The anti-diet Newcastle fitness coach promoting body…

The anti-diet Newcastle fitness coach promoting body positivity and her message to 'fat-shamers'

She's a Newcastle fitness coach that steers Geordies away from diets and towards embracing the body that they are in.

Kim Stacey is the founder of the online fitness business, Body Image Fitness, which provides exercise classes with a difference. The 37-year-old mum from Kenton tells clients to bin the diet and celebrate their body for what it can do - rather than the number on the scales.

With sessions ranging from burlesque and belly dance to yoga and kettlebells, Kim's focus is on boosting body confidence while nurturing mental and physical health.

"Body Image Fitness is different because I make it clear you do not need to change a thing about your body to gain body acceptance or a better perception of yourself," she said.

"It comes from what’s inside – no amount of changing the outside will help.

Kim Stacey, who runs Body Image Fitness in Newcastle. (Newcastle Chronicle)

"I do this through a membership that offers different types of movement classes, with absolutely no diet talk and no body shame. The membership also offers body image support, and a course on intuitive eating with a certified intuitive eating counsellor and nutritionist."

Kim launched her business in 2020 after spending years battling with her weight and hopes to spare other women from the same.

But while the coach has been praised by clients for her inclusive approach to fitness she's not been without her critics. In fact, the mum-of-one says she has been accused of "promoting obesity."

"It is quite a controversial thing, although I don't think it should be," she said.

"People feel very strongly about it. I get accused of this horrible term of 'promoting obesity.'

"I suffered from disordered eating and when I got to my slimmest, my goal weight, I was so ill. Since I stepped away from that I have become a lot healthier but I have got bigger.

"I am trying to let people see that we are not all supposed to be one size and that the amount of physical activity you do is a much better marker of health than losing weight a lot of the time."

She continued: "Sadly we still hear such awful headlines shaming fat people and skinny people. They’re damaging, dangerous and shock tactics simply do not work.

"I fully appreciate that a lot of what we talk about, celebrate, and stand for is different from what people are used to, rejecting diet culture seems extreme. But times are changing, people realise now that diets just don’t work and it’s time to start celebrating our bodies and what they do for us."

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