Nicolle's physical and mental health were at an all-time low: 'I was just eating badly and not happy with the world'

South Australian woman Nicolle Wood is still recovering from what proved to be a horror year in 2015.Wood, 52, suffered a workplace injury as well as a traumatic workplace event that saw her seek the help of a therapist.It was a major back injury that would see her physical and mental health hit an all-time low. It was then that the "emotional eating" began.READ MORE: Princess able to claim $3 from taxpayers"I just got into some very, very bad habits," she says."I did my injury at work a couple of years ago that started my back problem. So it meant I had to stop working with the children that I've loved working with, which is the naught to three-year-old age group," Wood explains.READ MORE: X-Files star's rare message about actress daughterUnable to bend and pick up the babies, Wood was placed with older children who could "walk" and "climb the steps of the change table."Despite 12 months of physiotherapy following the injury, Wood's back problem persists.To make matters worse, her injury meant she also had to stop her favourite pastime of playing netball."That caused my stress levels to increase and my mental health took a really big hit and I was finding that I was leaving here [work] drained because I just I wasn't happy," she says.She began relying on takeaway dinners bought on the way home."I'd get home and I'd just have no energy because my mental health was at very much an all-time low," she says."And I was just eating badly and not happy with the world."It wasn't until her older sister intervened that she decided to do something about her physical and mental health. Her sister suggested meal delivery service Lite n' Easy to "just take one thing off your table.""And I said, not having to cook every night, that'd be amazing."She decided to try it for a couple of months to see how it went, and continues to use the service to this day."I could see the weight dropping off me pretty much straight away, and it wasn't so much for the weight loss, that's just been an added bonus, but it was more for my mental health," she says."I could go for a few more walks, even though that bothers my back a little, but that's a whole different story."And she is eating a better variety of food, much to her family's surprise."I was happier within myself," she explains about her improved health. "I was finding at the end of the day, I wasn't leaving work upset every day because I wasn't stressed anymore."READ MORE: The five products this former beauty editor will buy again (and again)Since starting the program in 2023 Wood has lost 36 kilos and is able to easily maintain her new-found health.On days when she is a little hungrier than usual, Wood will eat some extra fruit or a piece of toast, but makes sure not to overdo it.At her niece's recent wedding some guests didn't even recognise her."That was always nice to hear," she says.After her physical and mental health improved, Wood was able to find solutions to some of her other problems, including not being able to play netball. It wasn't just her back injury that prevented her rejoining the sport but a repetitive stress injury to her hand."So it started out as carpal tunnel on each hand and then on my right hand I ended up having a trigger finger which is basically your finger pulls down and sits flat on the palm of your hand," she says."I've had surgery and Botox and steroid injections and physio and hand therapy, you name it, I've had it to try and fix it to a point where I actually said can you just cut the fingers off because I'm sick of them bending," she says.Before her injuries and COVID, Wood was playing netball twice a week. These days she has settled for acting as score keeper, just to be near the game."That sucks a bit but I had many good years, 46 or 47 years of playing," she says.For those struggling with physical and mental health issues, Wood encourages them take "one step at a time.""And for me, that was changing my food. For other people it might just be going for a walk around the block to get them out and about to start the exercise but for me I had to think of the biggest thing that was bothering me at the time and that was my food and the fact that I was putting on weight," she says.Consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet and exercise.If you or someone you know is in need of support for food-related issues contact the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673).FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.