I wish to give my wife a complete makeover for her birthday in Feb.
She is breastfeeding our 3 1/2 month baby and has now joined a gym to
lose the extra 40 pounds she added during pregnancy. The services
required are  personal physical fitness training to achieve weight
loss and body toning/sculpting through exercise and diet. Image
consulting - education regarding clothes, makeup, hair do,
posture,etc. and a complete makeover sometime mid Feb. I need to find
an organization or professional (women preferred)who can help achieve
this goal soon near Lombard, Illinois.

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Clarification of Question by shaju-ga on 25 Nov 2003 09:34 PST

Hi everybody,

I know that she is very keen to become fit before she make a trip to
India come April 2004. She definitely has her mind set on achieving
the goal. She has lost 10 pounds since she started the program. She
has also joined weight watchers to help her with the goal. She has
some help to take care of the kid - her mother is here to help her.

I believe it will give her self esteem a great boost if she could
become 140 pounds from her current 184 with a well toned body, a great
makeover, a good understanding of how to project a highly successful
positive image, and a new wardrobe to go along.

Also she is looking to get back into the workforce after the trip to
India and this will keep her in good stead.

This is her second attempt to become fit. She had reasonable amount of
success just before she got married when she was able to reach 155
pounds. I believe any help in this direction will be well taken and
will be a more practical gift than jewelry or night out which still
can be worked out for the b'day.

I believe at this moment this would become a significant achievement
for her, a stepping stone to greater success ahead.

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Request for Question Clarification by aceresearcher-ga on 26 Nov 2003 03:29 PST

Hello again, shaju!

Many fitness clubs have personal trainers on staff. Have you tried
calling the gym that she joined to see whether they have personal
trainers available? That should probably be your first step -- it
would likely make scheduling easier for your wife if her trainer is a
staff person at her club. Once you find that out, I could help you
with the other half of your request (or, if you wish to post the name
and phone number of her fitness club here, I can check on their
availability of trainers for you).

Thanks,

aceresearcher

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Clarification of Question by shaju1-ga on 01 Dec 2003 10:26 PST

Dear aceresearcher,

I had that in mind. However due to the holidays, I was unable to check
it out. Guess I will drop in and confirm whether they have any
personal trainers. They did not have such information on the web site.
Will revert after verification.

Thanks,

Shaju

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Request for Question Clarification by aceresearcher-ga on 10 Dec 2003 09:40 PST

Hello again, shaju!

I just wanted to check with you and find out whether you were able to
obtain a personal trainer for your wife at her health club. If you
haven't had the chance to call them yet, you can post the name and
phone number of the health club here, and I would be glad to do that
for you.

Regards,

aceresearcher

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Clarification of Question by shaju1-ga on 10 Dec 2003 16:41 PST

Dear aceresearcher,

I did visit their facilities and gave a detailed description of my
needs. I was told that one of the trainers will call back after the
holidays. They have not contacted me as of yet. However my wife is
achieving her goal approximately 1.2 pounds a week on average. So the
rest of the plan still stands. I will however work with the gym to
organize a trainer soon.

Thank you once again.

Shaju

Greetings, shaju!

If this is something for which your wife has expressed a desire, it's a great idea.

However, if this is not something that you have discussed with her, I
do NOT recommend that you give her this for a birthday gift. It is
quite likely that doing so would make her very angry, hurt, and/or
offended, and cause some serious strain on your marriage.

After 9 months of pregnancy and 3½ months of 24/7 care of a demanding,
crying newborn, your wife is likely exhausted. A "gift" like this
might be perceived as a real slap in the face -- you're telling her
that you think that she is no longer attractive. (For example, how
would you respond if your wife gave you a birthday gift certificate
for a penis enlarger?)

If she cares enough that she has joined a gym to get back in shape,
you can certainly tell her that you know she's exhausted and ask her
if she's interested in having a personal trainer to make it easier.
But as far as a birthday gift, in the interest of harmony in your
marriage and warm feelings from your wife, I recommend a dozen roses,
a babysitter for a long evening, and a night out, perhaps for a movie
and dinner at a nice restaurant.

Best wishes,

aceresearcher

Hello Shaju,

Congratulations on the new baby!  Sounds like this one is your first?

As a mother of two, please let me add my voice to colleague
Aceresearcher's - if she *asked* for this, terrific!  It's nice when a
fella gives his wife something that she's asked for, instead of a dust
collector.

If she didn't, *don't* *do* *it*.  She's already tired and sleep
deprived.  The implied "hurry up and get your figure back, honey" that
an unsolicted makeover package presents is likely to exacerbate her
stress.

Before you go looking for this, please make sure it's what *she*
*wants*.  New mothers are notoriously tired and cranky - she might be
a lot happier with a luxury massage, or a "day of beauty" at the
nearest full service salon.

--Missy

Hello Shaju!

Here is a link to a list of make-up and beauty shops in the Chicago
area (including some nail shops specifically in Lombard).

http://www.partypop.com/Categories/Make_up_Artists/IL_Chicago.htm

I hope that you are able to find the things that you've listed and
that your wife has a great birthday! And congratulations on your
newest addition!

Sincerely,
Boquinha-ga