APPLICATIONS FOR OUR FEBRUARY INTAKE ARE OPEN, APPLY NOW • OUR NEXT ONLINE OPEN EVENT TAKES PLACE 5 DECEMBER 2025 • COME MEET US AT THERAPY EXPO ON 26-27 NOVEMBER IN BIRMINGHAM • NEW PODCAST ALERT! TOM BAXTER DIPS INTO THE WORLD OF MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS •
APPLICATIONS FOR OUR FEBRUARY INTAKE ARE OPEN, APPLY NOW • OUR NEXT ONLINE OPEN EVENT TAKES PLACE 5 DECEMBER 2025 • COME MEET US AT THERAPY EXPO ON 26-27 NOVEMBER IN BIRMINGHAM • NEW PODCAST ALERT! TOM BAXTER DIPS INTO THE WORLD OF MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS •
This Men’s Health Awareness Month, discover how Oliver Roberts shed 10 stone and transformed his life with the support of ION-trained registered nutritional therapy practitioner, Layla Gordon. Catherine Morgan writes
The government has just unveiled England’s first-ever Men’s Health Strategy – a timely move aimed at addressing the physical and mental health challenges faced by men and boys, and reducing inequalities. Men tend to be less inclined than women to seek help for their health concerns, leading many to suffer in silence. The new strategy, launched on International Men’s Day, aims to ensure men and boys receive the support they need to live longer, healthier lives.
At the same time, campaigns like Men’s Health Awareness Month and Movember continue to play a vital role in encouraging men to talk openly about their health and take greater control of their wellbeing.
For 33-year-old Oliver Roberts, it was an episode of the Eventful Lives podcast with nutritionist Layla Gordon that inspired him to take action. After years of feeling self-conscious about his weight – which had reached nearly 24 stone – and experiencing many failed weight loss attempts, he turned to Gordon for accountability and support. With her guidance, Oliver went on to lose 10 stone and gain a new lease of life.
A brief history
Oliver’s weight had fluctuated significantly over the years, taking a toll on his mental health and contributing to low self-esteem and low mood. He was also prediabetic.
But it was a ski holiday in March 2023 that proved to be his turning point. After struggling on the slopes while carrying the extra weight, Oliver realised he needed professional support. Although he had lost weight on his own before, it would always creep back on – a familiar pattern for many. This time, he was determined to do whatever it took to make lasting dietary changes.
Image: Oliver Roberts before and after his 10 stone weight loss
Beyond the scales
As part of her initial assessment, Gordon ran a series of blood tests to review Oliver’s cardiovascular and metabolic health. The findings indicted signs of metabolic dysfunction – including raised C-reactive protein (CRP; an inflammatory marker), oxidised low density lipoprotein (LDL), and leptin resistance – a condition that can make weight management much more difficult, even when someone is eating ‘normally’ or trying to lose weight.
Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells that helps regular hunger and energy balance. When the brain stops responding properly to leptin’s signal – a condition known as leptin resistance – a person may feel constantly hungry and less satisfied after eating. This explains why Oliver felt like nothing he ate filled him up, and why he would often snack on junk food into the evening. Losing body fat can help improve leptin sensitivity, thus supporting more accurate hunger and fullness signals.
Taken together, Oliver’s test results suggested that his weight was beginning to have a measurable impact on his long-term health and that intervention was needed to prevent further progression.
The plan: Mediterranean / fasting combo
Image: Shutterstock
Based on her findings and Oliver’s goals, Gordon created a personalised dietary and lifestyle plan that would transform his relationship with food, and support steady, sustainable weight loss.
Key components of the plan included:
A Mediterranean-style diet, centered around whole, minimally processed food. Oliver introduced a ‘rainbow’ of vegetables and fruits into his diet and batch-cooked salads for work.
Removing all ultra-processed foods – Oliver recognised that these were his main challenge and eliminated them from his diet.
Intermittent fasting to adjust his eating pattern and reduce calorie intake. Oliver skipped breakfast and ate two main meals and two high protein snacks per day.
Three rounds of the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) at the nine-month mark, when his weight had plateaued. These short, structured fasting cycles helped stimulate metabolic change and supported him in losing the final few stone, taking his total weight loss to an impressive 10 stone.
Cycling and weight training to increase physical activity.
The Fasting Mimicking Diet – in brief
With four years of clinical practise behind her, Gordon is also the Nutrition Lead and Healthcare Practitioner Network Support at L-Nutra UK, the company behind the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) and its associated nutrition programmes. The ProLon® 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Program is a structured plant-based nutritional programme designed to place the body in a fasting-like state while still providing valuable nutrients. According to the company, it has been shown in studies to support healthy ageing and may contribute to reductions in biological age markers. Benefits linked to the FMD – such as supporting cellular health and metabolic balance – have been observed to extend beyond the five-day programme.
Gordon says: “The Fasting Mimicking Diet can help to kick start the metabolism when progress plateaus, and it encourages the body to draw on visceral and liver fat stores while preserving muscle mass, helping people to lose weight naturally. It’s a very effective toolkit for anyone looking to improve their metabolic health, shift excess weight, or maintain their weight – and research has even shown that completing three rounds can reverse biological age by two-and-a-half years.”
New beginnings
Image: Shutterstock
Oliver saw Gordon every four weeks for 12 months. He was determined at every step of the way, and by month six he had thrown away all his ‘big’ clothes, confident that he would never need them again.
Beyond the physical changes, Oliver experienced improvements in his mental wellbeing and clarity. He began to genuinely enjoy ‘real’ food and lost the desire for junk. Today, he cycles 10k to work each morning, uses an infrared sauna blanket (to help keep inflammation and weight down and for possible skin toning benefits), and continues to incorporate periodic FMD cycles into his long-term plan.
The recommendations have proven sustainable for him – and, at the time of writing, he is scheduled to see Gordon again next week for a follow-up assessment.
For Gordon, the case highlights the impact of personalised nutrition. “It’s possible to support weight loss naturally without the use of drugs,” she says. “It can be totally life changing and extend someone’s health span – there’s a strong link between overconsumption of ultra-processed food and men’s health issues such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity, and these can all be supported with the use of nutritional interventions.”
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The story shared is based on one individual’s experience and outcomes may vary. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, supplements, or treatment plan.
About Layla Gordon
Layla Gordon (DipION, mBANT, CNHC, O.A. Dip. (Herbalist), BA (Hons)) is an ION-trained, BANT-registered nutritional therapist and L-Nutra UK Nutrition Lead and Healthcare Practitioner Network Support.
Her special areas of interest include: ultra-processed food, men’s health as an undiagnosed epidemic, advanced cardiovascular healthcare, and type 2 diabetes and obesity prevention. She says: “These issues are interconnected because heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, often associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity, which are in turn linked to a rise in the consumption of sugar and ultra-processed food.
