Gemma Dunn

View Larger Image

Gemma Dunn

Preparing for Successful Weight Loss Programme

As a result of participating in the January 2022 group version of the Preparing for Successful Weight Loss Programme and reading the Preparing for Successful Weight Loss e-book I took the plunge and rejoined Slimming World 2 weeks ago with a totally new mindset. It was my first weigh in on Monday and I’d lost 7.5lb! That’s the most I’ve ever initially lost. With Claire’s mindset coaching and useful tips I feel more on track than ever and I’m enjoying it.

By Claire Jones|2022-07-31T11:35:31+01:00January 20, 2022|Comments Off

About the Author: Claire Jones

Read my latest blog post

Published On: March 9, 2026|7.7 min read|
How I Come Back to Riding My Motorcycle After a Break

When I have not ridden for a few weeks, I do not wait until I feel completely ready to get back on the bike - as I know [...]
Read more

See more posts

Follow me on Instagram

Why Discipline Isn’t the Real Solution for Weight Loss
I never tell people they simply need more discipline. In my experience, that advice often creates an internal battle.
Discipline tends to frame change as a fight against your own instincts. It asks you to suppress urges and override natural drives. That might work for a short period, but over time it often leads to resistance, frustration, and burnout.
Many of the impulses people struggle with are rooted in powerful biological systems that evolved to keep us alive in times of scarcity. When we try to overpower those systems through sheer force of will, the process becomes exhausting.
A more effective approach is something very different: engagement, alignment, and self-respect.
Rather than pushing harder, it helps to build a path that genuinely matters to you. One where the outcome feels meaningful enough that you are willing to walk it consistently. When the process is interesting, realistic, and connected to your actual life, motivation tends to follow naturally.
That doesn’t mean every moment will feel easy. Change rarely does.
But when the way forward reflects your real circumstances, your capacity, and what you truly value, the work can feel purposeful rather than punishing. And that is far more sustainable than trying to win a constant battle with yourself.
If you’re ready to stop fighting yourself and start approaching weight loss in a way that actually works with your life, I’m currently taking on a small number of short-term intensive clients.
My One Month Weight Loss Kickstarter is designed to help you get clear on what will work for you and start putting it into practice straight away.
It includes:
• A 90-minute strategy call where we unpick the problem and design your personalised approach
• A full month of intensive accountability support while you start to implement the plan
Investment: £249 one-off payment
If you’d like the details, send me a DM and I’ll talk you through it.
(Option also open to current members at a discount)
Option to continue with ongoing support inside my membership if you want to keep building momentum after the month is over (further charges will apply).

Talking with a client recently about realising she was eating as a way of putting off a task... and suddenly a play on words popped into my head:
Procrastineating!
Definition:
Eating as a way of avoiding a task, decision, or action you know you need to take.
Example:
“I’ve been procrastineating all afternoon instead of sending that email.”
What it looks like in real life:
• Standing in the kitchen when there’s nothing you actually want
• Snacking before starting something you’ve been putting off
• Opening the fridge repeatedly while telling yourself you’ll start “in a minute”
What it’s not:
Hunger.
What it usually is:
Avoidance, discomfort, pressure, or overthinking.
Why it matters:
Because it’s not about food.
It’s about the thing you’re not doing.
And until you deal with that…
you’ll keep ending up back in the kitchen.
Your move:
Next time you catch yourself “looking for something,” pause and ask:
👉 What am I actually avoiding right now?
That answer is where the real work starts.

I’ve just been named Wellbeing Coach of the Year 🏆 at the @national_coaching_awards . Not for quick wins.
Not for transformations that look good for a before-and-after.
But for how I work.
This award recognised a deeper approach to wellbeing.
One built on self-trust, nervous system regulation, and behaviour change that actually lasts.
Over the last few years, I’ve worked with people who’ve tried everything.
Weight loss clients exhausted by decades of dieting and self-blame.
Riders who are skilled on paper but frozen by fear on the bike.
Midlife women who feel overlooked, ashamed for struggling, or told they just need “more discipline”.
They don’t need pushing harder.
They need to feel safe enough to change.
That’s the work I do.
Holding space.
Building trust.
Helping people understand what’s really going on in their bodies and minds so change becomes possible.
I left a senior NHS role to do this differently.
Evidence-led. Compassionate. Human.
So yes, I’m proud.
Not of the trophy.
But of the thousands of hours spent beside people in the messy middle of change, until they can say,
“I feel like myself again.”
Thank you to my clients who trust me with their stories.
This award belongs to you too.
💙
#WellbeingCoachOfTheYear #YourOneLife #RealWellbeing #MidlifeWellbeing #SustainableChange WeightLossCoach MindsetCoaching TrustYourself

I’ve just written an article for Brainz magazine answering a question I get asked a lot… would I have taken weight loss injections if they’d been around when I was struggling with my weight. It’ll be out in a few days.
In the meantime, what do you think my answer was?

Loading the next set of instagram posts...

Load More Follow Us On Instagram

Quick links to my popular services and resources:

Grab my FREE Top 10 Tips to Eat Less Without Dieting… and more!

Want to get a series of customised, FREE tips to help you with managing your weight?

Simply enter your name and email address below to sign up. You can opt out at any time.

Look out for the first one… my very own Top 10 Tips to Eat Less Without Dieting that I use to successfully manage my own weight. I want to share them with you so that you can use them too.