I have always been thin and eaten whatever I wanted, but also led a fairly active lifestyle.

So when I went up almost two dress sizes within two years, I put it down to turning 40. I thought, ‘that’s what happens, your metabolism slows down’.

I didn’t want to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe again, so when Scott, my PT from Muscle Bound Fitness, said he was running the 12-week challenge, I thought I would give it a go.
Because I work part-time, am married and have a five-year-old son, I needed the program to be easy. One thing I was concerned about was that I broke both my arms around 16 months ago and I have been unable to train properly with them since, and still have pain at night if I overdo it.

Scott was able to tailor a program for me that mostly used the muscles in my lower body, but he added arms into the workout whenever he could.

The other challenge I faced was that I’m not a morning person. It was a struggle for me to get up early to train and then think about what to cook. Scott provided all the motivation I needed, and a complete menu plan, so it made it very easy for me to follow.

I cooked up large amounts of whatever was on the menu plan and froze it in meal-sized portions, so if I was tired, or lazy, I could just take something out of the freezer. It was the just the right amount of food, and it was nutritious. There was no thinking required!

I thought I would be really hungry with my new nutrition and eating plan, but aside from the very first day, I did not feel hungry once, and if I really wanted something I had it.

I learnt so much during the challenge. First and foremost, I learnt that it wasn’t turning 40 or becoming ‘middle-aged’ that was causing me to gain weight – it was sitting on my bum and eating chocolate!
I thought I would be craving chocolate and that would be the ultimate challenge while completing the 12-week challenge. It was not. In fact, I barely noticed it, and when I did eat chocolate again, I thought it tasted off. Surprisingly, I don’t really like the taste of chocolate anymore.

I have learnt it is okay to eat what you want – you just have to remember that if you don’t want to gain weight, the energy you expend must be equal to or more than the energy you take in. I love food, but I think about everything I put in my mouth.

My goal in doing the 12-week challenge was to get fit and tone up. I am well on my way to achieving those goals, but it doesn’t end here. I still have areas I would like more toned, but I am happy with what I have achieved so far and I feel so much healthier now. c