot eat, or a list of "quick fixes" to go off and try on your own. We'll be right with you all the way through your journey, with a comprehensive assessment of your needs, weekly sessions with your therapists, and follow-up time after the programme is over, to help you stay the course for the long-run.
How does The Nourish Plan work?
Like all journeys, The Nourish Plan has a beginning, middle, and end. We begin with a detailed assessment. This includes a consultation with both a Nutritional Therapist and a Clinical Psychologist. Your assessment also involves a blood test which is analysed to provide you with a precise understanding of your metabolism. This offers clarity on how your body is converting food into energy and is used to inform the nutritional advice we offer. You will receive a full action plan before starting the programme.
From there, the programme begins. Over three months you will be provided with weekly sessions from your Psychologist and Nutritional Therapist (alternating weekly). You will work together to build new eating habits, learn new skills to manage cravings, and also connect with the deeper, valued directions you wish to take your life in, that you may have previously put on pause whilst being caught up in the cycle of yo-yo dieting.
After the programme comes to an end, it is over to you to continue putting into practice all you have learned from the Nourish Plan. We know that life is not always plain sailing and there will be bumps in the road. In recognition of this, we offer a three-month follow-up session with your team as standard. This can be used to optimise your continued successes, formulate any bumps along the way, and refocus/reaffirm your next steps towards a healthy, vital, purposeful life.
Do you offer The Nourish Plan nationally?
Yes! We can offer both face to face or remote options. We are based in the North East of England and offer face-to-face sessions at our physical base in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. If you are from further afield or would prefer to work remotely, we also offer consultations over Zoom.
I'd like to participate in The Nourish Plan - how do I sign up?
If you are interested in participating in the Nourish Plan, please contact us at julie@vaguswellbeing.co.uk, where you can book a free 15 minute discovery call to learn more about the programme and sign up to take part.