Testimonials

James has been a fantastic help in solving my issues towards food. I’ve gone from using food as a vehicle to fight fear and create an environment of control, to understanding how my eating habits are linked to emotions and past experiences that have been holding me back.

James is more than just a food therapist. He has a genuine understanding of how emotions can knock on to a person’s lifestyle habits and is genuinely interested in helping the individual take a more positive approach to their life.

Thomas 29*

WeightMatters was so much more than just weight loss. It was about motivation and education – it made me accountable. The team are professional, easy going and completely discreet and confidential. I would highly recommend WeightMatters 5-star service to anyone who wants to achieve their ideal weight and feel good about themselves.

Gary Barlow – Singer & Songwriter – Take That*

For years I struggled with my weight, was on endless diets and drinking all manner of sugary shakes and eating cardboard tasting diet food. I always thought that my problem was my lack of willpower and constantly beat myself up for failing to stick to a diet plan long enough to get to my desired weight.

I also had very poor body image and always believed that my life would significantly improve when I was thinner. There were so many things I wanted to do in my life, but kept putting them off until I was thinner. So after finishing yet another unsuccessful diet and paying a fortune for hypnotherapy (which did not work for me), I decided that I needed to focus on the underlying reasons for my weight problems and poor body image, rather than simply trying to “cure” the results of overeating and constant internal negative chatter. I came across Weightmatters by doing a Google search for therapists that focussed mainly on eating issues. Once I had made my initial appointment (which was a full day “breakthrough day’ with James), I thought that I only needed a couple of sessions and I would have solved all the underlying issues. Wrong!

The ‘breakthrough day” unearthed a number of different issues in my past and present life and I realised that my weight problems were not simply because I overate, there were much deeper, ingrained issues which I needed to face. I have had a number of sessions with James who is very professional, thoughtful, completely understands me and gets my issues. Sessions are sometimes quite painful and require a lot of hard work and facing issues head on. However, they can also be a lot of fun – I laugh a fair bit in my sessions. James often makes me see things in different ways and on many occasion has completely changed my thinking on a particular issue.

Working with James feels like a very safe, partnership – together we are working our way through the reasons why I overeat. I have also seen other practitioners at the practice such as Sue Camp the nutritionist. Working with a number of experts in this way has really helped me as they get to see a more fuller picture of me and my issues. Although I am still not at my desired weight, I know one day I will get there with James and Sue’s continued help. For the time being, with more clarity in my thinking and a better understanding of me, my eating is more under control and my body image is beginning to improve. I have even started doing those things I previously only dared to dream about until I was thin enough. I know now I am good enough to do whatever I want to do – regardless of my size.

Christina 40*

Tonight was my last session with the team at Weight Matters, I shall miss both Sue and Helena very much. Thank you all so much for what you have done over the last few months, almost a year. You’ve been wonderful. I feel great!

I wanted to write a testimonial, so here it is:

I came to Weight Matters in May 2015 asking for help. I was the fattest I had ever been in my life (Sue has the figures), I was down, depressed, and felt incapable of going through (yet another) diet on my own. I had followed so many different diets before, had lost lots of weight very quickly, and put it all back on (and more) every single time.

Following a chat over the phone with James, he allocated two of his therapists he felt would be best fitted for me, and I booked 12 sessions with Helena Lewis (Eating & Behavioural Therapist), and six with Sue Camp (Nutritional Therapist).

I saw Helena weekly for 12 weeks. Helena is friendly, smart, compassionate and motivational. She understood straight away why I was here and what we needed to talk about. It was sometimes hard and sometimes great fun; I always looked forward to my Monday morning meeting with Helena. It was a brilliant eye opener. Thanks to Helena I understand myself better, especially when it comes to stress and my relationship with food. Understanding helps me control my behaviour. Helena made it easy.

Then, there was Sue. I saw Sue six times between May and December 2015. Sue is Friendly, motivational, caring, relatable, accessible and brilliant fun! Having gone through so many diets before, I was anxious and maybe also scared to meet her, and to hear what she had in store for me. However Sue made me feel at ease straight away, working with me, so I felt comfortable with my new diet. It was actually very straight forward and the “rules” simple to apply; I have never felt that comfortable with my way of eating before. I understand what I eat, I feel amazing about it, and I can control it. I don’t crave certain food anymore, and I am taking things easy. I have continuously been loosing weight since May, over 20 kgs and counting.

I don’t have a goal weight, but I know I want to loose more. I am comfortable with what I eat and I am slowly and surely loosing weight. I’m also happier, feel healthier and calmer. Friends tell me I look 10 years younger then I did a year ago. I might book a few more individual sessions in the future with both Helena and Sue, not only because I will be missing them, but also to tune things up as I go along in my new quest for healthy and happy eating.

Thank you all so much.

Oli 35*

I have struggled with compulsive overeating since my teens. I have tried a wide range of approaches however, the problem remained. Pregnant with my 2nd child I decided I really needed something targeted that was focused on providing tools to make behavioural changes. The Breakthrough Half Days appealed as they fitted in with my timescales and I also liked the idea of something intensive. I also liked the Weight Matters clinic expertise in dealing with compulsive overeating, as an issue I personally feel it is often overlooked.

Wow, is all I can say. I had more ‘breakthroughs’ during the two sessions with James than I have had in years of trying other therapies etc. He delivered a mixture of helping me to understand the psychology of my issues and also the physical side of my eating behaviours. He provided me with a number of really practical tools which I have already started using. Since the sessions my eating has been much improved. I feel confident I have started making permanent changes for a healthier life.

James was very personable and I found him very easy to talk to. I am so pleased I booked the two Breakthrough Half Days – it was such a worthwhile investment.”

Abigail 36*

I am a 52 year old woman. I have struggled with a weight problem all my life. Therapy with James at Weightmatters practice taught me why i have continued to struggle despite trying every diet slimming club and even gastric balloon surgery. Each of these things worked to a degree, but i always put the weight back on.

As a last resort i decided my last option was therapy. However i was very skeptical about what i could gain from therapy, and whether i could gel with a therapist. If this was to work i knew i had to divulge my inermost thoughts,and be honest about my eating habits. I was very resistant to the idea, but was desperate to do anything which would help me lose weight.

I could not have been more wrong about not being able to open up and talk about everything and anything. I gelled with James straight away. I found him to be non judgemental understanding, and oozing wanting to help. That gave me the confidence to talk about my binge eating, and attitudes around food. This meant together we were able to untangle so many misguided beliefs I had carried with me from childhood. Also to get rid of the diet culture i had adopted for so many years.

The work we did in therapy has given me the freedom to live my life in the present. In the here and now. For the first time in my life i am living a happy and healthy lifestyle. Therapy has changed so many areas in my life for the better. I could never have come this far without James at Weightmatters Practice. He offered me support understanding and life long tools to enable me to lose weight, and keep it off.

I cannot recommend James at Weighmatters Practice highly enough. Without good therapy i would still be trapped in the negative and self destructive spiral of binge eating, and be stuck with obesity for the rest of my life. Thank you so much James.

Angela 52*

I came to WeightMatters in search of peace of mind. I have been consumed for years by my weight, the scales and being trapped in an endless cycle of either eating nothing or eating everything.

I was paired with Sabine for seven weeks and she was truly exceptional.

For the first time, I felt properly listened to and properly understood.

Sabine is an excellent listener and she gives you the time and space to really work through feelings.

For me, a lot of painful memories that had been packed away were handled in a very caring way.

I could not recommend Sabine enough and she really did help on setting me on a path to peace.

Elaine*

I have worked with HealthMatters and James for a number of years on weight loss and weight management and emotional agility. I’ve found the help most useful and it’s most certainly improved my life and wellbeing.

Paul*

The therapy I am receiving through HealthMatters is life changing. My therapist helps me understand my thoughts and feelings, and has helped me to see patterns of thinking I didn’t even know I had, and make new connections which have led to real changes. I feel heard and understood, and I have built up complete trust in the therapeutic relationship. I have spent 38 years immersed within diet culture, which has included periods of disordered eating and led me to a point in time where I felt such stress around food and despair about my own weight and had a very poor body image. For the first time I am starting to feel optimistic about being able to heal my relationship with food and with my own body, and that I will be able to achieve a healthy weight sustainably and without ever dieting again.

Laura*

Maya has been incredibly helpful in unpicking the links between previous trauma and my eating habits. She has been very supportive and also great with practical advice and pointers for further reading. I felt that she really understood me, right from the first session. Thank you!

Emma*

I have just completed 13 x sessions with Chengxi. I’m not completely new to counselling having done a Hoffman Process bootcamp a few years ago, so I came with a whole bunch of awareness of why I am like I am (and deep wonder that I am not much worse), but with no means of doing anything much about it. I feel with Chengxi’s guidance I have kicked the can a bit further down the road (which is why I have stopped the sessions for the time being). Somehow or other at some point during the sessions I had some listening ears on and I feel I have come away with some tools which will help me with my emotional eating. I am by no means ‘fixed’ but definitely feel a lot more empowered and able to deal with my eating issues, which I appreciate very much. I know it’s a process and my patterns are very deeply entrenched over decades, but I’m feeling hopeful and less in the thrall of food, which is what I wanted at the outset of these sessions. Many thanks Chengxi.

Carol*

I have worked with James for a period of 12 months to improve my body image, emotional agility and reduce my binge eating habits. He was an excellent therapist in my therapeutic journey and during our meetings we focused both on practical steps for me to improve my life but also had some deeper psychotherapeutic sessions. After a period of one year, I can say that my binge eating has reduced dramatically, and more importantly I feel more in control over my eating and self-talk. I see elements in my life more pragmatically and able to cope with them without resulting to emotional eating. I am also in control over cynicism which was a bit part for my eating habits and regressing to old behaviours. I sincerely recommend working with James and WeightMatters, and I thank him wholeheartedly for our journey together.

Nick*