Suzie is a woman in her mid-40s who works in an administrative role. Over the last ten years she had become increasingly unhappy with her repeated attempts at changing weight by restriction dieting. Although she was sometimes able to change weight, she always rebounded again. She realised that weight cycling was making her unhappy and creating difficulties in her relationship with food. She was also worried that her own issues with food and her body image would pass onto her children. 

During a search on the internet, Suzie came across Nutriri and realised that it offered an alternative approach to managing her relationships with food and her body. Her goal at the outset was to learn how to become less obsessed with the scales, and to develop an easier relationship with food. As she put it, she wanted “to help get my head around breaking free from the diet culture and "good and bad food" that is so ingrained into us. To feel happier with who I am no matter my size.”

What was the intervention? Suzie started on the programme with Nutriri, which involved meeting in a small group. The sessions followed the themes in the image below. Each session has a body ease and a food ease focus and participants engage in group coaching and hypnotherapy (if not contraindicated).

Each session is shaped by its participants’ immediate and longer term needs, enabling them to find their own sustainable version of nutrition and exercise.

Suzie was already fairly active, doing pilates with a personal trainer, and swimming once a week. But she found the way that Nutriri celebrates enjoying activity for its own sake - “movement for joy” - helped her to enjoy it more. It’s not a means to an end now, but something she does because it makes her feel good.

What was the most helpful part? In terms of the content, the most helpful part was learning that there is a viable alternative to constantly feeling negative about her own body and guilty about eating things she enjoys sharing with the family. What she most enjoyed was the group sessions, that feeling of being part of a community, and of being able to ask questions and to share ideas, concerns, and feelings. 

What will the long-term impact be? Suzie thinks the Nutriri programme has helped her to understand more about weight stigma and why the diet industry is so powerful. It will enable her to be more challenging about some of the negative messaging she sees everywhere in society. 

She says she can: “Start to see things differently, to reframe thinking around body shame and food”.

Would the participant recommend the Nutriri approach? Yes, “I have been telling people all about it! Especially when a friend told me she's signed up to "fat club" again!”.