TONI
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SERVICE MANAGER
NUTRITION & WEIGHT LOSS COACH
QUALIFIED RGN NURSE
BARIATRIC SPECIALIST
ACCESS TO WORK SUPPORT
DIAGNOSED COMBINED ADHD & DYSPRAXIA
LOCATION ~ W2
Toni was diagnosed with Combined ADHD in 2022. Which came as a shock to her but made complete sense of her entire life – in particular her lifelong battle with eating issues and weight problems
As a qualified nurse specialising in bariatric surgery and weight loss, she is fascinated by the link between ADHD, compulsive eating and disordered eating and is constantly exploring the links between these and other addictions.
As a child, Toni was bright but just couldn’t concentrate or focus and was always being told off for chatting in class. No one thought to wonder if this was an indicator of undiagnosed ADHD and just assumed that she was lazy and “should try harder”.
Toni managed to achieve academically but always felt that she just wasn’t reaching her potential. But she didn’t know why. She went on to train as a nurse.
She remembers being fixated with subjects and developed an (over)eating disorder and gained a lot of weight. Eventually she weighed nearly 22 stones (138k) and at that point she underwent bariatric surgery. This was very successful and changed her life. She wanted to do the same for others so she trained to be able to help other people in the same situation. Her training in this field took her to France, Chicago and New York. Since then, she has worked for a variety of NHS and private bariatric providers as a Nurse Consultant specialising in obesity.
Toni is a regular contributor on the subject to LBC and BBC radio. She has been quoted and produced articles for the public and professional media and has written a chapter for the forthcoming second edition of Obesity, Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery: A Comprehensive Guide (2022)
Toni is glad that she eventually listened to friends who had been telling her that she might have ADHD. Getting diagnosed was bitter-sweet. It was a relief to know that her symptoms had a cause and could be treated. On the other hand, she considered all that she might have achieved had she only been diagnosed as a child.
She is very keen to help others get diagnosed as early in life as possible. It really saddens her to see so much potential in undiagnosed children who are held back by their undiagnosed ADHD and it’s co-existing conditions. It was by exploring these herself that she came to realise she has dyspraxia.
Toni enjoys working with clients to offer support and guidance around weight issues, weight-loss surgery options and medical treatment. She uses her medical knowledge to help clients apply for Access to Work support.
Qualifications
- Health Care Ethics PGDip 1998
- Midwifery RM 1990
- Nursing RGN 1997
Further Training
- Advanced Development Programme 2014
- Emergencies in Bariatric Surgery 2011
- Lapband Course for Surgeons 2007
- Advanced Training Lapband 2007
- Leading an Empowered Organisation 2002
- Gastric Band Management 2001
TONI
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SERVICE MANAGER
NUTRITION & WEIGHT LOSS COACH
QUALIFIED RGN NURSE
BARIATRIC SPECIALIST
ACCESS TO WORK SUPPORT
DIAGNOSED COMBINED ADHD & DYSPRAXIA
LOCATION ~ W2
Toni was diagnosed with Combined ADHD in 2022. Which came as a shock to her but made complete sense of her entire life – in particular her lifelong battle with eating issues and weight problems
As a qualified nurse specialising in bariatric surgery and weight loss, she is fascinated by the link between ADHD, compulsive eating and disordered eating and is constantly exploring the links between these and other addictions.
As a child, Toni was bright but just couldn’t concentrate or focus and was always being told off for chatting in class. No one thought to wonder if this was an indicator of undiagnosed ADHD and just assumed that she was lazy and “should try harder”.
Toni managed to achieve academically but always felt that she just wasn’t reaching her potential. But she didn’t know why. She went on to train as a nurse.
She remembers being fixated with subjects and developed an (over)eating disorder and gained a lot of weight. Eventually she weighed nearly 22 stones (138k) and at that point she underwent bariatric surgery. This was very successful and changed her life. She wanted to do the same for others so she trained to be able to help other people in the same situation. Her training in this field took her to France, Chicago and New York. Since then, she has worked for a variety of NHS and private bariatric providers as a Nurse Consultant specialising in obesity.
Toni is a regular contributor on the subject to LBC and BBC radio. She has been quoted and produced articles for the public and professional media and has written a chapter for the forthcoming second edition of Obesity, Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery: A Comprehensive Guide (2022)
Toni is glad that she eventually listened to friends who had been telling her that she might have ADHD. Getting diagnosed was bitter-sweet. It was a relief to know that her symptoms had a cause and could be treated. On the other hand, she considered all that she might have achieved had she only been diagnosed as a child.
She is very keen to help others get diagnosed as early in life as possible. It really saddens her to see so much potential in undiagnosed children who are held back by their undiagnosed ADHD and it’s co-existing conditions. It was by exploring these herself that she came to realise she has dyspraxia.
Toni enjoys working with clients to offer support and guidance around weight issues, weight-loss surgery options and medical treatment. She uses her medical knowledge to help clients apply for Access to Work support.
Qualifications
- Health Care Ethics PGDip 1998
- Midwifery RM 1990
- Nursing RGN 1997
Further Training
- Advanced Development Programme 2014
- Emergencies in Bariatric Surgery 2011
- Lapband Course for Surgeons 2007
- Advanced Training Lapband 2007
- Leading an Empowered Organisation 2002
- Gastric Band Management 2001