Earlier this month I spent a week at the New You Boot Camp in the Brecon Beacons in an effort to both get fitter and lose weight. I wrote a daily blog on the intensive exercise regime I endured while there and this is my concluding report...

I ARRIVED at the New You Boot Camp full of anticipation and fear of the unknown after accepting an invitation to attend the military style camp with the promise I could drop a dress size in a week. I couldn't resist! How hard could it be?
I found myself at an impressive country mansion set back from the main track. The draughty stately home set amongst field after field of patchwork farmland and the distant mountains of the Brecon Beacons was to be my home for the next week and 20 other like-minded women aged between 20's to 60's were to be my companions.
I had been given just two days notice to prepare for my boot camp adventure so had no time to detox prior to my trip. With a kit list as long as my arm including waterproofs, head torch, reflective jacket, four track suites and a million pairs of socks, sports bras and knickers I rushed out and frantically started shopping buying a pair of £5 trainers from Tesco, two new sports bras, 10 pairs of sports socks and a track suit from Asda, as up until two days ago I didn't even own one.
I spent over £100 on sports clothes and medical supplies including Imodium, Senocot, paracetamol, Ibuprofen, plasters and compeed- and this is me penny pinching!?
But I was wide eyed and willing to do anything to drop a dress size in a week (like New You Boot Camp's catch line) - well almost anything. After all it's got to work as these women and all those before them, are paying anything from £950 to £1,600 for the Boot Camp experience and they are all after the same goal- to lose weigh and I was getting to try it for free, it was fail-safe.
I spent a fantastic and sometimes horrendous week of highs and lows facing my fears, pushing my body to its physical limits, experiencing every emotion from pain to ecstasy, I made some great new friendships that I am sure will last and tried lots of new activities including some I hope to never try again! I came away with nutritional and dietary advice and a great exercise programme and a feeling of great achievement emotionally, mentally and physically.
However I left New You Boot Camp a week later feeling tired, empty, aching, emotional, institutionalised and still the same dame dress size (12) but with bigger calves. Even though I was told I was 4lbs lighter and 6.5inches smaller at the end of the week after losing fat from my bum and my waist I didn't really feel it. My abdominals had made a slight reappearance but it was not a significant loss, and not compared to the other girls on the course who lost anything from 5lbs to 16lbs!
My only regret is that I didn't push myself harder during my week at boot camp, that's the only reasonable explanation I can find- I went from being completely inactive, from eating at my desk and in front of the television to eating a balanced low carb, low sugar, low calorie diet and to doing 12 hours of exercise a day.
My problem was that I spent the whole week being scared of pushing myself passed my pain threshold for fear of throwing-up or falling over or worse - both! But I participated in every activity they told me to do, yes I had a moan and felt resistance- especially to all the running but I took part in every single activity for 12 hours a day to the best of my ability.
Perhaps for someone like me- who was a gym bunny throughout my teens and early twenties and who then let it all hang out in my late twenties and early thirties, who lives for carbs and loves red wine- needs more than a week intensive boot camp and detox to make any significant changes to my body and appearance. So I will persevere with the exercise programme and try my best to stick to the GI eating plan.

New You Boot Camp is giving all Weekly News readers a £100 discount on any boot camps in 2008 and there are still places available throughout November and December. Log on to href="http://www.newyoubootcamp.com">www.newyoubootcamp.com to book, and say you saw the offer in the North Wales Weekly News.
Check out my online gallery of pictures from New You Boot camp- http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/videos-pictures/