So my weight loss journey continues – four years since I hit 30 and everything went, well, barrel-shaped. My latest adventure was a 6-week programme with local trainer Jango Alptekin, who combines a meal plan with training sessions that can fit around your work and home commitments. No need to lock yourself away at a bootcamp house, with this plan you can work, rest, play (well, no alcohol), and train your way to fitness. My results are not unusual. His website is full of photos of dramatic transformations.
As someone who has tried, and written about, many training programmes, I can say with confidence that his approach is unique. The training sessions are tough but, for me, the eating plan was tougher. I eat on the run, mainly due to work commitments. Jango demands ‘clean eating’ – that is, nutritious, homemade meals. No wheat, no caffeine, no dairy, no alcohol, no processed foods. Instead, I spend a fortune on organic meat and supplements.
But I could build everything up gradually and now my cupboard is full of ingredients to make healthy meals that taste great. The best eating plans make you try something new that you love. Well, I’m now addicted to green tea with lemon in the mornings – I won’t be going back to my usual double espresso – and I cook everything in coconut oil.
A typical day would consist of a kale omelette for breakfast; chicken with a squeeze of lemon and lots of organic salad for lunch; organic steak with parnsip and sweet potato chips and watercress for dinner. Now you can’t complain about that!
The menu changed every week so there was always a new recipe to try. What’s more, every training session was different (and difficult). I really struggled with training, actually. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy it, I was just so stressed out with work and home life that I found it hard to focus. I found that frustrating and I’m sure Jango did too.
As you can see, the plan is particularly effective for women who want to change their body shape, particularly those battling the bulge around the waist. That suited me, of course, being apple-shaped and prone to stress- and booze-related bloating. However I found the training sessions were full of all shapes and sizes and yes, even a couple of guys. The ‘beginners’ like me (I’ve not exercised for a while) are thrown right in with the Jango devotees. And when times got tough, I was frequently inspired by my training mates – 99% had a very positive attitude and 90% already had a body to envy.
I did slip up with a glass of wine halfway through the plan; and I could have worked harder in the training sessions. So to have got the results I have, when I know I could have done 30% more work, it pretty fantastic. Obviously the biggest change wasn’t on the tape measure or on the scales, it was my body shape. That’s exactly what I wanted, and exactly what I got.
Jango’s 6-week Body Transformation, Bournemouth
www.jangohealthandfitness.co.uk
£127
Weight: Before 10 stone 1 After 9 stone 8
Body fat: Before 26.1% After 23.7%
Waist: Before 79cm (31 inches) After 73cm (28 inches)
