DIET AND EXERCISE go in hand in hand when trying to keep your body fit and healthy. However, for many people the struggle with weight continues despite healthy eating and regular exercise.
An issue to consider is how much food is being put into the body compared with the level of activity. Programmes offered through local gym and exercise facilities which include a meal planner, grocery list and recipes to help whip a body into shape may be the best option for those who can afford it.
Today we get the stories of two persons who struggled with their weight through a six-week fat-loss programme at a prominent gym.
Sandra Newsam has been exercising for as long as she can remember.
However, a knee injury derailed her exercise regimen. Following an operation in May 2009, Sandra restarted her exercise programme but found that despite the effort to control her weight and her eating it was difficult to shed those unwanted pounds.
Following her doctor’s suggestion, Sandra embarked on the programme with the gym and lost 17.5 pounds during her first six weeks.
A further six weeks carried the total to 23 pounds.
Sandra recalled: “I have always been thick. When I was a teenager I was always shapely but as I got older I started to pack on the weight without noticing it.”
However, with the fat loss programme Sandra changed her exercise routine from five days per week to three days, three sessions with the trainer, along with cardiovascular training.
She now understands that portion sizes were partly to blame for her failure. Although Sandra has a sweet tooth, this love did not hamper her progress as the meal planner included desserts and snacks.
“I do not normally get up and cook bacon, but some of the recipes called for bacon and included red meat, which I do not normally eat, so I would improvise, but every day was something different and it was not boring.” She also included in her diet at least seven bottles of water per day.
The biggest challenge was cooking. The change from averaging out portions to measuring half a teaspoon of this and half a cup of that took some getting used to.
In addition, she spent several hours on shopping trips to the supermarket. “Shopping for fat-free products is difficult as the foods are not there jumping out at you,” she said.
Now that she has lost the weight, Sandra is confident and poised.
“From the second week in the programme people were telling me how they noticed that I was losing weight, but I did not check the scale even though I could feel it in the way my clothes fit. Instead I wanted to wait until the final assessment to see the grand total of how much pounds I had lost,” she said.
Sandra still trains once a week with the personal trainer, who she claims is inspirational and has a way of getting her to do what is required.
Sharon McIntosh, who started the programme at the beginning of the year, has also reaped success. She has lost 12 pounds within the six weeks, a significant achievement, to which is added the fact that her eating habits have changed.
Sharon said: “I was always athletic, but I struggled with my weight. Then six years ago I got into an accident and spent three years in rehab, and through that process gained 70 pounds.” After being overweight for a few years, Sharon joined the programme to lose a total of 50 pounds.
Over the past six weeks she has learnt that despite being athletic and fit she has a problem: her portion sizes. In addition, she has learnt discipline and sticking to the process.
“I am obligated to keep it up as I have already paid, and it is not cheap, so it has become a part of my routine and after doing it consistently for six weeks I no longer think about – it is just a part of what I do.”
Even though she admits she still has a long way to go, she is very pleased with how the programme has gone, counting herself lucky that she got the right trainer.
