Nathan: Hi, I’m Nathan from the DVCC and I’m here with Hilary today. I just wanted to speak to Hilary as she has had some awesome results with the DVCC and been with us for some time now.
So, Hilary, could you please introduce yourself and explain how long you’ve been at the DVCC?
Hilary: I’ve been at the DVCC nearly two years now. I’ve had a bit of a rocky road but we’re back on track again, I’d say. That’s due to injuries, not to do with you guys, it’s due to injuries which I keep getting. But we knew that was a possibility because when I started at the DVCC, it wasn’t for weight *loss, the weight *loss was a serious bonus.
When I started *losing, I sort of hoped that I could play netball again and I’ve done a whole season of netball which I never thought I would play ever again, even after my surgeries that I’d had surgery on my ankle.
Nathan: How did that make you feel?
Hilary: I actually feel awesome! The surgeon said 95% of you doing it. I was doing rehab on my own and trying to do everything on my own and that wasn’t really working, resulting in I smashed my knee as well. So going from an ankle injury and smashed my knee.
I found you guys and the rest is history because I’ve ended up doing a whole season of netball. I’ve picked up a few niggles here and there, but that hasn’t stopped me and you guys have always found something for me to do and always pushed me; even when I’ve sat there eating peanut M&Ms which is so not the right thing to eat, you’ve just said forget it, we’ll just move on, that was just one day!
It’s always the good thing for me, even when I’ve had a bad day or the injuries got me down, I keep coming and you keep finding things for me to do; so that’s the best thing, that’s my recommendation.
Nathan: Awesome! So it was injury that first brought you to the DVCC?
Hilary: Yes, it was.
Nathan: Is that the main thing that you wanted to solve at the time?
Hilary: It was. I was depressed about my weight but the reason I had piled on the weight was because I was depressed; it’s a never ending cycle with women, when we get depressed we do the “see food” diet, see food, eat it - and the wrong things. I couldn’t do any sport, I was miserable and every time I got to a certain point I would go back, so when I started with you guys I learnt control, bearing in mind I’m a coach as well, which is a good thing; and I learnt control and how to really focus on the little things and I started to notice little changes.
Nathan: And you’re very good at noticing those little changes aren’t you, because you always notice things?
Hilary: Yes, I think it’s important because you always want this huge weight *loss or this huge improvement and that doesn’t happen like that because your body has to adapt to an injury. You start changing your eating habits and, yes, you’re going to have the slip ups, and I have. You know yourself, I’ve been frustrated and then I’d get another injury.
Doing the mud run, I never thought I could have done that when I first started, and in some respects I wasn’t physically capable. Every time you was like, let’s do the mud run, I would say I can’t, I can’t, I’m not ready yet, or I’d ask advice from one of the trainers and he would say we know you want to but it’s not the right time. 
But then I did one and it was awesome! I ran with the rest of my team mates; one of the trainers stayed with me; not just me but with the others that weren’t maybe as competitive or as fast, but one of the trainers stayed with us. What was lovely at the end, there were a lot of the trainers at the end cheering you on. For me it was a sense of accomplishment, I’ve never even run 5k in my life, but to do it with obstacles and climbing over stuff was even a bonus. Unfortunately I picked up an injury, but that didn’t stop me.
Nathan: So going back to your injuries; what had you tried previously to solve those problems, all those injuries?
Hilary: Obviously I was still working with the physio when I came here, but when I started working with you guys I started seeing the physio less and less and he was really happy with what I was doing. He couldn’t believe the progress, the leaps and bounds and results I was getting. For a different professional, he actually said to me once, “I can’t believe how glowing your skin is”, which was a lovely compliment!
And the other thing is I turned 50 this year, not even a week ago yet, and everyone puts me at 40. What better advertisement – change your diet, train hard and look 10 years younger!
Nathan: How does that make you feel, when people say you look 10 years younger?
Hilary: I actually blushed! It was a window cleaner at work, because I had the banners up for my birthday, and he said “You look beautiful, you can’t be 50”, and it made me feel great!
Nathan: I bet it did, that’s an awesome bit of feedback to get.
So when you came in, you originally came in for your body diagnostic and we showed you round the centre; what was it that convinced you that the Real You transformation would be different to what you had tried before to solve your injury problems?
Hilary: I actually came in twice; I came in first because I had just come back from holiday and had listened to the Podcasts and I thought that made sense, I did a bit of research. The things that I was doing in the normal gym before just wasn’t working for me. With what we call the normal gym, you just don’t get that impetus, you don’t get the focus, you don’t get the one to one and the programme written for you.
That was one of the things that really attracted me, that the programme was written for me. Yes, there is the overall programme that we follow and there are certain sets etc., but if I can’t do that, it’s never a problem, the programme is changed so that I could do it.
The famous prowler, I used to sit there and watch people and think I really want to do that, but I wasn’t in a physical position or shape to do that; and the first time I did it there were two young lads who came often and they trained really hard; I kept looking at them and I thought I want to be like you guys, I was getting there.
And the first time I did the prowler I said, “Yes, I’ve done the prowler”, and they said, “You’re mad”. I said no, I couldn’t do that; there wasn’t any physical possibility for me to do that, so for me to be able to do it was an accomplishment.
Nathan: Yes, a big accomplishment, well done.
Going back to talking about other gyms; had you tried many other gyms before starting at the DVCC?
Hilary: Yes I had; I tried quite a few and they just weren’t right for me. Yes, they did offer classes, but I couldn’t physically do the classes because of my knee and my leg injury.
Nathan: How did that make you feel, that you weren’t able to take part in something that you wanted to do?
Hilary: Very frustrated. Then I got that "I can’t do something" so I get depressed and then eat the wrong things and then you get back into that cycle and then you think, what’s the point in going? And you psych yourself out of it.
I’ve never actually not been here, unless I’m physically unable.
Nathan: You’re here as much as I am! I’m here every day and you are aswell.
Hilary: The only time I’m not here is if I’m travelling for work.
Nathan: Or if we’re closed!
Hilary: Or if you’re closed. Somebody said, “Do you go every day?” and I said not Sunday. “Why don’t you go Sunday?” – because they’re closed!
Nathan: But you would be here if we were open, I’m sure!
Going back to you talking about being depressed and feeling depressed, how did you find the exercise helped that?
Hilary: I think it was a combination of a couple of things; the trainers, always a big smile, always welcoming, always “How’s your day?” Those personal touches make such a big difference, especially when you feel depressed, your body image isn’t good, you’re just not in a good place; and you come where somebody’s smiling and “Look, you’ve done that!”
I was given a 6kg weight and I looked at in horror and said, “I can’t lift that”. They said yes, you can, you can. I haven’t lifted anything more than a bag of sugar; and then you put it up and it’s like, “Wow, I did that!” And then the next thing you know, a month later, not even sometimes a month, you’ll be given an 8 kg weight, and the sense of accomplishment is something that gets you out of the depression because you start to do things that you couldn’t do; you’re starting to eat better, you start to feel good and then the weight starts dropping off.
Nathan: It’s like a chain of events.
Hilary: It’s just one thing after another. I remember the first time, I did my weigh in and I *lost 5lbs in a week; 5lbs down of fat - in one week.
Nathan: That’s awesome, an amazing result!
Hilary: It was like, “How did I do that? I’ve never *lost 5lbs.”
Nathan: Especially when, as you say, your primary concern was injury rehabilitation.
Hilary: It was all about injury with me. But as I say, I have no shame in saying I was a size 20, over 16 *stone, not that at the time I would admit it, most women don’t – and to some extent maybe some men don’t either.
Nathan: I think it’s quite easy to avoid, as you say that you kind of avoided that mentally.
Hilary: Yes, and you don’t look at yourself in the same way in the mirror. And all of a sudden your clothes are starting to feel loose. I’ve still got one of my skirts and, trust me, it doesn’t stay anywhere as a skirt, it looks more like a tent! But from a size 20, due to picking up some other injuries, but I went down to nearly a size 12.
Nathan: You did very, very well. I’ve been at the DVCC Milton Keynes since November time, coming up 9 months.
Hilary: That’s when I picked up my hand injury
Nathan: After Rock Solid, wasn’t it?
Hilary: Yes, that was when I did a query facture on my wrist, but still in every day!
Nathan: Still in every day and I was going to say that I can’t imagine you being a size 20 because you know from what I have known you have always been what you are now.
How has your *life changed since you started the Real You transformation process, what are the major changes?
Hilary: Playing netball; that I didn’t imagine.
Nathan: That’s an awesome one; it must be a real good feeling to have something almost grasped away from you, to have it given back.
Hilary: Yes it was. And how strong I am; it’s quite amusing going into a garden centre and they go, “Can we help you?” and I just lift up a bag and put it over my shoulder and say “No, I’m good, thank you!” It’s the little things, you know.
My son, he’s 23 and he says, “Mum, you look hot!” That makes me feel good. It’s the little things; sometimes everyone focuses on the big things with weight *loss and it’s good to have, but it’s the little things, like looking in the mirror and seeing your arms toned. Lots of women of my age have got bingo wings and I don’t have that. And your mum noticing things. It’s good for your self esteem and it makes you less depressed.
And yes, every time I’ve had a bit of frustration with my injury, you guys say “Hilary, we can do something for you”, and it’s always a positive.
Nathan: And you’ve been very positive with the injuries that you have had. A lot of people often feel when they get injured it’s good to step away, but actually with the majority of injuries, the best thing to do is actually train through it in terms of doing rehabilitation, so you might not be doing the same things but you build yourself back up into it.
Hilary: And you have got to know, that’s one of the things I learnt, is to gain control, know when to push and when not to, and that is a key thing. When I’d smashed my knee and that was when I had just come to you, I was still struggling with my ankle repairs from the surgery but I smashed my knee. I was supposed to have another operation but the physio just took it off the table, because you guys worked with me. Yes I still get niggles with it but I still worked with it, and my knee is so much stronger now.
Nathan: I’m so happy that you’ve been able to improve in that aspect.
Could you give me an example of something, I mean you’ve already given me a couple, but could you give me an example of something which has happened after your transformation that you wouldn’t have thought possible before starting at the DVCC?
Hilary: Apart from my netball and Rock Solid, silly things like when I helped my husband do DIY, I could stand there and hold the pole for quite a while above my head; before I would say do I have to hold it much longer, and he would say you haven’t even held it for a minute. Now I just stand there and go just tell me when you’re finished, and I’m just holding it up there. Or moving furniture, I would have to ask him to move it; now I move the sofa and he comes in and the whole room is transformed and he says when did you do that?
Sometimes it’s just silly things that you don’t realise you can’t do. I mean, I couldn’t stand on one leg. People think, I can do that – yes, but I couldn’t; I spent two years in trainers and I had a walking stick and I was on crutches and so on and so forth. So the first time I put a pair of heels on that was a big win for me.
A couple of weeks ago I picked up a new injury; this week I wore a pair of heels, I hadn’t worn one for about 6 weeks because of my niggle. And that’s it, sometimes it’s not the big thing; they’re great, they’re fantastic
Nathan: The little things that are happening around it.
Hilary, it’s been an absolute pleasure to talk to you today; thank you very much for your time.
If you have been listening to this spotlight interview and you’d like to find out more about how the DVCC can help you to make a *life changing transformation, just like Hilary has, please book for an appointment for a DVCC Right Fit phone call, at www.TheDVCC.com/signup.
This is Nathan from the DVCC; Hilary, again thank you very much and congratulations on your massive transformation. Have a good day.
