Weight loss support

Weight loss specialist Glasgow

 Two thirds (65%) of Scottish adults are overweight, including 28% who are obese, putting them at increased risk of:

  • Cardiovascular disease

  • Type 2 diabetes

  • At least 12 kinds of cancer

  • Musculoskeletal disorders

  • Liver disease

  • Respiratory disease

  • Mental health problems such as depression and anxiety

  • Dementia.

People who are overweight or obese who contract coronavirus (COVID-19) are also more likely to be admitted to hospital, to an intensive care unit, and to die from COVID-19 than those of a healthy weight.

“I feel amazing and I am shrinking! Working with Sonnda has been life-changing.”

— Grace, 57, Glasgow

“I’ve lost 4kg and 7cm off my waist, bringing my BMI more solidly into the healthy range and my waist-to-hip ratio down from moderate to low risk. All without any restriction, calorie tracking, or even regular measurements – this happened more or less naturally without me having to try, just by making small sustainable changes.”

— Elizabeth, 29, Glasgow

Traditional approaches to weight loss

Traditional approaches to weight loss (eat less, move more) are based on the ‘Calories In, Calories Out’ theory, which treats all calories as equal, but this is not the case:

  • It costs the body different amounts of energy to process and store each of the three macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat), known as the thermic effect of food (TEF)

  • TEF decreases from morning to night, which means that when you eat matters as well as what you eat – read more here, Is it true that if you eat late at night, you’re more likely to gain weight?

  • Carbs, protein and fat elicit a different hormonal response – high-carb foods trigger the release of insulin, known as the ‘fat storage hormone’ because it promotes fat synthesis/storage (lipogenesis) and suppresses fat breakdown (lipolysis)

  • The three macronutrients have different effects on the body’s appetite-regulating hormones, leptin (the ‘satiety hormone’) and ghrelin (the ‘hunger hormone’), affecting food intake.

Beyond calories in, calories out: calorie type matters

Consequently, when it comes to weight loss, the type of calories you consume matters.

Weight loss the easy way: working with your physiology

Why make something hard when it can be easy? Sonnda’s approach to weight loss works with rather than against your physiology. Through her in-depth understanding of metabolism plus the latest scientific evidence on effective strategies for weight loss, Sonnda’s approach naturally increases satiety, energy expenditure and lipolysis, while inhibiting lipogenesis.

Instead of feeling like you’re fighting a battle, Sonnda will show you how to set yourself on the correct physiological course for weight loss and let your food choices and body do the hard work for you.

Weight loss the hard way: fighting your physiology

Conventional low-fat, calorie-restricted diets make losing weight really hard work and don’t work long term because they mistakenly treat all calories as equal.

A high-carbohydrate diet (including large amounts of refined, high-glycaemic carbs and sugar), energy-dense nutrient-poor foods (aka junk food) and common eating habits (e.g. insufficient time between meals, grazing or snacking, eating late at night) all physiologically predispose to weight gain by altering the body’s metabolic and hormonal response to food, resulting in increased appetite and lipogenesis and reduced energy expenditure and lipolysis. What’s more, they send you on an insulin-triggered rollercoaster of peaking and troughing blood glucose, corresponding yo-yoing energy levels, mood, ‘hanger’ and poor sleep, as well as setting you up for reduced insulin sensitivity, poor metabolic health, and various serious health conditions.

When you try to lose weight on the above kind of diet, it feels like really hard work because you’re fighting against your body’s physiological drive to do the very opposite: gain weight!

Your personalised weight loss tool kit

There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Rather, Sonnda takes an individualised approach, pulling from the range of evidence-based weight loss strategies to build the tool kit that will work best for you and your lifestyle. Key characteristics include:

  1. A healthy and sustainable weight loss prescription

  2. Macronutrient composition tailored to your individual biological needs

  3. Emphasis on:

    • Diet quality – focus on nutrient-dense, whole foods

    • Carbohydrate quality – replacing refined carbs and free sugars with high-fibre, low-glycaemic carbs (veg, whole fruits, whole grains and pseudograins, legumes)

    • Fat quality – replacing unhealthy fats with healthy fats

    • Adequate but not high intake of high-quality protein

    • Dietary diversity – a more varied, more balanced diet

4. Optimal timing of food intake

5. Together resulting in:

  • Reduced/regulated appetite – food choices that naturally promote satiety

  • Reduced lipogenesis

  • Increased lipolysis

  • Increased energy expenditure (via increased thermic effect of food + protection of lean body mass to avoid lowered resting metabolic rate)

6. A healthy weight maintenance prescription. 

Live a healthier, happier life with better food

Natural weight loss

Typically 5-6kg during the programme, continuing afterwards until you reach your personal target.

Additional benefits

  • Less hunger

  • Joyful food

  • Freedom from constantly thinking about food

  • Better energy levels

  • Better concentration

  • Better mood

  • Better sleep

  • Better blood sugar/fats/pressure

  • Better gut health

  • Less inflammation

  • Less anxiety

  • Less bloating

  • Daily poos!

Free weight loss recipes

All of Sonnda’s delicious and nutritious recipes are consistent with the above weight loss approach. Browse her selection of free recipes to launch your weight loss journey now.

Success stories

Clients find the process fun, focused, effective and efficient. Vitally, their weight loss journey is characterised by ease and enjoyment. Read their stories.

How it works

Discover the powerful process Sonnda will guide you through, from initial discovery application, gold standard dietary assessment, 360 insight into your diet, to hands-on coaching support transforming those insights into healthy eating habits to last a lifetime.