Trish is now 35kg lighter, thanks to Fatburners Sunshine Coast Personal Fitness Trainers

“Matt has introduced me to a new life & helped me say goodbye to 35kg!!!”
…Patricia Smith, Kenilworth

“Every photo you see below where I’m holding a barbell weight - that’s the weight that I actually lost - & let me tell you, holding 30kg makes you realise the enormity of it all - it feels like a ton!”...Trish

My Starting Point, pre-Fatburners
“I have been overweight since I left high school.”
 I was always active in and into a lot of sports at school, so never had a problem with my weight, but as soon as I stopped, it start to creep on. I then got married and had two children. With each child it crept on and never came off. I have spent the last 3½ years living in Central Western Qld, where:
1. It was just too hot to go out & exercise
2.  I was working all the time.
The town we lived in wasn’t very big and wasn’t exactly overrun with gym and aerobics studios. To cut a long story short, I spent most of the 3½ years inactive, sitting on my bum in an office, eating too much. I made a deal with my husband when we moved back to the Sunshine Coast that I was going to take some time out of work and look after myself. So I signed on with Matt at the end of January 2008.
(I should have stayed at work!!!—Just kidding).

5kgs lost
"I thought if I can do this, I can do anything..."
The first couple of weeks, I won’t lie, were absolute hell. Everything hurt. I was constantly tired. I thought I would die on that treadmill, as Matt pushed me like I had never been pushed before. And the weight started to come off. We set a goal of ½ to 1 kg a week, and I have done this every week bar one. (That week, I put on 100gms, Ooops!) The first five kilo’s was the hardest, now it is becoming part of my life.

A turning point
I go to the gym every week day, and try to do other stuff on the weekend. A milestone for me, was making the walk up Mt Coolum last month I didn’t think I could do it, but with Matt’s help (& stubbornness) I got to the top, and have a picture to prove it. This was a turning point for me. I thought if I can do this, I can do anything. So sit back, and see you guys when the next 5kg’s come off. SOON...Thanks Matt.

10kgs lost
"I have now lost 10 kilos in 3 months and it feels great..."
Well I did it, people. I have now lost 10kg in 3 months and it feels great. This last 5kg has not been easy as I have been carrying some injuries with me. I tore my calf muscle, twisted my ankle and aggravated my Achilles tendon, all in the same leg.
It was very painful and quite difficult to walk, but I did not miss one day at the gym, which normally would have been the perfect excuse for me to not go, but I have adopted Matt's philosophy of "NO EXCUSES" and continued on which for me is another huge turning point. Matt just wrote me a new fitness program to work around my injuries and off I went.

Walks, steps & a little jog
I have conquered Mt Coolum again, walked the track at Kondalilla Falls, been up Carter Road in Nambour (which is quite steep for those of you who don't live in this area) without stopping and even managed to break into a little jog for the first time in about 6 weeks, and I have done many trips up and down the stairs at Koala Park in Nambour, preparing for my next challenge—to climb the fire stairs in the Royal Palm Resort on the Gold Coast, approximately 1000 stairs, in July with some of my fellow Fatburner friends. See you soon...

15kgs lost
"I had truly inspired him with my desire to succeed..."
I have 3 significant events this time to report that have inspired me to continue.
Event No.1: I went to FootWorks in Nambour for new runners, (Matt works me so hard I have worn out a pair in six months), I was served by a fantastic guy called Neil. I tested out the shoes by walking to the end of the shop and then running back.
During this time we struck up a conversation about what I was doing & he was very interested in what I had to say. He was so impressed with what I had been doing, he gave me a discount on my shoes plus a pair of socks for free.
But there's more. I went back to Footworks a week later to get some more socks, & Neil tells me that I had truly inspired him with my desire to succeed, simply because I had run down the length of the shop to test the shoes. Apparently nobody does this! He then asked permission to keep in touch via email, or me dropping into the store, as he wants to know how I am going in my weight loss journey, & until then he was a complete stranger!

Event No.2: Matt & Jenny competed in the "Pomona King of the Mountain" race last weekend. They cut their times by 5 minutes & the weather was absolutely dismal. When Jenny finished, she told me, that I was her inspiration that day, because  a couple of months ago, I climbed the mountain at Mt Coolum all the way to the top in similar conditions. She said when the going got tough she pictured me slogging up the mountain, and it made her keep pushing herself. For me, being told I am an inspiration to someone, doesn't sit particularly well with me. I am not in this for anyone but me, but if I inspire someone else to succeed, I guess I will have to deal with it. Jen, I am truly flattered by your comments & your support. And Matt you are my daily inspiration—despite the names I sometimes call you.

The 3rd & final event was the inaugural Fatburner's Stair Challenge that I completed this weekend. I made it to the top of a 24-storey building, not only once, but three times!
I didn't win, I didn't set the world on fire with my times & I didn't come last, which for me hasn't happened in a long, long time. 1500 stairs in one hour. BUT, I was well and truly shattered.
See you all in another 5kg's…

20kgs lost
"Matt got me back on track with his 4-Week NIL EXS (No Excuses) Challenge..."
"20kg's! Woohoo! Finally made it. What a struggle it has been. This last 10 kilos has been so much harder to lose than the first 10kg. I think I hit a bit of a plateau. Training my butt off, but only losing a couple of hundred grams & then getting discouraged & eating badly & putting on a couple of hundred grams. There were lots of little ups and downs this time. But Matt got me back on track with his 4 -Week NIL EXS (No Excuses) Challenge. It was a challenge where he asked people to choose something they wanted to attain in 4 weeks & let him know. This made us accountable to him.

My NIL EXS Challenge
We had to email him weekly with what we had done to achieve this goal. At the time I had lost 16kg, so my goal was to reach the 20kg mark. It was a big ask, I would have to lose a kilo a week for four weeks in a row. So we set some new programs in place, pumped up the training, & I was very strict on my food. I think I only blew out my calories three or four times in that month. And I ran, yes RAN. On the treadmill, on the stairs & on the oval. Thanks to Adam who takes some of the night classes, I have also started attending these & he refused to let me walk, & if I did, I would hear this South African accent yelling "stride it out Patricia".
Commitment deep, mountain high
Last week was the first week that I didn't have to walk around the oval in Wednesday night's Sweat class. Woo Hoo! Well that was on the first lap, second one doesn't count!!! Does it??? Well I didn't quite make the four kilos in four weeks, it actually took me six. But I did it. NO EXCUSES. I have climbed Pomona Mountain again—twice. Cut my previous time by 20 minutes, which I was completely stoked about. I have climbed Cooroy Mountain for the first time & possibly the last. She is a high mountain & steep & the track is quite rough! I am now in training for our next challenge. Climbing the Storey Bridge in Brisbane plus jumping in a two paddle kayak on the Brisbane River. Should be fun, I can't wait.
A BIG thank you to my heroes who love & support me
In closing, I would like to say a big thank you to the people who have been of huge support to me in my journey. My husband, who pays for my sessions & supports me no matter what, (and never dobs me into Matt if he sees me eating chocolate!) My kids who constantly have to climb mountains with me on the weekends, Matt, my trainer and my friend, he always goes above and beyond to help me achieve my goals. Jen, Deb & Belinda are my own personal cheer squad. These girls are always the first to volunteer to climb mountains with me & are always, coming back to keep me company if I fall behind in class, often doing extra laps or extra trips up the hills so as to encourage me to finish. Thanks everyone, family & friends—you are my heroes.

25kgs lost
"When I get there, Matt and I are going to do a tandem parachute jump.
Woohoo, bring it on!"
25kg’s – I’m there, but what a battle. I know losing weight is supposed to be hard, but man, give me a break, let me get to the next five a little easier, PLEASE………I know I have said this before, but I truly think this has been the hardest 5kg’s ever to lose. It has been a huge battle up & down, up & down, but I did it. It feels kind of surreal to tell people I have lost 25kg’s—which I am totally stoked about, but because I obviously have still got a long way to go, it doesn’t really sink in as to what a HUGE number it is. But I am as of yesterday, over half way on my way to my first Major Goal which is to get back under 100kgs for the first time in a long, long time. When I get there, Matt & I are going to do a tandem parachute jump. Woohoo, bring it on!

The thing I have learnt through all of this is that you have to:
A ) Give your self time to achieve these goals, they don’t happen overnight or in a month, but if you keep working at it, it will happen. No Quitting, and B) Set yourself realistic goals, both short & long term. My short terms goals are every 5kg’s & my long term one is getting below 100kgs. Then you reassess when you get there what your next goal is going to be. And most importantly, celebrate your major goals when you achieve them, thus the jumping out of a perfectly good aeroplane at 10,000ft. Better than a block of chocolate, or so they reckon, but that was probably written by a man.

Sometimes rest is best
I did hit another hitch in my journey this time. Didn’t matter how much I exercised & watched what I ate, I just couldn’t shift those numbers on the scales. My body fat percentages were at an all-time low which is exactly what we wanted, but the actual weight wouldn’t shift. In the end, Matt made me take a week off, which felt really weird to me after having gone to the gym every day for a whole year. Not going when I wasn’t sick or injured was strange, but it actually gave my body a break & it worked. I have now dropped weight for the last 3 weeks in a row.
There have been no major injuries to report, just some niggling hip flex pain which stops me from running. But my awesome massage/acupuncture guy Mike, from the Nambour Acupuncture Clinic has kept me going. He has only had to ban me from the treadmill once for 2 weeks because the hip flex muscle would not stop hurting, so I just rode the bike & used the rowing machine instead. But you have to listen to these guys (whether it be a doctor, chiropractor or physio etc), when they say rest—you have to rest. Because there is some pain that yes, you can work through, but it won’t go away if you do. And just because you have to rest one part of you body, doesn’t mean you can’t work the rest of it. No excuses. There is always a way to get a good workout if you really want to.
My achievements since I last wrote—I climbed the Storey Bridge in Brisbane, & it was a walk in the park. Awesome views too. The two hour paddle down the Brisbane River was fantastic. I have climbed Mt Coolum again just before Christmas & in torrential rain. I am proud to say, I now have a new personal best time of 40 mins 55 secs. All the way to the top & back to the car park—a long way from the hour & a half it took me the first time! And the biggest news is that I have decided to train to be a personal trainer! I have enrolled to do a Cert 3 & Cert 4 of Fitness by correspondence and my aim is to have finished the course by the time I reach my goal weight. It is a good motivator for me to keeping going, because, no one is going to hire a overweight personal trainer, are they?
Anyway that’s all from me for this time, see you at 30kg’s & remember NO EXCUSES!!!!!!

30kgs lost
"...because there is no room in me for failure anymore!"
Well here we are again, another 5kg's gone adding up to a grand total of 30kg's lost. Such a huge number, yet still nowhere near my goal. I am excited & extremely proud of what I have achieved, but sometimes it feels like this journey will never end. I know it will, because there is no room in me for failure anymore.
Tomorrow is always new day
I recently said to someone when they were suffering from a bout of being unmotivated…It doesn't matter if you have had a bad day, a bad week or even if you’ve done nothing for a month— tomorrow is a new day. Make it the start of better things to come. It doesn't matter what has happened in the past—just focus on what you want to happen in the future, & make it happen. So that it what I am going to do.
No injuries to report during this 5kg loss apart from some minor muscle strains, which is fantastic. I take this as a sign that my body is adapting to my new way of life & is not being tortured by carrying so much excess weight.
Running up those hills
I have broken my own records on the mountain in the last couple of months. Mt Coolum I can now do in 36 minutes (to the top and back to bottom) & Pomona, 1hr & 3 minutes. Woohoo, it feels great to do these hills faster, as it is a sure sign that I am getting fitter (or stupider & taking more risks!) Either way, I AM GETTING FITTER as I get thinner. I am off to my first boot camp weekend, this weekend. I can't wait for the torture to begin. Will be interesting to see how I keep up with the skinny chicks!!!!!
That's all I have for you this time.....But remember, NO EXCUSES !! Get out there and just DO IT....................... get active, get sweaty & get fit for life. Ciao (that means Cya)
…Trish

35kgs lost
"...35kg — what a year!"



Well guys, I’ve finally done it. I have now lost 35kg’s. This last 5kg has taken over a year to lose but it’s been worth it.  The last year has been more about me changing my life & doing new things than the weight loss.  Sure I would have been happier if the weight was coming off faster, but you can’t let the scales run your life. It’s also about learning that sometimes things come up in life that stop you from achieving some goals but it’s not a reason to give up. This year I had planned to run in the Pomona King of the Mountain race. I trained & trained, but did some damage to a cartilage in my knee, which ended in me having keyhole surgery on it the week before the race & still being on crutches on race day.  But I didn’t give up on what I really want, which is to be fitter, healthier & smaller. I continue to train hard; only missed one week of training due to the surgery, in fact Matt (my nasty trainer) is pushing me harder than ever before. Sometimes things just happen for no reason & you just have to deal with it & move on. Don’t let the minor things in life throw you off course—use them to make you stronger & work harder to achieve the things you want.

I wore a sleeveless dress for the first time in YEARS
I went to a wedding in the last year & wore a sleeveless dress. First time since I was a teenager that I have gone out in public with my arms showing.  Wow! what a feeling.  It felt great, even though the weight loss has slowed, my body continues to change & shrink. Even better than that, I have studied hard & have become a qualified personal trainer in the last year.  Pretty crazy going from being the one being trained to being the trainer. I can tell you, it took some getting used to, but I love it. I love to help  people along on their own journey of weight loss & see the results of all their hard work. Some other stuff I have done this year: abseiling, surfing at Byron, indoor rock climbing, paintball skirmish (don’t let anyone tell you it doesn’t hurt—those paintball are HARD), boot camp, sand tobogganing, broke my toe playing beach soccer (sorry Jesse Roo, didn’t mean to kick you in the shins) & much much more.

The BIG buzz — meeting Shannan Ponton
The biggest buzz of my last year though, was meeting Shannan Ponton, the trainer from the TV show ‘The Biggest Loser’.  We invited Shannan to come to Fatburners gym where he ran a fitness session & then he gave a motivational talk after.  What a cool guy, not only did he run an awesome training session, in which I burnt 1000 calories in the hour, which is huge, but the talk he gave was awesome.  He was truly a genuine man who only cares that people get up off the couch & get fit & stay fit.  He was only too happy to share information with us (the Fatburners staff), & use any of his ideas.  He was sooooooooo cool, & gave great hugs.  (check out the photo of me & him) .  I have blown it up & it now sits proudly on the wall in my office.

I simply refuse to go back
People often say to me, “How did you keep going even when you weren’t losing weight?” Well my answer is, that I simply refuse to go back to where I was.  That’s not me anymore. I would rather maintain the weight I am now than go backwards. Whilst I still have days where I eat crappy food, I don’t keeping going & eat more crappy food.  Don’t let one bad day of eating turn into a week of bad eating & so on & so forth until you are back at the beginning. Clients often say to me, I ate too much at lunch so I thought I might as well eat bad for dinner too.  NO.  Make each meal a new beginning. Eat well, eat regularly, exercise often & drink loads & loads of water.

Cruisin’ into 2010
Here’s to the next 5kg’s coming off a little faster. I’m going on a cruise next February with my girlfriends from the gym, so there is another little motivation to keeping me going on my journey.  That’s the secret small attainable goals on the way to reaching the big goals.

Keep training hard. And to quote Shannan, “Train don’t complain”. And to quote me, “Don’t let the little things stop you in your tracks. Find a way around, through, under or over it.  It’s worth it to get to the end.

Ciao xxoo (that means Cya)
…Trish