So Michael has asked me to blog on his website. Oh dear. Are you sure Michael?!

About me

For my sins, I used to be a practising solicitor and typical lawyer, paid by the hour, I’m inclined to write and write and write… Forgive me if this post is long (OK, it is extremely long), I promise to keep them very short (extremely short) in the future but for completeness, I think a bit of my history would be helpful.

I have been a regular gym user since 1995. In 2000, on the first day I started work as a trainee solicitor in a big City firm, (yes, day numero uno), I was in the in-house gym at 7am before starting working at 9.30am. Working out 4 to 5 times a week, has been a way of life for longer than I can remember.

When I took extended leave from work, the only thing that I missed was my work gym (OK, not very clever to admit this on a public blog but…) I visited some local gyms and in the end decided to replicate the equipment I used at work in my home gym. I was a happy bunny.

All my adult life, I had been a merry rider and advocate of the low fat “healthy” brigade. I sound brilliant, don’t I? Why on earth would I need a personal trainer?!

And yet in spite of my religious gym and “healthy” low fat eating, all my adult life, I have been gaining excessive weight.

Before my wedding 6 years ago, by nearly killing myself, obsessively counting calories, working out twice a day, 5 times a week (gym in the morning, pilates, yoga or other floor exercises in the evening). I got down to 13 ½ stones. This is the lowest that I have been in all my adult life.

A year after the wedding, I was still religiously gyming and eating my low fat diet, and yet I had gained 4 stones in one year. I would continue to inexplicably gain excessive weight.

The only way is up…OK down

In August 2008, I found myself super morbidly obese, weighing 20 stones, the heaviest that I had ever been in my entire life. For more years than I care to remember, I have carried my food and fitness journal around with me obsessively tracking down everything I eat or drink. I have seen countless doctors and dieticians some of who will look at my diary with a look of disbelief as if I was clearly having midnight binges on chocolates and blatantly lying about it.

In 2008, a series of events led to me learning about an illness that apparently affects 10% of women in the UK, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance that  causes many things including insulin resistance, excessive weight gain and difficulties losing weight. As is usually the case, even after this diagnosis, the consultant dismissively told me that weight gain is a problem with PCOS without any suggestions as to solutions to combat the weight issue.

How I lost  nearly 4 ½ stones with PCOS

I started a near (OK very) obsessive research into weight gain and PCOS, buying every book available and researching on the internet. This led to changes in my diet which attempted to switch from the lifelong “Fat is bad” mentality to “Good fats are good, bad carbs are the enemy.” I designed a diet plan for myself that is basically a low GI/low carb diet (not Atkins), cutting out things like rice, potatoes, flour, sugar, processed foods, sweeteners, pasta, chocolates, cakes, etc. My diet is made up of mostly dark green vegetables, eggs, meat, fish, chicken, berries, peppers, and good fats like avocado pears, extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, natural unsalted nuts and seeds like whole almonds and sunflower seeds.

By carefully tracking everything I eat and drink and continuing to exercise 5 times a week without fail, I have now lost 4 1/2 stones. I have gone from a size 24/26 (and that sneaky size 28 suit in the wardrobe but ssssh…) to a size 14/16. I have gone from being “super morbidly obese” to just “obese”. Yes, just obese! Woo hoo! I can’t wait to be classified as “overweight”. One day, I might even be “normal”. Don’t push it, chance will be a fine thing!

To PT or not to PT – that is the question

Following a steady weight loss, with some short plateaus, I have now experienced a long plateau where I seem to be losing inches but not much on the scale. C’mon, it can’t all be muscle gain! I also seem to have some kind of mental block that is stopping me from reaching the next level in my weight loss. Note to self: keep visualizing yourself as a size 10/12.

I continue to tweak my diet to encourage weight loss and to see a dietician. Deciding that I needed extra help with my work-out to reach the next level of my weight loss hasn’t been the easiest of decision for various reasons. Let me explain.

I have a physical disability that means that I walk with crutches and I use a wheelchair but don’t let that fool you! 15 years of being obsessed with health and fitness means that I don’t conform to stereotypes about disabled people or even stereotypes about fat people. I am a disabled fat woman who is fit!

My previous attempts at personal training had been disastrous. One trainer was only happy to do a little bit of boxing with me and to watch me whilst I cycle or train on the Top XT, things I do on my own. Totally pointless if you ask me, our sessions stopped after a couple of sessions.

With another personal trainer, I was bored rigid by the same routines which didn’t challenge me and which were such that I treated my days with him as my “rest days” as I worked much harder on my own than with him. And when my muscle bound trainer was out of breath “running” alongside me, with me pushing myself on my wheelchair, something was definitely wrong. I didn’t want to be trained by someone who could lift a million kilos in weight but was basically unfit.

Is Michael up for the challenge of moi?

And so I decided to give PT another try. I found Michael, had a chat with him and before our first meeting, I sent him a long email (yep an extremely long email!) of what I wanted to achieve. I cringe when I re-read the email that I sent him which included:

“I am now looking for a boost in weight loss and a target weight loss of 2 to 3 stones in the next 5 months…I am looking for a trainer who will not only encourage my motivation, but who will keep our routines fresh, challenging but who will also make me cry! Yes, really! Having a disability (more below), people usually under-estimate my physical abilities and I want to challenged!”

I set out my history and ended with:

“I hope this is a challenge that you would like to take on and help me lose more weight!”

To my surprise after reading my email, he called me. Brave man!

When it’s right, it’s right

I prepared for my initial consultation with Michael with over 10 questions carefully written out – naturally I didn’t want to forget any! One of the questions was something like if you don’t think that you can help me, please tell me so we won’t waste each other’s time!

But I didn’t need to ask that question or many of the other questions I had because the guy knew his stuff! From our first meeting, I was excited about working out with Michael. He is bright, enthusiastic, fun, full of ideas, has experience of working with disabled people without prejudices, being patronising or setting limits on what can be achieved.

Early days but…

My early enthusiasm and first impressions of Michael are already being rewarded because after just two sessions, I am already confident enough to recommend him to people and I don’t do recommendations easily!

I have also committed to seeing him twice a week for at least 50 sessions.

In just 2 sessions, Michael has already challenged me and encouraged me to do exercises that I have never ever done in my entire life and using muscles that I didn’t even know existed! My heart rate has gone to levels that I didn’t even think were possible and still be alive!

On our first session, with Michael’s encouragement, I was able to get up independently from the floor to my wheelchair. This is something that I haven’t been able to do since my teens and for a disabled person, it is a pretty awesome deal!

This morning, we started with 10 minutes cycling with some interval training. We then had some band exercises and what impresses me is that even with things like bands, he makes it a great work-out that gets my heart rate high. This was followed by lots of boxing and I expect to ache like hell tomorrow! Following boxing, we practised getting up from the floor to the wheelchair and it has become easier which is brilliant because I had been wondering whether it had merely been an adrenaline fuelled fluke! We then did some stuff using a fitball , 5 minutes and a bit of interval training on the Top XT and some stretches.

Boy was I knackered!

But he is yet to meet the challenge of making me cry!

You made it to the end! Thanks for reading  about my weight loss journey and sorry for the long post!

For more on health and fitness or just for a place to let out steam, check out www.tearingmyhairout.com