Today we bring you an interview done with DVCC client Michelle. Michelle has literally transformed her life, despite having to deal with a fair few struggles along the way! Watch the video or read below to discover how Michelle turned her life around.
Stephen: Hi! This is Stephen from TheDVCC.com, and I’ve very excited as I’m going to be chatting today with Michelle. Michelle has been a client of the DVCC for a few months now and we’re going to be going through her weight loss journey and we’re going to be talking to her about how she’s found it, and hopefully, you’re going to be able to get some helpful tips that Michelle’s managed to utilize for her weight loss.
Now, I should say something at the beginning. Michelle is Scottish so we’ve asked her to speak very, very slowly because she has quite a thick accent. There’s also going to be some subtitles and some transcription underneath. Thats a joke by the way!
So Michelle, when people make transformations and lose a lot of weight, they obviously have a lot of obstacles in the way. What would you say have been your biggest obstacles? I know you had obstacles at the beginning of your journey, and then some more, more recently. So to start with what were the obstacles you faced at the beginning?
Michelle: I think the biggest obstacle when I first started was just to keep going and keep myself motivated to go to exercise. And then once I got over that, I started to enjoy it. It then doesn’t feel like a chore getting up in the morning. I have even gone to exercise at quarter past seven in the morning.
Stephen: Early times!
Michelle: Yeah! Because it does get you going for the day and that you feel a lot better. And that was my biggest obstacle, is just to keep going past the first week, second week. Once you get past the third week, the fourth week, that’s it. It’s fine.
Stephen: So, how did you manage that? Did you just tell yourself, I’m going to do it?
Michelle: Yeah. Well, I always book the appointments. Because once I book appointments, then I know I will stick to the appointments, unless something major comes up.
Stephen: Yes. Sure.
Michelle: But, that is the biggest thing. If you stick to an appointment, then do it and just keep going. There’s no excuse. If you can watch Eastenders and things, then you can go and spend half an hour doing exercise.
Stephen: Okay. So recently, I know you’ve got two children and you’re the one that looks after them the most.
Michelle: Yeah.
Stephen: So recently with school holidays and things, and I know that you had some time issues. It was a struggle for you to exercise and other things took over.
Michelle: Yes. My husband doesn’t keep good health and he was going through a bad situation and I had the kids obviously off school and my husband was quite low and depressed at that time, and I thought about giving up for a short period because I just had no – I wasn’t sleeping and things like that. But I came in and talked to yourselves and decided to carry on with it, which was a big help.
Stephen: Do you think it would have been right for you to stop? And bearing in mind you’re looking after everyone else.
Michelle: It was the right decision to stay.
Stephen: Why?
Michelle: Because you still need to take yourself away from the situation and get your time. You are able to focus more.
Stephen: I think a lot of people feel guilty if they’re doing something for themselves.
Michelle: Yeah. That’s right.
Michelle: You’re actually doing better because you’ve come away from the situation for an hour, and then you can go back. It’s still going to be there. Everything’s still going to be the same. You’re not coming away forever. It’s not going to make much difference.
Stephen: No. But do you think you feel better when you go back?
Michelle: I do. I do. I feel like I’ve got energy to deal with it because you’ve just been out, you’re full of energy.
Stephen: Yes. So I always like to say that I think exercise is one of those things that actually, people think it takes energy, but I think it actually gives.
Michelle: It does. It gives you lots of energy, especially in the mornings, when you do it in the mornings, you’ve got loads of energy for throughout the day!
Stephen: I think that’s a really important one. People always, whatever happens in their life, there’s always obstacles.
Michelle: Yeah. Well, that’s it. There’s always something that crops up, but don’t stop.
Stephen: Yes. Keep doing something for yourself.
Michelle: Yeah! Keep doing it. You need to. You need that for yourself.
Stephen: So, everyday life then, what else would you say is easier or different now, being almost four stone lighter?
Michelle: Everything is a lot easier now. I can go up and down the stairs a lot easier, I can walk the kids to school a lot easier, I can do nearly everything in one go rather than having to do it in stages because I’m not getting tired anymore. I’ll go out with the kids to the parks when they come home from school and things like that. So it’s changed my life big time.
Stephen: And so, let’s talk more specifically maybe about nutrition because obviously, the exercise, you’ve been enjoying and you enjoy getting stronger and fitter. What about nutrition? Has that been a struggle?
Michelle: It’s been actually quite easy. I thought it would have been a struggle, but because it’s just eating healthy, it’s fine. I’ve not had to make any big, major changes. Just a few different things. And so, it’s been really good and the kids have – my daughter especially has decided she’s going to eat healthy now as well, which is good.
Stephen: Yes. Because we always talk about how the children copy what their parents do.
Michelle: Yeah. She will say, “Oh, are you allowed this, mommy? Oh, well, then I can have it if you’re allowed it” and things like that. So it helps not just yourself. It helps the whole family as well. Which is good.
Stephen: Okay. So, you said nutritionally, you found it relatively straightforward. But you said there’s a bit of a difference between when you’re exercising and when you’re not. What’s that you mentioned?
Michelle: Well, I think if I’m not exercising, I would tend to be more, “Oh, I can just have that. I’ll just go and have it. It’s only a sweet or it’s only a pack of crisps” or something like that. But, I find when I’m exercising, I will still stay clear of all that. Maybe it gives me more mental strength to eat what you should want to be eating?
Whereas if I don’t go exercise, I feel, “Oh, I can have that Mars bar. Kelsey, do you really want that?”
Stephen: [Laughs] So you’re taking food from your children?
Michelle: Yeah! [Laughs]
Michelle: That’s why I need to keep exercising.
Stephen: Yeah. Otherwise, the poor children will go hungry.
Michelle: Yeah. They’d get nothing. On Easter, no.
Stephen: So what "excuses" did you used to make to yourself to stop yourself exercising?
Michelle: I’ve got two young kids, my husband doesn’t keep good health. I would think of every excuse. “Oh no, I can’t do it. I can’t leave them. I can’t go and do this, I can’t do that. I need to be with them all the time,” which is not true. You can have time for yourself.
Stephen: So you can make the time.
Michelle: No matter how old your kids are – my two are 5 and 3 now and I still have time to come to DoubleVision and exercise. My husband doesn’t keep good health. He’s got bad kidneys. He’s constantly needing someone there to look after him, but I still have to find that time to come away for myself, and if somebody told me that two years ago, then I may have started it two years ago rather than waiting, and I wish I did come here earlier.
Michelle: But I’m here now!
Stephen: Exactly! That’s the thing.
Michelle: Yes!
Stephen: And I always say that to people who say, “Oh, I wish I had done…” I’m like, “Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Michelle: It’s knowing it’s done now and i'm on the path to becoming more healthier and…
Stephen: What was your switch, that flip that made you start?
Michelle: Just that my daughter kept saying, “Mum, why can’t you come and do this with me? Why can’t you come and do this?” and I just had no energy and I didn’t want my kids growing up not having their mum out in the garden or things like that. So that just really got to me because they’re starting to get to that stage where they do want to do more and more and I’m able to do it now. Whereas before, I couldn’t.
Michelle: I am all the time conscious where I have come from. Like now I can go and run. And the other day, my son took off and I was able to get him before he reached the road. Whereas before, I was like, “Oh no! He’s going near the road!”
Stephen: And he’s only going to get faster, isn’t he?
Michelle: Yeah. Definitely. So now, it’s a lot better and my life has changed so much, which is good.
Stephen: That’s great.
Stephen: So I think, or I hope, everyone’s going to find that really informative. I do think you are certainly inspirational to a lot of people that, like you said, think they won’t have time and think that they can’t do it because you’ve made a massive change. And besides all the weight loss, I like the impact on your children.
Michelle: Yeah. They’ve seen a big difference.
Stephen: Yes. It’s very powerful.
Stephen: So, thank you very much for doing this chat.
Michelle: No worries!
Stephen: I think you’ll find that lots of people will find it quite useful. If you do have any comments, any questions or anything – actually, questions for Michelle, I’m sure you’d be happy to answer them.
Michelle: Yes.
Stephen: So just put them below this video and Michelle will be able to help. Because I think as much as we can say, I think it’s really much more powerful if Michelle actually shows that it is possible. It’s not just us saying it because she has a very, very busy life, and as she said, could have had a lot of excuses why not to do something, but has actually overcome them and has obviously made a massive, massive transformation.
