'I was 21st 7lbs but lost 8st after listening to a nine minute podcast'

A woman who lost more than a third of her body weight in under two years claims listening to a nine-minute mindfulness audio each day “transformed” her life. Susan Anderson, 58, who is originally from Oregon in the US but now lives in Kendal, Cumbria, said she was never overweight until her twenties, when she started using food as an “emotional crutch”, reaching 15st 6lbs (98.0kg) by the age of 24.

After a partner negatively commented on her weight, which she found “really hard”, Susan said her emotional eating worsened and she reached 20st 5lbs (129.3kg) by 2016, when she met her now-husband Colin. She continued comfort eating during the pandemic and, by the end of 2023, Susan, who is 5ft 8in tall, hit her heaviest weight of 21st 7lbs (136.5kg), with a BMI of 45.8, making her severely obese according to the NHS, and said she felt “miserable”.

In January 2024, having already tried the keto and Atkins diets over the years, she tried Slimpod, an audio programme which claims to retrain the subconscious, which she said helped her lose weight by focusing on her relationship with food as a whole. In December 2024, she also began taking the weight loss jab Mounjaro, under the guidance of her GP, to help boost her weight loss further.

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Now at 13st 8lbs (86.2kg), having lost 7st 13lbs (50.3kg), Susan enjoys long walks and going to the gym, feels more confident and is determined never to return to her former weight. Susan told PA Real Life: “I definitely feel more confident in my body when I’m walking down the street – I don’t feel like people are just judging me, making comments about me.

“Unfortunately it’s the truth, people are nicer to me now – I know that’s a horrible thing to say about people and sometimes that makes me sad, because I’m the same person.”

Susan said she was “never overweight” until her twenties, when she moved to New York and began using food as an “emotional crutch” – she would often party late, regularly drinking alcohol, and did not prioritise healthy eating. By the age of 24, she said she weighed 15st 6lbs (98.0kg) – a figure which stuck in her mind after having to be weighed before a bungee jump.

At the time, she felt “embarrassed”, having not realised how much weight she had gained. She said her emotional eating got worse after a partner negatively commented on her weight.

However, her life began to improve after meeting her now-husband, Colin, a 52-year-old builder, in Tennessee in the US through work in 2016. “The company flew Colin out from the UK to consult on one of my jobs,” she said.

“We got drunk on moonshine, and we’ve been together ever since.”

Susan got married to Colin in 2017 and moved from the US to Cumbria in 2018. She said her eating habits were still “excessive”, as she would often eat pints of ice cream in her car after already consuming a large sandwich and cake at work.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, she felt “isolated and depressed”, not knowing anyone besides her husband in Cumbria – and she said her emotional eating was “off the chain”. Susan explained: “Food is where you get your comfort – some people use alcohol, some people use shopping, drugs, sex, there are so many different vices.

“But food is tough because you need food to live. You can’t mask overeating forever, it’ll eventually show on your body.”

By the end of 2023, she weighed 21st 7lbs (136.5kg). “I was at my lowest point, emotionally, and I was just miserable,” Susan added.

Then, in January 2024, she saw an advert on Facebook for Slimpod and thought she “had nothing to lose” – so gave it a go. According to its website, Slimpod is an audio programme which, it says, retrains your subconscious mind to make healthier food choices without relying on willpower or dieting.

By listening to daily nine-minute audio sessions, it claims, your brain is gently rewired to reduce cravings, boost motivation and support lasting weight loss habits. Susan explained: “Within the first day, my brain felt lighter. It focuses on your relationship with food and put me off snacking.

“I just felt better immediately, and I no longer had cravings … I just wanted to start eating healthier and better. And then I followed the programme … and just kept going and my mindset started changing. I just kept making better choices. It transformed my life.”

She also chose to reduce her sugar intake and, within the first four months, she said she lost two stone, and her weight loss became steady and gradual. She said: “I’m not saying I can never eat sugar – I had ice cream when I went on my holiday in January (this year), but I don’t need a pint of it in my car.

“So it’s that balance. My husband eats sugary stuff around me and occasionally I’ll say, ‘Oh, let me have a tiny bite’, and that’s that.”

In December 2024, she said she began taking Mounjaro to boost her weight loss under the guidance of her GP, alongside the Slimpod plan, as she was mindful of the health risks associated with obesity. “It personally made me not hungry, and so it obviously is going to result in a more rapid calorie deficit,” she said.

Now, in a day, she said she typically eats fruit, two protein bars, a protein shake, eggs and a portion of chicken or fish, served with vegetables. Susan now weighs 13st 8lbs (86.2kg) and often goes on long walks with her husband – something she never imagined doing before.

Now wearing a size 12, down from a size 22, she is still adjusting to her new body. Looking ahead, Susan would like to lose another “stone or two”, which would bring her closer to a healthy BMI, as she is still classed as overweight currently at a BMI of 28.9.

She said she cannot ever see herself returning to her previous weight, describing her transformation as “life changing”.

GPs can advise about losing weight safely by eating a healthy, balanced diet and regular physical activity. For more information, visit: www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/treatment. Anyone affected by the topics discussed in this article can visit: www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk.