Some women will run a mile for a free makeover – women like mother-of-two, Kate Berry.

And after losing 10 percent of her body weight through Catherine Burns' new health and fitness programme – she was ready for one.

As co-ordinator of the Argus Wellness programme, "how can I lose weight" was a refrain that Mrs. Burns heard frequently. So she decided to start 'Nutrifit', her own healthy eating and fitness course.

So far, 125 people have taken the course that involves no calorie counting or carbohydrate shunning – instead, Mrs. Burns concentrated on showing people what foods were healthy to eat.

When Mrs. Berry took the course she was regrouping after a year spent battling glandular fever, a viral infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.

"I was looking at ways to feel better," said Mrs. Berry. "One of the ways was through nutrition. The programme was really everything I had hoped it would be."

To keep her students motivated, Mrs. Burns organised a 'biggest loser' type competition.

The student who lost the greatest percentage of their body fat won a free makeover with Sue Ternent at Inner Sanctum, which included facial, detox body wrap, manicure and pedicure, make up, hair cut and colour, eyelash tint and eyebrow shape.

It turned out that Mrs. Berry was a "tad" competitive.

"I figured if I was out there putting all that effort into it, then I deserved to win," she said with a laugh.

But Mrs. Burns said the other students didn't make it easy for Mrs. Berry. In fact, there were often six people neck-in-neck for the makeover.

Mrs. Berry lost 20 lbs and 15 inches from her waist during the six-week course.

"Before I took the course I would need a lot of soda to get me through the afternoon," she said. "A lot of people do that. I was bad also about skipping meals.

"I wouldn't necessarily have much for lunch or I would skip lunch because I was too busy. Then I would have a huge dinner. I also think when you are hungry, your body grips onto the calories more. Whereas the system that Catherine has me on, I am eating all the time, and so I feel like I eat more than I did before."

The course was held at lunchtime, so Mrs. Berry was able to leave her two small daughters with her husband.

"I liked it because it wasn't a quick fix thing," she said. "It was embracing the whole organic, whole grains lifestyle."

And she said the course was family-friendly. The recipes were made from scratch, but quick, and appropriate for picky husbands and children.

"None of us have a lot of time to make things, but we all want to make the right things," said Mrs. Berry. "Whether you are working or at home, it is such a struggle with young children."

The course covers stress management, how to incorporate organic food into a diet without breaking the bank, and many other things. And it included a fitness component with trainer Sergio White.

Mrs Burns said: "I wanted to show people how the food they eat affects their bodies, so we go through blood sugar, optimising digestion. I even gave people Playdoh models of poo. They had to tell me which ones were normal. Everyone thinks they are normal, but they don't actually know.

"Every single lesson that is taught, addresses one of these principles, but also demonstrates the link between that principle and weight."

She hoped that people would come away with a better understanding of how their bodies reacted to what they ate.

"It gives them so much more power and control," she said. "Even better than the whole weight issue, people feel so much more energised. They are getting the chemicals out of their diets, and reducing their risk of serious diseases."

She said a lot of what she had learned had to do with portion changes.

"When you put together a plate of food, half of it should be green vegetables or salad, or non-starchy green vegetables, cauliflower, aubergines," said Mrs. Burns. "A quarter should be protein and a quarter should be complex carbohydrates.

"A lot of people put pumpkin, carrots and corn on their plate as a vegetable.

"They are all high in carbohydrates. So in reality, they have three quarters of a plate carbs and a quarter of a plate of protein, and no green vegetables or salad.

"I am not anti-carb. Carbohydrates are really important to the body, but you need it in the right portions. Otherwise, excess sugar gets stored in the muscles and liver."

Mrs. Burns said one of the obstacles of the course was that sometimes the dietary changes challenged long-held cultural norms.

"You can't eat peas and rice everyday," she said. "But as long as you do what you should 80 percent of the time, then it doesn't matter too much what you do the other 20 percent of the time."

The next Nutrifit course starts in September. The cost of the course is $295. It includes optional private weigh-ins and body measuring, personalised written feedback to your original diet, meal plans and exercise sessions.

For more information telephone 505-4725 or e-mail clinicalnutrition@gmail.com.