For years, Sandra avoided mirrors.
She dreaded clothes shopping.
And she’s not in many photos with her own kids growing up — because she couldn’t bear to be in front of a camera.
Within twelve months of joining Naturally Healthy Club, all of that changed.
Sandra can look in the mirror now.
She goes clothes shopping without dread.
And she’s done it while still travelling the world and eating the food she loves.
Here’s how she did it.
What was your relationship with food and your body like before you joined the Naturally Healthy Club?
Honest answer: unhealthy on both fronts.
With food, Sandra swung between two extremes.
Complete deprivation — eating only what she thought she “had to” to lose weight.
Or binge mode — eating anything and everything, unable to stop.
Foods were good or bad, and the “bad” ones weren’t even allowed in the house.
“I didn’t feel like I controlled food,” she told me. “I felt like food had control over me.”
It went right back to childhood — watching her mum swing between steamed fish and skim milk, then six chocolate bars in one sitting. That was the only model Sandra ever had.
Her relationship with her body was just as hard.
Constant self-loathing. Avoiding mirrors. Avoiding photos with her own kids.
Dreading clothes shopping so much it made her physically ill — the fear of a change-room curtain not quite closing, of someone seeing her.
Even at a healthy weight, she saw a “large person” looking back.
What tipped you over from thinking about the Naturally Healthy Club, to deciding to work with me?
Sandra had already lost a serious amount of weight — after being diagnosed pre-diabetic and choosing to change her lifestyle rather than go on medication straight away.
She worked with a dietician, followed the plan to the letter, and had, in her words, “no life” for a long time. No social events. No going out.
It worked. The weight came off.
And then, as she started living again — enjoying food, saying yes to dinners out — it crept back on.
That’s when it clicked: this was never just about the food plan. It was about her relationship with food, with her body, with herself. None of that had actually changed.
She found Stonesoup while googling low-carb recipes, started listening to the podcast, and thought, this woman is saying everything I need to hear.
She tried to join — and missed the cut-off. Told herself she’d catch the next round if she still needed it.
She still needed it.
When doors opened again, she joined “straight away… couldn’t join up quick enough.”
What concerns did you have about your ability to get the most from NHC?
Lifestyle fit was Sandra’s biggest fear.
She’s retired, travels around six months of every year — overseas and by caravan around Australia — and food is a huge part of how she travels. She also socialises a lot at home: dinner parties, eating out, time with her husband, family and friends.
She genuinely believed Naturally Healthy Club couldn’t accommodate all of that. That she’d have to choose between the travel and social life she loves, and losing weight.
“I was totally 100% wrong,” she says now. “It’s totally fitted.”
How has NHC changed the way you feel about yourself, your body and your future?
Sandra called this question “huge” — she could talk for an hour on it.
Here’s the short version.
She trusts herself around food now. It no longer has power over her.
She enjoys what she eats, only eats foods she actually loves, and stops when she’s satisfied — most of the time.
She still overeats occasionally, and she’s learned that’s just… human. Not a failure. Not a reason to spiral.
The all-or-nothing thinking that used to run her life? Gone. She used to need rigid rules, and the moment she broke one, she’d “completely blown it.” Not anymore.
She’s stopped beating herself up. She’s more self-compassionate, and she learns from what happens instead of punishing herself for it.
And the physical, tangible signs are everywhere:
- She can look in the mirror.
- She can go clothes shopping without dread.
- She doesn’t fear the scales.
- She travels without gaining weight, and without starving herself before or after.
- The weight that had crept back on before NHC is back down. And it’s staying down.
“My future looks very bright,” she says. “I feel calm and in control, whereas before I always felt chaotic and out of control. I know I have the skills to actually remain naturally healthy. And I feel a lot happier.”
What surprised you the most about being in the Naturally Healthy Club?
How much she learned about herself — not just about food.
Sandra went in expecting a food and weight programme. What she got was a genuine look at her beliefs, her thoughts, the black-and-white thinking that had shaped so much of her life.
And to her surprise, those skills didn’t stay in the “food and body” box — they spilled into other areas of her life entirely.
She was also surprised there wasn’t a rigid rulebook.
NHC gives you skills and lets you decide what fits right now — and to set aside what doesn’t, for now. Several things she initially skipped past came back around later and clicked into place.
And the thing that surprised her most of all: being given permission to simply feel things — instead of fighting the anger, the frustration, the boredom.
Permission to do the things she’d normally deny herself.
“You’re actually your own worst enemy,” she said, “because you’re just fighting yourself.”
Who would you recommend the Naturally Healthy Club to?
Sandra’s answer, essentially: anyone.
Anyone who wants to lose weight without giving up the foods they love.
Anyone whose weight has crept back on because the real issues underneath were never addressed.
Anyone who believes they need to diet and deprive themselves to get results.
And anyone who can’t look in the mirror and accept what they see.
“I think Jules, you’re a fantastic coach,” she added. “Very open and honest… a very lovely coaching style.”
And the community, she says, is warm and encouraging — full of people who either share your struggles or teach you something new from theirs.
Your turn
Sandra spent decades believing her body and her love of travel, food and family life were at odds with ever feeling calm around food.
She was wrong. It took less than twelve months to prove it to herself.
She put it best herself: “If I can do it, anybody else can, because I had some major issues there.”
If any part of her story sounds familiar — the Naturally Healthy Club is where that changes.
Not through another restrictive plan, but through rebuilding your relationship with food and your body, for good.
Don’t do what Sandra almost did and wait another six months to find out.
Join the Naturally Healthy Club TODAY
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In your corner,
Jules from Stonesoup xx
(Your favourite Australian Food Scientist)
See my bio
ps. Can I ask a favour?
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