Nathan: Hi, I’m Nathan from the DVCC and I’m here with Lauren today; I’m just going to ask Lauren a few questions to hopefully get an insight into how she’s got such great results and ask about any difficulties she may have had, as I’m sure there will be literally thousands of people who will be listening to this and find it very useful. So Lauren, please introduce yourself and how long have you been at the DVCC?
Lauren: Hi, I’m Lauren and I have been a member since January this year.
Nathan: Ok, awesome. And you started on the 6 week programme; was it initially at the time your idea that you wanted to continue after the 6 weeks, or did you just want to do the 6 weeks at the beginning?
Lauren: Well I wanted to do the 6 weeks as a trial to see how it went, but I found myself enjoying it so much that I decided to continue with it.
Nathan: Awesome, that’s great to hear. What results have you achieved during your time at the DVCC?
Lauren: Since January I have *lost 25lbs in fat.
Nathan: Which is absolutely awesome – very well done, that’s an amazing achievement in a very short space of time. What were your struggles with weight *loss before the DVCC?
Lauren: I just found I wasn’t concentrating or focusing on what I was eating at the time; I just didn’t think about what I was putting into my mouth, plus I found having a family made it harder at home to think about what to make for myself or for everybody that was healthy;
It was more or less going to be what was convenient, especially finishing work and everything else, it was like you go home and what is the quickest thing you can cook? It tended to be more convenience foods than anything else.
Nathan: Ok, I can understand that. Have you tried to *lose weight before that, and how did it go?
Lauren: Yes, I was with a previous club before I joined DVCC; but I kind of lost the motivation, which was one of the reasons I came here, because I just needed a change of scenery and a change in focus.
Yes, I just got a little bored and I just needed that extra kick really, to start something new, start the New Year new; but this year I’m just determined for it not to be a New Year’s resolution and that’s it; I just want to make sure I continue with it.
Nathan: And which is awesome, and you’ve committed to 12 months which is awesome; so you’ll be here for a long time and we’ll help you obviously. Have you ever *lost weight using nutrition and exercise, or has it always been one or the other?
Lauren: It has always been both in previous but then I find I tend to sabotage myself, so if I *lose a bit of weight I then think for some reason, something in my mind thinks “You’ve *lost weight, now you need to put it all back on again”, it just seems crazy.
But the good thing I’ve found with the DVCC is having the weekly progress tracker, it keeps you on track. Instead of getting weighed once a month, it just helps getting weighed weekly, not just in numbers but knowing what your body composition is.
Whereas if I weighed myself at home, I would get downhearted, not knowing that some of that weight gain might be down to muscle gain.
Nathan: Which is awesome and I’m glad you picked up on that because that is something we try and explain to our clients. What diets have you done before, if any?
Lauren: I’ve done all of them!
Nathan: Can you name a couple?
Lauren: Grapefruit diet, Paleo, No carb, Low carb; Cambridge I have done before, a long time ago; Cabbage soup, I’ve done that one – I have done them all!
Nathan: Ok, and how did you find them; did you *lose weight initially and then maybe add the weight back on, or what happened with those diets?
Lauren: Well, yes, you *lose weight initially but most of it was water; but it’s just, they are not maintainable – I find that they are not maintainable and you can’t build them into your *life. But with the DVCC and the MDS and all that, it just makes it easier that, yes you can eat protein, you can have fish and chicken; and adding extra vegetables and sweet potato and all that, it just helps and it means that the whole family can eat better as well.
Nathan: And the whole family can enjoy it, which is awesome. What does your lifestyle look like now, compared to before the DVCC?
Lauren: I have got a lot more energy, I feel better in myself, I am enjoying working out, I can get slightly addicted; and it’s not just me as well, it has the wide ranging effect around people around me, so not just my family, but my colleagues at work.
I find myself preaching to them about ‘it’s not numbers on the scale, it’s all about muscle tone and body composition’ – and I am actually doing a mini challenge with somebody at work at the moment, so I am encouraging her; so it’s all good!
Nathan: That’s awesome that you are taking stuff that you learnt from us and helping other people with it; that’s really, really good from you, well done. How else has the DVCC helped you?
Lauren: I find everybody at DVCC really friendly and welcoming, and everyone’s really encouraging during the sessions. I enjoy working out, especially the fact that it’s different every day; because when I used to go to gyms I just used to get bored, and it’s just really hard to get self motivated on the treadmill.
For example I just found myself watching TV, not really focusing on what you’re doing. But here, yes, after the sessions you might think they sound easy and look easy on paper, but when you’re actually doing it, after 45 minutes it’s hard to walk down the stairs outside the front door! So yes it’s great.
Nathan: Awesome stuff! And do you have any specific tips, with nutrition or exercise, which you could share with anyone who is listening and may be trying to *lose weight actively at the moment?
Lauren: Just baby steps really; don’t try and change everything at the same time. But just try and change one thing a week maybe; you know, just things like cooking with coconut oil, maybe try that for a week; not eating carbs but eating sweet potato instead.
I want to try new things with cauliflower, because I have heard you can make pizza bases with cauliflower; so I want to try that this week. So it’s just one thing at a time; just set yourself mini challenges as well.
Nathan: Awesome words of advice from you. Have you any final words that you would like to say?
Lauren: No, I just want to thank everybody; you Nathan for being encouraging; I know I can slack up on certain weights sometimes but I know you’re there to tell me to pick up the heavier ones, and that’s exactly what I need! No, it’s been great so far, I’m really enjoying it.
Nathan: Awesome; a pleasure to have you. Thank you very much for this and I hope if you’re listening to this interview, you have found it helpful. Lauren, I want to thank you for your time; this is Nathan from the DVCC in Milton Keynes; have a good day.
