It has been another week of fighting the flab for me as I undertake our Drop a Dress Size Challenge.

After my first week's weight loss of an impressive eight pounds, I knew things would have to slow down a little in week two.

But I was still pleased to record a weight loss of three pounds in the past week, which I've literally been fighting for every step of the way.

For personal trainer and former professional boxer Glenn Williams has been teaching me a few of his boxing moves in my bid to shape up over these four weeks.

Glenn says boxing is a great all over body workout, and I can vouch for that – as it really gets the heart pumping as Glenn teaches me how to jab, hook and dip and dive the punches.

Glenn and Greg Johnson are co-directors of Cheshire Fitness and they believe in mixing up workouts to get maximum results. 

This means challenging different muscles in different sessions – but they say I'll still be able to shape up with just three one hour sessions with them a week.

This in itself has been a bit of a revelation, as when I've been exercising myself in past weight loss attempts, I've always believed the longer and harder I slog the better results I'll achieve.

Instead, Glenn and Greg try to get me working at full pelt for those one hour sessions with lots of lunges, squats and arm exercises, with short sharp blasts of sprints in between to keep my heart rate up.

Glenn also takes me through a tough hour of purely kettlebell training – those circular-hooked metal weight things.

Glenn reckons these simple weights, if used correctly, are more effective than any single piece of equipment in the gym.

As I complete a second circuit of lunges with the kettlebell, wimpering in agony, Glenn insists this means it's working.

He smiles: “Isn't it funny how the things you hate doing the most, like lunges and running, are the things that are going to help you the most.”

Yes, hilarious Glenn...

However, he goes on to explain that this type of training will continue to burn fat 48 hours after all the effort, which sounds good to me!

And while I've recorded a weight loss of 11 pounds over the past 14 days, the guys are keen to see how this has translated on the measuring tape too.

It's all good news, with 1 and a half inches off my waist, an inch off each thigh and half an inch off each arm.

I've also got into the stride with the healthy eating plan which goes alongside the exercise.

A normal day will see me eating two poached eggs on a slice of wholemeal toast for breakfast, a mid-morning snack of an apple or blueberries, lunch of chicken/salmon/mackerel/or turkey with salad, an afternoon snack of a handful of nuts or houmous and sticks of pepper and an evening meal of the same meats as before with green leafy vegetables like broccolli, kale or green beans.

There have been the odd cheats here and there, but nothing to seriously swerve me off course, as yet.

And Glenn says this is why my particular weight loss campaign is currently proving so successful.

He says: “With any shape up plan, it's always 70 per cent nutrition and 30 per cent exercise, that's why so many people go wrong.   You have to get your nutrition sorted or you just won't see the results.”

This is all great heading into the third week of my shape up plan.  However I'm feeling slightly concerned about my chances of weight loss success in the week ahead, as among my work duties this week will include judging at the Nantwich International Cheese Show.

Seeing as cheese doesn't appear to be allowed on my diet, I fear this is going to be quite an obstacle to overcome...

Personal training sessions with Cheshire Fitness cost from £35 an hour, for info see www.cheshirefitness.co.uk

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