Frequently Asked Questions

I am about 120 kg and would like to be 60 kg. I go to the gym 4 times a week but the weight is not shifting. Do you think you could help me?

It might depend on any medical conditions, sometimes it’s not that simple. If you don’t have any, and you’re already in the gym 4 times a week, you will see startling results within the first 7 days with me — all you need is to align your eating plan!

How long does it usually take to lose weight naturally?

It depends on the overall amount of weight you need to lose. For somebody currently weighing 120 kg wanting to slim down to 65 kg could take 6-9-12 months. You did not put this amount of weight on in 3 weeks, quite likely it took a few months or a few years, so you should not be expecting to lose it quickly. My mission is to help you learn to listen to your body and gradually make the correct changes so that the weight loss process happens naturally and remains steady and enjoyable for weeks to come. The dynamics of losing weight naturally is perhaps the most apparent in the first 3-5 weeks, afterwards you could expect to lose between 500 and 700 g per week. Each case is unique, but this is the general idea.

I don’t think I have excess weight (maybe 1 kg), however I feel bloated quite often and don’t have much of an appetite. I exercise daily and I think my diet is very healthy. What is your advice?

I would look in detail into your diet and daily routine. Quite often there are hidden areas that people don’t consider, for example water intake or number of meals a day or the nutritional balance of every meal. I would ask you a range of questions about your habits and together we can find out the causes for your discomfort. In cases such as these I would design a 6-week meal plan, and perhaps fine-tune your exercise, with reviews every week. At the end of 6 weeks you will have lost your excess 1 kg (or more) along with the bloating and will feel happier and more energetic.

I have an important event in 3 weeks’ time. Can you help me lose weight so that I can be in my best form?

Losing weight naturally is a process, but we could certainly kick-start the process as soon as possible! An event can be a great motivation to attain your ideal weight, but the emphasis should be on your well-being and proper nutrition. I have had cases where objectively overweight women lost 4 kg in just under 4 weeks after starting on the nutrition and exercise plan. If you have more than 4 kg to lose, I would encourage you to focus on the process of getting your body naturally healthy. If you start on the programme even a couple of weeks before an important event, I promise you will absolutely feel like a star!

Losing weight just means cutting out the carbs, right? Isn’t it evident?

No, losing weight is most certainly not about cutting out the carbs. When we work together to achieve your weight-loss goal, I will teach you to choose your carbs and have the correct proportion of complex carbs vs simple carbs. Carbs should represent about 50-60% of your diet on average.

I am a woman in my late 40s and I have this annoying middle-age spread (other than that, I don’t have any excess weight). I go to the gym 3 times a week, I do cardio and weights, but this seems to have made no difference. Do you think you could help?

It’s amazing that you exercise! For sure I can help by looking at your current dietary habits and preferences, identifying ‘blind spots’ as I sometimes call them and then putting you on a specifically designed menu that is satisfying, balanced, hormone- and exercise-friendly. I can guarantee that you will lose your spread in less than 2 months!

Will I have to exercise in order to lose weight?

This is a brilliant question, and one that can’t be answered definitively. If I were losing weight, I would definitely combine it with exercise for best results (which is actually what I did, when I discovered the science of nutrition!). When you exercise, you use muscles, which get stronger and tighten your whole body structure. Your skin becomes taut and glowing. I would whole-heartedly advise exercise, and it can be lots of options depending on your preference, ability and, previous injuries or conditions (eg, back pain, sciatica, knee surgery, migraines, etc): Vinyasa yoga/Hot yoga, some fun cardio like Freestyle Aerobics, Dance Fitness, Zumba or Body Combat! It doesn’t have to be what you do not enjoy. So if you’re a fan of running, we can look at how you can build running into your routine, and if you’re a fan of creative cardio, that’s also an option. All this is looked at in detail when we design your plan.

I walk my dog for 45 mins a day and I walk to work for about an hour a day, but my weight is still the same. What am I doing wrong?

You are not doing anything wrong, rather, at this point you do not know how to do things right. Dog-walking does not impact on weight loss, unless your dog is a German Pointer who drags you around the countryside at 20 miles/hour for the best part of the day. If you are a person whose excess weight is up to about 10 kg, walking the dog simply won’t do it. However in the case of people who lead sedentary lives and are 20 kg+ overweight, starting physical activity by walking (with the dog or otherwise) might be a very good idea, because it will gradually reintroduce them to regular movement and consequently facilitate weight loss. In your particular case I would look in detail into your current diet as well as explore more impactful physical activity options.

None of the previous diets or fasts worked for me, or rather they worked for some time and then the weight returned. Why and how is your approach different?

The approach I offer is not a diet in this sense, let alone fasting. It’s a set of rules about food (nutrients) and exercise that can be learned and applied for the rest of your life to maintain your ideal weight and enjoy high levels of energy, great sleep and creativity for years to come.

Will I be required to take/buy any supplements?

No. In any case they should be prescribed by your doctor after looking at your comprehensive blood test.

I am a vegetarian, will this work for me?

Yes, absolutely. I can design an optimum nutrition plan for you that would be balanced and sustainable.

Do you work with people diagnosed as diabetic or pre-diabetic?

Yes, I work with people with those diagnoses. I have had a 100% success rate where the goal was to lose up to 15 kg of weight.

What if your plan does not work for me?

Your plan is designed specifically for you, taking into account your personal eating preferences, your lifestyle, work and home environment and your specific goal. I give you my personal guarantee that the plan that we will develop together will work for you 100%!

I am not interested in cooking, would the programme suit me?

My approach is based on encouraging you to cook nutritionally balanced meals that are right in quality and quantity for your body, your personality and your goal. Cooking can be a very therapeutic process which you might enjoy. The recipes I offer are simple and would be tailored to your specific needs.

Will the recipes be based on any exotic ingredients?

No, I work with people all over the world and base my recipes on ingredients available in supermarkets world-wide.

I have had an eating disorder in the past, I am not sure if your programme will suit me? I am still afraid of eating pasta and bread.

Welcome to the club. I also had an eating disorder, which started when I was a teenager. I can tell you from my personal experience that it is completely reversible! Spoiler: I promise you that you can enjoy pasta at least once a week and bread a few times a week and STILL lose weight steadily!

I have a very busy social life, which means I eat out a lot. How can I still lose weight ?

We will look at your goal in terms of weight loss, as well as what you tend to eat in restaurants and whether the food you eat out suits your purpose. Together we can design a plan where you can still enjoy evenings out, but you will have a much better idea how it builds into your nutritional plan. Restaurant food can be great, too, and eating out (or going on holiday!) does not mean you have to put on weight!

What are those ‘rules’ that you talk about? Is it not the same as any other diet rules?

The rules I will teach you are based on your personal information (age, gender, weight, height) and scientific parameters, such as nutritional values that are right for you and nutritional balance of every meal you take. We will also look at water consumption and physical activity. All together this makes if not the magic pill, but definitely the magic set of rules that will last you a lifetime!

I have severe IBS. My diet is good and I don't have any weight issues. Can you help?

Again, welcome to the club! This was my story for many years before I learned nutrition. The scientific community are still not sure what causes IBS, and from my experience there is a deep psychological dimension to it, but in my case eating nutritionally balanced food has helped to eliminate all my symptoms, which were quite bad and which I started experiencing as a teenager. I can now say with total confidence that IBS is not only ‘manageable’, but reversible! In a few months I am hoping to additionally offer therapy sessions to IBS and eating disorder sufferers as part of my programme. Watch this space!

You talk about this method as if it’s suitable for everybody. But there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ is there?

Well, there is! The ‘one size’ part is the principle of nutritional balance of every meal, appropriate times between meals, water regimen, and desirable and appropriate physical activity. Where the approach becomes different (the ‘fits all part’) is your individual parameters: age, gender, height, and your goal. Children under 12-14 will eat very differently to adults for example, there is a marked difference between working with men and working with women, and also with overweight people vs people who are looking to lose up to 3 kg or maintain ideal weight. Working with overweight or underweight children also requires a different approach, although the overall principle is still the same.

How is your programme different from diets like Atkins, Bunting or Keto? I have found the Bunting diet very successful in the past.

The question I will ask is why aren’t you following it now, if you’re here? I don’t know very much about some of the diets you’ve mentioned, but the reasons a lot of diets do not work for people (and by ‘do not work’ I mean that the results are not sustainable) is because 1) they are too strict, which means people go hungry, and at some point the hunger takes over so the weight returns 2) they do not take into account nutritional balance, which long-term can lead to undesirable or even harmful side-effects.

Does your programme mean I will be eating and losing weight? This is almost too good to be true!

Well, in the words of Albert Einstein, it takes a genius to make something simple. The system I offer to my clients, which is based in classical dietology, is just that: it's about eating great, satisfying and nutritionally balanced meals 3-6 times a day (this will depend on each individual case), drinking appropriate amounts of clear water and exercising to the level of one’s ability.

I have been following Ayurveda for some years but I still struggle with bloating and weight fluctuation, although I cannot say that I am overweight. Can I combine the Ayurvedic approach with your approach?

I am also a lover of Ayurveda, there is a lot of wisdom and knowledge about the human body and nutrition. I am pretty sure we can incorporate some ayurvedic approach that has worked for you so far with the balanced plan that I will design with your input.

You say exercise is important and you're a fitness expert. Do you provide exercise videos as part of your programme?

When you sign up for a package, the first thing you do is fill out an in-depth health questionnaire. Then we will schedule a Zoom meeting in which we will discuss your specific case. At this point I will advise you on the best physical activity for you. In addition, I may give you a set of specific exercises to target certain areas of the body, for example, to trim the waistline or to lengthen the front of your neck, release tight shoulders, or correct your posture. You will be required to do these in conjunction with your chosen physical activity (at your local gym or health club, or online). The sets I usually give people take 10-20 mins a day, and I am happy to demonstrate them at our Zoom meeting and record for you if necessary.