Josh: Hey guys, this is Josh back again with another client interview, this time I’m speaking to Helen Colabuono, who’s been a client of DVCC Bedford for a while now and has achieved some amazing results in that time.
So, without further ado, I shall pass you over – Helen, what results exactly have you achieved since you’ve been at the DVCC?
Helen: I’ve *lost 25lbs in fat to date; I have been here for about 15 months now. It’s not just the weight *loss, results wise, there have been so many changes and my whole way of *life has changed really, having joined here and learned all about the MDS system etc.
Josh: Before we get into how your *life is different now, let’s talk about Helen before the DVCC. Were you concerned about weight before joining the DVCC, had you been for a while?
Helen: I was concerned about weight but also about fitness. I was ok, probably up to maybe early thirties; late thirties and by forty, I had a period where I had a lot of joint pain and the weight started creeping on. I had bad arms; I had a problem with my arm and had an operation on it. That involved rest and recuperation which invariably meant I wasn’t active and I piled weight on doing that. That’s probably where I was at my worst, I guess, in that period of time.
Josh: And was there a real trigger, a point in time where you decided, right, I’m going to take action and do something about it?
Helen: I think it was when I was struggling to get upstairs actually. I was climbing the stairs and I was really out of breath; then I thought this shouldn’t be happening to me now and I’ve got to do something about it. I thought that the weight was part of it but I knew it was because I wasn’t active enough as well.
I think the bigger you get, the less active you want to be; your routine at home is going home, chilling out in front of the TV, probably with a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits, etc., and you don’t think you’ve got time to do anything else because your life just takes over. I realised I had to do something – I hit 40 so I had to do something!
Josh: Well, the only time you should be out of breath on the stairs now is going down after a session at the DVCC!
So had you tried other things, prior to joining the DVCC, to *lose the weight?
Helen: Yes, obviously; you think you’re doing the right thing by eating low fat food. And I did do Weight Watchers and … I can’t remember what the other one was.
Josh: Cambridge, Slimming World?
Helen: Yes, I did do the Cambridge, I did that – and Slimming World. And they were all really short term fixes. I definitely *lost quite a lot on the Cambridge diet; well you would, you’re not eating, and that just went back on, and then some, really.
Josh: So you kind of went up and down a little bit?
Helen: Yes.
Josh: Was it a long period of time you were trying these different things out?
Helen: No, they were short term.
Josh: So they didn’t last very long then?
Helen: It didn’t last very long, you couldn’t sustain it really – I didn’t think anyway.
Josh: Then you came across the DVCC; did you have any preconceptions about what the DVCC was going to be like, or any fears or worries before you joined?
Helen: I had been to other gyms before and, barring the one I went to previously, all the gyms prior to that had been the same type of thing where you’re shown around and then you’re just left. I was never confident how to use the machines; nobody really offered to help – you keep struggling and you felt awkward asking, so I tended to just go on the running machines and the cross trainer and call that it really, because I didn’t really know how to use anything else confidently. So I wasn’t really getting anywhere with that.
Josh: How did you find that contrasted with coming to and doing your first session at the DVCC?
Helen: What was great about coming to the DVCC was, first of all, you’re met with your smiling face as you come up the stairs and straight away you’re put at ease! The conversation starts and someone is actually interested in helping you. You feel different to start with; you feel part of it right at the beginning really.
Coming here I think it’s the fact that the sessions are fixed sessions so you have to come at a certain time and it helps you to get into a routine. It’s the routine really that is more beneficial probably than setting your own goals, because you’re given the tools right from the beginning, with the MDS and the habit builder etc. Those are the tools that you can work into your own *life, however way it works for you really.
And that’s what I’ve done, I’ve got my own way of doing it that seems to be working for me. I’ve got my own daily routine process for during the week that I stick to – and it just works.
Josh: Well it’s true - your results are a testament to that. You actually touched on a few things that we do here at the DVCC: the MDS and the transformation habits. Have you got a particular part of the Real You transformation process that has been your favourite or that you’ve found the most beneficial for you?
Helen: Yes, I think it’s the fact that you learn about nutrition and what is the right sort of thing to eat. I didn’t know about this before; had I known years ago, I would probably be a lot healthier than I am now!
Josh: So the education side of things?
Helen: The education side of it, yes, is what I’ve really embraced I think. That’s not only helped me, it’s helped the rest of my family because we’re all eating the same way now and we’ve all had results off the back of it, as you know.
Josh: Yes, well, it runs in the family! Because Helen’s daughter came to the DVCC as well and has also achieved amazing results; so there must be something that you’re eating at home that is doing the whole family some good there!
Did you expect it to work as well as it has done for you?
Helen: No, I’ve surprised myself, and I think what helps it to work is the fact that you get the support from the trainers, and from everybody else that trains here. The people that train here are very focused and driven, but they’re fun. You come up here and the atmosphere is great; it’s like you’re with friends really – and that what makes me come I think. Alright, I’m in the routine and I would feel awful if I didn’t go, but coming up here we have a laugh and it’s fun, but it’s hard work at the same time, and it’s good for you – and it’s great, yes.
Josh: I like that; you said about having friends here. If you were to describe the DVCC to some of your friends who don’t go, what would you say it’s like?
Helen: It’s not like any other – I wouldn’t even call it a gym; it encompasses everything about being healthy – and it’s a health centre really isn’t it, more than a gym, it’s friendly.
Josh: Finally, if someone out there listening has done diets: Cambridge diet, Weight Watchers, Slimming World etc. and they’ve had short term success but have gone up and down and they’re in the position that you were in – what would you say to them?
Helen: I’d say that if you want results, then that is not the way to do it, it really isn’t; you need to change your lifestyle and this is what this is – it’s a lifestyle change and, from my perspective, I’m not in it for the short term goals that you get from Slimming World and Weight Watchers, I’m in it for the long term.
When I’m older, I want to be healthy enough and mobile; I want to look youthful. I do feel like that actually helps, because the food I’m eating now, drinking the water and everything, it’s affected my skin - and my mood! I’m a lot happier, I’m a lot healthier; my whole outlook on *life has changed.
I don’t want to sit in front of a box on the wall in my living room; I want to come up here and have some fun and meet people, and have a laugh – and actually get healthy, that’s what I want.
Josh: Helen, that is awesome to hear; I’m so glad that you have achieved the results and long may it continue.
So guys, hopefully you’ve found something useful there that you can implement in your transformations. Thank you very much for listening again and I shall be back with you guys soon. Have a nice evening.
