
*This month’s profile of the month is our amazing Viki Trampevski. When Viki first contacted me in March 2015, she was a little apprehensive because she had had a gastric sleeve procedure and wasn’t sure how I would respond to her. She was worried about me judging her. She couldn’t have been further from reality. I often hear that having gastric sleeve or gastric bypass is ‘the easy way out’; many moons ago, I thought the same way. That was, until I got to know many people that have had these procedures and realised this was no ‘easy way out’. In fact, it was much, much harder. There are so many risks, possible complications and restrictions when someone goes through such a procedure. It is also not something specialists conduct without very serious consideration for their patients. In order for a person to reach the decision to have such a procedure, they have reached desperation. I personally try and help people before they reach such limits to avoid the risks and possible complications that can arise, simply by helping them emotionally, mentally, nutritionally and physically. However my team doesn’t always get to people in time. And that’s ok, because we will always be there for them at any stage of their journey.
Gastric sleeve and other similar procedures are the beginning of a fresh start for people. It does not warrant judgement from people. Each person has their own journey, and what works for one person does not always work for another. Viki didn’t realise just how much support, not judgement, she was going to get, until she dialled my number.
Viki has earned Profile of the Month, not for the weight she has lost, but for the growth she has made; the growth as a person. When Viki first started training with me she treaded carefully with my advice and coaching, and understandably so, considering what she had been through. Slowly she began to trust me more and more and started to implement more and more of the strategies I advised. Her body began to change. Viki has lost a total of 78cm since starting in April 2015 with 21.5cm being from her waist alone. Belly fat is all about nutrition, which Viki now has down pat.
The changes in Viki’s body are not just in weight loss, but the lean muscle she has built too. She started shifting her mindset from ‘I can’t’ to ‘bring it on!’ We certainly had our challenges with a back issue we discovered, but I made sure her programs were specifically tailored and that Viki always took the care needed to as well. This includes having to wear a back brace belt during each and every training session. No matter what I throw at this little lady, you will never hear ‘no’ come out of her mouth. In fact you won’t hear anything come out of her mouth, not even a grown. She has the best poker face! She grits her teeth and gets on with the job.
My favorite part about Viki’s journey has been watching her confidence soar. From a fairly quiet lady she has opened up to be an extremely bubbly outgoing woman, full of chatter, always smiling and loving life. She is always encouraging others during training and in our members group chat and is one of the most supportive and inspiring members. I can’t even begin to explain how proud of her I am. I often well with tears of pride during our PT sessions, watching her achieve things above and beyond despite her physical restrictions; things perfectly abled-bodied people don’t even attempt. She is just one in a million. Anyway, enough about how much she inspires me, here is her story, in her words:
“Growing up I was happy full of life always on the go and thought I was fit; so I thought. After having my first born I put on 30kg which after a couple of years I lost the weight only to fall pregnant again with my second and put it back on. I tried it all shakes, weight watches, Jenny Craig, only to lose a few kilos put a few back on and so the roller coaster began. I then looked into PT and found I was quite comfortable in the gym losing centimetres but couldn’t shift any weight so I stopped and just started eating more and getting very isolated and struggling to get up and get on with life. It was so hard to look at myself in the mirror at times and feeling disgusted in what I saw. I made any excuse not to go out so I didn’t have to get dressed or be out in public but most of all I couldn’t keep up with my boys which then made me more sad and depressed. So then life threw me another curve ball and after 7 years from having my 2 sons I was blessed with another boy, and boy was I really struggling to keep up! No energy, I just wanted to stay in bed all the time and even started online grocery shopping at this point. I knew I hit rock bottom, so I made a decision that would change my life forever.
I decided to have a gastric sleeve and it was the best thing I did which changed me as a person, a wife and a mother and I went on to lose 40kg which gave me my life back; but most of all I felt like I was human again. So now it was time to fine tune myself lol. I still struggled with my self-esteem, confidence and looking in the mirror and being happy with who I was so trying to find a trainer that would not judge me for my surgery was hard. I finally found Terri.
A friend of mine mentioned Terrific Fitness so I made the call and spoke to Terri and the rest is history. It’s now been over a year and half and I’m doing 2 PTs a week and also do a Bootcamp class which I love. What can I say, I thought my life was already great but life could not be any greater after joining TF. We also discovered that I had a back problem which limited my training but Terri made sure I was safely doing correct exercises for my back so I was in safe hands no excuses here. My fitness is amazing I’m strong, confident, determined and loving what I see in the mirror. I have lost a further 8 kilos and I can now run around with my 3 boys and our life style has changed forever. My husband has also joined and is training together with me and we are sharing this wonderful journey together.
We’re eating lots of fresh produce and I’m not scared to eat anymore because I now know what is best for me and my family. Terrific Fitness has taught me how to eat and not be afraid. My energy levels are always up there every day I love shopping and the change in my body amazes me every day. I thought it couldn’t get better but boy did I think wrong. So to u all out there thinking about joining it will be the best decision of your life. TF gave me the tools to do this for the rest of my life. Thank you Terri and the whole team for giving me my sexy back!” – Viki Trampevski, Thomastown