We lost 22 STONE between us – just by listening to a 9-min recording that taught us to hate snacking
Pills, injections, and low-fat tea, these are just some of the fads desperate dieters have turned to in the eternal battle to lose weight.
But now three women, who’ve thrown a whopping 22 bricks between them, claim they’ve found one that actually works — and all it apparently takes is listening to a short recording every day.
Hayley Millar, Lorraine Murphy and Ava Brodie struggled with junk food addictions for years, scoffing at whole bags of chocolate and candy every day.
The trio disliked their own habits so much that they even cheekily called themselves “beasts,” “couch Potatos,” and “Sugarholics.”
Desperate for a change, the three turned to Slimpod — a 9-minute mindfulness tape that claims it can teach listeners how to “lose the craving for snacking.” Users listen as they prepare to sleep each night.
Hayley Millar, 41, from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, shrank from a size 24 to a size 12 in just 18 months
Unlike similar “quick-fix” diet trends, Slimpod does not claim to trick the body into burning more fat.
Instead, it claims to “re-train the brain” so that healthy eating becomes an “automatic habit.”
Users of Slimpod, the brainchild of a Harley Street behavior change specialist, enroll in a 12-week ‘Audio/Visual Transformation Programme’, which costs £148 and is run through an app.
It includes video coaching, free recipes, and access to a private Facebook support group.
In addition, it also provides access to four “unique life-changing audio recordings,” which utilize cutting-edge neuroscience called “nudge thinking.”
This, Slimpod claims, disrupts people’s habitual and emotional responses to food.
The company also adds that its methods result in “permanent” fat loss for many without resorting to “humiliating” weekly weigh-ins, diet pills or weight-loss shakes.
But experts said that while the approach produces beneficial results, it’s not a diet.
Dr Hana Patelwho works as a GP in South East London said: ‘Slimpod is not a diet.
“It uses the science of unconscious persuasion to gently change the way you think about food.
‘The clinical trials showed that Slimpod produces beneficial results and illustrates that listening to it daily can increase the self-efficacy of eating, thereby aiding in weight reduction.”
Clinicians warn that while these weight loss observations seem promising, it is very rare for one changing factor to be the cause of such drastic weight loss.
NHS North London GP, Semiya Aziz said: ‘Weight loss often requires a host of lifestyle changes to ensure that the individual can lose weight in a controlled and regulated manner.
‘Very rarely is there one factor that supports weight loss. It is not a quick fix and often customization.
“Anyone who decides to lose weight should do their homework before using various weight loss organizations.”
“They need to look for evidence-based, clinical information about success and not just observational statements from those who have managed to lose weight with that [Slimpod] program.’
HAYLEY MILLAR, FROM 18ST TO 12ST
Hayley Millar, from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, credits Slimpod for helping her go from a size 24 to a size 12 in just 18 months.
The 41-year-old teacher blamed her addiction to junk food and chips for her weight gain to 18th (114 kg).
Hayley, who described herself as a “couch potato,” said she cried whenever she saw a picture of herself and felt low self-confidence. She often felt unable to leave the house.
But she was able to lose 6th place after drastically changing her diet, which she says was due to listening to the audio clip every night.
Haley said her life changed so drastically that she finally had the courage to get married.
She said, “Recently I bought a bag of chips and threw them in the bin because when I put them in my mouth I felt I just didn’t want them.
“For years I have covered my body in baggy, shapeless clothes. Hated shopping for clothes. I tied my long, tousled hair in a ponytail and lived in sweatpants. Felt old and ugly and dowdy in my thirties.”
LORRAINE MURPHY FROM 24ST TO 12ST
Mother-of-two Lorraine Murphy called herself a “beast” for her habit of eating at least three chocolate bars every day.
But the 64-year-old from Manchester has now lost half her total weight in two and a half years – from 24 stone to 12 (152 to 75 kg).
Lorraine Murphy called herself a “beast” because she ate at least three chocolate bars a day
The 64-year-old from Manchester lost half her weight in two and a half years – dropping from 24 to 12 stone
Lorraine said she was highly addicted to sugar for most of her life and couldn’t control her insatiable love of cakes, candies and snacks, which kept her waistline growing.
Because of her excess weight, she avoided meeting new people and became paranoid that they would judge her for her height.
After years of desperately yo-yo dieting, she finally shed the pounds and that has allowed her to become the “life and soul of the party.”
“Slimpod was a lifesaver because it activated something in my brain to change the way I felt,” she said.
“I literally felt like I was living in a fat suit — and I had no idea how to get out.”
AVA BRODIE FROM 12ST TO 8ST
After years of feeling “doomed” to be fat, Ava Brodie halved her dress size in two years.
The 64-year-old from Greater Manchester lost 4th (25kg), dropping from size 46 to size 8.
Ava Brodie, from Littleborough, Greater Manchester, halved her dress size in two years. She dropped from a size 16 to a size 8 by losing four stone
The well-known “sugarholic” said she ate family bags of chocolate and candy every day.
But two years later, Ava said she now realizes that “the sugar took over her brain” and that losing weight saved her life.
She said she finally feels like she’s in control again and has committed to going out in a little black dress when she’s in her 60s.
She said, “I feel like a normal person around food. I control the food instead of the food controlling me.”
WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS
• Eat at least 5 servings of different fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count
• Basic meals based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, preferably whole grains
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat muesli biscuits, 2 thick slices of whole-wheat bread, and a large baked potato with skin
• Provide dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) and choose lower-fat, lower-sugar options
• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish per week, one of which is fatty)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume in small quantities
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water per day
• Adults should have less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide