Every gal wants to feel super sexy and body confident on her wedding day. For me, it wasn’t just that I wanted to lose weight, I wanted to feel at my best. I wanted to be the best possible version of myself on my wedding day.
I’ve been working with a brilliant life performance coach on my business for some time now. Antonio Esposito created a programme called ‘The Think Lean Formula’, and I thought the lead up to my wedding was the perfect time to give it a try. It’s a no diet programme that is centred all around your thoughts and therefore your belief system and how your self-image can influence your relation with yourself, food and exercise.
The aim of this coaching programme is to be more aware of your thought patterns all the time when it comes to food. There is nothing out there like this programme, it’s completely unique.
It helps you to change your thoughts and your belief system, not what you eat. Antonio teaches you beliefs and drills into your fears and reasons why you are eating. For example, you might be eating because you are lacking in something such as love or self-belief.
There are far too many quite frankly awful fad diets out there. They promise that you can lose tons of weight in like two weeks. Can you lose the weight? Maybe, but probably not in a healthy way. And what a lot of people don’t stop to consider is whether they can maintain these crazy regimes in the long term. The answer is no.
That’s where the Think Lean formula is different. It works to change your mindset, so that when you finish the programme, you continue behaving in the same way. For me it was kind of like a gradual switch in my brain, it took a while to happen but when it did I was a new person. I go into shops, look at unhealthy foods and find it almost impossible to actually buy them. Why? Awareness. I’m more aware of my food thoughts, and I really want to make the right choices.
I’ve had a complete change in my mindset towards food. Now when I see a cake or go into a supermarket I’m approaching the situation differently. I might pick up a chocolate muffin, but I end up putting it back after thinking to myself, is this something I really want to eat? Based on my new mindset, I make better decisions about what I put in my body.
I’ve finished the programme now and I’m keeping the same behaviour because my habits and thought patterns have been altered. Sure, I may still have a naughty treat every now and then, because there needs to be some balance. But I will have a different approach, I will be more aware I’m eating it and really enjoy every second eating it.
Before I started the programme I wasn’t happy with my body. I’ve been a sports person all my life with a very athletic body and I felt like I’d lost that part of me. I knew I needed to make some improvements before my wedding to get my confidence back. You may not see a massive difference in the picture but internally I feel a huge difference. My body feels more toned, I’ve started to be able to see my abs, and generally I just feel a lot healthier and stronger.
One thing I’ve noticed about dieting and trying to lose weight is that it can be a very lonely process. You’re stuck in your head all the time going through this battle alone. But with the Think Lean Formula you have someone to talk to. Antonio is there for you and goes through the process with you. So if you have a weak moment or question things, he can help you to reflect on stuff and change your mindset towards food.
He’s naturally such a positive person and his infectious motivation to help you make a difference really drives you forward. There’s someone you speak to every week about your progress, and you’re constantly learning how to improve further. You are learning about yourself, your mind and your feels. You go on a mind and body transformational journey. He helps you to think of ways to change your habits for the better. I really found having a coach to support me on my journey extremely useful, it really helps you keep on track.
So how does it work?
There are weekly sessions with Antonio, sometimes even two hours long. He’s always available. For example if you are in a restaurant having issues, you can call him and talk things through. Antonio takes you through a process of transforming your life through looking at your mindset, fears, beliefs and motivation.
You learn how the mind works exactly when it comes to food, Antonio is an expert on this topic because he lost a huge amount of weight and had a massive struggle with food. You learn more about how the mind works when it comes to food – Antonio is an expert on this topic. It’s really interesting to learn how deeply rooted some thoughts and attitudes towards food and exercise can be.
What changes did I make?
- Got a personal trainer twice a week
- Starting doing different types of exercise e.g. swimming/cycling/yoga
- Entered and completed a 10k trail running race
- Organised my weekly food shopping
- Used the myfitness pal app to track everything I was eating
- Got into the habit of planning my meals for the week
- Cut out sugary foods and alcohol consumption
- Started working out six days a week
- Made sure I did exercise I enjoy
- Considered how others might be holding me back from my goal
- Set very clear goals
- Did a motivation board of images which represent what I wanted to look like
- Learning to induldge more intelligently with a completely different approach
What was my progress?
In three months I started to see some serious changes to my physique. I was stronger, more toned and even started to see some abs appearing. I lost about three inches around my waist, which doesn’t sound a lot, but it was a major achievement for me. And most importantly, I went to my final wedding dress fitting and felt totally confident in how I looked.
I got to marry the love of my life feeling attractive and looking my best self. I’ve also come out the other side of the programme with a completely different mindset towards health and fitness, particularly food. It’s so much more satisfying when you choose and eat foods that you know are going to give your body goodness, rather than wasted calories.
Before the programme
One month in
This was my progress one month in. Not a huge change but to me it is, I can see how much more toned my body is getting.
The final wedding dress fitting
The final result – a very happy bride
Please ignore my awful face in the middle pic!
*final image by Kristida photography.
Who is the programme for?
Anyone who is willing to make a change and is open-minded enough to change their thoughts, feelings and attitude towards diet and exercise. Whether you want to lose a few pounds and get stronger, or you need to lose some serious weight, this powerful programme will change your life. So what are you waiting for, get in touch with Antonio today, he’s currently offering a free one-hour consultation.
