Pat B. of Oshawa, Ontario is a 53-year-old mother of two (now adult) children. For most of Pat’s life, she was a self-described “thin person who enjoyed life.” However, over the years she began experiencing some personal family issues, which set her down a path of unhealthy eating. Pat began gaining weight at an unhealthy rate, for the first time in her life. After the loss of her mother, Pat became deeply depressed and again turned to food for comfort. Pat shared that she had gained so much weight that she no longer recognized herself. She felt both depressed and unattractive, and “hated the person [she] had become”. Pat went from weighing a healthy 135 lbs. to 220 lbs., almost double her normal weight. She knew that in order to lose weight and become healthy again, something had to change.

What Pat was sure of is that she wanted to lose weight the healthy way. She didn’t want to go on any fad diets, chug shakes, take pills, or take any shortcuts. Instead, she wanted to learn how to eat healthy and be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle for the rest of her life. This is when Pat turned to the LA Fitness in Oshawa, Ontario. The staff at Oshawa, which Pat described as “very friendly and helpful”, gave her a tour of the club while answering all of her questions. Afterward, she met with the club’s Personal Training Director who asked her about her personal fitness goals and what Pat ultimately wanted to achieve. Pat was given diet suggestions on how to eat healthier, and it was suggested to her that having a personal trainer might be the best option for what she wanted to accomplish. Pat described her decision to start working out with a personal trainer as “the best decision [she’s] made.”

Her personal trainer, Blair D., also asked Pat what her fitness goals were and told her that they were all achievable. All Pat needed was dedication and the determination to get healthy and with that, her journey began. Pat went through her fridge and threw out all unhealthy and prepackaged foods.  She then came up with a healthy eating plan that consisted of eating 5 smaller meals a day while also drinking plenty of water. The foods Pat began eating were fresh veggies, lean cuts of meat and whole grain bread. Her new healthy diet, paired with the support of her trainer as well as working out an average of 4 days a week began to show positive effects. Pat’s trainer, Blair D., has encouraged her along the way and pushed her even when she thought she couldn’t do it.

As Pat continued training regularly and eating healthier, her depression began to fade and she started feeling happier. Over the course of 10 months Pat lost 90 pounds and she says her body “looks the best it has ever looked”! It has now been 2 years since Pat first walked through the doors of LA Fitness in Oshawa. Pat continues to maintain her new healthy weight and lifestyle and gives a huge thank you to her club’s Personal Training Director, Dustin S., and her life-changing trainer, Blair D. In Pat’s words, “[she] couldn’t have done it without [them].”

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