Ruth Garbutt crosses the half-way point of her 10-week transformation, and the results so far are promising, particularly if her need for a new wardrobe is anything to go by!

Those of you who have been following the progress of our transformation either from our previous issue of the magazine or on BESTFIT TV will know that Ruth Garbutt, our transformee, has sailed through the first half of her 10-week schedule.

Ruth has worked hard throughout the first five weeks in her quest to regain her pre-pregnancy body, and is on course to reach her goals as she now enters the second phase under the watchful eye of PT Adam Haines.

SO FAR, SO GOOD 

“She’s been doing really well,” says Adam. “She lost 5kg of her total bodyweight after five weeks and dropped 2.5% of her body fat percentage while maintaining her muscle mass, which is exactly what we wanted to achieve. She has been very consistent, which is key. She loves the sessions and when she’s with me she comes in and gets the work done, and I know that she’s working hard at home too.”

“I’ve been going well and I’m feeling really good,” says Ruth. “I’ve started to notice little things about my body. For example, my clothes are starting to fit differently to the extent that anything I was wearing at the start of the year is now hanging off me. I’m feeling more energetic, too. I have more energy in the day and by night I’m tired and sore, definitely in pain – but in a good way, if you know what I mean! I have time to do more things. Before I started this process, I might have used an excuse to not go to the gym. However, being part of an actual process makes you accountable and so now I’m just fitting it into my life. Just having something to train for really helps you commit to the process. For me, I’m doing this transformation, but I can imagine training for an event would prove just as good a motivator.

“Weeks 3 and 4 were really positive for me,” continues Ruth. “Obviously, I know where I am making losses now, which acts as a great motivator, plus I’ve really enjoyed the training. In particular, I have loved training with weights, and training my legs, that’s been a load of fun.”

NUTRITION AND MOTIVATION

“I’m eating three planned meals a day, all roughly around 500 calories each, and I’m still able to have things like eggs on toast when some of my meals perhaps don’t provide the necessary calories I need. I’m amazed how great I’ve felt just by switching my diet up. I’ve been lucky in that my meals have all been supplied to me by Lean Lunch throughout this process, and I will miss them when this is over; continuing to eat the right things and having the time to cook those meals will be a real challenge, but eating well is definitely something I’m definitely keen to continue doing.

“The supplements have been amazing and they could be a big help when the supply of planned meals stop! I’ve been getting through a tub of the XTEND® HydraSport™ BCAAs a month. I’m definitely going to need to keep that coming in my life because it really helps aid my recovery. They’re just amazing, and they definitely keep me out of the cookie jar! They keep me hydrated, full and they’ve definitely helped me go hard again the next day. One thing I’ve noticed is that they stop me reaching for the Twix or whatever, I have no real hunger for the sweet things I used to eat.

“I’ve been checking into Shapewatch to check my body shape, too. The idea is that I can track where I’m gaining/losing weight/fat and see how my body is changing. I do this consistently every week, at the same time of the same day, to ensure I get the most accurate results. Seeing the difference on a weekly basis is a very good motivator, so that has been really helpful. I know I’m on track to lose 1kg each week, which was the aim, but I can also see it in my shape that I’m getting leaner, smoother, and there are less ripples! Ultimately, my aim is to get my strength back, so I’m really keen to develop my core and strengthen my back.”

THE HARD BITS

“The biggest thing for me has been the organisation involved to get out to the gym, largely because I have two kids. And, of course there have been moments where I’ve had doubts about the whole process, where I’ve wondered whether it would be too hard to fit everything in but you know what, it has been a lot easier than I thought. I think it helps to have someone help you through that. I’ve had Adam offer a lot of nutrition advice and who’s pushed me in my sessions, and I would wholeheartedly recommend you using a PT to get you on the right path for your own journey. You can use all the info you’re given to work out smarter when you’re on your own.

“The hardest part is spending more time away from my family. I’m having to train in the evening and so that cuts into the time I usually spend with my husband, though we have trained together at times when I’m due to train on my own. There are also times when I’m going to the gym in the day where I would usually be with the kids, but that’s a sacrifice I knew I was going to have to make when I started. It is what it is. I’ve also had a bit of flu, so I had to take a week to recover. On the whole, it’s been a great experience.”

THE NEXT PHASE

“Weeks 4 and 5 were the last phase of back and lower body specialisation and week 6 has been all about the shoulders,” says Adam. “Ruth’s schedule continues to include two workouts a week, and then we add in cardio as well. When we get to week 8, we’ll see where Ruth’s at and switch it up with either high intensity training, or we switch to a different body part.”

THE SUPPLEMENTS

“Ruth is using, and loving, the XTEND® HydraSport™ BCAAs,” says Adam.

“She’s taking these throughout the day to top up her electrolytes and to maintain her hydration levels. She’s not a huge fan of drinking water and because these are flavoured, they’re helping her get what she needs. These are really handy because she’s in a calorific deficit, and so the BCAAs increase her protein synthesis, which increases the wastage on the muscle. She’s finding these have really been aiding her recovery, and curing her sweet tooth fix!

“Ruth doesn’t use the Cellucor® C4® Sport every day, but if she’s struggling for energy – she might have had a long day with the kids – she can take this 25 minutes before her session and that helps push her through her sessions,” adds Adam.

For more information about the Shapewatch, visit: www.shapewatch.com

To order the supplements, visit: www.hollandandbarrett.com

For more information about Lean Lunch, visit: www.leanlunch.co.uk

Fitness Space gyms are UK-wide. Visit: www.fitnessspace.com

WIN!

We’ve got 10 of the stacks used by Ruth, of the Xtend HydraSport®, to give away, thanks to the kind folk at XTEND®. All you need to do to be in with a chance, is tag both XTEND® and @bestfitmagazine on Twitter using the hashtag #bestfittransformation