Client breakthrough
"I developed epilepsy when I was 34 and had been given a number of anti-epilepsy drugs that I had reacted badly to, over the course of 8 years. This affected my digestive, endocrine and immune system. I developed a lot of food intolerances. Consultants at the National Hospital for Epilepsy had suggested brain surgery as the way to reduce seizures and side-effects to drugs, which I found very upsetting.
I had chosen to come off anti-epilepsy drugs but experienced a greater number of seizures and the doctors had told me that this was likely to have fatal consequences. I spoke to Adam, who at the time was using a ketogenic diet while preparing for a competition. He had heard that ketogenic diets had been used to assist children with epilepsy (research was currently being conducted at Great Ormond Street Hospital) but nobody had looked at how these diets could assist adults with epilepsy. Adam had kept a meticulous food diary during his competition preparation and worked with me to adapt it to my personal metabolism (and food intolerances).
On July 15 2008, I started using a ketogenic diet (eliminating carbohydrate) and exercise programme recommended by Adam. I have stuck with this food, exercise & lifestyle habit for nearly two years. The frequency of seizures I encountered dropped dramatically after a mater of weeks - and the seizures that I did encounter were nothing like as severe as those I'd encountered, either while taking anti-epilepsy drugs or when taking no drugs at all.
After six months of following Adam's suggestions, I noticed incredible differences in my appearance and was encouraged to consider entering a natural bodybuilding competition, so I again asked for Adam's guidance and prepared for the BNBF Central England competition on 26 July 2009. To my astonishment I came 3rd in my age category, earning me a place in the national finals, which were held in Glasgow on 4th October 2009.
The experience was incredibly uplifting: I had gone from being considered a write-off - medically - and recommended for brain surgery to appearing onstage in a national competition in body building. What an astonishing journey. I would not have considered myself capable of those possibilities - let alone found the courage/self-belief to make that journey - were it not for Adam's expertise, in terms of diet, exercise and life coaching. I consider myself so incredibly lucky to have Adam as a personal trainer".
Mike Dancer June 2010