“I’ve gone from being miserable and lacking in confidence to being an active woman who can’t wait to see where she’ll be in another six months!!”
AMY M
“Earlier this year I was feeling pretty low. Lots of serious illness in my close family had left me drained and comforting myself with food. I had gained weight & lost confidence. I needed to take control.
Around May I reached out to Serene on Instagram. It was lockdown, the gyms were shut and I was apprehensive, but she assured me we could work around all of that, and we really did!!
Serene navigated my (many) food intolerances and history of injuries to provide a diet & home workout plan that felt totally manageable.
I saw results within a week!
A few weeks later I was swimming in the sea – something I’d longed to do for years but had been far too self-conscious to wear a swimsuit in public.
Next the gyms reopened. Serene adjusted my plan and I was happily using the free weights section – a place I’d always been intimidated by.
Six months in & I’m approaching a 3 stone loss! What’s even bigger for me though is the change in my lifestyle. With Serene’s help I’ve identified my emotional triggers and learned how to preempt them.
I’d always struggled with my weight, and had managed to leave school with the belief that I wasn’t “the sporty type” as I was never a strong runner. I now swim, lift weights and practice yoga several times a week as well as taking long walks with my dog each day.
I’ve gone from being miserable and lacking in confidence to being an active woman who can’t wait to see where she’ll be in another six months!!
Thank you, Serene! Xx”
“I’m not restricted to what I eat, it’s all about flexibility and most importantly is a LIFESTYLE change.”
PHILLIPA B
“I’ve never been a ‘skinny’ girl as such, I used to be a size 10 but quickly piled on the weight when I was pregnant with my little one & probably slightly after when I’d just eat through boredom & not exercise. Now I’m learning to love my body again, I’m learning the scales don’t always matter, I can treat myself – I don’t have to cut the chocolate, ice cream etc out. I can still have it. I’m not restricted to what I eat, it’s all about flexibility and most importantly is a LIFESTYLE change. It needs to last and a quick fix won’t do that.
I’ve learnt if I ‘fall’ off schedule, it doesn’t matter. If I have one ‘bad’ meal it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t have to ruin the whole day. I can just pick up, and get back on track & that’s all with Serene’s encouragement. You can be fully open and honest with her and she never makes you feel bad for a decision you’ve made, or if you fall off track for a weekend. It’s about building a better relationship with food, knowing your portion sizes, knowing when you’re full.
I couldn’t have done this journey without Serene, she’s always praising us and saying how well we’re doing but so is she. She’s the one that’s there for us, the one we go to. She listens, let’s us chat & sometimes it’s not even about this programme, it’s just general life. She really is an incredible lady & deserve all the praise she gets.”
“This process has given me the opportunity to explore those thoughts and emotions I have with food and learn from them”
EMILY S
“I’ve always felt like the big girl for as long as I can remember. Throw in parents with very different views to food it wasn’t long till my relationship with food was well and truly messed up. Fast forward to 2015 I had just had a baby and weighed less than I did before I fell pregnant. So keen to continue this, I joined a local slimming group and within a year had lost 4 1/2 stone, but then in 2018 I was hit with redundancy and had to reapply for my job. Cue major food issues lots of binging plus an arthritis diagnosis and I lost it. My “sod it, it’s Christmas” attitude kicked in mid-October and by January, I was 3st heavier. Fast forward to 2020 and Covid well let’s face it we’ve all just had to survive.
My arthritis flare ups were through the roof, my confidence was non-existent. I weighed the most I’ve ever done, but felt like just a shell of myself. It was at this point I saw Serene’s post about her coaching program. I procrastinated for a week or so before messaging her and was absolutely petrified. I shouldn’t have been Serene was so understanding and really listened to me and between us we came up with a program that was completely tailored to me.
Working with Serene has been a ray of light. She’s down to earth and realistic. She’s never told me what to do or not to do, she’s always in my corner whether that’s hyping me up when I feel like I’ve not done good enough or helping with a Saturday night ice cream crisis 😂
I’ve learned to trust myself, I found my spark ⚡️ I feel incredible. I’ve lost just over a stone in weight, I’m learning how to manage my arthritis and not giving myself a hard time when I need to rest. I’ve gone down two belt notches, my resting heart rate has dropped from 58bpm to 52bpm. The biggest thing I’ve taken is I don’t need to follow anyone else’s rules of what they think I should be eating. I’m an adult, it’s my body and I make my own god damn rules and if that means I wanna sink a whole bag of Doritos then that’s my prerogative but do you know what, once I stopped trying to eat by other people’s rules and really listen and understand what I wanted to eat, those binges just haven’t had the pull they used to have. This process has given me the opportunity to explore those thoughts and emotions I have with food and learn from them.
I started this process a month before Christmas, which some might say was absurd, but when best to test how this is going to look for life? At a time when food is in full focus with all those learning opportunities. I’m thanking myself from 3 months ago for feeling the fear and doing it any way and I can’t recommend this process enough – I finally feel like I’ve found food freedom at 38!”
“It was time to break all of my bad habits, and be coached and educated into a healthy sustainable way of living, long term.”
AMY N
“Serene has been a close family friend for over 10 years. She’s my son’s godmother! I’ve always supported her journeys into competing and admired her passion for fitness and health.
Towards the end of the summer 2020, I reached out to Serene, which took all of my will. Call it a (very) long run up…. Serene was incredible. Supportive, empathetic, and totally committed to providing a professional coaching and lifestyle service, separate to our friendship, which gave me a huge sense of relief.
The crux of it, was that in 2021, I am due to be a bridesmaid, I TURN 40, and, I am attending another very special wedding of two close friends. It was time to break all of my bad habits, and be coached and educated into a healthy sustainable way of living, long term. Of course, I could have easily jumped on a quick fix… I have attended multiple slimming clubs, starved myself, denied myself, started fad diets, taken diet pills, even the dreaded shake only meals, but I knew this time round, I’d exhausted them more times than I should have, hence getting in touch with Serene.
I couldn’t step on the scales in week one. I was TERRIFIED, and I still am to a certain extent, although I’m much better than I was. I was self-loathing, and hating myself for ‘letting myself go’ since having the kids.
Since the start of my lifestyle overhaul, I have learned so much about myself, and about habits, lifestyle and ‘diet’. This was all through Serene’s gentle approach of coaching me. I limit but enjoy whatever food choices I make. Exercise is the key to life. It literally is. It’s taken me almost 25 years to realise this – embarrassingly. It doesn’t have to be weights or huge scary gyms…. This can all be done in the privacy of your own home, or by enjoying the fresh outdoor air. Serene knows that I have such a busy day to day life before I’ve even started looking after myself, and she has taught me that although life is a struggle, making time to prepare, factor in, plan ahead, makes all the difference and leaves no room for excuses. I still enjoy my wines and gins at weekends but I know, that in order to make up for that I’ll have to put in the hard yards throughout the week so that these things are combined into my lifestyle. I don’t binge on anything anymore. I have mentally become stronger. I’m not a mentally strong person at all, and I’m very anxious, but I recognise that and it is controlled with tablets, but, in addition, the exercise regime I have in place and the much more sensible and sustainable approach I have to eating, only adds to my wellbeing. Serene is always on the end of the phone or leaves lovely voice notes. She’s also ready to pull the reigns in when needed. I respect that because she knows how much this means to me, and is totally invested in me. She’s positive, kind, caring and knowledgeable. I love that she isn’t a one trick pony and gives everyone of her clients the same ‘plan’. She considers your lifestyle.
To date, I’ve lost about 8 kilos and I don’t intend to stop until I’ve hit another 10kgs. This can take me a year and I’ll be happy. There is no rush or rapid fix here. I’m completely locked in for the duration and have no intention to ‘pause’ or ‘take a break’. This is me now. Thank you, Serene.”
“I have lost lots of inches off my body, a few pounds, and my body shape has changed! I am fitter, healthier and happier.”
LISA D
“I was feeling a bit rubbish about gaining weight in the first lockdown and I saw a post by Serene on Instagram. I have been following her for a little while and had seen lots of success stories, So I thought why not give it a go. Initially my plan was to lose a stone. I have tried different diets before that have certainly made me lose weight but have never lasted. The last one I tried was very restrictive. No grains/pasta/bread even certain vegetables/pulses were off-limits! It’s not until working with Serene that I realised they were never meant to last (unless you lead a really boring existence!). Food is a huge part of my life. I love eating, I love the whole sociable element of it, I love cooking! So for me to restrict so much was hard going. It also led to me feeling guilty if I did eat any of these things. I feared the carbs. I was affected mentally by a number on the scale. It made me feel bad about myself if it wasn’t what I wanted it to be. A totally unrealistic way to be.
I have not lost the weight I wanted to but this doesn’t matter now, I am eating a normal diet now that includes everything. A healthy, balanced diet including family roast dinner on Sunday!! As a result of Serene’s support I have got over my brain battle and enjoy all food now but with counting calories, I am in control and aware of exactly what I am consuming. I understand more about macros and what my body needs. As a result of this I have lost lots of inches off my body, a few pounds, and my body shape has changed! I am fitter, healthier and happier. Serene has taught me to stop worrying about what the scales say. She has given me back a better relationship with food. I have also learnt that there is no quick fix. I have to put the effort in and take responsibility for what I put in my body. I now have the tools to do this. So thank you! Xx”
Serene Strong 