Tarot helped me lose 2 stone!

I just had to lose weight, but how? Kim Arnold, 56, from Canterbury, Kent

Stepping on the scales, I took a deep breath and looked down. And I grimaced at the number looking back at me. 13st! I’d never been so heavy. ‘That’s it, I’m going on a diet,’ I thought. ‘I’m fed up of being fat.’

I was a size 16 to 18, but rarely got on the scales because it was too upsetting.

Even my husband Martin, 56, didn’t know my weight.

I’d been yo-yo dieting for 20 years.

Losing a bit, but piling it back on and more.

Had to change

I was an emotional eater. Picking at whatever I could get my hands on whenever I was upset or bored.

Plus I worked at home as a tarot reader, and I could never stop myself popping into the kitchen for a cup of tea and a packet of crisps or a biscuit. I had to change, but how? But that night I went to bed thinking about how I was going to slim and keep the weight off this time.

It was the last thought on my mind before falling asleep.

In the morning, I jumped out of bed. I’d had a dream with a clear message and I couldn’t wait to scribble it down.

Tarot dream

I’d seen my hands shuffling a pack of huge tarot cards. Usually, a pack has 22 Major Arcana and 40 Minor Arcana cards, but in the dream I took out the Major Arcana cards. I was left with the Minor cards, made up of the four suits of Pentacles, Swords, Wands and Cups.

I realised the four suits represent an element and have

I rarely got on the scales because it was too upsetting

a connection to food. Fire is hot food like a chilli, water food from the sea and so on. It had to be a sign. My hand couldn’t write it all down fast enough.

Excited

I was excited, I’d been given the secret of how the tarot could help you lose weight.

I dug out my notes from a cookery course I’d been on 20 years ago.

I tweaked recipes to make them healthier, for example, replacing cream with crème fraîche.

It was then that the cards came into play.

Every night I’d ask, What does my body need tomorrow emotionally and physically?

I’d shuffle the 40 cards and pull out one tarot for the following day.

The card would dictate what my body needed: Fire, Air, Earth or Water foods.

Card play

The first time I pulled out a card it was the Five of Cups, a water food, so I needed to eat fish and salad the following day.

The next day was the Six of Wands, which is a fire food, so I had a bowl of chilli for dinner. I stuck to the tarot’s guidance and pulled out a card every evening. I lost 8lb in two weeks! I was stunned because it’d been easy. I’d never been hungry or tempted to cheat, and if I wanted to snack, I ate nuts or rice cakes with peanut butter. I found the cards supported me emotionally because they provided a daily focus. It was just like having a good friend giving me a constant reminder of my strengths and weaknesses.

Diet test

After a month, I’d lost 12lb. It did slow down after that and I lost 1lb a week or maintained, which was fine. It’s better to lose the weight steadily because it stays off.

Of course, I wanted to test my tarot diet plan on other people, and six friends volunteered.

Two of my guinea pigs were Cathi and Helen. Cathi lost 12lb and Helen 16lb in four weeks. In total, the group of six lost 64lb. After a year, I’ve lost 2st myself and dropped to a size 14 to 16. I feel 10 years younger. More importantly, I’m in control of my food choices.

I’ve also found balance to my life and it’s all thanks to the tarot.