Fabulous at 49

Plagued with back pain and turning 50 next year, Trish Bates felt like a frumpy old woman. Now she’s positive, pain-free and into a size eight.

Trish’s story...

I started my challenge on Easter Sunday because I didn’t want to be a frumpy 50-year-old woman. You can see by my before photos I had achieved this without even realising. The turning point for me was when I went clothes shopping and didn’t have the freedom of choice as I previously had. This meant that I only had this year to turn things around if I wanted to look fantastic and be free of the back pain, which haunts me when I’m overweight and unfit. The chronic back pain has been the result of an accident. I received 10 fractures when hit by a car some years ago.

I did not have a weight problem until my 30s and have been on a rollercoaster ride ever since. I have tried every diet known to man, bought and read every diet book published and of course, failed and wasted a lot of money. Some time ago I bought Craig Harper’s book Your Perfect Body – A State of Mind; I even highlighted pertinent points. I put it away on the shelf where it stayed with all the other diet books until I re-read it just prior to the Challenge. It was like Craig had turned a light on and I needed to change my attitude – I was an expert in sabotage techniques and procrastination. Craig states, “The first thing you need to change is not your diet or exercise regime; the first thing you need to change is your attitude.” This book changed my negative belief system into a positive attitude and I thank Craig for that and would love the chance to meet him one day and thank him personally.

After my first week into the Challenge, the only muscles that didn’t hurt were my earlobes. I had to keep saying to myself that the soreness is temporary, which it was and had eased by the end of the second week. In the second week I was the wicked witch and I knew it was diet related. I was eating clean food, which was a huge shock to the system after years of junk food. My poor partner – I don’t know how he coped with my moods.

		Stats Before After Height 155cm 155cm Weight 61.2kg 53kg Chest 91cm 82cm Waist 79cm 59cm Calves 35cm 31cm Arms 30cm 27cm Thighs 53cm 46cm Hips 95cm 77cm
BEFORE	AFTER

I went to a personal trainer for three weight sessions and knew more than he did, so I trusted myself to work out my own weight programs and cardio. Some years ago I was lactic acid tested so I knew the formula ‘220 minus your age’ would have me training at 78 per cent only, as my maximum heart-rate is 204. My injured body is imbalanced because of nerve damage and muscle atrophy. I knew what areas I needed to strengthen and was very aggressive with my training and intensity.

By week four I’d put on one kilogram, so I knew my eating plan wasn’t the best. I employed the help of Sue Heintze from Ideal Bodies Online for a nutritional plan, which gave me amazing results as I was not eating enough food at the right times or good quality protein. By weeks seven and eight on the challenge my weight had reached a plateau. Previously, I would have given up, but I continued to lose centimetres. I knew I was building muscles which were still hidden by fat but I continued to increase my weights in the gym. I believed the challenge would work because so many people had achieved their goals, so why not me? The mental struggle and self-doubts were hard at times but I needed to succeed or I would slip back into negative behaviours. Now I had the knowledge, training program and no excuses.

In week 10, my body took on an amazing transformation and my muscles started to show, which made me feel good and even more determined to succeed. By week 11, work colleagues were paying compliments that made me feel so proud. I also had to wear a belt with my work trousers, otherwise they would fall down to my ankles!

The last week of the Challenge was exciting. I bought a new bikini, and an expensive dress. I thought it might be a size 10 but it was a size eight and it looked fantastic. At the beginning of the Challenge I was a size 12, now I’m a size eight. Never in my life have I paid as much attention to myself. It is very exciting to have hair, nails, make-up, a spray tan and then a professional photographer. I felt very special. For me, once the fat ‘before’ photos were taken, that put ownership on my negative attitude, unhealthy eating habits and inconsistent fitness training. The Challenge is not easy until you see results, then the feeling of empowerment is indescribable.

What a feeling – I’m addicted to having a positive attitude.