Cassandra, a 35-year-old mother of one from Lincoln, has done it with the help of two Slimpods. “Chocolate was my first love,” she admits. “I’d eat a phenomenal amount, sometimes 10 bars a day. I don’t know how I didn’t make myself ill.
“Often I would make myself feel sick but even then I’d just keep on stuffing chocolate down. I just couldn’t stop myself from eating it.
“My obsession from chocolate started in childhood and I had a terrible sweet tooth when I was a little girl. The doctor told my parents I should stop eating it because it wasn’t doing me any good but that only last 48 hours before my parents gave in to my whining and let me have it again.”
Chocolate played such a big part in Cassandra’s life that she even organised a chocolate ball to raise money for charity. “It was amazing – there was a big chocolate fountain, tasting sessions, chocolate gifts on each table, a chocolate raffle and auction it for me it was like dying and going to heaven.”
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No wonder Cassandra's all smiles
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Watch Cassandra's great video story
Amazingly, Cassandra is an incredible cakemaker but even
though she bakes fabulous cakes for friends she's never tempted to eat
them. "A year ago I'd have baked two cakes for them and one for myself,"
she laughs. "Not any more!"
When Cassandra met Sandra Roycroft-Davis, the founder of Thinking
Slimmer, at an event in 2010 she was immediately attracted to the idea
of changing her eating habits and losing weight without the need to
diet, count calories – or even need willpower.
Sandra introduced her to Slimpods, unique 10-minute downloads which slimmers listen to each night before they fall asleep and which gently retune their minds to want to eat less and do more.
But a series of personal blows set Cassandra back - she lost her mother at a very young age then went through a divorce. By last spring she felt ready to start listening to her Slimpods – Drop Two Dress Sizes Or More and The Chocoholic Cure.
“I was a bit worried about the effect The Chocoholic Cure would have on me,” she confesses. “I really didn’t want to be out off chocolate altogether, I still wanted to be able to have a little bit now and then.
“But I knew it was one of the main reasons I was overweight. Fortunately I needn’t have worried. The Slimpods have this amazing knack of helping your mind balance what’s good for you with the occasional treat that gives you a little boost.
“Now I can open a bar of chocolate, have just a couple of squares and leave the rest for another day. It’s just not a problem any more. Once it would have been a real challenge to leave chocolate uneaten but know I don’t even think about it.
“I still can’t believe I’m cured of being a chocoholic, it’s all been to easy and hassle-fee. So I consider I’m a ‘recovering chocoholic’ even though Sandra assures me there’s no reason why this feelgood feeling shouldn’t last for ever.
“I know I’ve made a permanent change to my lifestyle because I’m definitely in control of my eating now. There’s been a big reduction in my appetite and without even realising I’m doing it I always seem to go for the healthier options.
“The great thing about Thinking Slimmer is that unlike a diet, it lets me eat normal food. But it just makes me want to eat less of it. I never used to eat fruit and salads, but now they’re a big part of my daily intake.
“My Slimpod really motivates me to make the effort to prepare salads in the evening so I’ve got a ready-made meal for the next day.
“I’ve also started to exercise for the first time in ages. I had a serious accident and broke my neck and bones in my spine so I’ve not been able to run before. But now I go on the treadmill and have a regular brisk walk to get my body pumping.
“I can’t tell you how good it feels to be able to go from no exercise to an hour on the treadmill.”
Cassandra now weighs 10st 10lbs and is a comfortable size 10. Her goal is to step on the scales and see her weight start with the figure nine – “I know I’ll achieve that, it’s just a matter of time. I’m in no hurry.”
She’ll also be organising another Chocolate Ball for all her friends, probably next year. “But this time it will be very different, I won’t be dipping into that chocolate fountain again,” she says.
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Look at the amazing cakes Cassandra makes - but isn't tempted to eat!
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