Wherever Life Takes You

 “I reached out to Ben in early 2019 after months of being unhappy with the way I looked, felt, and performed. 

In the Fall of 2018 I had packed up my life and moved to Hong Kong. Having grown up in Vancouver where health, fitness and a balanced lifestyle are prioritised, it was never hard to maintain a high level of physical activity, and good  food was easily accessible – even for a pescatarian allergic to everything under the sun. I was undereating for the amount of activity I did, I was also obsessed with weighing myself. 

While Hong Kong is a major city, it is very archaic in many ways, and I found that it was expensive and difficult to eat and live the way I did in Vancouver. I was  working LONG hours, and sleeping less. I didn't have many friends, and I stopped caring about what I put in my body (or didn't put in my body). Spoiler alert, running away to a new city doesn't fix the shit going on in your head, it makes it worse. 

Fast forward to early 2019. At this point I'm training with zero intention or intensity; I dreaded getting in and out of my shower because I hated seeing my reflection in the mirror; I started avoiding social situations because I felt like a lot of my clothes no longer fit the same, and the anxiety of going into a store and trying on clothes in ASIAN sizing was just too much.

Sharon let me know that Ben had an opening, and one 60 minute conversation has now turned into a year and a half of working together. Even in the first 3-4 months I can't say I fully committed to the process. After a quick visit home, starting a new job, and setting some new training goals, I decided to take working with Ben more seriously.

While his accent took some getting used to....since working with Ben, I'm eating more than I ever have (and I don't feel bad about it), I am sleeping more than I ever have. and am probably the lightest I've been for many years without even intentionally trying.

More importantly, this is the healthiest I've been mentally for as long as I can remember. Ben doesn't throw a lot of things at you at once. It's more about making small incremental changes over time, and celebrating the small victories. He's also more than happy to work around my many allergies and dietary restrictions.

Ben has been very patient with me even when I wasn't fully committed to the process, or being honest with myself. My profile has changed a few times to fit my lifestyle and needs in those times (I.E. RONA). While starting wasn't easy, the MTMM method is sustainable, and has added a lot of value to my life.” - Charmain Tsoi