Ever since having my first child 18 years ago I have struggled with my weight. Trying several different diets, which all worked in the short term but in the end I just put all the weight back on which I had lost, plus some!

At my slimmest I have weighed as little as 8st 10lb but at my heaviest I weighed in at 17st 12lb! That was in January 2014 which is when I decided enough was enough. I realised that every day I was drinking a bottle of wine of an evening, eating unhealthy food & doing no exercise whatsoever. I disliked everything about myself. I hated what I saw in the mirror & avoided going out whenever I could. I was very depressed & my weight was having an effect on every aspect of my life.

Over the previous twelve months I had many talks with my partner Chris about my weight and how I was struggling to deal with it. Boot camps were mentioned but the expense and the fear that it would not work stopped me from booking. At the end of January, Chris surprised me by booking my first New You Boot Camp in Somerset for February 2014.

Boot camp was nothing like I expected!  It was a female only camp & in total I think there were 24 of us. Meeting everyone for the first time was quite nerve wracking, especially when it became obvious that several of them were only there to improve their fitness & were not there for the same reasons as myself. I hadn’t exercised properly since my teens!!  We were introduced to our PTI’s for the week, we weighed in & then had a fitness test I couldn’t even lift myself up for the sit ups!

I’m not going to deny that every single day of that week was hard for me. Every day I was exhausted and on the first day I was convinced that I wouldn’t make it through the week. My poor body had never ached so much, every muscle hurt however the group of women I was with were great and the PTI’s were amazing and they gave you all the encouragement you needed when you were about to give up. The days flew by as the activities were always different, running, boxing, hiking, rain or shine. Within the same week I laughed, cried, swore (lots), listened and learned so much! It was the best and most fulfilling week of my life!

Not only were we run ragged by the PTI’s we were also given classes on nutrition and food demos. Our nutritionist would give us passionate talks about our diets and from these sessions I took notes which I could use once I had returned home.

On the last day we were weighed & measured again, to my amazement I had lost 7lb and a total of 18.6 inches. I couldn’t believe it, how had I had achieved all of that in one week? The rest of my group also had great results, we had all worked so hard & we were ecstatic every single tear we had shed (there were a few) had been worth it.

Once I got home I was determined to continue with the diet & exercise but as usual I ended up putting everyone else before myself and found it hard to keep up with the exercise. Within a month I knew that I needed something to focus on so I booked myself another boot camp for May, once again it was in Somerset but for only 5 days. This was exactly what I needed to keep me on track. By the time I returned to boot camp I had lost over 2 stone.

Returning to boot camp for the second time was exciting, I knew what to expect within reason and felt that I could focus even more on the exercise as my fitness levels had improved. I had hoped that we would have the same PTI’s as before as I thought it would be one less element to be nervous about. I was not disappointed to find that Staff Simpson and Staff Buxton had returned and would be putting us through our paces once again. One of the most important parts of the boot camp experience is the support we receive not only from the PTI’s but the other members of New You. She helped me get through the dreaded “Tantrums and Tiaras” day once again! (The lowest point of the week is known as “Tantrums and Tiaras” when you find yourself at your lowest ebb, emotionally and physically drained, aching, just wanting to go home to eat & sleep!)

Again I found the week extremely hard, I was pushed to my limits every single day. The week ended with the weigh in where I was given my results! I had surpassed my expectations by losing 10lb in five days!! Returning home I continued with the diet & exercise, fitting in swimming and the gym whenever I could. I also received many emails from New You over the following months offering support and nutritional advice, I tried out several of the recipes and they went down very well with my family too. My progress was slow but I still continued to lose weight steadily.

After a couple of months I decided to book myself on another boot camp for later in the year but this time in Spain, I couldn’t resist the temptation of a little bit of sunshine! One of the women I met on my first boot camp agreed to come with me too so we booked up for the end of November.

Boot camp in Spain was slightly different to the Somerset camps in that the exercise was just as intensive but you had the opportunity to opt out if you wanted to. I was rather proud of myself as I only missed one of the hikes due to feeling unwell, Although I did do three sessions on my own that the PTI’s had set for me so I felt that I kept up my exercise routine.

All in all the week gave me as much as my two previous camps but with a different flavour. Again I achieved a significant weight loss of 8lb with 8.3 inches lost.

So that was 2014 and from the beginning of my journey in January through to December I have lost 4 and a half stone, I now weigh 13st 4lb and have dropped from a size 22 to a size 14!

I have gained friends and lost pounds and would I do it all again? YES!!

I am looking forward to 2015 and my only decision is whether to go to Spain or Hereford for my first camp! Bring on the pain, bring on the PTI’s, bring on the food portions because I KNOW that I can do it, I KNOW that it can work and I KNOW that 2015 will see me in a size 12 and my target weight will be achieved!!!

Thank you to everyone at New You, you have changed my life.  I have my confidence back, I love my life again & there is a definitely a New Me!…. I will see you in 2015!*