Occupation: Chef / Student, Ume University of Culinary Arts
Martial status: Single
Age: 30
Where you live: Ume Sweden
Date of New You Boot Camp attended: April 2009, 2010

My Story

In 1998 my gym pass was taken away from me, by spending most of my days there I was failing my equivalent of your A-levels in school while trying to “exercise” my way through my parents divorce. When I couldn’t use exercise as a comforter anymore it turned elsewhere. Finished school alright, thou the comfort started to come from food and that road is dangerous. The whole journey took me from probably a trained 230 pound body to a 320 pounds worth of untrained body. From 3.5hours on the team-cycling marathon sessions to barely wanting to get on the regular bike to go to the store.

Then two and a half years ago, a change started. My Father passed away from a heart condition which could have been prevented by exercise, enough was enough. These later years I had started working in a kitchen, so couldn’t really use the excuse that I didn’t know good food either nor the past that I didn’t know how to train anymore.

The journey began with a goal to loose 22 pounds over the following year and a half to start with. Goals been set and off I went, did small changes in my life to adept easier to them at first and picked it up from there.

By the fall of 2008 it was down to 305 pounds and the feeling was good but not great to say the least. It was a dark, cold night and after watching the online shows of biggest looser I googled away. Maybe it was the encouraging cold of negative 25 degrees Celsius that inspired but one of the first hits on that search took me to New You Boot Camp. By the articles they had posted online and that their weather looked like several miles better than mine. Also the whole idea of getting a much needed boost appealed to me.

When me and an odd bunch of guys arrived at camp we had no idea what to expect. The fitness test was a clear wakeup call on how “fresh” my stamina was. The Staff made sure we knew that if we pulled through we would thrash these results when we would get back home.

By the final weight check and measuring the results were in, from testimonials of the others they’d ask me. “Do you feel yourself melting away?” but I had no idea what they were talking about. My expectations were low at best, 4-5 pounds at most on a good day from this week was my guess. From 21.9 stone down to 20.5 made my head spin to say the least. 18 pounds, unthinkable from my previous expectations on well mostly myself. Didn’t know then and there if they were kidding me or not, though they ensured me. You and you alone had gotten these results from trusting their competence and care allowing myself to push it to here.

Since that big boost o’ confidence that it gave me I’ve kept up with the morning exercising and each day the alarm goes off at 05:55 and off I go for half an hour to three quarters of an hour before breakfast.

Hopefully my schedule allows for me to go back and that I can arrange flights accordingly, my biggest wish still is to return to New You Boot Camp. If not only to meet the great people there again but as much to prove to myself that I can do it! Also if I can do it, there’s no reason why You couldn’t do it. 🙂

The second boot camp I attended was roughly one year to the date from when I first arrived in the UK. Before going I talked to Mike who came on to the forums and wanted to get to know some people in advance which was really nice. Also on the train from Swansea to Abergavenny I met a few more fellow boot campers. The camp was just as fun as the first time though slightly less militaristic which was ok but I did to be fair enjoy the more army styled activities like log runs, stretcher runs more than boxing. Still there were a merry bunch of campers that bonded over the week and I do really hope at some point I will be able to visit them. Check in and give them a boost to were ever they are in the world! Will still have to go at least once more since I need to best that cave, one of the few fears I still carry after these camps, so next time.

What was it that made you book on to the Boot Camp?

It was one of those nights where you find yourself feeling sorry for your self and were looking for quick fixes on-line to get into shape. Searched anything from gastric by-passes to diets and diet pills. Then the thought struck me that there could be weight loss camps, searched some more and the first one that came up was New You Boot Camp. I read some statements and phoned the office, they were very helpful and eased my mind that I could do this! Booked the tickets and the snowball was rolling.

How has it changed your life?

From being an rather large lad of 150kg/23,6stone and just before camp shed 1 stone roughly it really has rocketed from there. This last Christmas eve, after 2 boot camps in the UK, 1 in Sweden and substantial amount of training at home along with diet changes. The results were in and the 16stone barrier was broken, at 99,5kg/15,6stone, it truly was the best Christmas gift I could ever have given myself.

Have you set yourself any targets?

You could say that, I actually now have a 5 year plan on what I want to achieve by 2015, *smile*. This year will be technique training, next year something called a “Swedish Classic” which is 4 races over a period of 1 year containing 90km cross country skiing, 300km bicycling, 3km swim down and upstream a river and the finale is a 32k run cross country. It will be so epic to go from having a hard time walking home from the store to complete races like that and in just 3 years of preparations.*