CrossFit Newbury

Pat’s Weight Loss and Fitness Journey

“IF YOU REALLY WANT SOMETHING YOU CAN DO IT. BUT YOU HAVE TO COMMIT TO THE JOURNEY AND REALLY WANT IT"

This was a picture of me on the 8 Jul 19 and I was the heaviest I had ever been, unhappy, uncomfortable and disgusted with how my weight had spiralled to this? I was always doing physical exercise and keeping myself fit and I now fast approaching my mid 50s I knew everything would start to slow down. It didn’t look good and where was I going wrong!

There needed to be a change and there was only one person who could do it….ME.

Having attended the Do-Fit course at 77X in Feb 19, I learned all about healthy living, nutrition and fitness. It was a great eye opener as it made me realise that even though I was attending lunchtime circuits, I wasn’t eating the right food and more importantly, I wasn’t refuelling my body with the correct food. I wasn’t keen on a diet where I had to count calories as I had previously tried Weight Watchers (WW) and Slimming World, but they didn’t work for me.

I met Lisa Thomsen at work, and she was looking fantastic so chatting to her she said she was following the Cambridge plan. That was the inspiration I needed and decided to give this diet a go, as I said I had tried WW and Slimming World, I had lost but really didn’t understand how some foods were ‘free’ and you could eat as much of it as you wanted, surely these are all calories!

Lisa Thomsen then became a Cambridge Consultant and I asked her to help me and so my journey began on 8 Jul 19, weighing in at a massive 18.5 stone which was excessive for my height, 5’ 6”. I was morbidly obese, my BMI 41.6. I was in size 20/22 clothes, but I was determined to get rid of this weight and wanted to be a healthy weight and back to what I considered a good size for me, a size 16. Because I went to circuits at lunchtime, I started on 1000 calories a day, which consisted of 2 Cambridge products and a 600-calorie meal, which initially I thought I would struggle with, but ‘MyFitnessPal’ was a great way for me to track my calories. 

A few pictures from my progression:

“YOUR BODY CAN STAND ALMOST ANTHING BUT IT’S YOUR MIND YOU HAVE TO CONVINCE”

By August 2019, I had lost my 1 st and in Sep 19 I gained my 2 st badge, I even managed to lose weight by being careful what I ate whilst in Australia on a netball tour.

By October 2019 my 3 st loss was recorded and people were starting to notice. This makes you feel amazing and I was now seeing the results, plus my fitness was improving. By Jan 20, I had lost my 4th st but then lockdown happened. I was still losing and keeping my physical activity going but I added body weight circuits and started running. I had not run in about 10 years and at first it was slow, but I managed without stopping. I then started doing hill reps and everything was becoming easier and my fitness was improving in leaps and bounds as I wasn’t putting so much pressure through my body and it could handle it. But I still hadn’t finished and had more weight to lose.

By June 2019 I had lost over 5 st, back on track, feeling great, followed by a weigh-in in for Jul where 6 st had gone, nearly there. By Sept 20 I had lost 7 st and my fitness had improved 100%.

By December 2020, I had lost nearly 8 st and I was at my perfect weight and size, I had not been this small since I was a teenager. I was fitter, healthier and much stronger than I had ever been. It felt great.

A few more pictures above to show my start size, to where I am now. I can’t remember being that big, but I clearly was. I did have help, work colleagues and of course having a fantastic consultant Lisa. The Gym Staff have also helped in my fitness journey. They never gave up on me as they knew I was determined to get better and fitter.

“YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS HOW FAR YOU CAN PUSH YOURSELF”

I have now made that dream a reality. It’s been a fantastic journey and I have enjoyed every minute of it and the results have been amazing. As I said at the beginning, if you really want something and I mean really want something, you can achieve it.  Not only have I lost nearly 8 st,  I am nearly half the person I used to be. My BMI is now 24.1, I am now a healthy weight for the first time in years. My clothes are now a lot smaller, from size 20/22 (XXL/XL) to 8/10 (S) and I genuinely can’t remember the last time I wore clothes this small.

I have also achieved so much in the gym, I am much fitter, stronger and I have loads of energy. I am so much happier, and this journey has changed my life!

The ribbon was given to me on my first day and that use to fit around my waist!

At 53 years of age I didn’t think I would have guns, but yes there they are. Proof you can achieve anything no matter your age or initial size, if you put the work in. I cannot lie it takes time and a whole lot of determination but never give up, keep going and the results will shock and amaze you. A body can only be as strong as your mind and will to drive you forward.

"Fitness is not about being better than someone else…. it’s about being better than you used to be, bring me back better"

Yes, I have had to get a new wardrobe, several times over, and the clothing store was getting annoyed with me exchanging my uniform on a regular basis but its all good news.  I have just done the DHWA course, Defence Health and Wellbeing Advisor and thanks to Paul MacKrill (Coach) and my Dysfunctional Fitness Family, I have entered the CrossFit Open 21.  Roll on Mar 21 when it takes place and wish me luck!

Above are recent comparison pictures. From the left are the recent ones showing that I am now toning up a clear indication that all my training, discipline and hard work is paying off. No matter what age you are, if you want to achieve something you can!

A great motivational quote……

PTI Pat

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Decide for yourself. Let us know what you think. You won’t be disappointed.

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