I hated the fact that whenever I complained about being unhappy about my weight, I always received the same response from people, “but you’re tall you can get away with it.” It never made me feel any better about myself and neither did the fact that I continued to try and fail at different ways to achieve the body and dress size that I have always wanted. I was really starting to feel like a complete failure in anything I set out to do and I hadn’t been bigger than what I was when I started this competition! I knew that it was time to do something about it!

I had attempted to do the 12-week Body Blitz challenge before, but this was the first time I had entered in the New You Challenge! The first time I attempted the Body Blitz challenge with no plan of attack and with no help from anyone. I thought I knew it all and was fine on my own because I have always been a member of a gym (whether I actually went to the gym, was another thing), but little did I know… and low and behold my ‘after’ photos never made it in!

Having always been inspired by the winners and the success stories in the Women’s Health and Fitness magazine, I got my final inspiration from Hilde Brunnbauer’s story! She had the body I wanted and her story was one I could completely relate to! Hilde was a success story from Sue at Ideal Bodies Online, so I thought I should find out what Sue had to offer.

"I was sceptical about spending more money on weight loss attempts because I had joined so many gyms, paid so many personal trainers, bought so many different weight loss gimmicks and even signed up and paid for a 12 week at home Weight Watchers course!"

So, I sent through a long list of questions asking Sue why her program was going to be ‘the one’. After speaking with Sue and reading some articles, there was no doubt in my mind that this program was the one! Something inside me told me that this was the time that I needed to do this and I was ready for the challenge. I was at a point in my life where I needed to stop talking about achieving this and other things in my life and start doing it!

"Over the 12 weeks, I slowly learnt that transforming my body had so much to do with my psychological state than anything else!"

Sue sent me through my personalised training and nutrition plans and they were fantastic. I was stoked with what I could eat, how much I could eat, the recipes and the online support every week, they were there for me every step of the way and I always had someone to answer to. I also never got bored with my training at the gym, as my program was updated for me with progressions along the way, there was lots of variety and everything I did I enjoyed and I found challenging and rewarding to complete! But the most important thing for me was the knowledge I gained about myself. I now know that I can be my own best friend or my own worst enemy when it comes to achieving things in life, in particular, the body I wanted!

"I definitely had some hurdles along the way, like everyone does and like everyone will." The fact that I was a manager at a hotel, had irregular sleeping and eating habits from working in the hospitality industry, was serving a lot of deep fried ‘tempting’ food and alcoholic beverages was a difficult task every day during my challenge and there were so many other things that happened along the way.

"I definitely didn’t have a perfect 12 weeks, that’s for sure!"

Cravings and temptations can always get the better of you, it’s whether you get back on to your plan after them or not that make the difference! But there is no point in whinging about what I’ve missed out on, or had to deal with, because I believe now that there are no excuses when you want to achieve something incredible and without a doubt, there will always be hard times! It’s important to remember to learn from your mistakes and move forward, rather than dwell on what ‘could have been’ or what ‘should have been’.

I had so much fun doing this program that I am actually sad that the 12 weeks are over. I am also so excited about what the future holds for me and what I now know I can achieve! I have so much more confidence in myself and control over my life again and it feels awesome! Anyone who gives me a reason now why they can’t lose weight or can’t stick to a diet like I have, I have this to say:

“If you want something in life, you have to set your mind to it, you have to be willing to make sacrifices and be selfish, you can be your own best friend, or your own worst enemy, no one else is to blame but yourself and there are NO excuses, no matter what, because it is all worth it in the end!”

(My little line of advice I have acquired from Sue, Michelle, Craig Harper and other articles I have read!)

I have now decided to spend more time focusing on my study and working less and I have decided that I am going to combine my business studies with sport and exercise science so that I can have my own business helping others achieve what I have. It has been such an amazing feeling for me to inspire everyone around me, my work mates, my flat mates, my friends and family and I am eternally grateful to Sue and the team at Ideal Bodies Online for helping me achieved success and transform not only my body, but my whole life!

My success tips:

• There are no excuses, never forget that!
• Become a morning person and do your training first thing in the morning, you will feel awesome all day long and thank yourself that you don‘t have to workout after a hard day’s work!
• Be psychologically prepared, it is all about your mind!
• Be physically prepared, plan everything! Plan when and what you will eat, and when and what you will do for exercise!
• Write EVERYTHING down, from diet and exercise to all the feelings you have! In particular, your goals and read them every day!

4 years later…

I am now proud to say I have continued to live and breathe my healthy lifestyle, competing in my first two figure competitions in September 2009, once again, with the help of the amazing Sue Heintze. I have also been working for Sue and Ideal Bodies Online for almost 4 years now, firstly as a Feedback Coach and now as the Programs Manager and will be for a long time to come. Every day I love waking up and being able to help others achieve the same success that I did, it truly is a blessing to be able to play a small part in such an amazing journey for someone. My life has been turned upside down and has changed in positive ways that I never thought possible, thanks to that little decision back in April 2007 to check out the Ideal Bodies Online website.