We caught up with Josie Gibson, one of our fab Pithay Studios tenants. We chat to the bubbly Bristolian about her new weight loss club Slimmables, Big Brother and naked sun bathing on desert islands.

Tell us a little about yourself what got you to where you are now?

I ended up auditioning for Big Brother. I’d had a really bad year so had written a bucket list and one of things on there was that I wanted to be on TV so I thought why not, plus I wanted to meet Davina.

On the day of the last audition I had to ask my manager for the day off. My boss said he’d give me the time off but jokingly said if I won Big Brother I had to donate £20,000 to his favourite charity CLIC Sergeant who helped his family immensely. – so when I won I made the donation.

Tell us about life after BB?

My life was so different. BB numbs your brain and I wasn’t ready for the fame. I couldn’t even pay for a parking ticket and I’d put on so much weight I felt disgusting. My life was full of TV appearances and events all day, every day it was so full on. But you’ve got ride the wave for as long as you can. I’ve done a lot in the time since Big Brother; presenting, written two books and made two fitness DVDs.

You’ve launched your weight loss club ‘Slimmables’ this year, what inspired you and how’s it all going?

I used to get offered a fitness DVD every week, but I realised I would never be able to lose weight properly without understanding my body, so I did a personal training and nutrition course. I realised it was never really about how much I was consuming but about which foods agreed with my body and which foods didn’t. I am a keen believer that we are designed to eat certain food; lots of foods that we eat today we are not supposed to eat. I also discovered High Intensity Training (HIT) which made a massive difference as it’s scientifically proven it’s the best way to lose weight. People are showing me up on twitter and making me feel bad about slacking on my HIT as they are doing so well.

What do you enjoy about running Slimmables?

It’s the only thing that keeps me going. We’ve had so much success and I love what we offer. We do our own 12-week training plans with beginner, intermediate and advanced levels to suit everyone. We also have a specially formulated scientifically proven diet plan. We reward people for losing weight too. I’m also really proud of the community we have through Slimmables, its called Fitbook, everyone helps inspire each other. We have had some incredible transformations and those weight loss stories are what really keeps me going.

Why did you choose to join our desk space in Pithay Studios?

I was working from home and getting really down in the dumps not seeing anyone all day. Everyone at Pithay Studios is here to do a job and you’re in a good working environment around exciting entrepreneurs.

Tell us about any networking you’ve done whilst at Pithay?

I’ve worked really well with [other Pithay Studios tenant] Day One Media, they’ve been great.The development company I used before left me without a website just before my launch, I missed out on the busiest weight loss period because they delayed my by nearly 4 months. I have also been ripped off an incredible amount of money, into 5 figures for work that was never completed by my old developers and designers.

We have a good team now because of working in the Pithay as I found my current team members here. Since being here I’ve got my website redesigned and developed and an App currently under construction. We are looking to shoot our new videos here too. I learnt everything the hard way with my business, Debra Meadon said she made more mistakes than successes and that’s what I’ve done. It’s been a struggle and I have shed many tears but I keep telling myself at least I gave it a go and had the back bone to do it. I can never say ‘What If?’

We saw on your Twitter you’re promoting ‘green and clean’ recipes, what’s it all about?

‘Green and Clean’ means no wheat, as that helps with cleaning your digestive system. No dairy, to help balance your hormones as most dairy is full of chemicals. No sugar or sugar substitutes, and no processed foods with additives. Basically eating clean and natural, how we should eat! Loads of fruit, veg, nuts, meats and healthy oils.

Share with us your best secret for newbies to the fitness world?

Dont set yourself up to fail and what I mean by that is set realistic targets and take them each week at a time. When you look at the bigger picture it can be daunting but you break it down into bite-sized chunks and it actually becomes enjoyable.

Tell us about one of your favourite success stories from a client of Slimmables?

It’s got to be an amazing lady called Cathy. Not because of the weight she lost (8 stone!) but because she was type 2 diabetic, and heavily dependent on medication. She’s now not dependent on medication and looks like a different person. It’s actually a really nice feeling thinking you’ve helped changed someone’s life, I haven’t really thought about that before!

With all this hard work how do you let your hair down?

I do like a festival, and doing up the house. I guess I like getting things done. The moment I get bored is the moment I get a bit depressed. I also like red wine. Oh and Canoeing. It’s funny you think when you enter the celeb world you don’t have to work as hard, that you have people who do stuff for you but that isn’t true you have to work so hard. I’m even at Pithay Studios on weekends!

And finally…

Would you rather be stranded alone on an island or with someone you hate?

It’s got to be alone, at least you can sunbathe naked!

www.slimmables.com