Name: Ashleigh
Age: 33
Start weight: 137lbs
End/Current weight: 117lbs

1 - Tell me about your previous dieting attempts. 

I count myself relatively lucky as I have never been exposed to the harsh dieting world. I was brought up to eat a well-balanced diet and my mum has always been into fitness, which has rubbed off on me. 

I did attempt a few quick fixes which I 1000% do not recommend anyone attempts. If you manage them, the results are over within a few hours and you will be right back to square one.  I once had an emergency dress situation for a wedding, I could not fit into the one I purchased so I drank nothing but water and ate nothing but cucumber for three days. The dress fitted up until I had my first mouthful of food.

Then I somehow managed to believe my body needed a cleanse and signed myself up to a Juice cleanse for an insane amount of money. The juices quite frankly tasted rotten. I was hungry, I certainly was not glowing, and I felt no different by the end of the five days.

My last attempt at a diet was about three years ago, I signed myself up to this bootcamp class at a well-known gym. They said there would be a focus on nutrition. Their idea of nutrition was telling me to eat no more than 1200 calories a day, that works for some people, but not me, not at my activity level.  I won’t bother going into the details but the whole six weeks was ridiculous. And, of course I lost absolutely no weight because I would binge on everything as I was starving after eating half a tin of tuna and some lettuce leaves…

Lessons learned:

1) buy clothes in your actual size so you can still eat.
2) save your money, our bodily functions will take care of all the cleansing required, not beetroot juice.
3) Check qualifications and reviews.

2 - What was it you hoped The Munro Method would do for you? 

I wanted to gain a better understanding of nutrition and stop this “back on the health” every Monday. My idea of “healthy” eating was bran flakes, salads and little carbs – I hadn’t a clue what I was doing.  My portions were too small, I always felt hungry so I knew myself I wasn’t fueling properly.

Pleased to say I no longer deem any food as healthy or unhealthy.

3 - How did you hear about us?

I first heard of Munro through my friend, also a personal trainer, who was involved with Munro herself.  I liked what she was sharing, it made sense, the no non-sense approach.  I then followed Munro Instagram accounts for a good year and I was learning bits here and there from there – but I wanted to know more and how I could apply the Munro method to my own situation.

4 - What was it about us that stood out from other available options? 

What I loved was that this was not a diet group, it’s weight loss, maintenance and everything in-between. It’s an education, and education was what I was after and this was what led me to signing up.  I liked that it was interactive, friendly, personalized, but at the same time wasn’t going to break my bank.

5 - Did anything almost put you off coming to work with us?

The only thing was I did find using My Fitness Pal a bit of a faff for the first few days until I got to grips with it. It’s actually very easy to use and understand. I love that you can create and save recipes, copy meals from previous days into current and future ones – the features save you a ton of time. After a couple of weeks I was spending me no more than 15 minutes to plug all my weekly meals in.

6 - What made you bite the bullet and sign up?

Aside from my friend highly recommending it, I really loved watching the members take overs. This gave me great insight into how Munro method worked, and it was very empowering reading and watching the success others were having. What really stuck out for me was that nobody was 100% motivated 100% of the time, but Munro focuses on building habits, and I realized it is the habits that gets us from A to B.

7 - What did you enjoy most about being a Clan Munro member?

The check-ins are great, that is the kind of structure I needed. The check-ins are there for reassurance, to make sure you are on the right track, and if not have your goals adjusted.  The daily posts have been a game changer for me and completely altered the way I think about things. I found the live chats with the nutrition coaches and industry experts very beneficial and motivating. After one live chat I joined with Charlotte Fisher on nutrition and running I got up early the next morning, made myself a decent breakfast and ran my second half marathon, gaining a PB.

8 - What have you been able to achieve since become a member of the Clan?

Munro made me realise that losing weight doesn’t need to be made into a big deal that it so often is. I quickly realized that there is absolutely no need to restrict myself, no food is off limits. It’s about a balance and prioritizing what matters to you. The entire time I was focused on losing weight with Munro I didn’t once feel hungry or restricted.  I’ve been on maintenance calories for a couple of months and it’s true what they say – trust the process! I’ve had no issues. I’m not even tracking food anymore, I know what my body needs to feel satiated. 

9 - What has exceeded your expectations since working with us?

I have built so many new habits since joining Munro.  Near the end of May 2020 (the first lockdown) I really piled on the weight, I was over-eating, not making the most nutritious of choices, and consuming alcohol most evenings. This not only left me overweight with my clothes not fitting me, but I didn’t feel good about myself. I was uncomfortable, my skin was a mess, energy levels at an all time low.

Fast forward a few months, I had been introduced to a running group called Miles for Medals through Munro and found my joy for running again. I went from running 5k, per week to 35 miles per week. I was inspired by others and found myself a really good personal trainer to focus on strength and conditioning training. I now have a little gym set-up in the garage. It’s freezing in there, there’s nothing to look at, but habits keep me going. I practice gratitude everyday, the biggest one is that I walk everywhere. I’ve gone from less than 5K steps per day to averaging out at 105K steps per week.

10 - Why would you recommend us to others?

Ultimately it is down to you to want to make the changes, nobody can make you change, nobody can motivate you.  The group is there to support you in your changes, to educate you in your nutritional intake.  To provide you with a wealth of information you need to take control of your life and make the change.  It’s not a quick fix, you need to be patient, you need to trust the process. But at the end of the process, you will understand what your body needs, you will understand macros, you will have built habits to last you a lifetime.

11 - Was there anything about Munro that surprised you? 

I was just surprised at how easy the entire process was and how friendly and supportive the members are.  I don’t know what I was expecting, but every member I have had the pleasure of speaking to has been very encouraging and understanding to one another.

12 - What advice would you give someone thinking about joining us?

I wish I had signed up a year before I had, don’t put it off any longer just bite the bullet and do it.

13 - How confident are you that you can now take everything you've learned during your time with us to go on and maintain the results you've achieved? 

110% confident. I stopped tracking for a few weeks over the festivities, but I knew I would come back down to where I had been before this. I have been maintaining for a couple of months and I fully stopped tracking food overnight and I haven’t had any issues.

14 - Is there anything else you'd like to add about your time with us? 

Nothing to add other than I am SO glad I joined when I did and didn’t let things spiral further out of control. I am in the best shape I have ever been and fully intend to stay this way. I have so much more knowledge and learned a lot during my nine months with Munro.