2nd opinion gym asking for "before" photo

Hey folks,

just wanted to get your take on this...

As you know I have been on this healthy lifestyle change for a long time - this is me on week 58 now - i had been on a plateau for ages and had intended on getting a weights programme over the summer holidays and knew i had to shake up my routine to try n get things moving again which is why the biggest loser comp at the gym seemed ideal.

i held off getting a new routine whilst they eventually organised it all and it took me until 14th July before i got my first weigh in for it - since then i have had two one to ones and one boot camp - the one to ones have been invaluable as the trainer gave me loads of helpful tips which are working great, but the bootcamp was not that gruelling at all. I feel that i could have got the weights programme as part of my normal gym membership anyway and i am already at a disadvantage for winning as i have been on this journey so long there is no way i can match someone who is dropping loads as they have just started. plus some people started on time so have been doing this longer than i have.

so sorry will get to the crux of the matter, the fitness manager wants to do a promotion in the local paper, and has asked me for a before photo and a testimonial. The thing is that i don't feel that the biggest loser can take credit for the weight loss as it's down to my hard work and i really don't want my "before" picture plastered everywhere until it is fully a "before" photo. I am also at a loss as to what to say in the testimonial as i feel that it's not the biggest loser that has helped its the trainer i was assigned.

so do you think i am being oversensitive? and should give more credit to the "biggest loser" thing as if i hadn't joined i would not have met this trainer (she normally just does classes, but will be joining the gym full time some time in the future) do you think i am right refusing to provide a photo? would you just do a testimonial saying how great the trainer was and leave it at that?

My gym is my haven of peace and calm and i am a bit hesitant to make it a place where i feel barriers have gone up if you know what i mean, but i just feel it's a bit cheeky - am i over reacting

(sorry its so long, but you know what i am like by now )

I would write a testimonial but put in it that you had already embarked on your"journey" and lost X amount and you are hoping the Biggest Loser will help you to achieve your goal - the I'd put in about the fantastic trainer (which will reflect well on the gym) and say you are looking forward to the boot camps becoming more intense !!

This way you wont put up any barriers at the gym, they might buck themselves up for the next bootcamp and you can show that youre taking your own credit (which you deserve) for the weight you lost before starting the BL.

Result - everyone happy!!!

oh you are clever Stella - thats just the right tone to take - thanks for that - i was just going round in circles in my head as i felt it was cheeky that they wanted to advertise my weight loss when i wasn't even a member of that gym when i started and i was getting pissed off lol - thanks for "listening"

No probs - I am in a very happy place at the moment (although extremely tired) - dont know where I dragged that opinion up from to be honest - I cant even string a sentence together at the min