“Day 1 on the Emsculpt Neo”

My Weight Loss Journey - Blog 2

Starting weight - 17 stone 3 pounds.

Current weight – 16 stone 11 pounds?

If you read my last blog, you will know that I woke up a few weeks ago to discover I was 65 years old and over 17 stone! I convinced myself that fate had dealt me a lousy hand, that the gods had conspired against me. I had obviously been a very naughty boy in a previous life and now I was being forced to live inside the body of someone else! It’s not me at all! I’ve been kidnapped! Thin Jim is being held hostage inside a salad dodger!!

In fact, once reality took hold, I realised that this was a massive wake-up call. It was time for me to take responsibility for my own health and do something about it. So that is what I’m doing.

My objective is to lose three stone and keep it off. I have a whole wardrobe of abandoned clothes just waiting to be worn. Of course, I want the process to be just like Mr Benn, I walk behind a curtain and then out of the dressing room a few seconds later as a new, super slim, athletic Jim. But I know it demands hard work and mental discipline especially when it comes to eating and drinking.

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That will be my main challenge. If I have half the self-control my late father Ken developed in the RAF then losing weight will be a walk in the park. Unfortunately, I’m well known in my family as someone who is great at starting things but rubbish at finishing them. So, mental strength will be a very important factor. Many people tell me that when losing weight the hardest battles are not fought in the gym or the kitchen but in the mind. I am preparing myself for the ultimate war of attrition!

On my journey I will develop an eating plan with top nutritionist Dr Noemi Varadi, try Ozempic, the highly publicised, once-weekly injections designed for diabetes sufferers which aid weight-loss, (I am pre-diabetic) and do lots and lots of walking and cycling to get myself fit again.

You will see that I have already lost six pounds as I have been introducing myself to a more controlled lifestyle in preparation for the intensive course by not eating until 1pm each day (intermittent fasting), not eating between meals, cutting out 95% of all carbs, no alcohol on weekdays and taking the dog for a nice long walk every day.

Today I’m going to tell you how I got on with the fantastic Emsculpt Neo machine. The Guernsey Skin & Beauty Clinic in St Peter Port has the only one in the island and I am beginning a course of 4 sessions with Bronwen Dudley-Owen as my guide:

“This is the Emsculpt Neo that Hollywood ‘A’ listers are raving about,” she said showing me the machine. “Just lie on the bed, make yourself comfortable and I will strap these two paddles to you.”

Paddles are the applicators which are attached to your body and use radio frequency and HIFEM (highly focused electro. magnetic) energy to stimulate muscle contractions.

“So, will this hurt?” I said bravely.

“Well, the key area for you Jim is your belly or visceral fat. It wraps around your organs and can't always be seen or felt and can be dangerous, as it can cover the liver and other vital organs. The Neo has been shown to reduce visceral fat by up to 14%. That’s why the paddles are over your belly. Shall I turn it on?”

“Yes, but will it hurt?”

“Not really”, says Bronwen, “You start on a low setting and gradually the dial is turned up until the end of your 30 -minute session.”

Not really? What does that mean? But she was right. It’s amazing how quickly you get used to the unusual sensations. In minutes I had forgotten about the contractions and we were chatting about the Neo while the HIFEM energy went to work.

“It’s a ‘2 therapies in 1’ treatment which makes it special. The Neo simultaneously emits synchronized radio frequency and HIFEM+ energies. The temperature in your muscles goes up by several degrees. This is similar to what a warm-up activity does before any workout.

“In less than 4 minutes, the temperature in your subcutaneous fat reaches levels that cause apoptosis. In other words, fat cells are permanently damaged and slowly removed from the body.

“In effect, what the Neo does is put you through an extreme physical workout where your muscles are contracted at intensities that are not achievable during normal routine exercise. You lose fat and build muscle. Studies show on average a 25% growth in muscle volume.”

Bronwen says the Neo is causing quite a stir among celebrities, so when I’d finished my first course I went online to see what the great and the good were saying about it.

It appears they love that it’s non-invasive. That means the procedure does not require inserting an instrument through the skin or into a body opening. You won’t need a general anaesthetic or need to wear a compression garment for 6 weeks. You can walk in and have a half hour session then walk out again.

In an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians (Season 17, Episode 3) Kim Kardashian said that it “feels like you're doing stomach crunches, but you're not.” She turned to the Emsculpt NEO to shed her baby weight after giving birth.

Actress Megan Fox says she enjoys the Neo?because it makes a significant difference to how she looks and feels without spending hours at the gym.

Bronwen told me about a film stuntman who has bought a machine because it keeps him in perfect shape to earn a living. I’ve had one of my four sessions so far, but I can’t imagine throwing myself from a helicopter on to a moving train any time soon. Still, I may have a new career when the treatment is complete.

But seriously, this is a formidable bit of kit and the science backs it up. This is perfect for mum’s wanting to get back into shape, businessmen and women who don’t have the time for a vigorous exercise regime, athletes recovering from injury who can’t yet stand the rigours of the gym and aged, overweight writers like me who have tried to shift the weight for years but realise they need help.

I’ve had one treatment with three more to go! I can do this!

So, I’m at the start of my reinvention. I have chosen to embrace a number of different methods to tackle the belly fat that has weighed me down for years. Next time I’ll be chatting to nutritionist Dr Noemi Varadi. She takes a very bespoke attitude towards diet and lifestyle. Let’s see what she can make of this Rioja-loving, cornish pasty-eating couch potato.

I am astute enough to recognise that despite having a good start I am about to enter a very dangerous period. Many people give up on their life-changing diets after two to three weeks of starting. I can’t do that. The fact that I have ‘gone public’ and am writing about my struggles here adds pressure to not give up and that is a good thing. This is where I hope my dear old dad is looking over me and share some of his incredible self-discipline.

In the meantime, to find out more about the Emsculpt Neo machine and the BTL Emsella chair, visit www.guernseyskinandbeauty.com?