Sarah Panter's Story

Sarah makes the press with her fantastic weight loss story

This artcile was taken from Devon's Express & Echo newspaper. Have you got a Lunch Box Diet Story to share? If so then drop us an email and we'll add it to the site. Simply click on the image to load:

Exeter NHS worker Sarah Panter tells how she improved not only her fitness, but her general health with the help and advice of a personal trainer

 

When Sarah Panter decided to enlist the help of a personal trainer, her primary aim was to get fit enough to run the Race for Life.With the help of Simon Lovell, at Fitness First in Exeter, she has not only improved her fitness levels but also shed 1st 7lb.


"I joined Fitness First about three years ago," said 41-year-old Sarah.

"I had been doing my own thing and hoping I was doing it right, but I was obviously doing the wrong type of exercises for what I wanted to achieve.

"Just over a year ago, I lost my mother-in-law to cancer and I wanted to enter the Race for Life for Cancer Research.

"I knew I wasn't going to get round very fast without stopping to get my breath, so I went to Fitness First."

That was in June. At the time, Sarah, an NHS worker from Whipton, weighed 12st 7lb, or 77.4kg, and wasn't happy with the way she looked. But her immediate goal was to get in shape for the Race for Life.

"Simon said he would take me for the first half-an -hour and build it up from there," said Sarah.

"It started once a month and now it's once a week. I've been running, either on the treadmill or outside, using weights, all the things that will improve my fitness.

"I did the Race for Life and ran and walked, and it took me just over 35 minutes to do 5k. Now, it would take me a lot less."

Simon not only encourages his clients to work hard in the gym, but also to make lifestyle changes at home and at work which will make them healthier and fitter. This includes advising them on proper nutrition.

He said: "We talked about nutrition quite early on. I have devised a healthy eating regime, called The Lunch Box Diet, which introduces the 'eat little and often' idea to people who normally snack out in work time. It's an ideal solution for everyone because it enables you to eat regularly and healthily.

"The idea is to invest in an airtight lunch box, which you fill with food and take to work with you. You pick from three food groups: vegetables, proteins, and fats like seeds and dressings. You fill a box daily with something different, eat a normal breakfast and normal evening meal and pick from the box throughout the day. You are grazing not gorging.

"If you are not eating as regularly as you should, your metabolism slows down. Grazing kick-starts your metabolism and provides your body with nutrients, eliminates bad fats and bloating, and increases energy levels."

In the last nine months, Sarah has dropped from a size 16-18 to a 12-14, and now weighs 11st (69.5kg). Instead of snacking on pasties, crisps and sandwiches between mealtimes, she now fills her lunchbox with different foods from Simon's list.

"One day I'll have avocado, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber for vegetables; a chicken breast for protein; and some balsamic vinegar, pepper and seasoning," she said.

"There must be thousands of different combinations and I started to see the results straight away. My other half, Bob, has started the box and he loves it, too.

"The weight loss is definitely down to Simon and . I'm much fitter. I suffer from eczema and ever since I've been on his diet it's practically gone. My doctor is so impressed. And I'm definitely happier, especially with my size. I've had to buy a new wardrobe."

This year Sarah has a new goal - to wear her old bikini when she goes on holiday in June.

"I last wore it about 10 years ago and it's a size 10," she said. "I can't do the Race for Life this year, but some girls in the office go out running and they can't wait for me to join them."

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