Although the BIG day isn’t until October, I wanted to lose weight well before this and cement the lifestyle changes in the weeks beforehand. Additionally we are heading to Europe for 7 weeks in September and my further goal is to not put on any weight while away, so I really need to make sure I understand portion sizes, eating right and my triggers for over eating. Entering the competition was a way for me to further commit to my goal of losing weight before my birthday and overseas trip.

 

  

 

At the end of week 3, I was involved in a car accident that meant I was unable to exercise at all for 1 week and only lightly for the next couple weeks and to monitor my exercise intensity over the remainder of the program.

 

 

My only option was to do as instructed by the doctors and not exercise, to compensate for the lack of exercise I had to ensure my diet was 100% spot on. During this time, I discovered eating right is all about mindset. I knew I had to focus on eating right, so I did, there was no other option. With this mindset, following the eating regime was easy. It helped that I never felt ‘starving’ as the levels of food on my plan kept me feeling satisfied.

 

 

 

My husband is a real foodie and loves to eat out. As a surprise he arranged a long weekend in Sydney. My initial reaction was one of ‘I can’t go’. To say he was upset is an understatement. We talked and made an agreement about food and exercise over the weekend. I ate per my plan during the day, but we went out each night for dinner somewhere wonderful. Instead of hovering everything on my plate as I would normally have done, I ate enough to feel satisfied, but not stuffed and I tried some of everything he was eating.

 

 

His support, not only over the weekend, but over the 12 weeks was really important. People can say they support what you are doing, but then try and push the cake on you later on. After this weekend, I knew he was behind me and understood what I wanted to achieve and why – you need this when undertaking something like this.

 

 

We leave for Europe in 13 weeks. My goal now is to lose a bit more weight so I feel great when I step on the plane. While away, I will follow the eating principles I have learned over the past 12 weeks. This should see me in a good position when I return to Australia 2 days before my 40th birthday.

 

Knowing that I had the support of my Ideal Bodies Online Feedback Coach and Mentor was extremely important in the process. I knew I could email Leanne whenever I needed to and have a whinge and she would listen and give me the advice I needed to stay the course.