In this interview, Charlotte (Sandra) Roycroft‑Davis, founder of the SlimPod Programme, speaks with Sally‑Ann, a post‑menopausal woman who spent over 20 years struggling with obesity and countless diets. Sally‑Ann recounts her lifelong pattern of losing a stone or two and then hitting a mental wall, attributing past failures to a lack of willpower and negative self‑talk. After joining SlimPod, she adopted a set of daily habits – listening to the programme each night, writing “wins” each morning, tracking measurements, and using a goal map – which shifted her focus from restrictive dieting to consistent commitment. She reduced the frequency of weighing herself, moving from daily to monthly, and began measuring progress by how clothes fit rather than the scale. The programme also helped her naturally adopt intermittent fasting (16:8) and eat more slowly, eliminating cravings. Psychologically, she reports a dramatic reduction in self‑criticism, increased self‑kindness, and greater confidence, even enjoying photographs of herself. Exercise became enjoyable: daily dog walks grew from 6,000 to 10,000 steps, she added tap‑dancing after 30 years, and participated in community challenges, raising her average steps to 12,000 per day and weekly totals over 90,000. Measurably, she has lost 1.5 stone, dropped two dress sizes, and reached size 14, with a new goal of size 12. Throughout, she credits SlimPod’s structure, community support, and the removal of “diet” mentality for her sustained progress.
Chapters
I'm Sandra Roycroft-Davis and I'm the founder of the SlimPod Programme. And today I've got a very special lady with me. She's got a story like so many other people. She's been dieting since she was 16. She tried everything including hypnotherapy and the, the skinny jab, the cabbage diet, so many, and so many of the usual things. And she's been classed as obese for the last 20 years. And the thing is, she's never got near her goal weight, not even for her wedding day. So things have changed now though, and I'm going to pass you over to Sally-Ann because she's going to tell you all about how they've changed. Hiya, Sally-Ann, welcome.
Hi, Sandra, thank you. And yeah, so as, as you said, I, I've been on a diet for as, as long as I can remember. I got married 28 years ago and I, I still didn't get to the size 12 that I, I really wanted to be by then. I wasn't far off but just never seemed to be able to get the goal weight. Would lose a stone and on most of the diets that I'd been on. So I would work hard, but for me it was just always that elusive willpower. And so after 5 or 6 weeks or a couple of months, and it would just all start to cave in, and before I knew it, kind of, that diet had failed. And when I joined SlimPod, I was as big as I'd ever been. And so I was a large size 18, which would suggest I was knocking on the door of a size 20, but refusing to admit it. And as desperate, I think, as I'd ever been. I think in my mind I'd started to think that this was just how I was going to be. But then from day one, I found a real difference. And I was a secret podder at first, and even now, not, not Not everybody knows that Slimpod is kind of what's working for me. And I think I'd failed so many times before. I didn't want to start shouting about Slimpod until I'd got past the self-sabotage stage. So, um, but yeah, from day one, my urge to snack just kind of seemed to go. And I ate more slowly. So previously I wasn't a big drinker, but I was a big eater. I was a greedy eater. And I was a fast eater. And yet with Slim Pot things, I could just take a meal quite slowly. And I don't know if it was because I was listening or trying to feel out for the full message, to see how that came. But, and that did come. And whereas previously that would only come once I'd stuffed way more calories in than I needed and probably felt a little bit ill. You know, this came as I with maybe only half or two-thirds of what I had previously enjoyed. And so it felt kind of quite easy for me. And what one of the first habits though that I did have to break was daily weighing. And so before I would get up in the morning, go to the toilet, step on the scales. And they'd held me hostage for years. And I suppose I couldn't move away wholly from that. So for the first month of SlimPod, I allowed myself to weigh weekly. And then after that, I kind of weighed myself fortnightly. And now I only allow myself to weigh once a month. And kind of when I do get goal. It would be nice to think that I could just ditch that altogether. But one of the things I did do was I took my measurements from day one, and I've never done that before, even though lots of programs tell you to do it. With this one, it's really important, and that's the way that you measure success. But how did scales held me hostage before is when I did weigh myself, if I hadn't lost the weight that I felt I deserved to, then that would often take me off track. But then equally, and this is, and I knew I was doing it to myself, but just couldn't kind of find a way to stop, was if I had done well and had a good day or a good week and, and the pounds seemed to be coming off, I'd kind of almost emotionally after that, almost as reward, and can almost undo the work that I've done. And I think that's what I've really loved about SlimPod. It's not about being on a diet. I don't need any willpower. You do need to commit. And as I say, I've absolutely listened to my SlimPod every single day since I joined, and I write my wins religiously. And I tend to do it the morning, kind of when I wake up. I listen to Trevor at night, And then I do my Wims in the morning. And I, yeah, I've just really loved it. And what's happened is because there's no diet to fall off, you lose the negative self-talk. And I'd never realized how powerful that had been. I was conscious that when I was losing weight, I was happier in myself. So I knew that I was a happier size 16, size 14 than I was a size 18 going upwards. But what I'd not realized was that that was because when I was failing on a diet, I was brutal with myself. I would talk to myself in a way I would not talk to any other human being. And I think when you are constantly criticizing yourself and telling yourself that you are a failure, That has to have a long-term impact on your self-worth. And so, you know, I am so delighted with the weight and the measurements that I've lost, but I know I'm so much kinder to myself now. I'm happier. I love myself more. And, you know, to the point I used to hate having my photograph took. I'd look in the mirror and I'd hate what I'd see, whereas Now there's even the odd photograph that I see and I think, actually, I look quite nice in that. And I look in the mirror and I kind of do it— no, you are worthy and you can do this. And so there's a real difference in confidence, I think.
Yeah, fantastic. So you're wearing a special dress at the moment, aren't you, as well?
Yes, I am. So I bought this dress about 4 years ago, and I could just about fit in this dress when I wore it, and I've worn it once previously and just haven't been able to get in it since. And that's one of the things I've loved about SlimPod is that I do have things in my wardrobe that are either never worn because they're bought with a "I will get into it," or only kind of in my slimmer days. And, you know, going to the wardrobe and finding those things out of the cupboard. And in all honesty, when I put this dress on, I didn't expect it to fit. So the fact that it did, I was— that's for me what I call the taste of skinny. I know, Sandra, you talk about being in the flow at times, and I think that's what I've been able to do in ditching the scales and just focusing on your measurements and how you fit in your clothes, and has meant that I've been able to stay motivated, I think, and keep that momentum going.
Fantastic. So you spent 20 years in the obese category.
At least 20 years.
At least 20 years. So where— and you also had a mental block, didn't you? You kind of got to a certain— you lost about a stone or 2 stone each time and then stopped.
Yes. Yeah.
So what's happened now? Where are you now?
So I've now lost 1.5 stone, but I've dropped 2 dress sizes. So I've got to the size 14, that when previously I'd lost 2 stone, I still wasn't. So again, that's the strange thing about weight, isn't it? Absolutely. I was probably about a stone lighter than I am now, but I couldn't get in this dress. And so, and yeah, so I'm a size 14. And for the first time I've achieved my first goal, which was by the 1st of December to be in a size 14. And now I've set a new goal, Matt, for me to be in a size 12, which, as I say, I got married 28 years ago. I never got to be a size 12 then. I can't ever remember being a size 12. But, and yeah, I feel like I've got the motivation and the support with SlimPod in order to get there, which is just an amazing feeling.
Fantastic. And you've probably got some belief as well, haven't you? Would you think that belief might have been the thing that was blocking you? Or, um, yeah, well, I mean, lots of people just don't believe they can get there because it is a limiting belief that, you know, that they can only get to some certain point and then they, um, they don't go any further. But you are feeling to me that you feel fairly confident that you're going to get there.
Yeah, definitely. And I think one of the things that was the limiting belief before was that lack of willpower. So for me it was, I don't have the willpower to be slim. And, and as I've said, that, that's the magic for me of SlimPod is you don't need willpower. Yes, you need commitment to listen to Trevor every night and to write your wins and to do your goal map. And the ribbon challenge and all of those things, you need to commit to the program. Um, but it isn't hard. I found that I just fell naturally into intermittent fasting. Now I was such a greedy eater before. There's no way that that would have happened to me. But so now I do, I do a 16:8 probably on 5 to 7 days a week. And yeah, it works. And so I think, when you're not falling off the wagon on a daily basis, you're not having the negative self-talk, then yes, your, your self-belief is, is much stronger.
Yeah. And intermittent fasting was one of the things that didn't work in the past. Um, so this time the difference is probably that it's just happening instinctively and there's no effort involved, isn't it?
Absolutely. There's no deprive. It's not. And I, I have read a little bit, and I really liked that term. It's not about deny, it's about delay. And whereas, yes, when I did the 5:2, I got quite good initial results, but then kind of stalled and again fell off the wagon. And again, and once you start to put on, it's, it's difficult, isn't it? Yeah, I will.
Amazing. So you started the programme at a size 18?
18 plus, I would say. Yes, yes.
And, uh, and I can't wait to see you into when you're in your size 12.
Yeah, me too.
We'll have you back.
Thank you.
So look, I mean, congratulations at that, you know, getting to, I think it's what you've done really is bash through the mental demons more than anything else. And that's probably what this program is, you know, 95% about because for most people that is what holds them back. And so Sally, you did some exercising as well, didn't you? You did that. And how different, How's that been, you know, from the time before?
That for me is the other Slimpod magic dust. I don't know how you do it, Sandra, but yeah, the love of exercise has really grown over time. So I was a real couch potato before, whereas to start with, I found that I was enjoying the morning dog walks and demanding that it was me that was doing those dog walks rather than anybody else. Walking further than normal. And so my average steps increased from about 6,000 to 10,000 each day. I also started tap dancing, which was the first time in 30 years. I loved it. And then in month 4, so over the last month, I accepted a challenge from one of the Community Managers, Lynn, and it just seems to have ignited a love of exercise for me, and I just can't get enough of it now. And it's So bizarre because it's so not me, but it might just be doing 7 minutes or 14 minutes a day of LWR workout. But my steps now are at least an average 12,000 a day and an average of over 90,000 a week. And, and yeah, it just makes me smile because there is a bit of me going, who is this person? But clearly all of those steps and all of that exercise has health from a weight loss perspective.
Oh, without, without, yeah, without a shadow of a doubt. And, and also because you're loving it, it means that it's just becoming part of your life.
So yeah, yeah, yeah.
Look, thank you so much for joining me, and you've just got an incredibly inspiring story, and I, I just wanted to instill some belief in others that they can do what you've done because you have got a story that is so familiar to so many people. And yeah, just want to thank you for coming on and telling me the whole thing. And yeah, look forward to seeing you when you've reached the goal that you feel is right for you, even though at the moment you're looking fabulous the way you are.
Oh, thank you, Sandra, and thank you to SlimPod. It's gone from a diet failure to achieving. I can't thank you enough.
Oh no, I mean, you're the one who's done the work. You've believed in it, and there you go. So thank you. Thanks for coming on, and yeah.
