COACHING
Alice in weight-loss wonderland
Our weight-loss columnist, Alice Dogruyol, seeks to transform her thinking on physical and mental ways to stay healthy, with coaching from four experts. Connect with Alice at instagram.com/alice_dogruyol.
I have known for a long time that my weight gain is massively influenced by my mindset and stress levels. Getting into the right frame of mind is always the first step I need to win at weight loss. We live in a time where we all have access to the information we need on food, exercise and healthy living and yet it often gets ignored.
I set my alarm at 7am every morning, filled with good intentions to bounce out of bed for 15 minutes of stretching and exercise as I plan my egg-white omelette. By the time I’ve hit snooze for the fifth time, I feel as if I have already failed and usually plod down to the kitchen half asleep, pop some bread in the toaster, which I shouldn’t eat, and brew a coffee, which I shouldn’t drink. Then I feel like the day is ruined given that I have already failed in the first hour.
Bread and caffeine spike my blood sugar as a type 1 diabetic, so while they are fine in small amounts for most people, they are not great for me. A lthough it hasn’t been diagnosed, I am sure I’m a flour and sugar addict. Also, I’m convinced the root of all my weight issues is in my mind, so I have been looking into different types of support available. During my research, I spoke to four women who dedicate their lives to helping others through one-to-one coaching or psychotherapy to get you functioning at your optimal level mentally, physically, and professionally.
THE SELF-COMPASSION TEACHER
Deborah Maloney, psychotherapist and counsellor (deborahmaloney.com).
Deborah is the psychotherapist and counsellor of my dreams. Hugely qualified in several therapy and healing modalities, she integrates them all to facilitate healing from every angle. Starting from the root cause, she works holistically to understand the complete journey of a client and how they arrived at this moment.
She has a particular interest in bulimia, binge eating, body dysmorphia and the mind-body-food relationship. She digs deep to help you figure out where your thoughts and feelings around food originated, how they developed into something harmful, and the role that shame places in all of it. She homes in on how vicious cycles start and how to break them.
Deborah treats food as a relationship. In my session, we touched upon where I think my overeating and self-soothing with food began. It was at around age 10 when my maternal grandmother died suddenly and unexpectedly, from medical negligence. My family seemed to fall apart with grief and depression, includin
