When I was a child, I hated the idea of eating anything green. Doughnuts were more my kind of thing … and in all honesty, they still are!

PE in high school was an opportunity to practice my dying swan act and get sent to the career office to have a free period. My idea of exercise was running to the corner shop for a pick ‘n’ mix, or for a chippy tea.

Throughout my teens, my parents would find pieces of vegetables in their vase near the table – my cunning plan was to ‘clear my plate’ so I could get dessert.

To be honest, bar the hiding of the vegetables, a lot of this hatred for ‘clean eating’ and exercise followed me into my early adult years –  where I discovered alcohol, the pub, and the late-night kebabs to soak it all up. (Enough of that anyway… it all gets rather boring and responsible after that!)

Since then, I’ve spent the past 10 years dedicating myself to helping people in multiple ways. This includes working in and running a not-for-profit organisation (which is what brought me to doing this in the first place, but that’s another story!), and educating myself in counselling and all that comes with it.

What I’m trying to make clear is that I wasn’t born with a love of nutrition – and definitely not exercise! I had to teach myself through years of reading, taking courses, and talking to people in the industry.

My hope is that I can help you they way I wish someone would have helped me, by answering questions like “what the hell is a macro anyway?!” or “do I need to give up bread to lose weight?” (Which you don’t, by the way!) My aim is to leave you in a better place when you leave, than when you arrived.

Shaun Clayton – Nutritionist