An emergency dash from the other side of the world back to her home town in Devon proved to be truly life-changing for Sarah Valentine, who lost an incredible 5.5 stone, with the support from Alex and a tailored diet plan, during her stay. When she was finally able to return to the UK, she surprised her husband and son with her transformation, who had no idea what she had been up to!
Sarah was in the UK for six months, returning to be with her mum after she had a stroke in June 2021. It was an emotional and difficult time but working on her health with best friend of 40 years Alex Martin, who has an established weightloss centre in their home town of Newton Abbot, gave her something positive to focus on.
Before her trip to the UK, Sarah had been struggling with both her physical and mental wellbeing.
"If I’m really honest, I thought I was dying. I was horribly depressed, in constant pain and genuinely thought my life was as miserable as it could get," she says.
With Alex’s support, she decided it was time to make a change and set a goal to lose as much weight as possible while in the UK, following a structured eating plan. “I really wanted to hang out with Alex and support her new business venture,” says Sarah. “I’ve tried to lose weight before and I didn’t actually imagine that the weight would be flying out the door as quickly as I had walked through it!”
Sarah thought it would be fun to keep her husband in the dark until they could see each other in person. She spoke to them via Facetime each day but was careful to angle the camera so that they couldn’t see her changing as she shed the pounds: “Have you ever seen Ricky Gervais do his videos in the bath tub? That’s been me for the last six months!”
During her time in Devon, Sarah dropped from a 22 to a size 16 and is in no doubt about what this means to her.
“Being able to walk into a shop and not have to go to the fat lady section feels amazing! It’s so nice to have options and to be able to try things on that actually fit! But it’s about more than just clothes. It has completely saved my life. I can walk and breathe normally, I can tie my own shoes easily, I can nearly run without killing myself! I can sit on a chair without being scared it's going to break. It's brilliant!”
For Alex, working with her best friend has been very special, although she feels strongly about all of her clients and the results they achieve.
"It's an incredibly rewarding role to play in people's lives - it can be quite emotional," she says. "It's been lovely to spend that time with Sarah while she's been here, and being able to help her has been wonderful. I feel like she's changed in all recognition, it's not just about the weight.”
Thanks to the accountability of weekly appointments and “bite-sized, simple steps”, Sarah found the diet straightforward to stick to.
Alex tailored a plan that was right for Sarahs needs, a combination of meal replacements, which are nutritionally balanced and designed to help the body burn fat efficiently and maximise weight loss alongside healthy selections of proteins and vegetables.
“I always have a ready-made shake for breakfast, soup or bar for lunch, spaghetti or a ready-made meal for dinner. It’s so easy,” she says. “I love to eat crisps – I would just plough through them at night time while watching TV – so approved savoury snacks were the little treats I needed to keep me on plan.”
She’s also appreciated the support of Alex’s other clients via a dedicated WhatsApp group, where Alex provides daily motivation, encouragement and advice. She has been able to fit the plan around socialising, catching up with old friends and even taking a week's holiday in Spain.
After a momentous six months, Sarah has returned to New Zealand slimmer, healthier and happier.
Now she is excited to be back home again, starting 2022 as she means to go on.
“Between my mum getting me over to the UK and Alex - well, they both saved my life and gave me purpose again,” she says. "If you want to lose weight, then Alex is the person to help you get there. She is simply amazing!”
For more information, contact Alex on 07730 258224 or complete the contact form here