{"id":168976,"date":"2025-06-09T01:05:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T01:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/168976\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T01:05:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T01:05:17","slug":"i-lost-five-stone-in-a-year-and-have-kept-it-off-by-following-five-free-unconventional-rules-anyone-can-do-it-and-theres-no-weight-loss-jabs-or-gym-required-naomi-holbrook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/168976\/","title":{"rendered":"I lost five stone in a year and have kept it off by following five free unconventional rules: Anyone can do it and there’s NO weight-loss jabs or gym required: NAOMI HOLBROOK"},"content":{"rendered":"

Naomi Holbrook, 50, remembers creeping down the stairs of her childhood home in Devon while everyone was sleeping to raid the kitchen cupboards. \u2018Mum was a brilliant home baker so there were always tins of flapjacks, sausage rolls and cheese straws that I couldn\u2019t resist. Both my parents were big on entertaining and if they\u2019d had a dinner party, I\u2019d also be in the fridge before breakfast helping myself to the \u2018naughty\u2019 leftovers. By the time I was eight years old my complex relationship with food had already begun.\u2019<\/p>\n

A pupil at a \u2018competitive girl\u2019s school\u2019 where everyone else was \u2018slimmer and sportier\u2019, Naomi \u2018always felt like the big girl\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Food was my last thought at night and my first in the morning,’ she says. ‘I gave into crisps, chocolate, biscuits and sweets and felt like I didn\u2019t have an “off” switch. I labelled food in my head as “good” and “bad”, and when I had foods that I deemed to be bad I would just spiral out of control and keep wanting more.\u2019<\/p>\n

At the age of 14, weighing nine stone, Naomi was buying SlimFast shakes and hiding them in her wardrobe. And so began a 26-year battle with her weight. She tried every conceivable diet \u2013 and sometimes more than one at a time. \u2018I\u2019d be tracking “Syns” [Slimming World\u2019s term for high-calorie foods], having a green day, counting calories and intermittently fasting all at the same time. None of it ever worked.\u2019<\/p>\n

By her 30s\u00a0\u2013 her \u2018Bridget Jones years\u2019, as she deems them\u00a0\u2013 Naomi was London-based and heading up operations for a global cosmetics brand. \u2018I spent most of that decade single, in a very stressful job and drinking well over 30 units of alcohol<\/a> a week [the safe limit is 14]. It was all boozy brunches with my girlfriends, an Indian takeaway for two on the way home that I\u2019d eat myself, then a tub of Haagen-Dazs. They were fun times\u2026 until they were miserable times.\u2019<\/p>\n

By 39, Naomi weighed 18 stone \u2013 her heaviest weight \u2013 and, at 5ft 5ins, wore a dress size 18-20. She was pre-diabetic and had constant back pain. She was also struggling with depression<\/a>, and would obsessively weigh herself three times a day.<\/p>\n

\u2018It was at this point I told myself “I am not going to get to 40 and be fat and single”, she says now. \u2018I never shamed anyone else, but I did shame myself.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

A year later, she had kept her promise to herself. Having lost five stone in 12 months, Naomi entered her 40s almost at her healthy weight. Now, ten years on, she has kept it all off \u2013 and more. While she no longer weighs herself, she is a size 10-12.<\/p>\n

\"Naomi <\/p>\n

Naomi Holbrook before she lost five stone in a year. At her heaviest, aged 39, she weighed 18 stone and, at 5ft 5ins, wore a dress size 18-20.\u00a0She was also pre-diabetic and had back pain<\/p>\n

Indeed, her life was so turned around, she left the corporate world to teach others her methods and today works as the Unconventional Weight Loss Coach.<\/p>\n

Her recipe for success is called The Smart Formula and \u2018is entirely based on what worked for [her]\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018When I started, I was at my heaviest. I hated myself and was so jealous of friends who didn\u2019t have problems with their weight. I lacked confidence and any belief in myself.<\/p>\n

\u2018Aside from the weight loss, the greatest change is that I don\u2019t need food or romantic relationships to feel good any more. I no longer feel embarrassed about being single or ashamed about not having children.<\/p>\n

\u2018Everything in my life has got better. When you work with your body instead of fighting it, lasting results become possible without shame, restriction \u2013 or weight loss injections.\u2019<\/p>\n

Here, she shares the five free and easy-to-achieve steps she took to finally get the body she wanted \u2013 and maintain it.<\/p>\n

STEP 1: \u2018Turn off the TV and reduce evening drinking\u2019<\/p>\n

I used to survive on four to five hours of sleep. Alcohol and poor food choices were spiking my insulin levels and disrupting my ability to get proper rest. I\u2019d also watch TV until midnight, or 2am at weekends.<\/p>\n

Now, getting to bed is my goal. It\u2019s the foundation of good physical, emotional and metabolic health.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m in bed for 10pm, up at 5.30am and I sleep solidly. In my experience, so many people try to fix their weight without solving their chronic sleep deprivation first. Sleep has a huge impact on our ghrelin and leptin hormones, which keep our appetite in check (ghrelin stimulates your desire to eat while leptin signals fullness).<\/p>\n

For successful weight loss, I encourage limiting blue-screen time (phones, laptops etc), ideally for 90 mins before bed. On-demand channels keep you glued to the TV, chasing the dopamine hit. Too often women use a TV binge to soothe themselves but, believe me, nothing will make you feel better than a good night’s sleep.<\/p>\n

I start my bedtime routine every morning. I get out into daylight within the first hour of waking up. It\u2019s when our body produces the better-quality melatonin\u00a0\u2013 the hormone that promotes good sleep. I\u2019m active every single day so that I feel physically tired by the evening.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t drink caffeine after 1pm because it stays in the bloodstream for nine to ten hours, spiking cortisol levels during the night. If I touch alcohol, I see an immediate detrimental impact on my sleep. During the evening, I reduce fluids, having just a little water if I need it. I also avoid processed foods, so I\u2019m not waking at 2am with sugar-induced night sweats. I\u2019m also a big fan of the Calm meditation app \u2013 it\u2019s great for helping your brain switch off.<\/p>\n

STEP 2: Break snacking habits and stop making excuses<\/p>\n

I used to skip breakfast, thinking I was compensating for overeating the night before. If I did have it, I\u2019d eat a pain au chocolat, guzzle a latte, and then have another pastry at my office desk. Lunch was a cheese panini, crisps and chocolate bar \u2018meal deal\u2019, plus a milky coffee.<\/p>\n

Dinner would be a carb-heavy ready meal with a pudding and another chocolate bar. Frankly, it wasn\u2019t unusual for me to eat four chocolate bars a day.<\/p>\n

Meals now look very different. But there\u2019s no weighing, no measuring, no tracking, no calorie counting. I do it all by\u00a0hand \u2013 ideally three palm-sized portions of protein a day and at least five fruit and vegetables. When you have enough protein, you\u2019ll never think about snacking.<\/p>\n

Breakfast is eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms or homemade banana pancakes with raspberries, blueberries and natural yoghurt. Lunch will be salmon, cod or chicken with lots of pulses and veg. Not everything is made from scratch \u2013 I\u2019m busy, so dinner might be Heck sausages with veg. Throughout the day, I\u2019ll drink two to three litres of water with electrolytes to replace all my minerals, plus two or three espressos.<\/p>\n

When most people think they’re hungry, they\u2019re actually dehydrated from drinking nothing but tea and coffee all day. I no longer think about food between meals.<\/p>\n

I used to cut food triggers out of my life, but now I face them. For me, these include meeting up with family and friends. To them, food is love, so they\u2019ll always try to feed me. Previously, I would have eaten whatever they offered\u00a0\u2013 now I either decline or take my own healthier option, such as a protein yoghurt.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve also got to stop making excuses for why you can\u2019t lose weight. One of the biggest lies is \u2018I\u2019m in menopause so I can\u2019t do it\u2019. Others include: \u2018It\u2019s hereditary\u2019, \u2018My metabolism is broken\u2019, \u2018I\u2019ve always been big-boned or the chubby one\u2019 and \u2018I can\u2019t move due to chronic illness\u2019.<\/p>\n

The truth is 85 per cent of weight loss results come from diet. Women need re-educating about food. I never offer meal plans; instead I educate my clients on nutrition and what their bodies need so they can make informed decisions. You can\u2019t tell someone you have to eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner if they\u2019re a shift worker or if they\u2019re homeschooling four children \u2013 it doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

\"Naomi <\/p>\n

Naomi now, after losing weight with her five steps, known as\u00a0The Smart Formula. She helps women lose weight as the Unconventional Weight Loss Coach<\/p>\n

STEP 3: \u2018Quit the gym and get outside\u2019<\/p>\n

I was a sloth before I lost weight, telling myself I had a back condition so I couldn\u2019t exercise. Also, I didn\u2019t like the way my body felt when I moved\u00a0\u2013 it was an unwelcome reminder of how big I was. On the rare occasions I did work out, it was only as a punishment for eating too much. What I needed was to find enjoyment and a compelling personal challenge, and that\u2019s what I gave myself when I set out to climb Mont Blanc in the Alps. I decided that first, by way of training, I would ascend seven UK mountains (Cader Idris, Pen y Fan, Glyder Fawr, Pen yr Ole Wen, Crib Goch, Tryfan and Scafell Pike) in 2023. I scaled Mont Blanc over a ten-day expedition in August 2023, as a personal goal I set myself.<\/p>\n

I now strength train and dead lift every week\u00a0\u2013 as a 50-year-old woman in menopause I know how important it is for me to improve my bone health and mitigate the loss of muscle mass \u2013 and I cold-water swim all year round.<\/p>\n

I often advise women to quit the gym because they\u2019re paying the fees every month and never go. What they really benefit from is getting outside.<\/p>\n

There are no workouts in my programme. For successful, sustainable weight loss, you need to find daily movement that brings you joy and fits into your life. It can be dancing in the kitchen with your kids, getting outside and walking, or doing the school run but stopping the car early and walking the last quarter of it. If you enjoy it, you\u2019ll continue to do it.<\/p>\n

\u2018Eat less, move more\u2019 is too simplistic a view, verging on uneducated. A woman’s relationship with food is much more complex than that, especially around menopause. It\u2019s about regulating your metabolism, hormones and sleep \u2013 in all the ways that I have done \u2013 so that your body can do what it\u2019s actually designed to do, which is burn fat.<\/p>\n

STEP 4: \u2018Your weight is not the problem \u2013 stress is\u2019<\/p>\n

This is the hardest one to achieve, largely because we\u2019re never taught how to do it. Most women feel guilty for stopping or even pausing. But we all need moments of recovery \u2013 brief pauses that can be less than ten minutes\u00a0\u2013 rather than relying on food, alcohol and caffeine to make us feel better.<\/p>\n

Back in my 20s and 30s, I didn\u2019t just have a weight problem. Most women don\u2019t. We have a chronic stress and burnout problem, too. The cause is typically a lack of boundaries and saying yes to everything to the detriment of your own health and wellbeing. In fact, I know I always kept myself busy in order to feel like I had some worth in the world.<\/p>\n

Weight gain is a symptom of burnout. When we spend a long time in a state of stress, our body resorts to fight-or-flight mode, which disrupts our nervous system and drives us to soothe ourselves with poor lifestyle and food choices.<\/p>\n

There are seven types of rest that I believe are beneficial to us and combat weight problems: physical, mental, emotional, sensory, social, spiritual and creative. Try to find moments throughout your day to pause and have some form of break that ticks one of those boxes. Stand outside and take a few minutes without digital stimulation. Stop to make a cup of tea (but don\u2019t drink it at your desk \u2013 go outside!). Have an exercise break and spend just six minutes moving your body.<\/p>\n

STEP 5: \u2018Go out for lunch and delete the dating apps\u2019<\/p>\n

The fact I wasn\u2019t capable of managing my weight made me feel like a failure in other areas of my life \u2013 and a lot of my clients have a similar mindset.<\/p>\n

I always needed to be with people because I felt that proved I was a good friend, sister and daughter. A lot of women I see have lost themselves this way. Often, they\u2019re trying to be the old version of themselves \u2013 the one who wore the size ten jeans or was her pre-baby weight. But that\u2019s not who they are any more. Acknowledging that is almost like a grief process.<\/p>\n

Many of my female clients have never taken themselves out for lunch or been away overnight on their own. When they eventually do something like this, the experience makes them more resilient. It\u2019s important to prioritise guilt-free time alone. Try baby steps at first, such as going to a park to relax.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m very proud that I spent my 50th birthday alone in Florence, Italy, for four days. During my Bridget Jones years, that would have made me feel like a failure. I\u2019d rather have sat in a cafe and talked to strangers than spent even one afternoon on my own. But now I take great pleasure in my own company, doing precisely what I want, when I want to.<\/p>\n

Deleting all my dating apps \u2013 and believe me, I had a few \u2013 felt like another act of self-care. Every time someone ghosted me, I\u2019d feel awful and my mental health would take a dip.<\/p>\n

Now dating is a bit like food; I don\u2019t need to obsess about it any more.<\/p>\n

Likewise, several friendships have naturally fallen away. I\u2019ve accepted that some people don\u2019t like the new version of me. As I lost all that weight, I didn\u2019t just reclaim my body \u2013 I found my voice, my confidence and, ironically, the courage to finally take up space. Now I\u2019m very clear on who I am and I\u2019m not busy trying to fit in with everybody or be the people pleaser I was.<\/p>\n

Naomi\u2019s group coaching programme (theunconventionalweightlosscoach.com<\/a>) costs \u00a31,197 for 12 weeks. Her book, Your Weight Is Not The Problem (\u00a310.99), is out now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Naomi Holbrook, 50, remembers creeping down the stairs of her childhood home in Devon while everyone was sleeping…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":168977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[92,368,1630,105,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-168976","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-femail","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114650724714946069","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}