Before, during and after going to the Nutrition & wellness centre.
Mick Palmer Wrote..
"I had been suffering
from a stomach condition (IBS) for roughly ten years before I first went to see Heba
at the Nutrition and Wellness Centre. In this time I had gone from doctor to
doctor, had numerous hospital visits, had tried acupuncture, meditation,
Chinese medicine drinks, hypnotherapy, and many others tactics all to no avail.
I found doctors were often dismissive and tended to try and attribute the causes
to stress. I came up against this brick wall so many times. I would complain
about my stomach, or pull out of some social occasion because I would feel too
sick and people just could not understand – “oh you’ll be fine after a while”
they would say, or, “you’re just anxious, it will go”. Despite my protests that
this was not all psychological, I still
felt like family, friends and professionals did not understand what I was going
through.
After
several trips to hospital I grew even more despondent. I would wait up to 16
weeks for an appointment only to go home with no answers, having made no
progress, finding myself feeling frustrated and worried that I may never find a
solution.
During this
time, as my symptoms grew worse, my condition began to take control of my life.
As someone who has always loved food and cooking, I found that I was losing my
passion for it completely. It had become an automatic response to the thought
of food to think “is this going to make me feel ill for few hours or (sometimes)
days?” This became so habitual that I would often put off eating for fear of it
making me ill. I would not eat before leaving the house and would avoid eating
out. Those times that I didn’t have a
choice and had to eat out, I would find myself getting anxious before eating
and after would feel so intensely ill I could not carry on a conversation. I
would feel nauseous, sometimes in pain, and just concentrate on breathing, and
trying to appear normal. No easy task. But if I tried to explain why I was not
myself I would get the same response as always – “oh you’ll be fine in a bit,
just let your food go down”.
So
eventually I started just backing out of social occasions completely. Whilst my
rational mind told me not to let my condition take control of my life, another
part of me just did not want to purposely put myself in a situation that would
make me feel so uncomfortable.
The longer
this cycle went on, the worse my health became. I stopped sleeping properly, I
wasn’t eating properly and I often had no energy. I was unmotivated, irritable
and felt utterly powerless to do anything about it. I was in my final year of
my degree, for which I had worked incredibly
hard, and all I could think about was that my condition had become so
debilitating that I truly believed I would not be able to get a job once I
finished, let alone hold down a job, because of my condition.
This was
probably my lowest point. I felt I had tried everything and nothing had worked.
Around this time, I was leafing through the Bath Chronicle and came across an
article about Heba and the recently opened Nutrition and Wellness Centre. I had
seen a nutritionist briefly once before and they had promised they would “fix”
me within a month. I left £80 poorer, and absolutely terrified to eat anything
– no soya, dairy, nuts, seeds, Quorn, etc etc. The list was huge, and for a
vegetarian immensely limiting.
However, the
article highlighted Heba’s qualifications and experience which made me decide
to try one more thing. This, it turns out, was the best decision I had made in
the ten years I had suffered from this condition.
From the
very first phone call onwards Heba radiated positivity, energy and enthusiasm
for what she did. In our first meeting I finally felt, after all this time,
that someone was listening, and really understood what I had been going
through. This was such a huge relief. And immediately made me feel at ease with
Heba, and most importantly made me feel I could trust her.
When I left
that first meeting I felt positive about my situation for the first time in a
long time. I felt like I could beat it and eventually return to my normal self.
This was entirely due to Heba’s ability to empower and motivate. Whilst
everyone I had seen previously talked in very vague terms and never offered any
concrete solutions, Heba was confident, factual, and knowledgeable about what
needed to be done.
Over the
course of six months I saw Heba roughly every one to two weeks. I found each
appointment boosted my energy and motivation and helped me work harder towards
taking control of my condition. And it was
work, for both Heba, and me. Following Heba’s great advice at times can be
challenging. It requires strength and willpower, and sometimes it can be difficult.
It can be tempting to lapse back in to old habits. But knowing what would be in
store for me if I did, and also out of fear of undoing any work we had already
done, I stuck to Heba’s advice. What made this easier were our meetings where
we would discuss how I had been for the previous week, would review my food
diary and check my weight and muscle mass. To see a change on the scales each
week was fantastic – more muscle and less fat. This gave me the drive to work
just as hard at it the next week so I could see an even better result.
Heba’s
nutritional advice has been invaluable. I have learned so much about eating
properly – for years (as a vegetarian) I thought I was eating pretty healthily,
but it turns out a large amount of the food I had been eating had been
perpetuating my condition. As part of building up my appetite again by eating
regularly, and eating healthily, Heba recommended a number of Herbalife
products. These made adjusting to new routines so much easier. They taste
great, are quick and easy to eat and are really healthy. I still use Herbalife
products every day.
All of this
contributed to the changes I saw over the period of six months.
By the time
I had finished my degree I was almost back to my old self again, and it felt
great. People commented on the difference in how I acted and looked, I had more
energy and was feeling more positive. Most importantly I felt I could work and hold
down a job, which I now am.
I look back
now at how difficult the last year with this condition was and to how I felt
when I truly believed I would not be able to work. The change has been immense.
And Heba was not only the catalyst, but was a constant driving force behind
this change, and working hard at it with her has made a profound difference.
The great
thing about the Nutrition and Wellness Centre and Heba is that it could work
for anyone who just wants to eat healthier, feel better and have more energy.
There are many positive points to the Nutrition and Wellness Centre, but what
really sets it apart from other places is Heba herself. She has such energy and
enthusiasm for what she does. Heba is someone who truly does what she does
because she is passionate about it. Her energy is contagious and always makes
you feel positive and confident that you will succeed in your goals.
So if you
want to feel better, eat better and live better, then you could have no better
start than with Heba at the Nutrition and Wellness Centre."
