I had just been asked by my beautiful size 6 friend to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. Standing next to 5 other beautiful ladies who wore dress size 10 on a bad day… in my head I was a large size 14, in reality I was a large size 16 and had been getting larger slowly for the past few years.
In the past I had reached a small size 12 by over exercising and limiting my food intake, but this method was failing me and the thought of being the fat bridesmaid filled me with dread!
MP Coach Dom and I talked about past diets and current eating habits. I kept food diaries and Dom even went through my cupboards & fridge and even took me round Tesco’s. This was not to reprimand, shame or catch me “cheating”, it was to understand my relationship with food and this formed the beginning of my re-education. Dom helped me to see that food isn’t something to feel bad or guilty about, it isn’t to be used as a treat after a bad day at work, or to be restricted to weekends and it isn’t something to stress about. Food should work for me, not against me!
Dom has never told me what I can or can’t eat, but rather given me guidelines and helped me to understand what food does to my body and this has allowed me to learn how to be the healthy. I have re-found my love for cooking, previously telling Dom that I found cooking “too time consuming” and therefore “couldn’t possibly fit it into my day”. I still eat chocolate and drink wine, but not everyday and in a conscious way, I certainly do not feel deprived or “on a diet”. My food bills are lower and my food waste at the end of the week negligible in comparison. My body just feels better, I can train harder and for longer, I am far less tired and fed up and my food based guilt has reduced too.
I eventually started seeing Dom for nutrition once a month, to keep things on track, there was no quick fix and the good habits slide every now and again, but knowing the basics of good nutrition has allowed me to keep control over my eating and bring things back in check without panicking.
Fitness has not been as much of an issue for me as I have always been active.
No class or PT has ever been the same at Macclesfield Performance, the exercises are explained and supervised to a high standard. At the end of each class you go away smiling with a feeling of achievement. The other people at MP are all friendly and because we share the same overall goals we therefore share in everybody’s achievements along the way.
Looking back there have been several moments when I have been thankful that I found MP.
I was not the fat bridesmaid at my friend’s wedding, I bought a size 10 pair of jeans, my belly doesn’t jiggle when I run. I stood next to 10 other skinny girls in bikinis and felt ok. I fit all the small clothes in my wardrobe, most importantly I can look at photos of myself and see me instead of seeing my fat!