Helen Craddock

Hi, I'm Helen

A woman in her 50s who’s lost over 7 stone and is still learning how to show up for herself, one small step at a time.

This isn’t about perfection, quick fixes, or pressure.


It’s about progress, kindness, and building a life that feels good to live in.

For years, I felt stuck. Trapped in a cycle of emotional eating, shame, and feeling like real change was for other people. I lived with pain from lymphedema, carrying nearly 20 stone, my weight creeping up each year, whilst nothing I did made a impact. Then I discovered something different and for the first time, I started to believe it wasn’t too late.


I have started taking Mounjaro, a licensed drug to help treat obesity in the UK. I had been thinking about starting this treatment for quite a while and looked into this and other alternatives that are available in the UK.

There is so much misinformation about these drugs online and in the media so I hope I can help by sharing my experiences and provide you all with more information through my blog posts.

If you have any questions please feel free to drop me a message or let me know if there is anything in particular you would like me to discuss.

Please note that I am only documenting my experience, always do your own research and speak to a doctor or pharmacy for medical advice or if you have concerns whilst taking GLP1 medication.

With love, Helen 🩷

Start Here: Your First Steps

If you’re new here, welcome — I’m really glad you found your way.

This is a quiet space for women in midlife who are navigating weight loss, self-trust, and real life — imperfectly and honestly.

You might like to start with:

My Story
How I lost over 7 stone and learned that transformation is about more than numbers.

👉 Read More

My Most Read Blog Posts
The posts readers return to when they need encouragement and perspective.
👉
One Year On. One Step at a Time. 🎉

👉 Hormones, Paddington & The Great Chocolate Crisis of 2025

👉 What No One Tells You About GLP-1 and Emotional Eating

My Digital Journal
After years of struggling with emotional eating and self-doubt, I created a gentle companion journal to support women on GLP-1 journeys.

It’s designed for reflection, self-kindness, and realistic progress — not punishment.
👉
View the Journal

What I’m Building Next
I
’m beginning to share more of my journey on YouTube.
[Coming Soon]

One Small Step At A Time.

Healthy habits challenge

The

"I'm Doing This" Challenge

A 30-day self-trust boost that

feels doable (because it is)

✅ Build momentum with 5 tiny feel-good habits

✅ Learn to trust yourself again—one day at a time

✅ Finally feel like change is happening for real

Are you ready for more?

Ready to build the life of your dreams?

Let's chat

Ready to work with a coach to uplevel your life and business?

On The Blog....

My honest journey on Mounjaro (and everything in between)

mounjaro diary

All the Reasons I Didn’t Want to Try a GLP-1 Diet

(a.k.a. My Love Letter to Food and Mild Hypochondria)

Mounjaro blog

The real life diary of transformation

(without losing the plot)

Mounjaro blog

🎉 Good news: Back on track after my holiday

🎉 Good news: No adverse side effects after missing dose

The Mindset Makeover

Healthy habits challenge

💛 You’re taking the injection… but what about the inner work?

If you’re on a GLP-1 journey and starting to realise that mindset, habits, and emotional wellbeing are just as important as the medication — this digital journal is for you.

Over six gentle, 4-week cycles, you’ll track progress, stay connected to your why, and build the kind of self-trust that lasts long after the weight comes off.

About Me

Listen to the

Podcast

view my

services

read the

BLOG

Let's chat

Ready to work with a coach to uplevel your life and business?

Let's learn

Learn at your own pace and make quantum leaps.

Student Love Notes

We've helped so many incredible students to find success as Virtual Assistants...

The VA Business Blueprint helped me to go from feeling completely stuck to starting my business and getting my first client!

Ellen, business name

I enrolled in the VA Services Academy feeling completely lost - within 2 weeks I knew exactly what to offer & what to charge.

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Beginner to Booked Out was a game-changer for me. Anna and her team are incredible and I'm booked out for the next 3 months!

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New on the blog...

February 2026

🤍 Holding Joy & Grief

February 28, 20263 min read

February 2026 – Mounjaro Diaries

February has been quieter.

Not because nothing happened.

But because something did.

My sister-in-law passed away peacefully this month🤍

There is something strangely tender about the word “peacefully.” It doesn’t make the loss easier. It doesn’t make the space she leaves any smaller. But it brings comfort.

She was surrounded by kindness. The home she was in was gentle and warm and full of staff who genuinely cared. And for that, I am deeply grateful.

Grief is odd.

It doesn’t arrive neatly. It comes in waves. In supermarket aisles. In songs on the radio. In quiet moments when you’re not expecting it.

And life… just keeps going around it.


🏉England v Wales – Six Nations Weekend

In the middle of all of this, we had a weekend at the rugby — England v Wales in the Six Nations.

Another work freebie (I really do have a knack for these😅).

England won🇬🇧🏉— which always makes the atmosphere electric.

It felt good to be in the noise. To cheer. To feel normal for a few hours. To be part of something loud and communal when everything internally feels quieter.

Grief and joy can sit next to each other. I’m learning that.


🦪Borough Market & Oysters

On the Sunday we wandered through Borough Market.

Cold air. Busy stalls. That London buzz.

We ate at my favourite seafood spot. Oysters. Fresh and briny. A glass of wine. Simple and beautiful.🦪🍷

And yes — I managed to avoid the bread basket.

Which, if you know me, is growth.

Not because bread is evil. But because I wasn’t eating to fill something emotional. I was eating because I was hungry.

That difference matters.


📉Weight Update

Weight loss this month: Zero.

Not up.
Not down.

Just… steady.

And once upon a time, that would have sent me into panic mode.

Old February Helen would have:

• Tightened everything.
• Declared a reset.
• Criticised herself relentlessly.

This February?

I’ve chosen grace.

Because life has been heavy.

Because juggling work, home life, hospital visits, loss, paperwork, and everything else that quietly follows death is exhausting.

Because sometimes maintenance is strength.


✍️When Life Gets Hard

This month has reminded me how important it is to sit with your thoughts instead of running from them.

Not in a dramatic way.

Just… checking in.

How am I actually feeling?
What am I carrying?
What do I need today?

There have been evenings where I’ve written things down just to get them out of my head. No structure. No performance. Just honesty.

And it’s helped.

Because when life gets hard, the temptation is to distract. To numb. To overeat. To overwork. To avoid.

But if you can pause — even for five minutes — and ask yourself what you’re feeling without judgement, something shifts.

You stop fighting yourself.

You start supporting yourself.

And that changes everything.


🌿Grace Over Grit

There’s a lot of talk about discipline and pushing through.

This month hasn’t been about grit.

It’s been about grace.

Grace with my body.
Grace with my energy levels.
Grace with the fact that not every month will be a milestone.

Sometimes progress looks like:

• Maintaining when you’re grieving.
• Not spiralling when the scale doesn’t move.
• Choosing nourishment over numbness.
• Showing up gently instead of forcefully.

That is still growth.


February hasn’t been flashy.

It’s been emotional.
It’s been reflective.
It’s been slower.

And that’s okay.

Because this journey was never meant to exist in a bubble away from real life.

Real life is messy.

Real life includes rugby matches and oysters and laughter.

And it also includes hospital rooms and funerals and quiet tears.

And somehow, we carry both.

With love,
Helen
🤍

MounjaroMounjaro Diaries
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My Story

For years, I lived with pain from lymphedema, carrying nearly 20 stone, and feeling like the best parts of life were behind me.

I knew if I didn’t make a change, I’d lose even more than just my health.


Mounjaro is helping me shift the weight, but the true transformation came from working through emotional eating and rebuilding self-trust.

Slowly, step by step I'm making real, long-lasting change.

HELEN CRADDOCK © 2026 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.