2010 was the year for Helen!

I joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1996 at the age of 17, straight out of school. I was just under 5 foot tall (still am) and weighed 49kg. I had grown up on a farm with my small family. My Mum had brought my sister and I up eating great, healthy food. Most nights we had meat and three veggies. I didn’t know what it was like to have pizza delivered, we never had soft drink in the house and we only had dessert if ice cream happened to be on special. All this changed rapidly when I left home. I suddenly found myself being offered three hot meals a day with a choice of three different desserts after dinner. As I was quite an active person, this didn’t seem to affect me until I got a little older.

Now I am in my early thirties and in the first few weeks of 2010 I found myself sitting on the lounge watching day time TV and wishing I had abs like the girl in the Ab King Pro commercial (I new buying that machine wouldn’t work). I had always wished I had abs, I like to work out and have always had great shoulders but I also found myself increasingly unhappy with my waistline. I wasn’t hugely overweight, but I disliked the way I looked. My training over the years had been very haphazard, sometimes I would ride my bike to work every day and participate in the Military fitness classes three times a week. I would do this for six months and then I would stop. I would convince myself that I was too busy to ride or work out.

"I then decided 2010 would be my year to get abs. I had no idea how I was going to achieve this, but that was what I was going to do."
 

Whilst in a newsagency I saw the Women’s Health magazine and I bought a copy. As I was reading through it I saw an ad for Ideal Bodies Online. I jumped on the web and checked it out. All the before and after photos convinced me I could do this, so I signed up.

Whilst waiting to receive my training program, I started the generic nutrition program that Kristin had sent to me. I stuck to it for the two weeks before my program started. I lost two kilos in those first weeks. When I started my program I loved it. I think my military training has made me very good at following instructions and sticking to the rules. It was great to have a professional program to follow, I didn’t have to think about it, the program said “Do cardio this many times a week and train with weights this many times a week” and I said “OK, sure thing.” Over the first four weeks I followed my program to the letter.

"I felt so good. Every one was telling me how good I looked and I had already made it half way to my goal weight."

My Husband was so supportive through out my program. He would continually tell me how good I was looking and kept my motivation. I can’t thank him enough for that.

The weeks flew past and before I knew it, it was time to start my depletion week. I was feeling really excited about finishing and even though I was about a kilo from my goal weight I felt so good and could see such great improvements in my body shape that I didn’t care. I had a photographer lined up and some new clothes ready, all I had to do was get through the last week. I was tired the first 3 days from a lack of carbs and don't underestimate how hard it is to drink 6 litres of water!! But I got through it and I felt such a great sense of achievement.

"I don’t think I realised how unhappy I was with my body until I lost the weight and I realised how much better I felt. I’m feeling so good now and have so much energy and want to get out and live life."
 

I would recommend Ideal Bodies Online to anyone who would like to be a little fitter or lose a few kilos. The journey is fantastic and so rewarding. 

Thank you to everyone who helped me through the last twelve weeks, Sharna for the guidance and Daniel for your support. I now feel so motivated I have already signed up for a second cycle.
 

Helen's Tips for Success:

• Dare to dream – imagine yourself looking fit and hot whenever you can.
• Plan everything, have the times of your training all worked out and your menu planned ahead each day.
• Don’t let yourself be tempted by anything; if it’s not in your nutrition plan, it shouldn’t be in your mouth.