NOTTINGHAM dieter Nichole Parkes appeared on ITV’s primetime show, This Time Next Year, on Tuesday, April 10, at 8pm, testing out Cambridge Weight Plan (CWP).
Mother-of-two Nichole, 50, lost more than seven stones on CWP with help from her Nottingham-based diet consultant, Sue Cresswell. Nichole’s mission was to lose weight so she would not be ‘fat at 50’. She appeared on the show with her daughter, and they pledged to lose 15 stone between them.
This Time Next Year, presented by Davina McCall, sees various people tackle personal challenges. Over the course of a year, the cameras follow those who take part, charting their progress along the way.
Nichole was a fan of the first series of the show and, after struggling with her weight most of her adult life, she applied for it.
“I loved the show This Time Next Year, and a friend and I just applied to be on it as a whim. I never thought I’d actually get picked!” said Nichole.
“My turning point came when my mother died last year. She was worried about my weight and used to encourage me to do something about it, but in a nice way. She just cared about me. I would always say to her ‘I’m not going to be fat when I’m 20’ then it was 30, then 40. This year I’m turning 50, and I knew I was not going to be fat at 50.”
When Nichole was given the CWP diet, she expected to be given shakes only.
“When Cambridge Weight Plan was suggested to me as a diet, I was completely hesitant. I heard of the diet years ago and I thought there were only milkshakes and nothing else. I was gobsmacked when I met with my consultant, Sue Cresswell, and she showed me the massive range of products and different steps available. I did Step 1b of the plan, moving to Step 2 at the weekends because it meant I could have Cambridge Weight Plan products during the day and a healthy meal with my husband and daughter in the evenings. This flexibility helped me stay on plan”
Nichole saw incredible results and really valued the one-to-one support of her consultant Sue.
“In the first week I lost 8lbs and I couldn’t believe it! It really spurred me on and gave me the motivation to continue. I can’t lie and say it’s been plain sailing - I did have some personal troubles and it was difficult at times - but with the one-to-one support from my consultant, I was able to stick to it. During our consultations, she would take the time to really listen to me and give me the right advice to stay on track for the following week, so I always felt in control. The support you get is incredible.”
CWP consultant, Sue Cresswell, said it was an honour and pleasure to be asked to represent CWP on This Time Next Year.
She said: “When I was introduced to Nichole we hit it off straightaway.
“She was a real gem to work with. She stuck to Plan – and even when Nichole tragically lost her step-father during the process, so soon after losing her mother, it would have been easy to give up, but she stuck to the Plan and remained focused. “
Sue said the whole experience was brilliant from start to finish.
“I have gained a wonderful client and now a lovely friend in the process . . . and hopefully educated a few more people when they see the TV programme,” she said.
Nichole explained why the diet worked so well for her.
“I work 11-12 hours a day, so I didn’t have time to go to the gym and prepare dozens of different meals every week. Having my set products made it easy and simple.
“I lost more than seven stones and, although I’m still me, I feel full of life and so much more confident. I can now shop in high street shops and no longer live in black clothes. Even small things like being able to cut my toenails without my stomach spilling over and stopping me being able to breathe was incredible, or being able to have a soak in a standard bath without all the water pouring out.
“This diet has worked for me, and I know I’ll never go back to the size I was.”
For more information call 07930 326310 or email Sue Cresswell at Lovetolose@hotmail.com
Notes to editors
- Cambridge Weight Plan was founded in 1984 as The Cambridge Diet.
- Its products have been manufactured in Corby since 1986.
- In 2009, following extensive consumer research, Cambridge Diet was rebranded Cambridge Weight Plan
- In 2014, Cambridge Weight Plan Ltd became a company fully owned by its employees
- Today, Cambridge Weight Plan Ltd manufactures Cambridge Weight Plan products.
- In the UK, the company sells and markets the Cambridge Weight Plan brand through independent Cambridge Weight Plan Consultants.
- Around the world, Cambridge Weight Plan is sold through an extensive distributor network and products are exported to 40 countries.
- For more information, contact Ruth Supple, PR & Events Manager, on 01536 403344 or email RSupple@cwp-uk.com