Success Stories: Liz from Bournemouth

 Liz from Bournemouth went on a 1 day course with Chocolate Fairy MandyKay

 

1. How did you first hear about Beyond Chocolate

I first discovered the Beyond Chocolate book by chance.  I was in Tesco looking for yet another diet book which would finally sort my life out.  The title screamed at me and has permanently changed my view of dieting.

2. Why did you decide to go on a 1 day course

I decided to go on the course as I wanted to learn more about the Beyond Chocolate principles.  I wanted to fully understand the thinking behind the book and meet like minded people.  I was also looking for support on my journey.

3. What was it like?

 The 1 day course I attended was wonderful and was held in a beautiful country setting. Two fully trained and well prepared “chocolate fairies” introduced us to BC and helped us to explore it.  They were able to answer all of our questions.  We were also provided with a lovely lunch and chocolate : )

I was a little apprehensive beforehand, not knowing what to expect.  I had previously been to see Paul McKenna which can be described as nothing other than commercial and impersonal.  Beyond Chocolate was completely different.  It was a small group of like minded women, like minded in that we had all come to the end of our dieting years, fed up with deprivation, denial, self loathing and very much in need of a different approach.  The Chocolate Fairies explained Beyond Chocolate to us and gave a much greater understanding than can ever be achieved from just reading the book.  All of our questions were answered sympathetically and in depth.

I left feeling enlightened and had an immense sense of relief, I WILL NEVER GO ON ANOTHER DIET.  A further advantage of a Beyond Chocolate course is that the support does not end when the course does.  We were given details of further reading, provided with our Chocolate Fairy’s email address, the email addresses of the friends we had made on the course and of course the vital log in details for the Beyond Chocolate forum.

4. How has Beyond Chocolate impacted your relationship with food and your body?

I now view food and my body quite differently.  Do not get me wrong, my life did not change overnight. I am on a journey.. Years of dieting has given me a lot of misinformation regarding food.  I am working on legalizing food and am determined to stop certain foods from frightening me.  I am also trying to understand why I do certain things around food.  I am taking it one day at a time and I try not to beat myself up if I overeat.

I now feel so much more relaxed about myself and food.  I love being able to enjoy my favourite foods without guilt.  It is so liberating being able to eat avocado and really enjoy it.

I now respect my body and I am enjoying moving it.  No more boring gym trips for me, I go walking, cycling, do gardening.  The suggestions in the book and on the course have been mind opening.

5. Would you recommend Beyond Chocolate to other women and if yes, why?

Of course I would recommend Beyond Chocolate to other women.  I spent 21 years of my life either dieting, thinking about starting another diet or binging.  Food was my first and last though everyday.  I never allowed myself to enjoy food before and called my body all sorts of nasty names.

The Beyond Chocolate approach is enabling me to respect myself and start living.  I used to turn down invites because I was worried I would break whatever diet I was following at the time.  I still have a long way to go but hopefully I will have a long life in which I can enjoy the freedom Beyond Chocolate has given me.

Dieting is crazy.  Beyond Chocolate has given me back the power to decided what to eat, when to eat and how much I need to eat.  I am no longer being judged.  Beyond Chocolate can do this for any woman.

Don't miss MandyKay's next workshop in South Glos on 22 May. Read more...