Our Integrated Grace Team has an excellent understanding of the complex biological mechanisms that regulate weight. Gut flora, toxins, sleep, food sensitivities, emotions, hormone levels, as well as traditional diet and exercise need to be optimised and harmonised for you to be at your ideal weight.
Here is part one of eight from Grace Belgravia Member, Denise Elphick, reviewing the Grace 8 Week Weight Loss Programme…
Recently I enrolled myself onto Grace Belgravia’s Eight Week Weight loss programme. Feeling a bit overweight and slightly out of control and with a gin and tonic fuelled social life and exercise sessions that always seemed to be followed by a couple of glasses of wine at the Hurlingham Club – something had to give. I decided to have a chat to Kate Percival, the CEO of Grace Belgravia – a Club dedicated to female health and wellbeing. I realised that this course could be the way to put me back on the straight and narrow. Kate herself is a fabulous example; super glamorous and slim ramrod straight back and Robin Wright haircut. Kate explained that the course has an integrated approach, involving body and mind, and best of all I would have a Wellbeing Coordinator at the Club to guide me through it. She asked me my goals and rather optimistically I said I would like to lose a stone, improve my diet and feel a little less chaotic.
The course would involve a health consultation, a five day food delivery from the Grace Cafe to act as a kick start, 16 personal training sessions, two nutrition appointments, hydrotherapy, colonic hydrotherapy and a fitness infusion. I decided to sign up straight away.
Week One
First up I meet the lovely Jade who is my Wellbeing Coordinator. Jade runs me through my very busy schedule at Grace which by the way is very glamorous and an oasis of calm. I explain that I am super stressed and love eating out and have a heavy coffee habit. I would like to cook at home more and Jade tells me that she is studying nutrition and has some fabulous recipes that she will send me. She also advises me to buy a nutribullet so that I can attempt all her fabulous smoothie ideas and pesto recipes.
Next up it’s a personal training session with Danny in the gym. Danny is also a rugby player and looks very impressive. Immediately I am weighed and measured (this must be the worst of it surely?), he gives me his weight goal suggestion and although I might not make that in eight weeks it is something to aim for. Danny is super charming and friendly but our session is tough involving getting on and off a bench very fast, making waves with ropes and pushing what looks like a coffee table with a weight on backwards and forwards across the floor. By the end I am exhausted – not easy but somehow rewarding. I have a delicious smoked salmon omelette in the cafe which is now my new home!
The morning after I am very excited to meet with Grace Nutritionist Gabriela Peacock. She is an ex-model and it shows – she is also very well qualified. Gabriela runs through my lifestyle with me and makes the following suggestions – keep to three meals a day involving protein, vegetables and carbs plus two snacks to keep my blood sugar levels up. She gives me thirty snack ideas – oat cakes with nut butter or hummus, yogurt and fruit – and some great breakfast ideas.
I have decided to go wheat free (although I will have a blood test to establish if I am intolerant). Gabriela suggest that I clear my cupboards and stock up on oatcakes, rye crackers, good quality muesli, natural yogurts, sugar free almond milk, nut butter and plenty of fruit and veg. Alcohol is allowed but limited and Gabriela suggests I swap to vodka, lime soda. I am going to give it a go. In any case, I explain, even a couple of glasses of wine especially if I have been exercising gives me a thumping headache. I decide to put all these new ideas in place straight away. She also says I should try to eat lighter dinners earlier in the evening and not wait for my husband to come in at nineish which seems sensible advice.
Jade explains that the next day I will be starting my five day food delivery from Grace which should help me to get used to eating less. The food is delicious and I am never hungry. It involves three meals and two little snacks. I especially love the coconut oat porridge with a superfood topping, salmon sashimi with broccoli green salad that has an avocado oil dressing, roasted sardines, green veggies, sweet potato chips and coconut tzatsiki. Yum. I eat my supper at 5.30pm every day and magically don’t feel hungry in the evening -Wimbledon is a major distraction.
After another session with Danny as well as lots of dog walking and a jog in the park by the end of the week my dresses are already feeling a bit looser and I look better after cutting back to three vodka lime sodas for the week. I am drinking far more water, less coffee (only two a day and not lattes) and my headaches have gone.
Roll on week 2!