Today we are extremely pleased to bring you the story of Andrew...Or The Jurd™ as he is now known (that's what happens when you are part of DVCC..You get a nickname!). I am sure you will be able to learn a lot from Andrew's story, and how he has managed to achieve a great transformation (and is still going, despite having a demanding work life). Even re-reading it now it made me smile...I hope it does you too. Well done Andrew!
Introduction I am 43 years old. I work for Next as their Human Resources Manager for London, a job which I love, but requires a lot of travel and erratic hours.I started at the DVCC at the end of March this year so about 4 months ago and I live at home with my partner of 9 1/2 years who I will be marrying at the beginning of October.
I could not be happier with the results I have achieved in such a short space of time
Body Fat 44.8lbs to 15lbs = -29.8lbs = -2.13 stone
Muscle Mass 89.1lbs to 89.8lbs = +0.7lbs
Body Fat % 21.4% to 8.6%
Andrew's Story
When I was younger I was very skinny and pretty much able to eat what I liked when I liked. As I moved into my 30's I noticed my body was less forgiving and I started to put on weight. Because I am tall (6'3") it was never really an issue from an appearance point of view and although I was starting to feel a little more unhappy with the way my body was looking, apart from the odd New Year detox diet, there was still never the motivation to do anything about it.
The first time I seriously tried to tackle my weight with exercise was about a year before my 40th birthday, we had arranged a trip to NYC with a few friends and family to celebrate. I knew I did not have the knowledge to do it by myself so joined a gym and signed up with a personal trainer.
Whilst in that time I had a couple of great PT's who really helped me achieve some good results, it was not long after my 40th that I lost motivation and interest in the gym. One excuse lead to another and before I knew it I had stopped the gym and put back on all the weight I'd lost and probably more.
In January of this year I attended my company's biannual conference and had to buy a new Dinner Suit as the one I had used a year ago did not fit! The Jacket was 44"chest, Trousers 36" waist and a 17" collar shirt all to take in ever increasing waistline! I looked in the mirror and just thought NO!
I do not want to be the person that buys larger and larger clothes to accommodate my size I need to do something about it. This together with my wedding in October was enough to make me hit the internet and search out gyms in the Bedford area.
I remember DVCC being one of the first selections in the search engine for Bedford, I remember looking at it thinking what's this all about? Is this for me? And who are these hot twins?
At first glance I disregarded it and thought I should stick to the traditional gym and PT formula that I had been through 3 years earlier. A couple of weeks of searching, discussing with neighbours, as we were new to the area, and I was left unimpressed with what was on offer. I found myself going back to this link to 'Weight Loss Bootcamp Milton Keynes & Bedford'
I read though some of the client stories and thought lets go and give this a go, clicked on the button to book a consultation.
What were your concerns before starting at DVCC?
The main concern for me was not knowing what to expect, as I said before I was used to the gym and PT environment but the concept of bootcamp was something I had only heard about.
Once I arrived those concerns were quickly alleviated when Josh introduced himself. He showed me around the space and started talking to me about the process and philosophy of DVCC, he talked about goals, habits, nutrition and lifestyle and I stared to realise this was nothing like the exercise environments I had been to before.
We sat and discussed what goals I wanted to achieve, I remember just looking down at my stomach and thinking "well this needs to go for a start!'. But it was more detailed and focused than that. I remember discussing habits and introducing these a step at a time to make it easier for you and your body to adapt, it suddenly didn't seem such a big mountain to climb.
I remember the first session nearly killing me! I knew it would be bad, I could still remember back to the very first time I set foot in a gym a few years earlier so I had some idea of how if would feel, but this was on another level! I was so close to being physically sick!
The difference here was that I was not on my own, not only did I have the support of the DVCC Trainers (Josh & Nathan) but the other clients were so friendly and supportive. There is such a mix of individuals at different stages of their own journey to fitness. That is a level of encouragement and atmosphere that you do not get at a regular gym.
I am the type of person that when I put my mind to a task I do not let anything stop me, I was prepared for it to be hard, and it was, physically that is, but what made thing increasingly easier was the comradery, banter and genuine friendships that existed here.
The support from Josh and Nathan was fantastic, put simply, I could not have achieved the results I have achieved without them. I literally have to turn up 4 times a week, do what I'm told for 45 minutes and then go home and eat what I'm told. As someone who is has to think all day at work, having someone just tell you what to do and how to do it makes life so much easier!
The rotation of exercises, even within the same week, keep you challenged, your body never has time to adapt, which means physiologically my brain never gets bored and physically my body keeps loosing fat! Win! Win!
My motivation now comes for the results I've achieved, because I have a progress tracker every 2 weeks you never loose sight of your successes, however big or small. It's also a great opportunity to talk about how your doing, what your concerned about and any questions you have about your training or nutrition.
One of the biggest challenges I have faced since starting at the DVCC was the Mud Run I completed in June this year. 5km of the muddiest, hilliest terrain I had ever traversed (in lycra). This for the man who would get out of a cross country run at school with a note from his mum! What was I thinking!?
This was where the DVCC team as a whole really come into their own. The support from all of the trainers and clients was amazing. After about 20 minutes into the run I felt like I wanted to stride out and go a bit faster, so Steve Gray went with me and I ended up completing the course in 01:06:56 which 38th out of 182 competing (Steve came 37th obviously :)). I was so made up! Just the best experience, such a sense of achievement, which I would never have done had I not joined the DVCC.
The balance of life and exercise was an issue when I did this previously as I was at the gym for a least an hour to an hour and a half, then may have had a swim on top of that, this just isn't the case with the DVCC, I find because the sessions are 45 minutes long plus a warm up its only just over an hour out of my day 4 times a week (and the gainz have been far and away better than my previous exercise regime).
I thought the nutrition side would be also be harder than it was, I think because each protocol was introduced one at a time it was easier to manage somehow. This was definitely the area that was lacking the last time I was exercising, the combination of eating the right food and exercise is a powerful mix.
I had stopped eating bread prior to joining the DVCC which definitely helped. Once you start eating healthily and seeing the results with the exercise it really is addictive even my cheat meals are healthy now. I think the one piece of advice I can give on nutrition is don't beat yourself up if you slip off the wagon, these are big changes and I was eating unhealthily for a lot more years than I have eaten healthily. Just enjoy the cheat and get back on the wagon!
What goals are you looking forward to achieving?
I am ecstatic about the results I have achieved so far. It is difficult to say where to go from here I'm just enjoying everything and I've never felt so good! looking forward to my next progress tracker to start resetting some new goals :)
What advice would you give to someone who was in your situation before DVCC
I would say take a good look at yourself and ask if you are truly happy with your health and level of fitness? I have realised that there are so many benefits of exercising and eating well. My energy levels have never been higher, I feel younger, fitter and happier with the way I am now.
I was back at my company's biannual conference 6 months on from the last one last night and I had so many compliments from the managers I had not seen, saying how fantastic I looked. It has left me on such a high, I can't wait for the next 6 months!!
