talkhealth Blog

Well I think it’s quite exciting anyway!

I was recently contacted by a couple of lovely guys who have created something that I think is pretty bloody good!

A lot of the questions that I get asked surround exercise. As you know, I adore my gym – I love working out, I love the feeling it gives me, I love the fact that I am able to use my body properly(ish!). I am lucky enough to have good facilities locally and a great trainer…and the support of Mr WLB who comes with me…and I have the time to go to the gym near enough every day.

I am well aware that this isn’t the case for many though.

When I first started exercising, the gym was not in the equation. I wouldn’t have been able to climb the stairs to reach the gym let alone survive a rigorous session. So I began working out at home. I always felt like ‘something’ was missing though. When John and Chris contacted me – to ask for my opinion regarding their plans – I realised what that ‘something’ was…and I think that they have addressed the missing piece of the puzzle.

For me, fitness has to be fun. It has to fit into your life. It shouldn’t be a chore. I have already said how lucky I am to be able to get to the gym…but I know that many people I talk to struggle to find a gym, or to find the time to go. My sister for example works split-shifts and would struggle to find someone to look after my niece and nephew when she isn’t at work…I think she will adore this solution.

First of all let me say that I am in no way affiliated with John and Chris – so I am not trying to ‘sell’ something to you! I just really liked what I saw, and knew that a lot of the issues people had discussed with me – their constraints when it comes to exercise – would be solved with their ‘product’. I am keen to highlight things that I discover along the way which aren’t a pile of pants! In fact, I was offered a great big huge amount of money today to link with a VLCD (very low calorie diet) company…I am sure that you can imagine my response! I am not a blogger who makes any dosh…it actually costs me money!

Anyway, John emailed me earlier on today to ask if I could help him find people to test the product…I said that I would be happy to help, but that he had to explain a bit more about it for you first – so here he goes…

‘I’m John, one of the co-founders of MyTeam. We are a new company on a mission to make health and fitness simple and affordable. We’re doing this by forming communities of people with similar goals, and matching them with a nutrition and exercise program. Instead of following a static plan downloaded from the internet our members get coached through the program and are able to ask questions and get support from the trainer who created it.

Chris, the product designer, and I began working on MyTeam at the end of 2013. Our first step was to find an expert coach specialising in weight loss. After interviewing several personal trainers we met Paul. We instantly clicked, and knew that this was the guy who could inspire and coach an online group to success having built a thriving offline practice with his no-nonsense research driven approach to lifestyle change.

Since then we’ve been working to combine Paul’s offline coaching skills and fat loss knowledge into an effective online program. We’ve designed a 12 week journey, recorded weekly videos and designed the interface through which members will interact with Paul. Along the way we have been lucky enough to get advice from some wonderful supporters like Weight Loss Bitch.

The beta version of our product is now ready. Each week users get up to six simple actions to complete. These actions are things like completing quick home workouts, learning about different fat loss topics or implementing lifestyle changes. At any point along the way users can ask Paul, the program coach, a question in the community and meet other people following the same program. The program doesn’t involve a diet plan, instead it focuses on progressively adopting simple healthy habits which will deliver sustainable change beyond the end of the program.

So, after 4 months in the making, our weight loss program is ready for sign-ups! Because it’s our pilot, we’re only accepting a limited number of people (around 60), who are willing to give us a go, and don’t mind us dropping them emails every now and then asking how we can improve. The normal price for this is £3.75 a week and the program is designed to take 12 weeks. To enable you to try it out we are offering the first two weeks of our program completely for free, starting on the 24th of March.

If you are looking to lose weight, are keen to try something new and excited to go on this journey with us then I invite you to join us!

Find out more about us and sign up for your trial here.

Thanks for reading

John’

I have had a look at what they have on offer – the videos, the healthy eating guidelines, the tips and hints…it all looks pretty bloody good to me. The eating recommendations work well with Slimming World and the exercise is not too crazy either.

So if you fancy getting your bum moving and getting a bit fitter before the sunshine arrives properly – in the comfort of your own home – then this could be a nice starting point! If you do sign up then let me know what you think!

Today has been okay. I had a great coaching call this morning – it is great to see people making progress that they never dreamt possible! Then it was ‘leg-day’ at the gym – and the gym was almost empty…apart from the lady who stares lots. It’s not just me that she stares at, so I don’t take offence, but I would love to ask her if she realises that she does it. She really looks people up and down for an uncomfortable length of time…when she does it to me I do it right back – I don’t want to offend her, but I would hate to think of someone being put off by her! The horses were fine and enjoying the weather again. Then it was home for an afternoon of prep for uni on Wednesday.

Breakfast: Banana porridge (5 syns).

Lunch: Smoked salmon scrambled eggs on toasted rolls with veggies and cheese (2 x HEA and 2 x HEB).

Dinner: Garlic and herb chicken on spinach with roasted veggies.

Snacks: Rice cakes (10 syns).

A great food day. Brekkie was my usual pre-gym fuel. I have had a lot of questions recently about why I syn my porridge…it’s because I prefer to use my HEBs later in the day and because I like to try and use my syns on something healthier. Lunch was gorgeous – toasted rolls topped with spinach, red onion, and cherry tomatoes, with cheese and scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. I love this meal! Dinner was lush too – it was supposed to be pizza-topped chicken…but I forgot and ate my cheese at lunch. So I just put herbs, chilli flakes, and garlic on mine with a bit of tomato purée and had this with roasted veggies – peppers, red onions, and courgettes – and with wilted spinach. Finally, rice cakes…my current snack of choice!

Exercise: 5 minutes treadmill, 50 minutes weights, and 25 minutes elliptical machine.

Thank you for reading,

Weight Loss Bitch xxx

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WeightLossBitch

On a health and fitness driven journey to lose over 32st / 448lbs / 203kgs – yes, it is a considerable amount – I am committed to losing my excess weight without the aid of weight loss surgery, diet pills, or quick fixes…as there aren’t any! Changing my eating habits and building up my fitness levels, along with addressing the ‘head issues’ will be crucial in order for me to achieve my goal. Living in England as a 31 year old super morbidly obese woman can be challenging to say the least. I have been shouted at in the street and verbally abused far too many times to mention; hence the name ‘Weight Loss Bitch’…the day I am just called a ‘bitch’ instead of a ‘fat bitch’ will be the day that I know I have cracked my weight loss! With many reasons to lose this weight I am documenting my journey for a number of reasons. Firstly, I would like to keep a record of the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and the challenges I face with such an enormous task to tackle. Secondly, I would also like to inspire and encourage other people who are in a similar situation and to show them that significant amounts of weight can be lost naturally…with a bit of motivation, hard work, dedication and will power. Thirdly, all of the blogging, Facebook-ing, Tweet-ing, Pinterest-ing and YouTube-ing keeps me occupied and keeps my fingers out of the fridge!