Mum-of-two who shed more than 2st in 5 months shares approach behind her lasting results

Helen Hilton was working full-time from home as an online customer service agent when she found herself feeling "sluggish, exhausted and stuck" as constant grazing, polishing off her kids' leftovers, and reaching for crisps became her daily routine.

"At my heaviest, everything felt slow," Helen told GB News. "I had no energy or desire to do anything, which just made me sit more, feel miserable and honestly feel a bit sorry for myself."

And she is not alone, with up to 84 per cent of people struggling with food noise, according to Numan's State of Obesity Report.

She admits she had a deeply emotional relationship with food, often forcing herself to eat things she thought were healthy – like salads and grilled chicken – despite genuinely disliking them.

"The thought of grilled chicken with anything actually makes me really sad," she admitted. Because those meals never satisfied her, she constantly sought comfort elsewhere.

Crisps became a fixture at lunchtime, again mid-afternoon, and once more during her evening wind-down, alongside endless picking at snacks while working.

"I've only recently learned what food noise actually is," Helen said.

"Looking back, I can see how much my life was affected by it. I hated every mouthful of food I was eating. It just wasn't compatible with my lifestyle at all."

The breaking point came in early 2024 after another restrictive eating approach left her miserable.

She turned to digital healthcare provider Numan for weight loss treatment that pairs medication with support from clinicians, nutritionists, and health coaches.

"Starting treatment, I finally felt supported rather than judged. I began to understand how to eat in a way that was both filling and enjoyable. The coaching definitely helped," she explained.

One of her biggest lessons was learning to put down her fork when she was actually full, rather than feeling obligated to clear her plate.

Although the food noise hasn't vanished entirely, Helen says it's now manageable and no longer runs her life.

It's been more than a year since finishing Numan's programme, and she has kept the weight off and finally feels in control of her eating habits.

"The noise is still there," Helen recognised. "But it's now positive because I've found foods I actually enjoy."

Working from home was once a major trigger for boredom snacking and "sit and pick" habits, but it no longer poses a daily battle.

And when she does spot old patterns creeping back, she is better equipped to "nip them in the bud" before they take hold.

Helen views the medication as a "jump start" and "safety net", stressing that lasting success comes down to mindset rather than treating it as a quick fix.

"It's like getting help to stop smoking," she explained. "It's a medical tool for a medical problem."

Her advice for others battling food noise is to "be kind and patient with yourself. Weight loss is a lifelong journey - drastic changes aren't sustainable".

Zoe Griffiths, Registered Dietitian and VP Behavioural Medicine at Numan, explained that food noise refers to persistent, intrusive thoughts about eating that occur even without genuine hunger.