Founder’s Message

I founded WeightMatters in 2005, because I wanted to create a place where people could get the personal treatment they need for their weight-related health conditions. We all have different reasons for our issues with weight, shape, health, fitness and size, this means treatment must be tailored to match each of our personal situations.

When I was a boy of eight, I developed Binge Eating Disorder. A troubled relationship with my father, that was void of affection and nurturing was at the root of my early distorted relationship with food and eating. I could lose my pain, temporarily, by eating cakes and deserts and, well, anything sweet. I would eat large quantities of food very fast, in secret, feel over-full, and feel guilty and ashamed afterwards.

Bullying at school because of my size didn’t help. I soon learned to laugh at my own fatness – it made the insults hurt a little less. The taunts I heard from others became voices in my own head. I started to believe that I was fat, unattractive and weak because of my size. The situations at home and school reinforced my thoughts, feelings and behaviours. I was very unhappy and my Eating Disorder became a habit, a way for me to survive when life became tough.

At age 17, I weighed in at 19 stones and 7 pounds (124Kg) and had a 44 inch waist; I had left home and started to independent path into adulthood.

In my early twenties I worked as a Studio Instructor teaching aerobic, step and body conditioning classes. My metabolism was ignited and I lost weight. I was doing so much exercise that I was able to mask my Binge Eating. It may have even reinforced it, as I thought I could get away with it! I started to feel attractive, but I was still very critical of my body shape. I would negatively compare myself to other men and other instructors. Those taunting voices of my childhood bullies were still with me.

I had always been fascinated with popular psychology; do you remember ‘Awaken the Giant Within’ and ‘The Road Less Travelled?’ I returned to education and conferred a degree in Psychology, which gave me a wonderful all-round perspective on how we humans work. At the same time I took my first step into dealing with my demons by seeing a Counsellor.

This was a time of much personal growth and development for me, and after enjoying a course titled ‘Living with Spirituality’ I decided to train as a Psychosynthesis therapist. My training consisted of deep interpersonal therapy

My Binge Eating was still around, and it troubled me. I had seen Dieticians and Nutritionists, Counsellors and Therapists, but nobody was able to deal with my eating issues. They all gave me good information, but it seemed like fragmented parts of a jigsaw puzzle. I knew that eating, emotions and how I dealt with stressful situations were all interlinked, but none of the professionals I saw were able to see the ‘big picture’ needed for my recovery.

Finally, I saw a specialist Eating Disorder therapist, who helped me understand how my eating behaviour was a mechanism to deal with stress and difficult emotions. My Binge Eating had been a symptom all along, a survival mechanism to use in place of my missing social and emotional development. 

After this I trained as a Life Coach, and took several courses in Nutrition and Weight Management Coaching, before specialising in the multi-factorial treatment of Obesity, Eating Disorders and other weight-related health and psychological conditions.

Creating WeightMatters was a natural progression in my journey. I wanted to offer others solutions to their weight problems in a coordinated manner. It is the combination of nutritional, psychological and physical therapies that make WeightMatters a truly innovative and successful Weight Management Clinic.

We are passionate about weight loss and set out to deliver our services in a professional and personal way. My dream is for WeightMatters to become a national clinic so that everyone has access to the weight and health solutions we offer. 

I look forward to answering your questions, welcoming you to the WeightMatters Health Clinic and providing solutions that will transform your relationship with food, so you can take control of your weight, health and, ultimately, your life.