A decade of proud Success Stories

Over a decade of success stories - creating long-lasting results and making clients fitter, stronger, slimmer and happier for life.

Karma – lost over 4 stones, dropped four dress sizes and integrated exercise into her now sporty life on a permanent basis.

“All I wanted was to lose 2 stone and feel happy in my dress at my sister’s wedding; what you actually managed to get me to do was to get me to lose 4 stone; wear a size 12 dress at the wedding; improve my overall health allowing me to manage the dreaded menopause better; increase my confidence to socialise more; start a sport and actually compete in it (and hit a sub-8 minute 2k row – woo hoo!) and give me a feeling I can do anything with the right level of effort and most importantly with the support and training advice and motivating me when I needed it most. Thank you! Especially for the motivation and pushing me past my own barriers”.

Nick – health improvements so dramatic his GP thought the measurements were wrong.

“Since your last assessment you have arranged regular sessions with a personal trainer; this has helped to reduce your body fat percentage, fitness, cholesterol levels, LDL cholesterol levels and waist/height ratio – well done! Changes to your diet incorporate a healthy balance of fruit and vegetables and limited saturated fat, which is reflected by a significant improvement in your cholesterol profile. Based on your cholesterol level, and other parameters, we worked out that you have a 4% chance of having coronary heart disease in the next 10 years, which is much better than the average for your age of 14%.” Nick is now known as “iron man Nick” having won our plank challenge with an 11 min plank.

Diana – 8 stones weight loss, from struggling with stairs to national champion.

Diana has lost over 8 stone training with us and has discovered a knack for indoor rowing. She now sports 2 British national gold medals, one silver and holds the world record for the women masters indoor rowing team relay.

“I was a fit and slim teenager but long hours desk-bound in a high pressure job combined with over-indulgent eating habits had led to an inexorable, steady increase in weight so that by my mid-50s I had weighed in around 17-19 stone for several years. Two years into training and the fitness improvements have been dramatic: I’ve gone from not being able to walk up a local hill without puffing to just having returned from Chile and Bolivia trekking and walking up mountains at over 5,000 meters (over 16,000 ft). I now dance, run, play badminton, kayak and still train 3 times a week. And the weight is staying off. It’s been a truly life-changing experience.”

Sharon – working with Diets Don’t Work helped Sharon lose over 3½ stone and run the UK Asthma 10k.

“Working with Diets Don’t Work has been fun, challenging and very, very effective! I don’t cover my bottom with a jumper when I go shopping anymore! And it’s great to have a few hours a week dedicated solely to me with no interruptions!”

Sharon has gone from being able to jog for around 30 seconds to finishing her first 10k run for Asthma UK in a little over 60 minutes. Lucy the Labrador has also lost a few kilos and reports feeling slimmer and fitter too. We’ve designed both her nutritional and fitness programs to accommodate her PCOS while keeping it realistic but challenging. Although this common condition can make weight loss difficult it’s not impossible with the right approach.

Trevor – with the aim of making it onto the senior pro tour Trevor is now over 1.5 stones lighter whilst hitting the ball farther, straighter and with more control.

With a real shot at making it onto the senior tour in a few years, scratch golfer Trevor decided to enlist professional help from a Diets Don’t Work Personal Trainer.

“Having struggled with my weight and the motivation to make myself really fit for golf, I decided it was time to take it to the next level and signed up to the fit for golf program. I’m now a stone and a half lighter, driving the ball at least 20 yards farther and keeping it straight. I can feel that the exercises we do are really focused on golf – when I’m hitting the ball I am now transferring all the power of the swing through a solid core, not a spongy middle. My stamina is also much improved so that after 18 holes I could easily do another 9. My trainer has also worked through my postural and injury issues which has helped to make me much more upright and kept me playing at my best.

Most importantly I don’t just feel fit for golf but fitter for life. I’m much more alert, active and energised. The personal training really is the difference between thinking about exercise and actually doing it. Even my wife says I look great!”.*

Carol – two stones lost, an amazing new figure, now an enthusiastic road cyclist and committed to a healthy lifestyle

Carol has lost over 2 stones and 5 inches from her waist. She is also really fit, healthy and toned – a bit of a star pupil actually. She is now fully committed to a healthy lifestyle, is just a little addicted to exercise but still knows how to have a good time. She is currently training to join a weekly 70-mile club-level cycle ride.

“I had tried to lose weight and get fit many times in the past – on my own – with various fad dieting routines. I always did well initially but then would have a bad week, put a bit of weight on, get demoralised and give up! My trainer has shown me that weight loss and fitness needs to be a lifestyle choice, not just for a few weeks. The strength training has really worked to flatten my tummy and tone my arms, and I now know that if I can be generally good with food and exercise I can have wine and cakes sometimes too! I never thought I’d say this, but when I can’t go I really miss the gym! I’m keeping the weight off, my husband is struggling to keep up with my cycling, I’m loving it! All my friends can’t believe how amazing I look.”

Frances – New York marathon finisher and prize winner against all odds

Frances felt a marathon was beyond her but with determination and training anything is possible. With her trainer’s help, she not only finished but won multiple prizes. She continues personal training to stay fit and flexible.

When Frances told us of her decision to enter the New York marathon, there were some raised eyebrows and more than a little concern. Although she had made excellent progress over the previous few months of personal training with Diets Don’t Work, both losing weight and toning up, we still felt that at 14 stone, attempting a race at full marathon distance could be potentially damaging to her long term health. Frances however was determined to do it. So we began a specially designed programme for her.

Frances not only finished the race but received the inaugural “I stuck it out” award (appropriately sponsored by duct tape) as the last person to finish before the cut off time of 8 hours 30 mins, receiving a medal and several pairs of flashy new trainers. She is absolute proof that anything is possible with determination, focused training and some professional expertise.

Vanessa – Great North Run in 2hrs 30 min and old clothes finally fitting again.

”I went to Diets Don’t Work because, having spent four months getting nowhere with my training for the half-marathon 2006 Great North Run, I knew I needed to get help. Trainer Annie was happy for my dog Mickey to join us on our runs and always made our sessions fun and different. She encouraged me to do more than I thought I could do, but she also never gave me a hard time if I just couldn’t do it. After two sessions a week for three months Annie gave me such confidence that I did the Great North Run in my target time of 2hrs 30mins 04secs. It was a very hard run for me but every time it got tough I would remember Annie’s refrain “focus on my core” and somehow that made it easier again and off I would go.
I can’t speak highly enough of having Annie as my trainer – there’s no way I would have done the run without her. She also helped me become so much better about my food and I have slimmed my shape so that suddenly clothes that hadn’t been near me for years are now fitting! With all those benefits, I couldn’t bear the thought of not having Annie as my trainer! So now we meet once a week and the sessions continue to be fun and always leave me with a sense of achievement. From a 2 second plank I’m now up to a 60 second plank – how cool is that?”

Wendy – from a size 16 to a size 12 then surprise Benidorm Marathon finisher.

Wendy initially came to Diets Don’t Work to lose weight and get back to a size 12. With the help of her DDW Personal Trainer, improvements (both in fitness and dress size) soon came. And having never really run before (20 minutes was a struggle), Wendy was being tempted to enter the Trans Sahara Run! As this involves fighting through 50 degree heat for days on end we persuaded her to attempt a single marathon in more benign conditions instead. After 3 months of excellent training Wendy completes the Benidorm Marathon, her first, within her target time of 5 hours and 20 mins. As the only ‘fun’ runner (the others were all serious athletes) she also had to run at the back of the race with police escort outriders, and thus received the magnificent trophy seen in the photograph. A big well done from the DDW team.

Jane – journalist Jane succeeded in losing 4 inches from her waist in a 6-week fitness campaign featured in Berkshire Living.

Journalist Jane Stevens put Diets Don’t Work Personal Training to the test in a six-week fitness campaign to feature in “Berkshire Living”. Can exercise and good nutrition really make a difference (in 6 weeks!) to a fifty-something office-bound journalist? In the name of research, the Maidenhead Advertiser’s commercial publications editor Jane Stevens took up the challenge and took part in a 6-week personal training course with Diets Don’t Work training director Adam Atkinson. Assessment of her food diary, realistic step by step change and continued monitoring led to big improvements in her eating, while a gradual progression in her training led to huge improvements in health, weight, size, and confidence. From wobbly to toned and with a big confidence increase that usually follows on from physical improvement.

Vicki: Improved training techniques and an injury free personal best

Having competed in running races and triathlons in the past, Vicki felt that she could do better and wasn’t fulfilling her potential. One of her main problems was getting injured just as her training volumes increased – the crucial part of any distance event training. With the help of her DDW personal trainer, Vicki learned to balance recovery periods with improved training techniques, while doing more strength and flexibility work. We emphasised the importance of “step back” weeks and increased the number of full days of recovery. We also encouraged other injury prevention methods, including more consistent use of the foam roller, regular massage and ice. She subsequently pushed through her personal best free of serious injuries for the first time.

Claire & Ben – looking amazing on their wedding day after just 6 weeks

Journalists Claire Moulson and Ben Smith set us the ultimate challenge: to knock them into shape and looking good in time for their wedding day… in just six weeks. With time pressing they were put straight into an advanced sculpting and toning program of HIIT and high volume strength training. We also reviewed the couple’s diet and changed not just overall calorific intake but also adjusted macros to increase fat loss in a short space of time. Their hard work soon led to big improvements in overall health and fitness, as well as a change in body shape and muscle definition that made the biggest difference.  Ben went from 1 min 26 seconds in his 400m run to 1min 19. His maximum push-up test went from 25 to 40, and his plank test went from 1min 15 seconds to 2 minutes.  Claire initially did her run in 1:51 and then did 1:40, her push-ups (3/4) went from 16 to 35, while her plank test went from 1:12 to 2:45, a big win over Ben! Claire also lost 4 inches from her waist and 2 inches from her hips, all in 6 weeks!! On their final assessment lifestyle score, Claire went from 4/10 on “Body Image” to scoring 7/10. For Ben, both energy levels and body image went from 6/10 to 8/10.

Results may vary from person to person. Results are not guaranteed. Any testimonials made throughout this website may not reflect the results other individuals will experience.