Last month I published the Slimmeria Experiment ahead of my week’s stay at the beautiful hotel in Crowhurst, East Sussex.
So, now the results;
1. Did I survive? Well yes, clearly, I did.
2. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely it just wanted the doctor ordered.
3. Most importantly, what were the results! Well, read on…
1) Arrival
The hotel itself is rather magical, a looming historic house set against the backdrop of rolling hills and clear blue skies, although I only discovered that in the morning after negotiating rather tiny country lanes in complete darkness. My room was idyllic, nestled at the top on the house; the Lavender room.
2) The Schedule
The week was truly an amazing experience, the days were very structured (which left little time for boredom) with a variety of different sessions and a great combination of physical and psycho-social learning.
The mornings generally comprised of walk-in beautiful surroundings followed by an exercise class, yoga and then lunch. The afternoons were generally free for beauty treatments (I tried honey detox massage with a bath, massages and facials) to relax or undertake further walks.
In the evenings after dinner, there was a further class and we undertook nutrition, motivation, Zumba and dance class however my favourite was definitely the belly dancing!
However, as per the last blog, one of the reasons for undertaking this experiment was to determine the impact of a very low-calorie diet (VLCD) on the body and whilst this sample size (of me) is clearly not large enough to be of clinical significance, the results were rather surprising.
1. Full Blood Count which checks the types and numbers of cells in my blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets and can help give an indication of health.
2. Blood Sugars. Both in the short term and longer-term and included an HbA1C (which checks average blood sugar over a 3 month period).
3. Liver function tests – when the liver is damaged, it releases substances called enzymes into the blood and levels of proteins produced by the liver begin to drop. 4. Gamma-glutamyltransferase which is a good marker for detecting bile duct problems.
5. Thyroxine. This test is used to test your blood for levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and, where needed, thyroxine and triiodothyronine (thyroid hormones).
6. Urea and electrolytes. These are routinely carried out on serum or plasma samples. The glomerular filtration rate and levels of electrolytes, urea and creatinine give a strong indication of kidney function.
7. Bone profile. A blood test is used to evaluate problems with the bone. According to NHS, bone resorption increases due to certain diseases. This test determines the proteins, minerals and enzymes involved in bone turnover
3) The Results
Interestingly I noticed that both my kidney and renal function improved, most predominately the creatine levels dropped (to within normal levels). There as a clinically insignificant change to my cholesterol. However, my sugar levels remained the same and despite being on a VLCD my iron levels (haemoglobin) and immunity levels (white cell count) actually improved.
In addition, I lost 10.5lbs, 4 inches of my chest size, 5 inches from my waist and 3 inches from my hips!
4) The Verdict.
From me, it’s a strong 10 out of 10. If you are looking for a nice relaxing pamper session, then this may not be for you. However, if you are strong enough to look into the looking glass and get real then I’d highly recommend Slimmeria. Great staff, great results and more importantly I made some great friends who helped me through the harder times.
