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Bye-bye sweet tooth Laura McEwan surprised herself in every way when it came to committing to the Challenge. She even defied her sugar cravings to establish new healthy habits. photography charlie suriano
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ohn Delinac is a very good friend of mine and I watched him succeed in 2011 when he won the Challenge. He was the one who urged me to start and I’m very thankful for that, as I have gained so much – even more than being in the best shape of my life, which was the promise I made to myself at the start of 2012. I was reluctant to sign up to the Challenge and take my ‘before’ photo but another good friend gave me the nudge I needed. I took the plunge, put the photo up and entered. I needed to be accountable to someone or something and the MAX’S Challenge did just that. This was to be no walk in the park though! The decision to commit and sign up, followed closely by the diet was probably the hardest part of the Challenge. But once I
before
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was signed and committed, the amount of discipline I had was amazing. I surprised myself! Diet is one thing that has always been my downfall – I love my sweets. Had I not been attached to the Challenge and accountable to the world, I don’t know what would have kept my paws out of the Nutella jar! That said, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE SuperShred and it has to be the Chocolate flavour by a mile. I used it throughout the whole Challenge but sometimes also used Maxine’s Burn in Chocolate. It’s fair to say that I have always been trying to drop body fat, but as mentioned, it’s been my diet that has let me down. I would generally eat well at meal times, but the snacks in between – and maybe my chocolate obsession – were always my downfall.
after
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“I love going to the gym and smashing out every rep! I’m so focused when I’m in the gym, I truly believe I’m in my element when I’m training.”
Top right: Laura shows off her fabulous new body, a reward for all of her hard training and for following a strict diet. Left: Laura smashes out some reps in the gym, where she feels right at home.
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In terms of training, my main objective was really just to stay in shape. I always had a challenging program and went hard, but committing to it was easy. I love going to the gym and smashing out every rep! I’m so focused when I’m in the gym, I truly believe I’m in my element when I’m training. I am someone who gets bored easily however and adapts very quickly, so I was changing up my program often to include variety and reduce the boredom. I have created a great habit and change in my lifestyle when preparing my meals. Every second night I prepare about 10 meals to get me through the next couple of days. Preparation is everything. I have learnt so much that I am able to share with everyone. It’s the little things that I tweak in my day-to-day life that make all the difference! I am also still aiming to compete in the Fitness Model category, a goal I have had for a while now but seemed so far away, and that has been reignited by the Challenge. I know with time and dedication anything’s possible. I am very happy. I think I
achieved a lot and got the best results out of myself within the timeframe. I have no “what ifs” and was the most happiest with my six pack – I was actually gobsmacked when I saw it! The response following the Challenge has been absolutely incredible. The amount of people that contact me to say congratulations or you have inspired me – that’s what gets me every time – and it’s motivation enough for me to keep going. It feels amazing when someone tells you that you’ve inspired them and tell you their story. Since the Challenge I have been giving so much advice to friends and family on dieting and training – even writing programs (it’s ok, I am a qualified PT!). They are motivated by my results, and I’m motivated by them (not to mention that they are now friends with a celebrity!) Ha ha! Finally, if you are thinking about doing the Challenge, or are about to enter it – fantastic. Even if you do have some doubts, like I did. As I found out, you have absolutely nothing to lose but so much to gain. My advice is to just do it!