The Forever F.I.T. Challenge

The new Forever F.I.T. programme was launched in the UK at December’s Success Express event in Birmingham, but two months prior to the programme hitting Product Centres, the UK Head Office decided to set four Forever Business Owners the challenge of completing all four stages of the programme.

Forever F.I.T. now comprises C9, F15 Beginner, F15 Intermediate and F15 Advanced. C9 continues to be a nine-day plan designed to build the foundation of a healthier lifestyle, while each level in the new follow-on programme, F15, is intended to be followed for fifteen days to help develop good habits for life. Followers of the programme don’t have to complete all three levels – some people may choose to start with F15 Intermediate or F15 Advanced, but, as our F.I.T. challengers found, progressing through the entire programme is certain to produce impressive results!

Lisa Prescott (Sapphire Manager), Jason Yates (Manager), Sophie Rollin (Manager) and Shaun Cooper (Sapphire Manager) all agreed to trial each stage of the new Forever F.I.T. programme, and this meant they had to be dedicated to the challenge for a whole fifty-four days. Forever’s Editor Kate Hodge caught up with each challenger to find out how they really got on during their fitness journey…

Lisa Prescott

Lisa was a detective in the police force before she started her Forever business three years ago. She is a mother of two and lives in Lancashire with her husband.

How did you feel before the F.I.T. programme?

Before I started the programme I was really unhappy with where I was with my body. I trained really hard but my diet was shocking. I skipped meals, hardly ever ate proper evening meals and I stored fat around my stomach. I hated going on holiday and wearing a bikini as I felt really self-conscious, so it was definitely the perfect time for me to stop making excuses and do something about my body goals.

What was your goal?

My goal was to tone up and see more muscle definition; I knew that I didn’t have weight to lose, but I did need to reduce fat around my middle.

What was the hardest part?

I didn’t find any of the programme particularly difficult, but I did decide to turn vegan as the programme started. I found this complete change in diet hard to adapt to and I had to ensure that I was eating enough protein and not getting back into the bad habit of skipping meals. That said it made me get super-organised and experimental with food, and I absolutely loved cooking and trying new meals.

What part did you enjoy the most?

I really enjoyed the structure and having the accountability of the end goal. This really helped me stay focused throughout the programme.

How do you feel now you’ve completed the challenge? 

I didn’t get the results I had hoped in my own mind of how I wanted to look, but I did see massive results and I was probably quite hard on myself. I need to concentrate on the fact that I was only following the programme for fifty-four days so this is just the start for me achieving my body goals. Now I need to keep focused and continue with the programme, and just enjoy it being part of my everyday routine.

What advice would you give to those trying the products?

My advice to everyone trying the F15 would be to know your goals and be prepared. If you are prepared you will not miss meals or feel the need to snack on the wrong types of food.

Anything else you feel you should share?

My last tip would be to lose the scales. I have always been obsessed with weighing myself so found it hard when I did not lose weight during every F15 level. However, I did see massive results in how I looked and felt. It reminded me that it’s not all about weight, but how you look and more importantly how you feel.

Jason Yates

Jason started Forever in 2015 and is able to run his business flexibly around his other business, a coffee shop based in Derby. He is a dad to two young boys and lives in Nottinghamshire with his partner Sarah.

How did you feel before the F.I.T. programme?

I felt absolutely awful before I started the F.I.T. programme. I'd had an amazing summer away on three family holidays plus Eagle Managers’ Retreat, and during this time I ate and drank what I wanted with little regard to the consequence. I also burst a blood vessel behind my eye so the hospital had put me on a strict exercise ban!

What was your goal?

My goal was simple: smash the programme! I wanted to prove what's achievable with great nutrition, structured exercise and total commitment, and ultimately I wanted to achieve something that I could build on massively. I also had goals in mind for after I completed the challenge; this included a triathlon in May 2017 and the Three Peaks Challenge. I knew I’d have to be in the best shape of my life for these so completing Forever F.I.T. was just the start.

What was the hardest part?

This is a tough one since looking back now I feel as if it's been very straightforward and easy. The hardest part for me was probably the want to see results a lot quicker in relation to the hard work I was putting in. I was feeling fantastic but couldn't see progress in the mirror. It's not until you look back that you realise how far you've come. I found that if I took pictures after each level and compared them, then the difference was more noticeable to the eye. 

What part did you enjoy the most?

My favourite part has got to be the feeling you get when you combine a nutritionally-balanced diet with exercise. That feeling is like a drug, very addictive. It's also great to be back in the kitchen preparing fresh healthy meals and fitting in simple exercises around my day-to-day life.

How do you feel now you’ve completed the challenge? 

I feel a great sense of achievement now I’ve finished the programme. However I feel like I've not achieved enough yet. When I found out I'd been selected to be a F.I.T. challenger, I decided then that I was going to continue my journey for a further nine-to-twelve months so that I’d get in the best shape of my life.

What advice would you give to those trying the products?

Trust the programme. With hard work, commitment and dedication it will work. Follow the booklet, get creative with your food, learn to cook and have fun! This programme is not about cutting out any food group, sitting at home eating lettuce leaves or living off blended food, it's designed for ordinary people living ordinary lives.

Anything else you feel you should share?

Set your goals, get your mindset right, commit to the daily activity and the results will follow. If you do have a bad day, just draw a line and start afresh the next day, but continue to strive to be the best version of yourself.

Sophie Rollin

Sophie spent ten years working in childcare before starting her Forever business eight years ago. Giving up her job a year later, Sophie is now able to work her business part time and enjoys spending lots of time with her friends and family. Sophie loves helping others reach their full potential.

How did you feel before the F.I.T. programme?

Honestly? Podgy and totally out of control with my eating!

What was your goal?

I wanted to, once and for all, put a stop to my yo-yo weight issue. I’m a strong, fit person but I also had an extra layer of unwanted fat! My mum would call me ‘plumptious’ and actually thought I was breathing out in my 'before' picture – I was not! Although I didn’t have a specific amount I wanted to lose, I wanted my clothes to fit, to curb my awful naughty food habits, and to learn how to cook!

What was the hardest part?

In mid-September I was at Eagles Managers’ Retreat in Greece and I was getting ready for the beach. I was about to put my bikini on, feeling chunky, chubby and annoyed I had let myself get to this stage, when I checked my phone (anything to delay putting on my tight bikini). That’s when I received the email from Head Office saying I had been selected for the F.I.T. challenge. There and then my mindset was of 100% commitment and dedication, and since my mindset was right, I honestly didn’t find it hard at all.

What part did you enjoy the most?

The results made me feel pretty great, but during the programme I enjoyed having a structured exercise routine as a guide – the videos are so simple to follow and fun to do. I also enjoyed learning how to cook.

How do you feel now you’ve completed the challenge? 

I’m so proud of myself and excited that I can now share my experience and help others to reach their goals. I also feel so much more confident. When your clothes fit and you are full of energy, how can you not hold your head a little higher?! One of my favourite words is balance, and I now feel like I have the perfect balance in my life. I do still have treats, just not five a day!

What advice would you give to those trying the products?

• Ensure you have your goals written down or, even better, put 'before' pictures up to motivate you. 

• Take water EVERYWHERE you go. I would always ensure I had water on me as it stopped me from snacking. 

• Plan your meals for the week on a Sunday. By doing this you ensure you have exciting, varied healthy meals to look forward to. 

• Remember, not everyone will understand why you are doing it. I had people trying to persuade me to have huge slices of cake when in meetings and others who questioned my morning exercising, but it doesn’t matter – you don’t do it for them!

• I wrote down EVERYTHING I ate, this did two things: 1) made me realise how much I’d have eaten if I didn’t do this, 2) made me think twice before eating and instead consider whether I was thirsty or bored.

Anything else you feel you should share?

I am in love with this programme. I genuinely feel that it is for anyone and everyone who is serious about building a healthier lifestyle. Although you can get results fairly quickly, it is not about achieving overnight success, it's about changing your attitude and making healthier choices. I have completed strict programmes before and achieved great results, but then I’ve slowly put the weight back on. This is different, it's not a strict boring plan, but a programme that helps you to develop a fab and fun lifestyle. 

Shaun Cooper

Shaun was a police officer for ten years before becoming a full-time father and Forever Business Owner. Shaun loves going to the gym and enjoys days out with his family.

How did you feel before the F.I.T. programme?

I had let bad practises form bad habits in my life. I’ve always been very motivated to go to the gym and train hard and often, but the nutritional side always let me down. This was mainly due to a lack of structure. I was constantly making the wrong food choices and feeling quite low about myself, and this caused me to become overweight.

What was your goal?

My goal was to lose weight and look better so that ultimately I’d feel better. My short-term goal was to lose weight, but my medium-term goal is to keep that weight off and improve my fitness levels, and my long-term goal is to be able to do activities with my son, William, once we both get older. 

What was the hardest part?

For me it was staying consistent, and this was especially hard when at social events. To make positive changes requires sacrifice and there is never a perfect time of year to embark on a transformation. Whilst on the programme I had a week’s holiday, birthday parties, family occasions, as well as other things that provided challenges. I needed to find a way to overcome these situations, I had to choose whether to miss out on a starter or dessert, whether I took time off to enjoy the occasion, or whether I just stuck to the programme. I found that revisiting the reasons why I was doing it helped a lot.

What part did you enjoy the most?

I will always choose training at the gym over the nutritional side, but I did enjoy opening up a cookbook and trying new healthy recipes.

How do you feel now you’ve completed the challenge? 

I feel great, my body has changed drastically and best of all I feel like I’m just getting started. I have cemented good habits into my lifestyle and I know what can be achieved if I continue to live like this.

What advice would you give to those trying the products?

Use them consistently and over a good period of time as no product gives results overnight, but the most important thing is that you enjoy your journey!

Anything else you feel you should share?

I found it really helpful going through the programme with a group of other people. You will have days you find tough and results you may not see yourself, but if you journey with friends, you can motivate and inspire each other along the way. Creating groups on social media is an effective way of doing this and something that helped me to achieve my results.