Kicking the habits

Get to know Carole Holditch, Founder of Good Habits, a weight loss and lifestyle programme in Dubai.

Her words:

I lost 20 kilograms. Now that I know the long-term benefits of a lifestyle change, there can be no turning back. This really hits home once you've reached your goal weight and opted to follow a healthy routine.

Like many women, I had always struggled with my weight. The final straw that made me decide to lose weight and really take my health into my own hands was on New Year's Eve while I was living in the UK. I was at a New Year's Eve party and I looked around and everybody had gorgeous dresses on, apart from me.

So I decided that I was not going to have another New Year like this. I had years of fad dieting – starting a new diet every Monday. They would last a week, maybe a month at most and then I'd just give up. So I enlisted in Weight-Watchers and I surprised even myself by losing 20kg.

I moved to Dubai 13 years ago. I was married at the time and my husband had a job here so I came with him to the UAE. I've always worked, but arriving in Dubai I didn't have a job and I got really bored. I got to know a few people who were dieticians so I decided it might be a good idea to start a group support system like I'd been a part of with WeightWatchers in the UK.

Initially it was only my three friends and I. We sat on the settee and that was where my idea for Good Habits was born. It was a just a casual thing from home but once the group got bigger, I had to make the meetings more formal and structured and it transformed into a business.

From there it just grew and grew. I realised I'd tapped into a need which wasn't being met here in Dubai. Thirteen years ago Dubai was very different from how it is now. It was much more difficult to adapt. The groups offered not only support for sticking to a healthy lifestyle but lifelong friends were made in the process too.

The programme draws people from many nationalities.
The plan varies from person to person. It's structured around eating normal meals at normal times so it can be tailored according to your nationality and culture. The programme is moulded around you and what suits your routine.

The programme works in two ways. Most people are familiar with Weighless and WeightWatchers. The key here is a group support system. Each group meets for one hour a week where we weigh you in. There's a motivational talk each week and we build up camaraderie within the group. I will consult with a dietician and together the health plan will be formulated.

Most people prefer the group environment but I'm finding that more recently, people are looking for personal consultations. The difference being between – for example – whether you went to a personal trainer as opposed to a general class or gym. The advantage with one-on-one meetings is I can really go in-depth with the person.

Because of Dubai's fast-paced lifestyle, some people can't make it to the classes in which case private consultation is a better option. The one-on-one route has proven to be really successful.

It's a six-week programme and after that period they can join one of the groups to continue, if they want to. Some may feel they've gone far enough, but generally, they re-book.

We work on the Body Mass Index (BMI). I let people choose their goal weight. Ten per cent of your body weight is
a fantastic goal to be starting with. Obviously if I've got someone who has got 40kg to lose, it's not good for them to hear that. What I recommend is that you start small. They will walk out thinking, "I can do three kilos but I can't do 40," but in the end, that's a start. You've got to take baby steps and the rest will follow.

The idea is that group support is crucial.

I definitely could not have done it on my own.
I needed support. Once I'd got to my goal weight alarms went off in my head signalling where I was headed if I didn't make changes to the way I was living. I started exercising. I had not exercised in 30 years – I had always considered myself to be the non-exercising type. But now it's something that is just part of my day. It really does become a lifestyle. You can
change. Support is the thing that everybody needs.

You need to go to the root of the problem. It is vital to find out what lies behind your living unhealthily or being overweight.

It often stems from emotional problems. You need to
find out what it is that's bugging you.

You can then work at finding solutions to what is behind any unhappiness you are feeling and work through it and gain esteem needed to keep you on track and motivated.

I am not so much a nutritionist as a motivational-solutions person. I'm about coaching and support. I want to get you to understand how you tick and what needs to be done. Each week I focus on a different topic, one of which is motivation itself.

You need to think about what motivates you – it might be appearance for one and purely health-related for another. You need to work out what is going to drive you forward.

This is for life.

There are no shortcuts. The worst thing I could wish for anyone is for him or her to put that weight back on again. Bad habits take time to break.

I've published a cookbook.
It's been really successful, so much so that I have a second one that is in progress. At the moment it's in English but it's going to be translated into Arabic as well and we're hoping to distribute it throughout the UAE.

The Good Habits website is being upgraded and what I'm hoping to do is put up a different recipe each week.
The recipe is for the tricky weekend – which is when most people struggle to stick to their health plan – so that they can still have good food but remain within a healthy parameter.

Another idea I'm toying with at the moment is to do online motivation counselling as often as not people just can't make it to the meetings.

I have done similar programmes for kids.I always work with a paediatrician. I also help teenagers. I certainly recommend family involvement. We have many husbands and wives coming in together. I think that this is great because everyone is on the same page within the home.

You should stick to your resolutions.

The idea behind my New Year's programme is that between now and January, you can lose up to six-and-a- half kilograms. It will vary from person to person, but even if you're not losing that amount of weight, you'll be eating healthier, you will be making changes for the better and you will be a more positive you as you enter 2009.

We will be expanding.
We've got 13 groups at the moment, but as new areas within the UAE emerge, we will start new groups in those communities – we're currently looking at Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

I work very closely with a life coach. I think that there's a huge connection between being overweight and what you're feeling. The best results are achieved when you are mindful that the two go hand in hand.

A healthy person is a happy person, and that makes for a good and motivated employee. Your health – what food you eat, whether you smoke or not and so on – bears a marked effect on your concentration.

It's simple.

It's not rocket science. It's about making small changes at a time. Sometimes you just need to be
shown the way.

I am a real outside person. I like to walk or jog along the beach or around the park. I always feel better afterwards and it's great to exercise.

At first impression, people think I am warm, open and approachable. I asked a couple of people just to make sure!

The most important thing to me is to give everything a go.
How do you know unless you try?

Be open to new things and ways and views. My wish for others is that they make the best of everything they have – have an attitude for gratitude. The future is important but I try to live in the precious now!

Being the middle of two siblings I was always trying to find my niche. My sisters would say I was annoying; I'd say I was hungry for life.

To be honest there is no one else I'd rather be.
But the person who inspires me a great deal is Robin Sharma. I am particularly inspired by his book The Greatness Guide.