In this interview, Ronnie shares her four‑year transformation in which she lost roughly three stone (about 42 lb) and reversed her type‑2 diabetes, allowing her to stop medication in 2023. She explains that the first 18 months after starting the SlimPod program showed no weight change; the delay was likely due to a combination of diabetes, entrenched yo‑yo‑dieting habits, and mental resistance. Once she shifted her mindset—relaxing dietary rules, listening to her body, and stopping the “good‑vs‑bad food” narrative—her brain began to signal fat loss. Key tools were SlimPod podcasts, a supportive Facebook group, and writing down wins. She moved from restrictive eating to intuitive eating, no longer categorising foods as good or bad, and reduced snacking. Exercise entered her routine when she began attending the gym with her daughter, adding regular workouts to her lifestyle. Ronnie attributes her diabetes remission to sustained changes in eating habits and weight loss, noting that her doctor was surprised that listening to podcasts and videos could produce such results. Throughout, she emphasizes the importance of patience, reduced stress, and feeling in control of food choices, describing the process as easy once the diet mentality was abandoned.
Chapters
So, uh, how have things been? All, you know, just tell me where, where you're at.
Well, everything's fine, everything's wonderful. I'm living life to the full. I have a full life and everything is absolutely wonderful. Amazing. Trundling around with 3 stone less.
So 3 stone less?
Yes.
That's amazing.
Yeah.
Gosh, that's, uh, that's good going. And so how long has that taken?
It has taken a while. It's taken 4 years in all, but I didn't start, I didn't start losing for about 18 months. Um, it took a long, a long while for my brain to kick in and start working, but once it did, that was it. I was on a roll.
Yeah, so that is a fascinating thing, um, that, that it took 18 months for your body to start getting the message to release the fat. What Uh, what do you think was holding it up? Was it, you know, because you had diabetes at that point, didn't you?
Yes. Yeah, I think it may have been a combination of diabetes and perhaps too much diet head that I had to get over. You know, I think everybody starts on, on, on SlimPod because the, the fed up with yo-yo dieting, and this doesn't work, this works, but it then, once you stop, then it goes back on and more. So I think it was just a combination of all that for me, but once I just stopped and thought, you don't need to be dieting, just listen to your body, listen, listen to what it's telling you, and once I started doing that, that was it. I mean, I swapped salads for chips, and just not because I thought I should, but because I wanted to.
And you mean you swapped chips for salad?
Yes, sorry.
Yeah, yeah. So how did you— what if it was taking, um, that length of time to go? How did you, um, managed to stay patient and, and resilient? And did you, did you just feel that something was bound to happen?
Or— I had— I was looking at past posts on the, on the Facebook group. And, you know, you saw people with success rates. And I thought, well, if it's working for them, why isn't it working for me? What am I doing wrong? So I just went back to the beginning and started again and just kept at it and just relaxed. Yeah, and I think it was when I relaxed, that was when things started to work, when I wasn't pressuring myself like, "Oh, you shouldn't have that muffin with the coffee," you know. I'm thinking, "Well, why shouldn't I? Thin people have muffins with coffees," you know. And then Once I started to relax, then it started to kick in and I started losing a couple of pounds. I thought, oh, maybe this is working for me then. And then that enabled me to relax a bit more in, and then, then it started falling off.
Amazing. So yeah, and 3 stone later. Yes. But not only 3 stone, it's not about that at all, really.
No, it's not. It's about the diabetes as well for me.
Yeah, it's about the whole health benefits that have come with it.
Yeah, my doctor couldn't believe that that's all I did was listen to some pods, watch some videos.
And so tell me about the, um, the diabetes thing. Um, this, uh, because, because you've been free of medication now since— well, it's nearly a year, isn't it? It was nearly a year, 2023.
Yes.
Amazing.
Yes. Yeah, it's lovely not to have any medication at all now.
Yeah. And it's still all going fine? You're still stable?
Yes, I'm still fine. Yes. Yeah, I'm still having checks every so many months, but yeah, everything is fine. It's lovely to go to the chemist and you pick up something for cold and flu and they say, you were on any other medication? And I can now say no.
That's fabulous. So how much do you think your mindset played in all of this? If, if, because a lot of people when they get, when, you know, when there's diabetes and they're overweight and all the rest of it, they feel a bit out of control of things. Did you, how do you, I mean, did you feel out of control and was there a point that you felt you were taking back control?
Yes, as I said, once I relaxed, that was when I felt like I was taking control. I was in control of what I put in my mouth, of what I wanted to eat, and what I wanted my life to be like. So yes, it was definitely a matter of getting in control for myself.
Right, and how did that come about? I mean, was there a standout moment that actually?
No, it happened gradually for me. It was so gradual. Like I said, I'd go for a coffee and I'd look at the blueberry muffins, because I love blueberry muffins, and I'd think, "No, actually, you don't really want one. Just have the coffee." And that was when I thought, "I'm controlling this now." well, my brain is controlling it. Wasn't my willpower, because I mean, that's why I turned to SlimPod, because I had no willpower with diets. You know, you diet for so long and then you think, oh God, I can't be bothered anymore. Didn't need to do that with this. It was my brain taking control and saying, no, you actually, you don't want it, and you can say no.
Yeah, yeah. That's, that's great. That, yeah, because that's, that is the thing, isn't it? You can say no. And, and that is absolutely the bit about taking back control. Yes.
And it wasn't conscious efforts. It wasn't me thinking, right now, can I have this? Do I have this? It was just like, no, don't want it. It was unconscious. And that's what I love about it.
Yeah. And so now, where are you at now with food and everything? What is it that— how has your life changed? You know, like a then and now. How have things changed?
Before, I used, as I said, used to restrict yourself to certain foods. They were good foods, they were bad foods. Now there's no good foods, no bad foods. It's just food. It's just something you have to do to live. And we're having a barbecue tonight, my husband and I, because he started his 3 weeks holiday. So we're having a barbecue tonight and I'll eat what I want from that barbecue. It's not going to bother me, you know. Oh, okay, yeah, I might have some ribs and some burgers with buns.
So what?
It's fine. I can have that if I want it. My body will tell me when I've had enough. So yeah, I just eat what I want, when I want, when I'm hungry.
Yeah, and in between time— I mean, how's that different though to before?
Oh, I used to snack all the time. I'd be in the chocolate— I got a chocolate drawer because I've got grandchildren, so you're expected to have a chocolate and a crisp drawer. So I used to be in there all the time and used to have to be refilling it up before the children came. Not now. Not so much. Maybe now and again I may have a little bar of chocolate, but I can eat 2 squares of chocolate and put it, put it away. And I never used to be able to do that before. And that's not because I think I should, it's because I don't want it anymore. I've had enough to satisfy me. Yeah.
And do you think that's the biggest difference, or have there been—
right, definitely.
Interesting.
Definitely.
And your food choices, have they changed?
Oh yes, definitely. Yeah, if we go out for a meal, whereas I used to have a burger and chips, I might have a bowl of salad now with chicken strips, you know. And that, my husband says, 'You sure?' Yeah, that's what I want, that's what I fancy. And I'm quite happy to sit and eat a bowl full of salad now. Amazing.
Yeah, amazing. And what about exercise? I mean, did that come into it at all?
Yes, I did start the gym. Yes, I started. That was unknown. It was like, I'm not going to the gym, don't see the point in that. But then my daughter was starting and I said, do you mind if I came with you? And she went, really? I said, yeah, yeah, I really want to come. So I started the gym with my daughter, and that was it. I mean, I could still go twice a week, and it was never known before, never known before. I mean, I don't drive, so wherever I go, I either have to walk or I catch public transport. So that was the limit of my exercise before, but now 'No, when we come to the gym, you know, what days we going this week?' So yeah, it's featured big time now rather than it did like it— and like it did before.
And what do you think has been the biggest contributor to the whole diabetes thing? And have they said, um, anything about, you know, with your change of with your change of eating habits, would that be the main thing, do you think?
Well, yeah, that's what they said. They, I mean, they always said to me at the beginning, you have to change your eating habits if you want to get this under control and avoid going on to insulin. You have to get this under control. Like I said, like I said, it took 18 months for the weight to start coming off, and I'm beginning to panic a bit thinking, are they going to put me on insulin? But we managed to avoid that. And then with it was, they said it's just totally down to changing my eating habits and losing the weight. So yeah, I would advise anybody with, with any sort of diabetes to, to give it a try because it works.
Happiness, your body held on to the fat for a while though, didn't it? It did, yes.
Stubborn.
Very stubborn. But I mean, top marks for just holding, you know, holding the faith, I suppose.
Just keep going, that's all you can do. Everything else failed miserably.
Yeah, I suppose so.
But what gave you—
what kind of gave you the, uh, inspiration to just keep going? Um, because a lot of people would have said, oh, another thing that hasn't worked. Um, so yeah, fascinating. It was the fact that it was so easy.
To keep going because I wasn't on a diet, because I wasn't restricting myself. It was just easy to just listen to the podcast, write my wins, watch some videos. It was just so easy to just keep going.
Yeah. Yeah.
Wow.
Amazing. Especially when you're not seeing weight loss. But you were seeing other changes, weren't you? So all your food had changed and all the rest of it. Yes.
So I knew eventually it must come off. It had to. Because I changed the way I was eating. And this is— I'm on the Facebook group more often than not, and I'm, you know, I get to see people say, 'Oh, it's been 6 days and I haven't lost the pounds.' And I'm like, 'Please be patient.' I'm always telling them, 'It took me 18 months to start losing weight.' I said, 'It will happen. Just be patient. Let your brain do the work. You don't have to. Let the brain do the work.' Amazing, amazing, fabulous.
Look, thank you. Um, I, I just wanted a little update, um, from you and just to see how, how it would all, um, fit in. But you can go. I mean, were you stressed before that? How was— what do you think, that there was— that it was a stress thing? Um, about the food, you know, about your weight? Do you think that you were stressing about your weight, so it was an internal stress thing that was holding on to it?
It possibly was, because I thought, well, you know, it's been a long time now, why isn't it coming off, you know? But then I thought to myself, well, it's got to change at some point because you're eating way less than you did before. Stop stressing about it. And I don't know, maybe that was when it started to work, when I stopped stressing about it and just relaxed into it. And then once, once I lost a couple of pounds, I thought, oh, maybe this is the kickstart, you know. And then it just fell off, and I didn't need scales to tell me it had fallen off. My clothes told me. So yeah, definitely works.
