New You Winner - 2012

I had struggled with my weight since my late teens.  It was during that time I found myself on the yo-yo diet merry-go-round - I would diet, binge, and then diet again. Not only did I feel like a failure, I was completely worn out.

I eventually lost some weight through rigorous exercise and ended up becoming the trainer of the classes I used to attend.

In 2005 I was diagnosed with cancer (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) which was a total shock to us all. At the time of diagnosis, I was happy being a Mum with my first child who had recently turned one. It became the biggest challenge of my life.

After the diagnosis I immediately turned my eating habits around. It’s amazing what a health scare can do for your mindset. I consumed only healthy and organic food to ensure that I was not intoxicating my body further with junk and processed foods. I also stopped flogging myself at the gym.  During this time I lost more weight and kept it off and feel strongly that “diet” products and unhealthy food contributed to my illness.

Once we received the all clear about my diagnosis, we faced another challenge. The family finances were at rock bottom. My husband had taken a lot of time off work to help so my next challenge was to help fix this situation. Investing in my study to become a Personal Trainer (although finding the money at the time) was a life changing journey.

Regardless of the study I did and the knowledge I gained (I had been a Fitness Instructor for 21 years and now a Personal Trainer for 4) - I still didn’t have my ideal body. Those last 5 kilos simply refused to budge! I would exercise like crazy doing copious amounts of running and cardio classes; I even walked 100km in the Oxfam Trail Walk… and still nothing moved.
 

I thought to myself, “If I can get through cancer I can certainly get through this challenge!”
 

A few girls at my local gym had achieved fantastic results with Ideal Bodies Online so this prompted me to jump on the website and read Sue Heintze’s personal body transformation story. It was one of those ‘light bulb moments’ because I felt like I was reading about myself.

I decided that this was it! I wanted to look firm and defined like Sue so I had to change some things.

"This was my dream and I wanted that six pack for Christmas."

I was scared and nervous because I knew when I signed up for this program that this was it; it was now or never - I had to make this change. I shouldn’t have worried because the team at Ideal Bodies Online were all so helpful and supportive and made me feel very comfortable. I must admit I felt weird because I was a Personal Trainer - shouldn’t I be able to do this on my own? Like Sue said though, everyone at some stage or another can benefit from a mentor and coach. I realised that I too needed a push along with support and accountability you just can’t provide yourself.

When I received my nutrition plan I couldn’t believe I had been starving myself by missing out on so many nutrients! I felt very satisfied and can honestly tell you I was never hungry, not once. I absolutely loved the pancakes with maple syrup and the healthy cheesecake recipe was to die for (yes, I even got to eat cheesecake)!

My weight fluctuated through the whole program, going up and down, but I kept listening to my coach and telling myself to trust the process. I was doing everything right and I knew the results would come. Boy, did I struggle with that scale! I had lived my whole life around it, but now it was time to let it go and trust the measurements and how I was feeling instead.

I lost an amazing 6.9 kilos of fat!  I ended up surpassing my goal weight and in the process lost 11cm off my waist and 7cm off my hips.

When I had my professional ‘after’ photos taken, the photographer showed me a sneak peak - I started to cry because  I couldn’t believe it was me; my dream had finally come true!

This has been an amazing journey; I now have my dream body and have made some lifelong friends along the way, all thanks to Ideal Bodies Online.

Nicole’s Tips

• To all you girls out there my best advice to you is start lifting weights!  You burn more fat and for longer!
• Motivation comes and goes so don’t wait for it, just do it!
• Get off the merry go round of doing non-stop cardio.
• Get professional help (even Personal Trainers need it sometimes)!
• Throw the scales away!
• Trust the process that it will happen if you slip up get right back onto it.