My journey started long before my 12 week program. At 19 I had an eating disorder and although I regained the weight, the negative emotions and thoughts were still there and I wasn’t happy within my own body. Over the next few years, patterns of disordered eating continued, and even though I trained regularly I didn’t have the motivation or achieve any results. Fast forward through finishing a degree in Psychology (ah yes the irony!), moving out of home, working and ending a long term relationship that really wasn’t right for me and I was ready to ditch these demons once a for all! Enter IBO phase 1.

I completed my first 12 week program in July 2011 (a nutrition only program) and lost 4kg getting to my goal weight and started to notice a difference in myself and my body. Don’t get me wrong, there were slip ups along the way and a few binge eating episodes but I was learning, and with the support of an amazing boyfriend (lucky for me he is a Personal Trainer) and making progress in all other areas of my life I was ready for my next challenge.

In May 2011 my family lost my beloved Nanna and in my reading at her funeral I made a promise to live my life to make her proud - that became my mantra. I was pumped and fully committed when I started my 12 week Total Body Makeover Program on what would have been my Nan’s birthday.

"I put my heart and soul into training and nutrition for the 12 weeks, put my faith in Kristin and Leisl and asked loads of questions!"

I knew I didn’t have ‘scale weight’ to lose, my goal was lowering my body fat. The training side was never a problem for me, I am a self-confessed gym junkie, but changing from a half-hearted 40min cardio session everyday to short high intensity interval sessions was a huge benefit to my progress.

I scheduled a photo-shoot for the end of the 12 weeks as my ‘end goal’; I enlisted a support network; trained hard 6 days a week and planned every session and every meal. The nutrition side and comfort eating was my biggest hurdle and there were slip ups along the way. I also started a new job, learnt I was wheat and dairy intolerant, battled insomnia and severe fatigue and my dog passed away.

"It was a continued to struggle with periods of self doubt, but I always kept my goal in sight “to build a better me”.

One of my biggest achievements on this journey was re-training my mind and learning to believe in myself, to recognise what triggers my negative emotions (which often led to self sabotaging binges) and above all else, was to not beat myself up over minor slips and to stop putting so much pressure on myself!

"The 12 weeks has been a journey of self discovery and transformation from years of low self-esteem, low confidence, disordered eating and negative thoughts to FINALLY being at peace with myself in my own body."

I believe I am worth it and know I am capable of great things. I am so very proud of how far I have come and can not believe the physical transformation and that the girl in the photos exuding confidence is me! I think I may even submit some photos to magazines!!!

Success Tips

1. Plan, plan, plan! Each Sunday I wrote my plan for the coming week – the training session and what I would eat for each meal, each day. Then all I had to do was refer to it when preparing my meals (the night before for the next day), this came in handy especially when I was busy or running late and knew what I had to grab and eat on the go! I also got my gym bag ready the night before so I was ready and raring to go each day!
2. Surround yourself with supportive people – they will be a great source of encouragement and support on your journey – we all need a good cheer squad!
3. Remember you are human – don’t beat yourself up when you slip up (there will be times along the way that you do), just get straight back on track and don’t dwell on it.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – I thought I was being a pain asking so many questions but it was the best thing I could do, its so important to work out what works best for you and you don’t know if you don’t ask… and there are no silly questions!!

Lauren’s Favourite Recipe – Stuffed Capsicum 

Ingredients:

• 100g lean beef mince (cooked)
• 1 large red capsicum
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• Chopped mushroom, shallot, capsicum, spinach (any vegies you like)
• Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chilli, herbs to taste
• ½ cup brown rice (if carb meal)
• 20g cheese (if fat serve allowed)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to approx 180-200 degrees.
2. Cut top off capsicum and remove seeds (if base is not stable, can cut capsicum across length ways and have 2 halves) and spray with light cooking spray. Place in oven for approx 15min or until has softened.
3. Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients together in a pan and heat through (may need to add some tin tomatoes to make mixture a bit more moist).
4. When capsicum is ready fill with mince mixture and sprinkle cheese serve over the top. Bake for another 10min or until cheese melts.
5. Serve with side salad or vegies to make up vegetable allowance