Ali Alazzawi
One day I decided that I’d had enough and that I was going to change my life once and for all. It’s that simple…I just woke up and decided that enough was enough. The list of motives was endless, poor health, loss of self esteem, lack of confidence, overwhelming heartbreak, and so on.
I had a few months on my hands before I started my new job, having recently graduated from University,I started to look at the different resources available to me that would help kick start my transformation. I scoured the Internet thoroughly; having a detailed look at almost every option available to me out there, I checked places in the United States, Asia, Africa and Europe. Every continent on earth, in the end, I rattled through the list and cut it down to two places. After having detailed conversations with both camps, one in the US and the other being Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp, I had my heart set on TMT. See, whilst the option in the US offered luxurious five star accommodation nestled in the heart of Los Angeles, I didn’t care about that; I cared about one thing and one thing only. Results.
I came across weight loss champion James Mason’s blog and decided to reach out to him. He got back in touch with me almost instantly and the rest is history. I was on the next flight to Thailand, absolutely certain that I was heading to the best destination to achieve my goals and I was not wrong.
I remember my first day at Tiger like it was just yesterday, and I always will. I walked over to the camp and was greeted by James, who sat me down and really got to the root cause of my issues, then formulated a thorough tailor made schedule for me that I would abide to daily. Next we walked around the place and I was introduced to absolutely everyone on site. One thing that sticks in my mind is just how supportive and encouraging everyone was, as if they had personally taken it upon themselves to ensure I met my goals, and that was inherit in everyone from Cheffy, to the Trainers, to Will, even the guys working behind the grill.
To be blunt, it was never easy, but nothing in life worth having is ever easy. The first day was such a big shock to my system with the conditions, jet lag, and tough workout that I collapsed on the scenic 6K walk that James had taken me on. I remember just waking up on the floor of TMT, ice under my neck, surrounded by a group of concerned faces that did everything they could to get me back on my feet. Sure enough, it worked and I was back up and fighting again in no time.
Tiger is a place full of champions in any sense of the word, and when you’re surrounded by winners, inevitably you become one. Lai was the trainer assigned to me based on my goals, and I really loved working with that guy. His big friendly grin greeted me at the start of every session, but I soon learned that behind that smile was a guy who was going to push my body to its absolute limits.
Food was taken care of by the Tiger Grill, and I started to really understand the nutritional element behind building a healthy body. There are a thousand camps around the world that will work you down to your bones and starve you in the process. That’s just not right, it’s not sustainable and it does far more harm to your body than benefit. That was never the case at Tiger. 4 meals a day was standard, and I never went hungry. It was all lean, good, hearty food that kept me energetic and feeling good.
I wish I could have stayed at Tiger for a longer period of time than I did, but like most people, there was a job waiting for me and I had to depart. The biggest thing I took away from Tiger was the winning mentally they had embedded in me, the strength and resilience I had taken from those around me, and most importantly the thorough understanding of food and nutrition (thanks Cheffy!)
2 months on from me leaving, things just keep getting better. I’ve lost just as much weight outside of tiger as I did when I was there (30KGs to date) and the best bit… it’s all so natural to me now I don’t even feel like it’s an effort. If I had to give one piece of advice to anyone trying to achieve a similar transformation it is as follows; losing such a substantial amount of weight is very tough, first you have to accept that it will take time and patience. Surround yourself with positive people and winners, learn about nutrition, be patient and understand that a bad day, bad week, even a bad hour, is not an excuse to be frustrated and give up. Get obsessed with it. Put up the biggest fight you ever have. Stick with it and you’ll reach your goals. It’s as simple as that.
I owe so much to Tiger and the people, I’ll be back for sure. Don’t waste your time with any alternatives; TMT is the place to be!