After a health scare prompted her to take action, a mum-of-two managed to lose an extraordinary seven stone over the course of one transformative year.
Make-up artist and nail technician Siobhan McDonald spent her working days making others feel good about the way they look but felt very self-conscious about her own appearance.
At her heaviest, Siobhan, 36, tipped the scales at 18 stone and wore size 22 clothing, and found herself constantly worrying about what clients would think of her.
Although she'd tried diet clubs in the past, nothing had stuck, and she would just end up piling the lost pounds back on.
The Manchester Evening News reports that Siobhan caught Covid in early 2023, and became so ill that she ended up hospitalised with pneumonia. It was at this point that she began really thinking about her health, feeling as though she'd hit "rock bottom".
While still in the hospital, Siobhan received a voice note from one of her make-up and nail clients, Rachel Williams, who had recently trained as a weight loss coach, all about the power of "mind over matter".
The thought stuck with her, and so she reached out to Rachel for help, joining her 12-week programme. Over the course of these life-changing 12 weeks, Rachel encouraged Siobhan to practice positive thinking, and worked with her to address the root causes of her overeating and self-doubt using weekly charts.
Just four months after ditching the fad diets and scales in favour of natural food, self-worth, and nourishment, Siobhan could feel her energy soaring and her clothes getting looser.
Rachel worked with Siobhan to examine what she was eating and think of ways to make it healthier, helping her to address her issues with binge eating.
Siobhan, who lives in Cheshire, told the publication: "I used to love toast, I would have loads of supermarket white bread with margarine or Nutella or pate on top which was giving me no nutrition whatsoever.
"Rachel said why not try sourdough instead? So now I'll have one slice of sourdough toast with real butter or whole foods like peanut butter or with homemade tomato salsa and avocado on top. So really the calories are not less, but I am now nourishing my body.
"I used to drink Diet Coke all day, but now there's always a drink of water with me. I still eat what I like, but if I feel like cake I have one slice, and I'll make sure it's a freshly-baked cake. Rather than in the past going to a supermarket and buying a whole cake with lots of additives in it and I'd end up eating the whole thing throughout the day.
"Don't get me wrong, still my favourite thing to do is eat, but I just make sure it's now good stuff. I'm very aware now that what I'm feeding my body is good for me, it makes me feel good."
By Christmas, Siobhan had begun buying new clothes for herself, and was amazed to find she could slip into size 10s and 12s, having previously struggled to fasten up a size 22 jeans.
Having previously hated having her photos taken, Siobhan recalls asking her sister to take a snap of her glammed up in a little black dress for a night out.
Siobhan, who has previously "yo-yoed" with her weight her whole life, reflected: "I'm very all or nothing, in the past I'd lose half a stone but then reward myself with a takeaway and naughty food. I don't know why I was rewarding myself with something that isn't nourishing me.
"Now I reward myself by thinking I can wear that dress now and I feel good in it, I feel nice. But before I was rewarding myself with something that was actually a punishment."
Coach Rachel offers bespoke 12-week programmes starting from £1500, and also offers 14-day online introductory video sessions for £35.
Rachel explained: "No one ever weighs, I never tell people to have a certain amount of calories, it's a whole journey of discovering people's best health.
"I feel like I equip people with a rucksack of tools, so that when they’re no longer working with me they have that rucksack on their back and they know just what to do."
Siobhan's typical daily diet before
No breakfast - a Diet Coke or a coffee instead.
Lunch - McDonald's or sausage cheese and coleslaw sandwich from a bakery, sausage roll, and bar of chocolate.
Dinner - Takeaway if working a late shift, such as Chinese or fish and chips.
Siobhan's typical daily diet now
Breakfast - A small piece of sourdough toast with smashed avocado, homemade salsa with tomato and sweetcorn, olive oil and salt and pepper.
3pm - Greek yoghurt with chia seeds, walnuts and hazelnuts and some honey, blueberries and raspberries.
Dinner - Homemade chilli with cheese, fresh guacamole, fresh sour cream or yoghurt served with a small portion of nachos.
Snacks - Bowl of popcorn with fruit and a couple of dark chocolate buttons.
Do you have an incredible weight loss story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
