Ross: Hi, this is Ross from the DVCC and I’m here with Hilary Williams who’s been a client at DVCC MK for almost a year. I know a lot of people listening would be able to benefit from her story. I’d like to share her experience with you so you can pick up some tips and tricks on how she’s done it. First thing’s first, Hilary, how old are you?
Hilary: Really, I don’t mind. I’m going to be 49 in two weeks.
Ross: Okay. So, let’s get straight into it, how much weight have you *lost?
Hilary: I’ve lost 2 *stone.
Ross: And in dress sizes, that is?
Hilary: I’m perfect size 13 at the moment which is in-between 12 and 14, so I have *gone from a size 20 down to 14 to 12.
Ross: That’s excellent. And over what timeframe is that?
Hilary: I started in September 2013 and we are now in July so 10 months.
Ross: Wow, thats fantastic results. So, let’s go back a bit further. How was it that you first put on that weight?
Hilary: I had couple of injuries and a couple of ankle operations and I got depressed and stressed like most women sometimes do, and the weight gradually crept on.
Ross: So what were your habits back then compared to your habits now? Do you do anything differently? Has your mindset changed in any way?
Hilary: Yes, it definitely has. When I first started or before I started DVCC, every time I was upset or miserable or depressed or stressed out, I reached for comfort food, I just ate anything and everything. Now my habits have changed. If I feel stressed, I think about if I want to eat something bad and not that it’s bad, it’s just I try to make a better choice. So instead of eating cream cake, I’ll go and have some nuts or fruit.
Ross: Great. How did you form those habits?
Hilary: That was with your help, just giving me different challenges on a regular basis and challenging me to change my habits and just introducing one different thing at a time and lots of encouragement and support and you just keep going from there.
Ross: Okay, great. When did you decide you wanted to *lose the weight?
Hilary: Well, actually, I didn’t start here to lose weight. That has been a seriously big bonus. I actually started because of my injuries and I wanted to rehab my ankles and my knee. I had a really nasty injury and I just wasn’t getting anywhere. I’ve gone to other gyms and that just wasn’t helping. And so when I found you guys, I decided to give it a go. And I said the weight was a bonus and I just thought, “Well, this is easy.”
Not at first, I did have some obstacles but I overcame the challenges. You then asked me to set goals. Then I felt, I’m *losing weight, I’ll set myself to drop a dress size. I was a 20-18, depending on clothes and I decided to try and get to a size 16 by Christmas. I smashed that. I was already there a good month before Christmas and I was actually thinking, I’ll just keep going and that’s what happened.
Ross: Yeah, you kept doing what you have done.
Hilary: Yeah.
Ross: So how is your lifestyle different than now?
Hilary: I don’t comfort eat. There are days that I do really feel like it but I don’t beat myself up, if I have a cream cake, I just make the next meal or snack a more healthy choice. I’ve got really into baking gluten-free stuff which is amazing and tastes just as good. I don’t eat refined carbs as much as I used to.
Ross: Yeah. So is your mindset different now than it was?
Hilary: Oh, god, yes.
Hilary: Another thing I was very, very stressed and depressed when I was a counselor and I got signed off after six months and they just couldn’t believe how my mind had changed and how I was coping with things. So it’s been an amazing all round experience really.
Ross: Okay, great. So, you work, so how do you fit in the training and the nutritional side of things into your lifestyle?
Hilary: Well, training, I started just coming twice a week and then it becomes addictive, and now I’m here every time I can so that’s practically every day. I don’t come Sunday because you’re not open.
Ross: Ha Yes.
Hilary: But I’m sure I would.
Ross: So for people listening, what’s the hardest thing about maintaining the habits that you have now?
Hilary: I think it is hard. It’s making sure that you know what you’ve got in your fridge. And if you just buy the healthy stuff, you’re not going to be able to eat the bad food. I usually have a challenge. If I’m going away or I’ve got work commitments, and I know I will be staying in hotels and things, I plan how I’m going to eat the things that I want to eat. But it does -- restaurants and things are getting easier. You can actually say, please don’t give me chips. Can I have a salad instead? And they are very accommodating.
Ross: And you’ve got into the habit of doing that now.
Hilary: I do that all the time. I sit there and go, I’m really sorry, but can I just have this and not that and can I have a salad with that and they just look at me and go, see what we can do and usually -- I’ve never had restaurants that said no. And, again, I do have a wine with my meal but I also ask for water with lemon in it and/or lime. And it just becomes easy. It doesn’t stop you from having a *life. You just try to make the best choices you can, but don’t beat yourself up if sometimes you make a bad one. I just make the next one a good one. And that’s one of the things I have really learnt is not to give up. And that’s the support and encouragement I get from DVCC.
Ross: Excellent. So what advice would you give to someone in your position or rather the position you were in?
Hilary: Well, I think anyone in any position should come here. It does change your *life. It’s so different to going in a "normal" gym, where you have to make yourself go. Everyone here is very supportive. They want you always to succeed. So if you want to succeed, that’s my recommendation, come here.
Ross: Excellent. Thank you. So this has been Ross and Hilary Williams from The DoubleVision and Conditioning Centres. I hope this has been helpful for you.
