I’ve lost weight & kept it off!
With the help of Paul McKenna, Angela Ashwell has transformed her life and her waistline…
Tucking into a takeaway, I knew I probably should have cooked something healthy for myself, but I didn’t really see the point when I lived on my own. Life was hectic, fast-paced, and I loved my job as director of a recruitment business.
It meant regularly travelling abroad and eating out most nights of the week. But it came at a cost too – I’d started to neglect my body and forget about self-care. I didn’t exercise, was regularly hungover and I ate what I wanted, when I wanted.
There were no boundaries or control, and it took its toll on my body and energy levels, leaving me slow, sluggish and overweight. Occasionally I’d try a diet, but I never managed to sustain them. I’d lose a bit, then put it back on, plus more.
Then one day, I’d been abroad attending a wedding and I was at the airport about to fly home. I popped into a bookshop looking for something good to read, then one book caught my eye. It was called I Can Make You Thin by hypnotist and author Paul McKenna. I was intrigued.
‘I don’t need to lose weight,’ I thought to myself. ‘I look fine. But I’m curious to know what he’s talking about.’
Losing weight wasn’t on my agenda, despite being 5ft 2in, 14st and a size 18. But I knew a good read when I saw one.
From the moment I read the first page, I couldn’t put it down. I raced through it, every word resonating with me. Immediately, a change came over me and I viewed myself differently. I also listened to Paul’s hypnosis CD (now app) every night and carried out visualisations – including imagining a slimmer me.
The morning after listening, I woke up early and felt a sudden urge to exercise – for the first time in years!
It was quite eerie how my mindset was shifting through Paul’s words. I felt like my brain had been re-programmed and almost as if Paul was literally inside my head, making me see things in a completely different light. It was empowering.
I followed his four simple rules – I only ate when I was hungry, I ate each mouthful slowly and consciously, had smaller portions and learned to stop eating when full.
And after just two weeks the changes weren’t just mental, they were physical too. Weight started coming off, my clothes began to look baggy and I felt full of energy. Instead of lying in bed until late morning, I was getting up at 5am to exercise.
I’d started the programme with no expectations, yet it was delivering. And because I could see results, I was motivated to carry on. Paul had given me the confidence and control to make mindful decisions about food. If I felt full halfway through a meal, I no longer finished the plate. It really did work.
As the weeks went by, my weight continued to drop and my confidence started to soar. In just five months I lost 4st and was down to 10st and a size 8-10. I found myself running 10K six days a week.
I stopped drinking and smoking, started looking after
myself, cooking nutritious, healthy meals… I felt – and looked – like a different person.
It was only then that it really hit me just how unhealthy I’d been. If I was losing weight quickly and easily it really shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I’d been neglecting myself and destroying my body. Although I was living alone,
I still needed to look after myself and deserved healthy meals.
Friends couldn’t believe the change in me. ‘You look incredible!’ they said. And I felt it too. After all, I’d lost one third of my bodyweight.
A few months later I was with a friend in a bar when I noticed someone who looked vaguely familiar, though I couldn’t quite place him. ‘Angela, do you remember Andrew?’ my friend asked. Andrew and I had been friendly as teenagers, but we hadn’t kept in touch.
Andrew peered at me intently. ‘Wow, is that you, Angela? You look amazing. I wouldn’t have recognised you.’
Feeling more confident than I had in years, I was in a good mental and physical space to start a relationship and love blossomed between us. I was thrilled when Andrew got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. And when our daughter was born three years ago, our happiness was complete.
I truly believe that if I’d stayed the size I was before losing weight I might have had difficulty conceiving.
Now, at 43, I’ve managed to maintain my weight at 10st for years. Recently we held a birthday party for my daughter near our Cirencester house. In the past I’d have tried each flavour of cupcake but instead
I was content with half of one. I enjoyed every bite, but I listened to my body when I’d had enough.
I’m so glad that she will now learn a healthy relationship with food through me. I can teach her that we can eat whatever we want so long as we don’t overdo it. I’m thrilled I can be a role model for her.
I’m so grateful to Paul McKenna – he has transformed my life. Reading his book was the trigger to making so many positive changes and I have recommended it to so many people.
He’s given me a good foundation for the rest of my life – teaching me discipline, how to look after myself and that hard work and effort pays off.
I’m happy, healthy and am grateful each and every day for the new me.