Hi, I am Helena, mother of 3 and living (my best life!) with my husband and kids in county Limerick. A short few years ago I was stuck in the never ending cycle that I thought I’d never get out of (spoiler alert, I did, and you can too!) Here I am going to share with you my Unislim story; buckle up!
As a child, I guess you could say that I was always bigger than my pals. My grandmother would say “She’s a fine strong girl, God Bless her!” I have memories of my mother trying to get me fashionable jeans in the 80’s and it was just a no go area. I struggled feeling self conscious for many years and really found comfort in food. Something, that I later identified as a coping mechanism for anxiety and sometimes, boredom! Can you relate? Thought so!
I spent my teens, twenties and my early thirties in the same cycle. Hopping from diet to diet, hoping something would “fix” me, but of course, none did. Why? Looking back, I never really looked introspectively as to why I was eating the way I was, I was never taught to understand what emotional eating was and how I could manage it. Every plan I hopped on was about food, macros, calories….rarely was there a focus on real nutrition and for me, more importantly, why I always fell into destructive eating patterns. I needed to reframe my whole attitude to weight loss. And that’s exactly what I did!
I joined Unislim Shanagolden in the summer of 2015. My leader was Marian Hughes, and she displayed an emotional intelligence around food that really I had never experienced. I completely immersed myself in all things Unislim. My Thursday morning class was my time, and nothing came in the way of me and that class. I made life long friends, and quickly realised that I, in fact, could conquer this weight issue for good. I experienced self belief that I never thought possible. It’s easy to get into a destructive mindset of “I’m just destined to be fat“, isn’t it? But through my classes, I slowly changed my mindset. I have a love of cooking which was handy, I’ll admit. I experimented with lots of different ingredients to “Unislimify” my favourite dishes; something that would come in very handy in later years in my career with Unislim.
The weight slowly came off. Yes, I could have lost it sooner, it took about 2 years to lose 5 stone. I have zero regrets, because in that time, I enjoyed every morsel, unlearning and relearning habits that I wanted to share with so many others. I had done the quick fix for 15 years and that got my nowhere fast! I was never gonna be ‘fixed’, because every time I would lose weight, it would feel like I was holding my breath. Once I started breathing again, the weight returned, and you guessed it, more besides.
I already knew how to lose weight, Unislim taught me how to live my life losing it in a healthy way, and to keep it off. Do I have times when I gain a few lbs? Hell yeah! But I am safe in the knowledge that Unislim has my back. I know how to eat in a way that’s healthy for my body, my mind, my family. I have a community of like minded people that will always get it, and be there for me and I them. When I eventually got to my goal, I was even entered into the Unislimmer of the Year Competition. I didn’t win; but in my world, I’d just won the life lotto.
In September 2018, my kids were 2,3 and 11 at the time. I decided to quit my job in sales and become a leader with Unislim. I opened two classes in Limerick and to say I found my calling is an understatement. I loved the social aspect of meeting members, and to think that I, me, Helena was an INSPIRATION to others? That’s something I still can’t get my head around. I got such a buzz from the hosting the classes, and I genuinely poured my heart and soul into them.
But the story doesn’t end there! March 2020: Boom…..Covid hit, after all my hard work to get my new classes off the ground. I was devasted! So I decided to keep going, supporting my members remotely by sending them audio podcast type classes until classes reopened. I was never so grateful for technology. Before long I had several hundred Unislim members tuning in to my broadcasts. Shortly after, Unizoom/Unislim online was born and my online classes were live. I couldn’t believe how successful they were. My catchment had opened up and I had members from all over the country and then many around the world. I still have members in the UK, Germany, Australia, the US, Dubai…it’s really quite incredible how it exploded! You can join too here
My role with Unislim continued to evolve, and as well as being an online leader, these days I am involved in creating lots of Unislim recipes, creating content with the cookery demos, reels and newsletters. It’s an amazing, fulfilling and creative career. It’s the most family friendly job I could ever have imagined. The great thing too is, especially with my weekly classes, I am staying focused on my own goals, and am managing my weight in the process. My members have become such great friends!
To conclude this little Unislim life story, I will say that Unislim changed more than just my weight and career! I learnt how to eat in a way that was nutritionally balanced, and took my time to understand the psychology of emotional eating. I am always researching, reading and learning I accept that by adopting sustainable choices is the only way that will ever work for me, enjoying all the foods that I love with my family and friends. I no longer experience the fear, shame and punishment that I subjected myself to for too many years. I’m not a slave to the scales and I feel a freedom that I never thought possible.
I am the happiest I have ever been in my life. I am in a body that I feel comfortable in. I am proud of my choices and the Unislim life I live. I love food and celebrate it every day, and I can do that with Unislim. Being able to share my wisdom and experience through supporting members is such a privilege. I would encourage anyone who wants to take control of their health to consider joining a class. There’s so many local classes around the country, why not click here to see where you’re closest one is. Alternatively, if you want to join online, I’d only be delighted to take you under my wing and get this show on the road. Click here!
If you’re still reading, I am impressed! Remember, there are days where you might not like the body you are in, but it IS your job to love it, and no better way than Unislim to give your mind body and soul all the nurturing it deserves. The power is in your hands….go get it!
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