- I am close to having dropped 3 dress sizes.
- My confidence has rocketed.
- I can look in the mirror and not want to cry.
- Social gatherings/events are a pleasure rather than atorture.
- My Crohn’s desase symptoms have improved enormously.
- I have had no lower back pain (something I had suffered with for many years).
- I have much more energy.
- My skin is in much better condition – no more hormonal breakouts!
In August, after a very difficult time at work since January I finally had time to sit down and be really honest with myself. I weighed around 87 kilos and couldn’t bear to shop for clothes or look in the mirror, kidding myself that size clothes still fitted. My Crohn’s disease symptoms were getting worse and this was restricting days out and long car journeys. I was sure that my husband couldn’t still find me attractive despite constant assurance to the
contrary.
Every time we were due to go out or visit friends, I got into the most terrible state about what to wear, sometimes even ended up not going because I was so unhappy with myself. In the planning of any social event my moods were terrible and I snapped at everyone. I knew that I needed and wanted to lose weight and that exercise and a diet were needed. I was also fairly sure that I couldn’t do it without help – otherwise why was I in this mess in the first
place!
I googled personal trainer in Malvern/Ledbury and found Ollie’s website and contacted him. I can
honestly say it was one of the most positive things I have ever done. It was also a difficult thing to do
– it meant admitting to someone I had never met that I was so unhappy with myself – something
I hadn’t told anyone!
Ollie is thoughtful, considerate, always encouraging and has never made me
feel silly or inadequate. I have been training with Ollie three times a week and following (mostly!) his nutrition plan for four months. The training sessions aren’t easy but they are great fun. Boring is not in Ollie’s
vocabulary! Each session is different and you never know quite what to expect. The nutrition plan
seems restrictive at first but as you get to know Ollie and read his articles on the reasons why
certain foods are restricted or eliminated it makes complete sense and you don’t want those foods
anyway.
All this and the journey is not over. As I write this on a Sunday afternoon I am looking forward, albeit with a certain amount of trepidation, to another week of training and planning a week of healthy eating.
(It has been almost 7 years since Ali wrote this and she is still with us every week looking better than ever and doing brilliant).