How 'Fat Mike' lost nine stone
by Alec lom from the telegraph
With his wedding looming, Mike Shaw decided it was time to tackle his weight problem once and for all.. I have always been big. But, until recently, I considered myself fairly fit, too. I could play football, run, and enjoy the odd game of tennis without aching and wheezing. I wasn't a super-sportsman, but neither was I a wobbly mess who broke into a sweat walking up stairs.
That was until a few years ago, when I moved in with my fianceé, Rachel. Together, we would enjoy excellent home-cooked meals - often washed down with wine. By chance, I met Jason Crow, a sports scientist, who told me he could change my life. He promised me that his weight-loss and exercise programme got results - particularly with men, who, it seems, are getting fatter and lazier. I am far from alone: within five years, a third of British men will be obese.
With my wedding just six months away, and the fear of not finding a wedding suit big enough, I agreed to try his magic. After an initial consultation that involved fitness testing and some measuring and weighing (6ft 3in and just over 23 stone, if you must know), I accepted that things had to change.
And so I embarked on The Regime, as I call it, which is essentially the GI diet and is based on the idea that complex carbohydrates (found in wholegrains, which contain fibre, so the body breaks them down more slowly than the simple carbs in refined grain) are the fuel needed for burning fat. If you're loaded up on those, then exercising will be that much more effective.
"Not only are complex carbs a brilliant source of energy," explains Jason, "they're a necessity for burning fat at the optimum level." Furthermore, they aren't just important to the body. "They're vital for keeping the brain working efficiently, too," says Jason. "If you don't have enough, the body moves into a process called 'glycogen sparing', which slows the metabolism down in order to save the complex carbs you do have, which can prevent fat loss and slow down brain activity." Without complex carbs, the body burns protein instead - in other words, the muscle that you've been working so hard to build.
So every meal must contain a serving of complex carbs; porridge or wheat or oats for breakfast, and then brown rice, corn, wheat or barley with lunch and dinner. Because the body takes longer to absorb and digest these foods, we stay full for longer and avoid that dangerous dip in energy levels that encourages snacking.
The Regime suits men in particular because you can eat as much as you like - there's no going hungry. You can eat as many vegetables, and as much fresh fish and white meat as you want. Lean lamb and beef are allowed once or twice a week. And, to the delight of men, you can even eat most curries. However, chocolate, ice cream and booze have to be avoided. Because of the bulky nature of the carb-based food, men take to the system better than women - and see faster results. And the results are seriously fast.
Despite the immense struggle - and I came desperately close to cheating - I had dropped one stone and two pounds by the end of my first week. This, of course, was not solely down to my new eating plan. I also had to fit in an hour of exercise a day. As I was seriously unfit, this only needed to be a brisk walk - enough to get my heart rate going between 120 and 130 beats per minute. Soon, walking wasn't enough and I stepped up the pace.
Then, as the wedding loomed, I made a final push to reach my target weight of 15 stone. I bought a cheap exercise bike and parked myself in front of the TV, pedalling away for 80 minutes while watching Rocky, Rambo and RoboCop. With the exception of my 26th birthday and Christmas (when I ate like a starved animal), I had not cheated once.
I reached my target weight of 15 stone with a few days to spare. That's eight stone lost in a little over six months. It was hard work, but the wedding was perfect, and the reactions of friends who hadn't seen me for years was worth the effort alone.
At the reception, and after half a year of abstinence, I eyed the wedding buffet with suspicion. I was off the leash and could eat what I wanted to now. Instead, I went for rice-based dishes with plenty of vegetables, and only gave the desserts the most cursory of glances. It's a testimony to how my whole outlook has changed. I have a new-found aversion to unhealthy foods and exercise is now part of my daily regime. Not only am I now down to 14 stone, I am also a better footballer than I ever was as a teenager!
loosing 10 stone
Shaheen Khan testimonial
Shaheen came to the Better Body Shop after, like most people, trying all the fashionable diet plans losing a little, but putting more back on again. She knew she had to change her lifestyle, learn about exercise and how to eat to burn fat and fuel her muscles for exercise. She appeared confident on the outside, always the joker, taking the knocks, holding her head high as she walked down the street, but crying inside as people stared at her and she heard comments behind her back.
In the pictures you see she is over 20 stone, her starting point. Her dream was to be 10 stone, be able to buy clothes off high street pegs, wear killer heels and to walk down the street feeling happy inside. We set the goal 10 stone, she trained once a week with us to build her fitness levels, adhered strictly to the Truth eating plan and fitted in her daily walk for the fat burning.
At 14 stone Shaheen started to shine, she decided to resign from her existing job as a pharmaceuticals sales rep and train to be a teacher, a job she had always wanted to do, but would never have dared to stand in front of a group of teenage children fearing ridicule.
At 12 stone she met Tim. Her whole life transformed.
Finally at 10 stone we had many heartbreaking conversations, she had reached her goal, a superb achievement, however there was another large hurdle to face, Shaheen had achieved so much, but was left with the excess skin on her abdomen from being overweight for many years while growing up. She did decide to opt for surgery to remove the excess skin. The day came, all went well, the bandages were on and she faced 6 weeks of recovery. The day the bandages were removed was emotional for all of us, we visited her at home, and cried, she looked fantastic, but most importantly there was a sparkle in her eye that had intensified, she had done it, she was there, and there was no going back. Recovered from the operation the next task was to build back abdominal strength and develop an ongoing programme, a breeze after all that had passed.
We are proud to have shared this part of Shaheen’s life, been there through the ups and downs. She remains at 9 and a half stone, and now all we have to do is prepare for a wedding! Looking at what the last 24 months has held for her, we can only imagine what she will go on to do.
Congratulations Shaheen and Tim we wish you all the happiness in the world.
jason and the guys are fantastic
testimonial by Michela Grigioni, PA from Sevenoaks
Just over 2 years ago I was struggling to loose weight. My self esteem was low and the “yo yo” crash diets and weight watchers visits were tiring and pointless. I had been a member of a well known Sevenoaks fitness centre and was generally uninspired by the gym and its staff, so I found myself paying monthly membership for the privilege of having possibly the most expensive swims money can buy.
I found Jason’s advert for Personal training in the Sevenoaks local paper so decided to give him a call. Within 4 months of meeting Jason and vigilantly following “The Truth” diet I had lost almost a stone. I found the diet simple and easy to follow. I joined the classes on a Tuesday which not only kept me going, but meant that Jason was keeping an eye on my progress too. I finally felt like I was getting somewhere.
A few months later I did the RPT (Rapid Physical Transformation) 2 hours exercise a day for 2 weeks and lost a further 8 lbs and several centimetres too!....Friends at work and family noticed the change and I was feeling great about myself. Almost 2 years on I have maintained the weight lost (give or take a few lbs), and in August I took part in a 4 day RPT (7 hours a day!). The results were fantastic, I managed to loose a further 8 lbs and this time I really noticed my shape changing.
I now exercise 3 times a week at the BBS (combining classes with personal training) where I have not only found a way to enjoy exercise, but I have found a group of new friends too. Jason and the guys are incredibly encouraging and classes are a combination of hard work and fun. If I don't make a class, I feel I am not only missing an appointment , but am letting my friends down too.
The environment at the BBS is like no other gym and has a warm and almost family feel to it. With the right support and encouragement anyone can achieve their goals, and I for one am thrilled with mine. Thank you to all at the Better Body Shop.
