I feel like a different person. My energy levels & confidence are at levels I never could have imagined. Previously, I never had the courage to attend a gym of any sort as I felt embarrassed & lacked confidence in the way I looked & felt. When I finally decided that my weight & health were an issue, I joined Fighting Fit, not really sure of what to expect.

Since that day, I have never looked back. The help the team at Fighting Fit have provided has played a huge role in the success I have achieved & have provided endless support. I am so proud of my achievements & prove that if you are prepared to change your body, the right guidance & support can lead to fantastic results!

At the beginning of 2002 my mother died. By the end of that year I had had a nervous breakdown due to the emotional impact of the loss. I did start treatment through my doctor for it but I found more solace through food and drink, mainly drink. During the intervening period up to 2005 I lost a very close friend under tragic circumstances and my father became afflicted by Alzheimer's. All these pressures pushed me further into a cycle of eating and drinking.

By 2006 after ballooning from 12 1/2 stone to almost 20 stone I realised I needed to do something about it. Through my doctor I received help via a detox and advice on healthier eating plans. I also received counselling to help me mentally rise above my problems. I was on the road to recovery at last and through 2006 my weight started to drop and my health to improve.

By the end of 2006 I realised though that I needed an extra something to push me, improve my fitness and help shed those last few pounds and tone up. A friend had told me she was using Fighting Fit Gym in Griffithstown and that the staff there was excellent. I myself was very leery of it as I've never used a gym and to be honest was rather daunted by the thought of using one. Being gay I felt very intimidated by the thought.

But, at the start of 2007, I took the bull by the horns so to speak and popped in to find out a bit more and possibly join. The staff proved to be amazing and the whole ethos the gym uses made me feel really comfortable. That ethos is built on the fact that not everyone is some muscle bound hulk who knows their way around gym equipment. Here you could get sup- port, encouragement and one to one tuition, if so required, to help you achieve your goals. Goals that you have realistically set with the staff at Fighting Fit.

So here I am, at the start of 2010 with the last of that weight lost, feeling more fit and healthy than I ever have in my whole life and all thanks to my perseverance and a HUGE dollop of help and support from the staff at Fighting Fit Gym.

The confidence to wear a bikini on the beach was something that eluded me for years. After not paying attention to my health and weight, I suddenly found myself 3 stone overweight, grumpy, constantly tired & slowly becoming depressed. With help from my boyfriend, I realised I needed to break this cycle and decided I needed to get healthy and in shape again.

I knew I would have to join a gym to do this, but didnt want to join a big chain gym as they made me feel very self-conscious & uncomfortable and you never got any real service from the staff. I had heard about Fighting Fit & took a chance by booking a consultation with Alastair. I joined there & then. The staff & the training programmes were excellent they really cared about my success and were with me every step of the way. Three years later I am still motivated & LOVE going to the gym! And as for that bikini on the beach - No problem!

When leaving school in 2008, I ceased to take part in regular P.E. lessons including dance & various team sports. It wasnt long before my fitness levels decreased & I started to pile on the pounds. This made my confidence drop as I became ever more conscious of the way I looked. I tried a few different diets to lose the weight but nothing seemed to work. Finally, I made the decision to join Fighting Fit Gym in order to try & achieve my goals. This turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life & since starting I have never looked back. After sitting with Al & discussing my hopes & aspirations for the future, it wasnt long before I started to see vast changes to my body as I followed the individual training programme designed for me. My programme was specifically designed based on my ability & helped me progress towards my full potential. It was challenging but enjoyable & with the help and support of the staff at Fighting Fit I was able to motivate & push myself. The use of weights for fat loss seemed strange to me at first, but I trusted the team & am happy to say that their training methods lead to far greater results than I had ever expected or thought possible.

Within 6 months I went from a size 14 to a size 8, lost inches & pounds and feel much more toned & shapely than I ever have. The great thing is I have managed to maintain my weight loss for nearly 2 years now because not only have I kept up with the exercise (based on short & effective training sessionsgreat for my busy schedule!), I have also taken on board the nutritional advice provided by the staff as part of the programme. I now feel full of confidence & enjoy simple things like shopping for clothes. I know in my heart the life skills I have learned from Fighting Fit will stay with me for the rest of my life. I never thought that I would enjoy working out so much & seeing such great resultsin fact, I cant imaging NOT working out now as I have embraced it as part of my life! I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Fighting Fit for all their support & encouragement. I would recommend anyone thinking of getting fit & healthy to join Fighting Fit as unlike bigger organisations they actually care about the individual. I believe their down-to-earth approach is one of the reasons for their continuing success as they really do care about their members & will always give 100% support to them.

This is the progress I have made in 16 weeks following one of Fighting Fits programmes. I had what I thought to be quite a good knowledge of diet and training before starting the programme, having been training for many years before putting on this weight, but Alastairs knowledge is second to none when it comes to fat loss & strength training. I did exactly what he said from day one and in 16 short weeks have stripped 3 stone of fat from my body (I went from 16 stone 8lbs to 13 stone 8lbs), gained lean muscle and went from a 37 inch waist down a to 32 inch.

Alongside these huge fat loss achievements, my strength has gone through the roof. I started off barely able to do squats and chin ups, now Im using 20kg chained to my waist doing sets of 10 with variable grips. These results are far from typical in most gyms and are a testament to the superior knowledge possessed by the staff at Fighting Fit. I recommend one of Alastairs programmes to anyone, novice or experienced. If you do as Alastair & his team say you will see the results you want, no mater how big or small your aspirations might be.

If you told me 2 years ago Id join a gym Id have laughed in your face! I Weighed just under 20 stone after a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, was always ill and thoroughly miserable! In January 2010 I joined Slimming World and lost 3 stone in the first 3 months but needed to exercise to lose more. I walked through the doors of Fighting Fit weighing 16st 7lbs and utterly terrified! But Al and the staff were so welcoming I soon joined as a full member. With daily cardio training as part of my exercise regime I went on to lose a total of 8st in 8 months (which I still cant believe)!!!

Its now time for me to maintain my weight loss and tone up so I am currently part way through my first individual training programme...and loving it! I have a chronic back condition which I though would make this impossible but Al ensures that each programme is tailor made for you. The atmosphere in Fighting Fit is always so relaxed and friendly which is important when you start your fitness journey. The staff are always approachable and their knowledge is priceless! I am now a totally different person, losing weight and getting fit has changed my life completely...imagine me a fitness freak! If I can do it, anyone can!

Thanks so much to Al, Jo and the Fighting Fit Team!

As a novice to the world of fitness and gyms, the team at fighting fit made it so easy for me to feel at ease and comfortable in a gym environment. When I first started at the gym, I was really unhappy. I had no self-confidence and my weight was an issue for me. Like many people, I had tried lots of diets but none of then seemed to work, or if they did they were only a quick fix, where I would lose the weight quickly but put it all back on in a number of weeks.

I started with Al, who arranged exercise programmes based on my individual needs, & also gave me a diet plan to incorporate with my training. I trained 3 times a week & it was tough. But the more I sweated and was out of breath, the more I realized that I was losing inches of fat, & I was monitored every 2 weeks so I could keep on track with my weight loss. I carried on with my training program for 10 months & in that time I learnt 100's of weight & cardio combinations, which I can now incorporate into my own gym routine. I started off as a size 12 & have since lost 7 inches off my waist alone, not including inches lost off my hips, bum & arms.

I'm now a size 10 and I am happy with the results. My body is toned, I have my confidence back, and my life has changed for the better. The weight loss results are not fast, but are a slow and steady process. However, unlike the fad diets, you keep the weight off and you have a new and healthy lifestyle to match. In my case I did not realize I was losing weight until I found most of my size 12 trousers were too big for me. It is a great feeling to know that clothes are not tight on you anymore! So anyone who feels unhappy with their weight come and see the guys and girls at fighting fit gym because their weight loss programs worked for me and I know it will work for you!