Left: Maria at 158 pounds. Right: In December Fiona weighed 175 pounds. - Contributed photos

Fiona Forbes always had a problem with her weight. At thirty-three years old, she has always been trying various diets and exercising. At times she would lose some of the weight but then she would regain it. One day she was doing a client's hair when another asked her if she was pregnant. She was weighing 175 pounds at five feet tall.

"I felt bad. I always had a problem with my weight; even when I was smaller I thought I was too big. After that I decided I needed to do something about this."

That was where All About You Fitness Studio and personal trainer Nicholas Pratt came in.

Fiona's dream was to have the confidence to stop wearing oversized clothing and get a 'washboard stomach'. In three months she has lost 25 pounds.

Training partner

Fiona's training partner and fellow cosmetologist Maria Cuckham never felt comfortable in her clothes, at 158 pounds and five foot three inches tall. "My clothes never looked right. There were things hanging off at the sides; the top couldn't cover my tummy or my bottom, I just did not look right."

Exercise

"You have to deal with the mind," said personal trainer Nicholas Pratt. "Exercise complements diet, not the other way around. Exercise gets the body toned. It's a lifestyle change." That's the approach he has taken with his two clients. He tells them that they are not on a diet. He insists that they have three well-balanced meals each day and two 'healthy' snacks. "In my mind, if you eat less you won't get fat," notes Fiona, though she admits that she used to eat a lot of junk food. Both admit that eating properly has been the hardest part for them.

"The key is to stay away from processed carbohydrates in the night," notes Pratt, who recommends high protein such as chicken breasts, tuna, salmon and other lean meat. They have also included more fruits and vegetables in their diet.

Their strict diet is complementedby an exercise routine comprising klymetrics (jumping and hops) and cardio. Their programme is changed every three weeks because if the body becomes used to a routine, it becomes ineffective.

This may seem like a lot, but for Fiona, who has lost eight inches off her waist, the more she sees the improvement, the more she's motivated to do exactly what her trainer tells her. Maria is also pushing through to her target weight of 133 pounds. "Now my clothes are falling off me," she told Flair with a laugh. In six months she has lost 25 pounds.

Pratt notes that there is no healthy way to lose weight fast. He also recommends anyone who is about to start an exercise routine to get a personal trainer, at least for the first month.

All About You Fitness Studio is located at 7 Goodwood Terrace. 925-6630.

Left: The more Fiona sees the result of her training, the more she is motivated to reach her target weight. Right: Maria is on her way to getting the body she's comfortable with. - photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer