Changing Lifestyle

Tracy McGregor was a party girl. She loved entertaining, having a few drinks with friends and more importantly going out.

Tracy was the friend who was still on the dance floor at 4am when everyone else wanted to go home. This lifestyle, however was taking its toll physically. Out of shape and unfit, she needed something to motivate her to train. She needed a push to help her say no to the one-too-many Southern and cokes that came her way. She stayed out late, partied hard and let herself go. She was unfit, overweight and too busy having fun. It wasn’t until she picked up a copy of Women’s Fitness and Sport that she realised something had to be done.

Tracy McGregor is still a party girl at heart, but now she is a party girl who looks after herself. However her former lifestyle could well have gotten in the way of completing the challenge; a challenge that required dedication to train, motivation to diet, and a major change of lifestyle.

A few weeks into the challenge Tracy was at the pub with her ‘grog monster buddies’ who were buying her those dreaded Southern Comfort and cokes to lead her into temptation. But Tracy wasn’t tempted.

“I just kept saying I really wanted to be Grand Champion. I couldn’t have even one drink. I would usually leave (the pub) at about 8:30pm, when I used to be the one keeping everyone out partying.

” Tracy was totally out of shape. Living on the Gold Coast where the weather is always warm and a Queenslander’s wardrobe consists of short shirts, singlets and bathers, Tracy didn’t just want to wear skimpy outfits, she wanted to look good in them. That’s when the challenge struck a chord in her mind. Tracy didn’t enter to be a monthly winner – she wanted the title – Grand Champion. For years she needed a challenge to put herself on the line and dedicate herself to achieving that goal. And when she saw the body transformation ad in the magazine she couldn’t get it out of her mind. This was her opportunity to change her wicked ways.

So how did she do it? How did she change her entire lifestyle and follow a regimented training and eating program? How did she gain the discipline to stop partying to the wee hours of the morning and say no to the barrage of drinks that came her way?

She did it with sheer determination and willpower.

Tracy dropped her body fat down from 30 per cent to 13.5 per cent with a well planned and thought out program. She was also in training for a half ironman (consisting of a 1.9 kilometre swim, 90 kilometre cycle and 21.2 kilometre cycle). Tracy would commit to some form of triathlon training each day of the week. Her week usually consisted of three rides for 2-3 hours, three runs from 30 minutes to an hour-and-a-half, and three swims for up to an hour.

However to get in shape to win this competition Tracy also needed to tone and strengthen her muscles.

Enter Jan Carton. Although Tracy first mistook Jan for a personal trainer, (she had never heard of a CHEK practitioner before), she connected with Jan and decided this was the way she wanted to go. (Chek philosophy works on core strength and conditioning.)

“When I went into see Jan I showed her the magazine and told her I wanted to be Grand Champion. I said that if I didn’t have the right body shape she needed to let me know then and there. But she said I could do it.”

The work of a CHEK practitioner involves exercises on a health ball. You can only perform these exercises when you’re in the correct position. To obtain core strength takes time and patience, but the strength quickly follows, and as you can see with Tracy the results are fantastic. Just have a look at the picture of Tracy standing on the health ball: that personifies strength and balance.

MEASUREMENTS   BEFORE AFTER Chest 38.5 inches 32.5 inches Waist 32 inches 26 inches Hips 39 inches 31.5 inches Thigh 21.75 inches 19.25 inches Biceps 11.75 inches 10 inches Calve 15 inches 14 inches Weight 69.6 kilos 57.6 kilos Body Fat 30% 13.5%

During Tracy’s photo shoot she put me through a few exercises. The strength required to do these exercises, while keeping your body in the correct position, is not only extremely difficult, it’s also frustrating and takes a lot of motivation and persistence to get it right. Tracy’s sessions with Jan lasted for an hour to an hour-and-a-half and she saw Jan three times a week.

“Everything that I had learnt previously to seeing Jan, I had to throw out the window. I just had to trust everything she had to say. It was very difficult.”

Jan put Tracy on the Zone diet, a diet that consists of a 40 per cent carbs, 30 per cent protein and 30 per cent fat intake. There was to be no deviation from this diet, although as a small reward Tracy did allow herself some hot chips.

“Jan recommended that I went on the zone. She said if I wanted to win I shouldn’t eat any unhealthy foods, but if I got to the point where I needed something small to snack on I could indulge a little. At one point I had some hot chips and that was it,” she says.

Tracy admits she couldn’t have completed the competition without the close support of her friends. To help make the challenge easier, her roommate Devon didn’t eat anything Tracy couldn’t and she never invited friends over for a drink in front of her.

“When I started the 12 week challenge and the Zone Diet, Dev asked me what I would be eating and she said she would do it too. We had the big clean out and dumped all the foods we weren’t allowed to have. She didn’t have any friends over for barbecues and drinks and we really love entertaining. Her support was fantastic,” says Tracy.

Tracy took our day of photoshoots in her stride. She was a natural in front of the camera. She looked toned, fit and more importantly glowing – she was after all the Grand Champion.

“I had a chance to go shopping in Melbourne and when I was trying on a few dresses the girls were saying how fit and healthy I looked. Sometimes it’s just really great to hear those kind of compliments. It’s nice that others notice all the hard work you have put in.”

Ironically, there were times Tracy couldn’t see the changes she made. When you go from size 14 to 8 in only a few months, it’s hard to recognise yourself. Even now she will go into a store and pick up a size 10, only to put it back on the rack and grab the 8.

The day before Tracy entered the contest and sent in her “before” photos, she put on Dev’s Billabong jeans which are a size 8. She was barely able to get them half way up and from that point on she took photos of herself every week. Slowly but surely she could pull the jeans up a little more. Now she borrows those Billabong jeans all the time!

“It’s strange though because Dev will wear them and I will think, ‘oh you’re so skinny’, but I still fit into the same jeans and I can’t see that yet. I actually have them here in Melbourne!”

After successfully completing the half ironman in a time of six hours and 31 minutes Tracy earned herself a place at Forster. She will now attempt her first Ironman in April. I spoke to her a few days after the Melbourne weekend. It was mid-morning when I called her and she had been up since 4am completing a four hour ride before work. She has now begun her serious triathlon training program which includes riding for up to eight hours in one session.

“Although it’s going to be a lot of work I cannot wait to run down the shoot at Forster. I think I’m just a glory queen,” she laughs.

However this is not only the only goal Tracy has this year. She has just been accepted into a Bachelor of Business degree at University and she also wants to compete in a bodysculpting competition. Most importantly she would like to raise her profile to get into public and motivational speaking.

“After the 12 week challenge I know how much you can achieve and now I am not going to stop achieving. It has given me all the confidence in the world to go after things that I have only dreamed about. It’s just been fantastic.”

By Elisa Tubecki