New Exercise and Fitness Review
‘I quit my job to lose weight’ – Sara Al-Ali, 31
‘The weight crept up on me without realising, or perhaps I was in denial, but when I developed the photos of my vacation in Mexico, I was mortified by the images I saw of myself. My confidence was low, so I hardly ever let people photograph me. This was pretty much the first time I’d seen myself. I realised I had to make a change.
I decided to hire a trainer – it was time for the professionals to step in. I had a one-hour PT session every week and did classes, too. I also made huge changes to my diet and kept a food diary. I quit my job to focus on the weight loss and after about two-and-a-half years I hit 60kg, bringing my total weight loss to 36kg.
I learned so much about how my body works, about the emotional triggers that would lead me to binge. I learned that office work was not for me and that my body craved activity. So I signed up for a personal training diploma – I have now been a PT for the last six years!
My top tip for others is to not put off what you can start today. Get professional help and remember that diet is responsible for 85 per cent of your results.’
‘A health scare helped me make a change’- Samantha Ward, 23
‘Ironically, when I started working as a manager at my local Curves gym, the weight started piling on. I felt embarrassed advising other people about their weight when I was getting bigger due to my long working hours and unhealthy lifestyle.
The final straw was when I was diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), which meant the pressure around my brain was increasing as a direct result of my weight gain, and there was the possibility that I would lose my sight unless I got my BMI under 25.
Going to Curves every day for work made it easy to motivate myself to start attending regular gym sessions, and the support of the club members spurred me on!
Since losing the weight I feel happier and more confident, and have bags of energy. More importantly, I no longer suffer with IIH and to celebrate, I recently bought my own Curves club. It’s important for people to realise that obesity is the cause of many life-threatening illnesses, and they can reap the benefits like I have if they motivate themselves to change their life, and their health.’
‘I went veggie to lose weight’ – Carol West, 38
‘When my husband became a police inspector, our stress-filled lives meant we ate whatever we liked. At my heaviest I weighed 17 stone and suffered from chest pains, a fatty liver, digestive issues and lethargy.
In 2005 we attended a seminar called Unleash the Power Within. Joseph McClendon III lectured on the importance of excluding meat, dairy and alcohol from the diet – we went straight to an Italian restaurant for dinner!
Soon after, my health deteriorated. My husband read the book from the seminar and suggested I adopt a vegetarian diet. He offered to do it, too. After a month we had lost weight and decided to continue. Over the next few years we tried different approaches to managing our weight and at the end of 2007, we moved into the health field. I specialised in juicing and colon hydrotherapy and my husband in hypnotherapy. Together we opened our first clinic.
In 2010 we opened a clinic in Spain. We quickly expanded and moved the clinic into a 26-bedroom hotel near Alicante. By this time I had lost three stone, competed in the Great North Run three times and run the London Marathon! I am now a slim size 12 – a long way from the size 24 I once was.’
Weight loss success stories
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