Inspirational stories: How Claire lost 6 stone

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We often assume that the people we see in the gym with sculpted abs and amazing muscle definition were born that way, or are just naturally toned and slim. It’s much easier to believe that these people work just as hard as we do, but reap much greater rewards down to their own personal luck.

However, great success does not come to those who are simply lucky. Yes genetics do play a crucial part in people’s body shapes, but these can be altered if you work hard enough. Success comes to people who constantly challenge their bodies, work hard and commit themselves to a new way of life.

This is exactly what Claire Crowther, a member at Fitness First Clubs in Wrexham since 2011, pushed herself to do when she needed it the most. Claire tells us how she conjured up the motivation to lose 6 stone and change her life.

“At a small 5 foot 3, I tipped the scales at nearly 14 stone and I couldn’t bear to look at myself in the mirror. I was a comfort eater and stress meant that I reached for the ice cream and pizza all too often,” she commented.

“Being back at uni and dealing with shift work as a student midwife meant that I relied on convenience foods and told myself I was too busy to exercise. My weight got out of control and I was bursting out of my uniform.

“My long term health was in jeopardy, I was classed as morbidly obese and I was a bad role model for my daughter. I couldn’t stand the person looking back at me in the mirror, every photo of me was so bad that I deleted them off the camera to avoid having to look at myself and I had refused to ever get married to my (then) boyfriend while I was overweight.

“One afternoon I was on placement on the labour ward and the husband of a patient who I was caring for made a comment about my weight. I was mortified and although I knew he was right, the fact that a total stranger had said this to me left me feeling upset, but also determined to change myself.

“Within 10 months I had lost 4 stone through joining a slimming club with my partner. I felt great and my eating habits had been completely overhauled, but I was still unfit and found that my weight loss had slowed down. It was at this stage in September 2011 that I joined DW Wrexham.

“I was terrified the first time I walked on to the gym floor, I had no clue what to do or where to start, but my sister was a member and she introduced me to group exercise. Being the kid that always had a sick note for PE and having spent my entire adult life loving life sitting on the sofa, I had always hated the idea of jumping around getting sweaty, but I knew I had to do something. Little did I know that I would get totally addicted!

“First I tried bodycombat, then spin and finally bodyattack and bodypump. I loved the buzz that I got from completing a workout and soon made new friends. Not only was the gym a place to get fit and help me reach my goals but it also became a social outlet and I found myself spending more and more time attending different classes. My weight loss continued and by August 2012 I had lost over 6 stone and was a UK size 6! My partner proposed and I said ‘yes’ knowing that I could finally go and buy a wedding dress with confidence knowing that I wouldn’t look like a ‘fat bride’.

“Since then my fitness goals have moved on and working out has become an integral part of my life. I am now qualified as a midwife and work my sessions out around my work and my commitment to my daughter. I got married in October 2014 and in the run up to the wedding I started to work with Genna Loskutnikov, a PT at DW. He introduced me to resistance training and I started to see my body change in a way that I had not seen before. I soon found a buzz from working out on the gym floor and decided after the wedding to challenge myself and my body again, and entered a body transformation challenge alongside my husband with a full-on nutrition plan and intense training sessions devised by Genna.

“The support of my husband was integral to the success of my weight loss and working to a goal together again felt great. We are 1 week away from the end of the 17-week challenge and we cannot believe the change in our bodies. I have now transformed my body twice, firstly from obese to healthy and now from healthy to athletic. I now have a lean and toned physique that I am totally proud of and I am hoping to compete in a fitness competition next year alongside my husband who has seen phenomenal change in his physique. We can’t believe that we both have ripped abs now when a few years ago we had rolls!

“The support of our PT at DW and the commitment that we gave to our health and fitness has completely changed both our lives. I cannot imagine my life without training and when I reach my goals I set a new one. I never allow myself to get bored by doing this and I am always improving myself. My daughter is in awe of my achievement and now I can honestly say I am a good role model for her. I feel amazing, my health is improved and I no longer hate the person staring back at me in the mirror and I have the confidence to go out and live my life to the full.

“I get several messages a week from people asking me how I did it and I always say anyone can do this, you just need to make one small change and then keep making more small changes, keep your goals fresh and your mind focused and eventually you could very well be that ‘before and after shot’ that others look up to! I am nothing special, I am not super human, I just knew I needed to change and I did it.... and so can anyone else!”

Claire’s story is truly inspiring and just shows the kind of amazing progress you can make with determination, hard work and support from the people around you. Discover how Claire's husband, Steve Crowther, also worked hard to achieve his goals here.

If you want to push your fitness to the next level or kick start your weight loss, then why not book a free consultation with a personal trainer at Fitness First Clubs? You never know, you might become our next inspirational story.