More of the story so far

Things you need to succeed:

#1 Support (see last post)

#2 Advice from someone who knows their stuff....

I have always played one sport or another and stayed fairly active growing up but had never really managed to shed my 'puppy fat'. I was comfortable enough in my own skin but did struggle during various periods when I finished school in attempts to lose weight, only to regain it and a little bit more. I had been going to the gym since 2001 but never really looked as though I did if you know what I mean. I have been training with proper form/heavy weights etc and*consistently* (key) for about two years now but still struggled to bring my eating into line with my enjoyment of training. With a goal to compete, I knew that this needed a massive overhaul. It wasn't until Ali and I enlisted the help of Jon Davie (JD) in June this year that I learnt just how important clean eating is the overall regime (you seriously cannot out train a bad diet) and importantly, I learnt that you DO NOT and should not have to starve yourself or even count calories to lose weight (fat).

JD put together a meal plan for me based on healthful foods that I was already eating and enjoying and timed my intake of certain macronutrients so that I could maximise my metabolism and fat burning potential whilst maintaining muscle mass. With regards to meal plans, I think it is extremely important to seek the advice of someone who you trust and has a proven track record. Since June, I have been able to ignore all conflicting information I receive about nutrition because I know with confidence that if I adhere to my plan I will achieve the desired results- its a confidence that is invaluable.

Since June, as shown in the pictures above, I have lost 31mm of body fat and about 5.5kg on the scales. It is my goal to reduce my bodyfat by about another 8mm before I try to maintain for a while and gain some more lean muscle mass. There will be a big last chance effort required there before beginning comp prep diet in May 2009 because honestly, who wants to diet for 20 weeks to show off a nice set of bones?