Obese woman credits 9-minute audio for transformation after losing nearly half her body weight
A woman who shed over 50kg in less than two years has credited a mindfulness tape for her motivation, claiming the nine-minute clip 'transformed' her life for the better.
Susan Anderson, a 58-year-old Oregon-local claims she first started piling on weight three decades prior following a change in her job location, after which she reached 15st 6lbs (98.0kg) by the age of 24.
By her own admission, she'd stay out partying all night, consuming a considerable amount of alcohol and failing to think about her nutrition.
At the time, she claims to have used food as an 'emotional crutch' - especially after her then-partner began making unsavoury remarks about her physique. This plunged her into a deeper depression that she found it 'really hard' to climb out of.
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In the years that followed, her emotional eating became more and more extreme, causing Susan to reach an even more staggering 20st 5lbs (129.3kg).
In 2016, she found love with her now-husband Colin - a 52-year-old builder, in Tennessee - through work.
Despite the couple then making the decision to flea the States and set up shop in Kendal, Cumbria, in the UK, she still found it difficult to change food-orientated habits that had dominated her life for over a decade.
"Food is where you get your comfort – some people use alcohol, some people use shopping, drugs, sex, there are so many different vices," Susan recalled recently. "But food is tough because you need food to live. You can’t mask overeating forever, it’ll eventually show on your body."
And after continuing to comfort eat throughout the duration of the pandemic due to feeling 'isolated and depressed', by the end of 2023, Susan hit her highest weight of 21st 7lbs (136.5kg).
With a BMI of 45.8, this landed her into the NHS' 'severely obese' category, and left her 'miserable'.
After hitting rock bottom, Susan tried a plethora of mainstream diet plans - including keto (low-carb, high-fat) and Atkins (low-carb, high-protein) - but to no avail.
It was then that she caught wind of Slimpod, an audio programme which claims to be able to reach the subconsciousness of listeners and seeks to address their relationship with food as a whole.
Installing the tapes into her routine, believing she had 'nothing to lose', Susan also began taking the weight loss jab Mounjaro in December of last year, after getting advice from her GP.
She says the tapes helped rewire her brain to boost her motivation, so that she no longer endured excruciating cravings.
"It focuses on your relationship with food and put me off snacking," she explained. "I just felt better immediately, and I no longer had cravings … I just wanted to start eating healthier and better.
"And then I followed the programme, and just kept going and my mindset started changing. I just kept making better choices. It transformed my life."
Now, six months on, she has dropped an unbelievable 7st 13lbs (50.3kg) - and counting!
"I definitely feel more confident in my body when I’m walking down the street – I don’t feel like people are just judging me, making comments about me," she told PA Real Life recently, revealing she's now at a comfortable 13st 8lbs (86.2kg).
"Unfortunately it’s the truth, people are nicer to me now – I know that’s a horrible thing to say about people and sometimes that makes me sad, because I’m the same person."
Asked about the impact that the weight loss injectables Mounjaro has had on her health, Susan continued: "It personally made me not hungry, and so it obviously is going to result in a more rapid calorie deficit."
Now, she enjoys a more active lifestyle, which includes walks on the weekend with Colin and a protein-rich diet.
That isn't to say that she's cut out sweet treats entirely, though.
"I’m not saying I can never eat sugar – I had ice cream when I went on my holiday in January (this year), but I don’t need a pint of it in my car," she explained. "So it’s that balance.
"My husband eats sugary stuff around me and occasionally I’ll say, ‘Oh, let me have a tiny bite’, and that’s that."
Despite having gone from a size 22 to a 12, Susan still wants to lose another 'stone or two' in a bid to bring her BMI back to a healthy number.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article and would like to speak with someone in confidence, call the BEAT Eating Disorders helpline on 0808 801 0677. Helplines are open 365 days a year from 9am–8pm during the week, and 4pm–8pm on weekends and bank holidays. Alternatively, you can try the one-to-one webchat.
Rhianna Benson