‘I WAS WOBBLY AND UNFIT... FLATTER AND I’VE DROPPED

MICHELLE BROPHY,

44, is a marketing consultant and lives in Kings Hill, Kent, with her partner and two sons. Her starting weight was 11st 6lb and she is 5ft 8in. Michelle, right, says: ‘I’d always been a regular gym-goer and played competitive tennis but I gave up last year as I was just too busy and have done nothing except a few runs. Yet I have continued to drink at least two bottles of wine every weekend and tucked into cakes and biscuits at the office. I’ve gained 10lb and gone from a size 12 to a 14 in six months. I used to feel strong and toned, now I feel wobbly and unfit.’

GOAL

Drop a dress size, regain waistline.

THE PLAN

Paul Williams, personal trainer at Virgin Active in Rochester, Kent, says: ‘Michelle’s plan involves a mixture of long runs and hill sprints outdoors as she has done some running in the past, and to kickstart her fat burning – a 45-minute run can burn up to 800 calories. We focused on circuit training in the gym, doing short, sharp bursts of box jumps, squats and press-ups to get her heart rate up and burn fat. Squats and weight training also helped tone Michelle’s hip and thigh areas. Michelle is eating too many refined carbohydrates in the evenings, which won’t help the weight loss. Alcohol packs a lot of empty calories – a glass of wine is 250 calories – but cutting out booze altogether around Christmas can be difficult so I advised Michelle to try a vodka and slimline tonic to cut down on the calories.’

SIX WEEKS LATER

Michelle says: ‘My stomach is flatter, my thighs and upper arms are trimmer and I want to drop another dress size by the end of February. I now drink half wine, half soda water spritzers, and swapped my lunchtime sandwiches for a bowl of soup with a few slices of meat to fill me up. I have sweet potato instead of white potatoes and pasta for dinner.’

Paul says: ‘Although Michelle hasn’t lost weight, she’s replaced fat with muscle and has lost an incredible 8in all over. If she wants to drop another dress size, she should put together a new four- to six-week plan and aim for five workouts a week. To maximise fat burning, she should vary exercises so her body doesn’t get used to the same repetitive actions. Circuit classes are great for this.’

Dr Ashton says: ‘Michelle has lost several inches from around her middle – a good thing, as abdominal fat is the most dangerous type as it is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and breast cancer.’