My whole lifestyle transformation began in January 2018 but I never thought at that point it would be so immense and so rewarding. I was at a point in my life when the weight was piling on, I’d lost all my self-esteem and self-worth, I had a few negative things going on in my personal life and just lost interest in everything. I was just going through the motions from day to day and it felt like I was living under a dark cloud with a big weight on my shoulders. I knew something needed to change if I was ever going to feel happy again but I didn’t know how to make it happen.

This is when, for me, I took the first and hardest step by actually asking for help from Mark at Zenith Fit and I started following his Fit For Life program.

The most significant change is my relationship with food. I still use many of Mark’s recipes and have even invested in some cookbooks. I now cook almost everything from scratch, plan all my meals at the beginning of the week and prepare as much as possible beforehand. I make up all my lunchboxes for work on a Monday so I know exactly what I will be having for the working week ahead, then I use MyFitnessPal to track the calories all in one go. Yes, it took me a while to get used to doing this and yes, it was time consuming and a bit of a pain to start with but it soon became a habit and it does make life so much easier and less stressful for the rest of the week. I am now more aware of calories in food and their nutritional value so I can make better food choices without thinking too much about it. The old me would come home from work and grab the first thing I could out of the freezer which would be something covered in breadcrumbs, batter or pastry. That was if I hadn’t already been to the Supermarket to pick up a ready-meal and some more equally unhealthy snacks.

Getting to grips with exercise and going to the gym took a little bit longer to feel comfortable with as I thought everyone would be looking at me, when in fact they’re too focused on doing their own thing to even notice or care. Exercise gives me such a boost and increased energy levels I am now a regular user of the gym and leisure centre and if I didn’t have to work to keep myself in trainers and sports gear I would more than likely be there more often.

2 years on and my whole lifestyle and mindset is so far removed from the old one physically, mentally and aesthetically I find it hard to put into words, but I know I will never look back. Once the weight started dropping off everything else just started to fall back into place. I am now at a point when I have never been happier, healthier or fitter and training to run my first marathon. I don’t know how this will pan out but the mere fact that I have gained enough confidence back to even give it a go is testament to the way I have turned my life around, which would never have happened without the help of Zenith Fit. I still have times when my motivation falls and I question why I live the life I do. This is when I look at the progress photos to see how far I have come, remind myself why I chose to change my life, have worked hard to get it and I am not going to give it up.