The retreat was simply priceless

Hi , I’m Belinda and I recently attended the retreat that came with my weight loss surgery package (I had my surgery in Wellington in August 2021).  After moving to Canterbury earlier this year, I felt very lucky that I was able to attend the Christchurch retreat.

Being on retreat for 5 days, I got so much out of it, I loved every minute of it and thought it was such a valuable, life changing experience. The retreat was AMAZING.  It gives people the time, space and tools to understand the past, accept themselves in the present and ensure continued success on their wellness journey in the future.

Longer Story:

Firstly, I would like to point out that my opinion comes from having attended retreats all over the world… from silent retreats in Assisi Italy, ayahuasca ceremonies in Peru with Shaman’s, to an Auyverdic Hospital stay in India.  My motivation being to learn and experience new things in my continued quest of self-development. I also have a Bachelor of Counselling and a whole collection of other qualifications including Life Coaching, so I feel somewhat qualified and confident in saying that what Tailor Clinics offer at the retreat - is just gold.  It is the best retreat I have ever been on in terms of what I got out of it.   It is excellent and so valuable. 

They offer people in 5 days what I spent 20 years learning personally and professionally.   I really could not fault it.  They cover everything that needed to be covered, they deliver it in a way that is easy to understand and for everyone to apply to their own personal situation and circumstance.

They help people understand why they put on the weight, why they resorted to food, and then help people build a solid foundation from that place of clarity and acceptance.  

They teach the importance of self-love and self-care - something that most overweight people struggle with.  

They show how to offer oneself kindness and compassion, they address how or why to care for yourself enough to meet not just your basic needs but all the other needs that human beings have in order to not just survive, but thrive.

I don’t really hang out in the weight loss surgery Facebook groups - but when I have,  I have read how people love the AMAZING 2 year follow up.  People want that support.  People need that support.  

I didn’t really need all the work that the retreat offered about why we were overweight - I had done all that work before - but there was so much of the work that I hadn’t done as a woman NOW IN A HEALTHY WEIGHT RANGE.  

Having experienced the retreat and receiving many profound moments, I feel 100% confident that my weight loss and wellness journey will continue to be a total success.  Even though I now weigh 66kgs - I went to that retreat very much with an obese persons mindset and feelings (which contains a lot of shame, fear, anxiety and self-abuse) and I absolutely left that retreat as a woman ready to embrace her new body and way of being in the world.   

I only went because it was part of my package.  And this is coming from someone that LOVES retreats, that chose to do a counselling degree because I like talking about the hard stuff and uncomfortable emotions.  I might have even only gone because it was just an hour drive from my house.   

My husband’s bariatric surgery with was paid for from his KiwiSaver, but my surgery - we had to add to our mortgage to pay for it.   At the moment, like a lot of others, things are tight financially for us so I wouldn’t have had a spare few thousand around to pay for the retreat. 

Now that I have been - not only do I think it is totally worth it - I would have paid $20,000 to go and get everything out of it that I did (and not to mention the divine food…. I am so inspired to make yummy healthy meals now - before I was just eating the same thing).

I also want to point out that most overweight people already struggle with ‘feeling not good enough’ or deserving.  Some of them have already had a hard time spending all that money on surgery for themselves - a lot of people are simply not going to spend more money on a retreat.  But they need that retreat - they just don’t know that.  Those feelings of worthlessness don’t disappear with the fat.

I went thinking I probably wouldn’t learn much - that could not be further from the truth.  

I know that a lot of people don’t go to the retreat.  My sister in law didn’t, my husband didn’t - both had different reasons for not going.  Not everyone will go – but I feel so blessed and lucky that I went.  My sister in law and husband don’t care they paid money and didn’t go - they don’t feel they wasted any money; they absolutely think the money they paid Tailor Clinics was worth it - 100%… they viewed the retreat as a free bonus.  

The surgeon changes people’s bodies offering the surgery they perform.

The retreat changes people’s minds and hearts by looking at one’s life long limiting patterns and beliefs.  They change their future by giving them the best possible tools for success.

What they offer people is a life without self-abuse, shame, fear, and anxiety around food, they show people a way to accept their bodies and themselves. I feel by attending, I got true freedom and liberation (from food, but also habitual self-abuse and lack of worthiness) and I have actively been seeking these things my whole adult life.  I may have been a lot further on my journey of self-discovery and development than some - but I really needed that retreat - others most definitely need that retreat too.  

The surgery helps people lose weight - the retreat helps people shed emotional baggage.  Without addressing that emotional baggage many people will just put that weight right back on.

ATTENDING THE RETREAT IS REALLY IS OFFERING PEOPLE THE BEST CHANCE OF WELLNESS.   

In regards to paying for the retreat at the time of surgery…If they take the option or not it - that is on them, but offering the retreat as a ‘free bonus’ means many will do the retreat.  When you are making a big life changing decision like surgery, and wanting the best surgeon to do it, I think most people don’t really care if they have to pay $2k more.  If you are paying from KiwiSaver or taking a loan, or adding to mortgage, or using savings - it really doesn’t matter if it is $24k or $26k or $28k or even more - I honestly don’t even remember the exact amount I paid… and I paid it twice!!  

Watching others on the same retreat go through their journey, I feel confident saying that they would all agree it was totally worth attending and hugely valuable and life changing for them.  There was one person on retreat that had their surgery 6 years ago - they were able to address things they never had before - how I wish they had of been able to do that 5 years ago.  

There was another person that had a sleeve operation and felt they could eat just the same as before the surgery, but with the knowledge they learnt while away on retreat  they now know that it was never about the food to begin with. 

Simply, what I received from retreat was priceless.