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| and the Winner is...
She’s buff. She’s beautiful. And she’s this year’s 12-Week BodyBlitz Grand Champion. Introducing Melinda Troughton...
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BEFORE |
AFTER |
W hen we contacted Melinda Troughton to congratulate her on winning this year’s 12-Week BodyBlitz Challenge, her initial reaction was one of pure disbelief. “I was so excited. I didn’t expect to win. I was hoping to win the monthly one, because I knew how hard I had trained,” says the 25-year-old Queenslander. “But I didn’t think I’d make it to Grand Champion.”
Although Melinda shed a remarkable 12kg, she believed that as one of the bigger finalists she would not make it to the final stage of the competition.
“There were some smaller girls who came up really cut. I guess that’s where I doubted myself, I thought that the magazine would want someone like that over someone like me.”
To the judges, however, Melinda was always one of the main contenders. And in meeting her it was clear that we had made the right decision.
Not only does Melinda project an image of natural femininity, but her continual commitment to a healthier lifestyle has far surpassed the time-frame of a 12-week challenge.
So why did Melinda decide to take on the challenge?
Tired of hiding behind board shorts, she was determined to hit the beach this summer in a pair of skimpy bikinis.
“I wanted to look good in a bikini. When you are that big you want to get the weight off – I wanted to look fit.”
Melinda had fallen into the habit of eating for comfort rather than eating for sustenance. A self-confessed sugar addict, he favourite snacks included flavoured coffees, picnic bars, muffins and apple danishes.
| Measurements |
Before |
After |
| Weight |
77kg |
65kg |
| Chest |
101cm |
88cm |
| Waist |
90cm |
63.5cm |
| Calves |
37cm |
34cm |
| Arms |
32cm |
29cm |
| Thighs |
60cm |
56cm |
| Hips |
101cm |
90cm |
| Body fat percentage |
37.9% |
30.2% |
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“I had fallen into a routine of having a flavoured coffee on the way to work, I’d go to a bakery for morning tea, and lunch would be either hot chips and gravy, or maybe a hot dog,” she says, reminiscing about her unhealthy eating habits.
“Initially these habits were hard to overcome, but when I realised I had been doing it for a few months, it was a lot easier to skip running across the road to buy a Picnic when I felt hungry.”
Then there were the social outings. From wine and cheese nights with her girfriends, to pizza with her partner, Cameron, Mel’s weight escalated in a short space of time. It was after picking up her birthday photos that she decided it was time to take charge.
Armed with the motivation to reclaim her figure, Melinda re-evaluated her diet and her life.
“Cameron decided to join me on the challenge, which made it a lot easier. We emptied our cupboards of all the bad foods and really changed our eating habits,” says Mel. “Instead of pizza topped with mayonnaise for dinner we’d sit there and eat our steamed fish and veggies.”
Renowned for her culinary talents, she soon discovered a whole new cooking philosophy. “I started to experiment with herbs and spices, and created healthier versions of my favourite meals – I found that I could really enjoy my food without all the extra sauces.”
But it’s not all steamed veggies and protein shakes. Instead of cutting out certain foods from her diet, Mel has opted for a more sensible approach. “If I feel like something, I’ll have it. You get to a point where you just have to have something.”
In the initial stages of the challenge she decided to avoid eating out, because she knew that this would be one of her greatest temptations. “One of the frustrating things was not going out for dinner with my friends. I went occasionally, but I felt really rude in the end.”
Like many women, Mel believes that her relationship with food was largely influenced by her emotions, but says that the challenge has helped her gain control. “I honestly believe that if you go without something for a month you become significantly less dependant on it – these days I savour the taste of food, but back then I’d eat for the sake of it,” she says.
“Instead of going out and snacking after a big day at work, I’d go to the gym, and escape home and work.”
But in the initial stages of the challenge, the prospect of slugging it out at the gym wasn’t so appealing. However, these days she sees exercise – whether it’s a swim at the beach or a session at the gym – as a great diversion from the stresses of day-to-day life.
Mel attributes much of her success to her personal trainer, Donna Anderson, who provided her with the support and motivation to complete the challenge.
“My trainer is a figure competitor and she was doing her comp at the same time so we were doing it together,” she says. “It was good having someone who knew exactly what I was going through with the food.”
Sally kept Mel motivated with regular phone calls, from lunchtime check-up calls, to early morning wake-up calls. On the weekend they’d go for jogs together and by the end of the challenge had become good friends.
For Mel the challenge has just begun and she is determined to lose a few more kilos. “Winning this competition ensures that I keep this promise to myself and continue to maintain my healthy outlook on life,” she says. And what about those bikinis? “I now have a whole drawer to choose from!”
| Quick questions with Mel |
Fave unhealthy food: pizza or Mexican
Fave healthy food: fresh home-made Mexican,
Hardest food hurdle to overcome: tuna, I just blocked my nose and ate it!
Fave celeb: Drew Barrymore (she’s a great role model), Jennifer Garner (what an awesome body!)
Fave TV show: Alias and Neighbours
Fave place to exercise: outdoors
Fave part of your body: my shoulders
Worst exercise: anything that involves legs!
Biggest body hang-up: my legs!
Fave recent addition to your wardrobe: definitely my white pants, now that used to be a scary topic! But I’ve also splurged on a few pairs of bikinis
Fave music to workout to: Mel’s mixed tapes – anything from Bad Religion to Britney Spears
Fave excuse to get out of training: I might have avoided a phonecall from my trainer on a few occasions (but don’t tell her that!)
Fave supplement: I used Redbak protein powder throughout the challenge and continue to do so
Fave thing about the BodyBlitz weekend: Everyone being so easy going and friendly |
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Mel’s tips
 Read other people’s stories
Empty out every single bad thing in your cupboard
Don’t have anything that’s going to tempt you
The reason people look fit, is because they doing something about it
Use protein shake in your cereal
Experiment with different cooking styles
Embrace spices – they are a lot better than sauces
We all get cravings, just try and control them
Choose your PT wisely, mine
was Donna Anderson from
Body Crazy Personal Fitness |
BodyBlitz Grand Champion Weekend
The purpose: BodyBlitz Grand Champion Weekend
The location: Melbourne
The players: Melinda Troughton
(Female BodyBlitz Grand Champion)
and Nigel Harwood
(Male BodyBlitz Grand Champion)
The following pages provide a snapshot of our BodyBlitz Grand Champion Weekend. Over four action-packed days, Melinda and Nigel experienced the highlife – from limousines to photoshoots to five-star accommodation. At the end of the weekend they were presented with a $5K giant cheque, from Silvio Morelli, the managing director of Blitz Publications. In true fitness-style Melinda will put her prize money towards a brand new swimming pool. |
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This Months Winner is Vanessa Harman 
This Months Winner Dean Jenner 
This Months Winner John Cross 
