8 Week Transformation
The last eight weeks haven’t been easy by any stretch of the imagination. Throughout this transformation I have made many sacrifices and also surprised myself in numerous ways.
Preparation and organisation has been key. Since ditching all food based socialising I’ve replaced my close friends with my new best mate – Tupperware!
Timing hasn’t perhaps been perfect as we have been mid house move and renovation which left me without a kitchen for two weeks. On the day we picked up the keys my fiancé had a chippy tea with a beer whilst I tucked into my salmon and veg for the 65th time with my new best mate, Tupperware. Not opening a bottle of champagne to celebrate our new home is definitely the biggest sacrifices I made. During the move I found myself asking a pal to safeguard a bag of trout in her freezer and I pulled a favour from another couple of mates by borrowing a mini fridge and a microwave!
What it takes
I was conscious of the commitment I was making and understood the repetitive nature of the same four/five meals (depending on training/non training day) and how tiresome this would become but what I didn’t expect was the volume of food. I wasn’t often hungry – by no means was I starving myself. Of course I was in a calorie deficit but as a former member of the ‘don’t eat carbs they’ll make you fat club’ I was delighted by the volume of (healthy) carbs. Unfortunately we ain’t talking gnochhi and pizza. My new favourite meal is pre-workout protein oats – I can safely say I’m now queen of the carbs.
I’ve been asked what exercises I’ve been doing to achieve these results. It’s simple – four weight sessions in the Salford gym and increased steady state cardio. It may come as a shock that I haven’t been smashing the HIIT sessions every day nor was there a sit up in sight! No amount of crunches will burn off the Crunchie bar I’m afraid – diet is key.
Interestingly, I noticed I was getting weaker and weaker the leaner I became. There were certainly a few emotional moments… I recall telling Matt where to stick his hack squat during an early morning session and sobbing on the leg extension when Ben pushed me to do a few more reps! What about my weight? Yes I lost 10lbs over the course of the 8 weeks but the numbers on the scales very quickly plateaued after an initial drop. From week three on I remained the same weight but continued to lose one percent body fat each week.
How I feel now
Needless to say I feel amazing. I am totally in awe of what my body is capable of and I’m chuffed to bits I stuck to the challenge even when I was crying in front of the microwave because the electrics had failed and I couldn’t eat my porridge. Of course, it’s always lovely to receive compliments but people have also noticed how dramatic the change has been over such a short period of time. Some have voiced concern “gosh you look very gaunt”, “wow you look tired” have been just two of my favourites! People have also commented on my ‘glow’ which I put down to my increased protein mainly through fish (I’m pescatarian) and eskimo fish oil as a supplement. My skin, hair and nails are certainly in better condition than ever before.
Thanks to the team at FORM, especially my good friend and true inspiration Libby I’ve learned a lot about myself. Ultimately, I can do anything I put my mind to. Without the support, education and motivation from the coaches at FORM I would have fallen at the first hurdle (or first passing of a beer garden on that sunny day we had a few weeks ago)!
My parting advice – life’s too short to say no to birthday cake!
Want to start your transformation? Email info@formmcr.com to book in for your free consultation today.
