Tom's bad habits from childhood continued into adulthood and got further out of control when he started university. A busy schedule and late night study sessions meant he was regularly eating junk food and relying on caffeine to get him through.

“I never thought eating so poorly was as bad as it was,” states Tom. “When you’re young you think you’re bulletproof and you have plenty of time to fix your bad habits. I knew it wasn’t great but when you’re eating [junk food] all the time that’s when it becomes really bad – It just snowballs.”

Even though he was only in his twenties, Tom was coming home from work exhausted. He really started to realise he had a problem when his weight began affecting his new job.

“I’d come home from work and have no energy to go out and socialise,” says Tom. “I knew I had to do something when I was no longer able to do my job to the best of my ability.”

It was Tom’s mum who suggested he give the LifeShape Clinic a call. After researching the program online, he felt the approach could work for him and decided to book an initial assessment.

“The initial consultation was great because I could test it out and see if it was suitable for me. But I wasn’t 100% committed until after my medical,” admits Tom.

Tom’s medical revealed he was prediabetic, had Metabolic Syndrome and on the verge of getting Sleep Apnoea. Seeing the results on paper in black and white made it clear to him it was time to take back control of his life and focus on his health.

“It made me realise that at 25, I wasn’t where I wanted to be. I told my boss upfront this was going to be the focus for me for the next 12 months. He was very supportive – however as I got into the program and started implementing the changes it helped my work too!” proclaims Tom. “I put my recent success at work down to my success on the LifeShape Program.”

With the support of the LifeShape Clinic team, Tom has lost an astonishing 51.1kgs. However more importantly for Tom he has the drive and energy to do well at work, exercise daily and still go out with his friends.

Tom found another big benefit of the program is how tailored it was to his own needs – and found the personalised support he received from his team helped him find a balance that suited his interests and lifestyle.

“I actually enjoy exercise now,” admits Tom. “Now I go to the gym three days a week and swim or jog other nights. After talking to my Dietitian we realised how close I lived to work and they suggested I walk home from work. It’s a great stress relief and enjoyable – and something I found through the experience and knowledge of my LifeShape Dietitian.”

Another reason for the success on the program was weekly consultations to ensure he was staying on track to achieve his goals.  “Having my own team really appealed to me. I was never told ‘this is what you need to do’. It was about finding out what would work for me. The dietitians put strategies in place for me to problem solve myself instead of feeling like it was a strict regime. I think this is what helped me be successful in the long term,” says Tom.

If he could go back and talk to himself one year ago, Tom wishes he could remind himself how important your health really is. While there were challenges on the program, Tom knew there would always be obstacles and he needed to stop putting it off.

“You’re always going to have challenges in your life – it’s not about removing them, it’s about being able to navigate through them,” says Tom. “I learnt it was all about balance. If I want to do something like eat out or have a drink with my friends I could compensate for it.”

Tom has a new found confidence in himself and at work. Public speaking at work events is something he never thought he would feel confident doing but now does it with ease and a clear head.

He also enjoys and looks forward to exercise. Fitness has become a huge part of his life and exercise no longer feels like a chore since he’s found activities he enjoys like swimming.

“The program was so easy – much easier than I thought it would be. People say ‘you’ve put in all the hard work’ and I kind of feel guilty owning that. But it really was great because [the clinic] tailored a program to suit me.”

*Your results may vary. To find out what you can achieve on your LifeShape Program book a no obligation initial assessment with one of our Dietitians, call 1800 567 348. Alternatively you can register your interest online.