Tara Stevens - Q&A

What made you first decide to change yourself / your life?

I was feeling powerless and incapable of losing the weight I'd steadily (but rapidly!) put on after overcoming food-related issues that had plagued me for many years. I felt healthy, but was overweight and really unhappy. My clothes were tight and restrictive and any picture taken of me would make me cringe and feel even worse about myself. I knew I didn't want to remain a size 14-16, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and, aside from eroding my self-confidence, it really began to affect my relationship with my boyfriend.

I knew that I needed to enact a change and find some sort of goal to get me in check, and to focus my energies on, but there wasn’t anything that sprung out at me and I didn't want to go on any 'fad' diets as I know from experience that they simply don't work long-term.

Earlier this year, I was on my way to meet friends at London Bridge and, coming from Victoria, I had to change at Westminster onto the Jubilee Line. While waiting for the tube to arrive I saw a huge poster with a picture of last year's winner on it. It had her 'before' and 'after' picture and I was very impressed at her results, and also struck by how healthy and, well - normal, she looked. The poster really inspired me and the enduring afterthought was that if she could do it, then so could I! I hadn't had anything really solid to work towards until then. I had my 30th birthday coming up in May, which should really have been incentive enough, but there wasn't any real competitive element there as it was only *my* birthday and nobody else's! I realised I needed a/this particular competition to give me the kick-start and motivation that I needed.

Tell us how you went about making the change?

I worked out early on that I needed something to keep me focused and accountable, so I didn't drift off into Tara Land and forget my commitments, so I set up my blog which was a bizarre move for me as a) I was always mistrusting/scathing/dismissive of such things and b) I thought 'who on earth would want to read it?!'. Fortunately my prior misgivings were well and truly assuaged and there are quite a few people who read, and comment, on my blog so I definitely think it was the right decision to make! I used to use machine weights when I was younger for a period of time I was at a gym local to where I used to live. I really enjoyed the feeling of getting stronger – as well as the look and confidence it gave me! Anytime anybody said "Tara's actually got muscles" or something similar to that I remember how proud I felt. With this in mind I set about researching as much as I could about weight training, particularly for women, and the nutrition that would support me along the way.

At present weight training forms the bulk of my exercise routine and I use dumbbells one day and machine/cable weights another to keep it interesting and depending on whether I train at my work gym or the one near my house. I work my bottom half as much as my top half as I know it's important to have a balance. However although continuity is key I believe variation is just as important so am currently working on changing my routine to avoid possible progress plateaus.

I have a Sculptress shake or bar with my morning grapefruit and also post-workout if it's in the evening. I try and eat around 5-6 times a day (much to the amusement of my colleagues) with meals of roughly around the same size, only my main meal tends to be bigger than the others as that one is usually eaten with my family. It's very easy to eat well at home as my son is a fan of healthy food, he actually *likes* salad and most vegetables and is always willing to try new food. The main problem I've faced has been with my portion sizing which is why I weigh and measure almost everything to ensure I'm not unconsciously sabotaging my own efforts!

I also don't drink alcohol during the week at home any more, and if I go out mid-week I try and limit my alcohol intake. My boyfriend and I are very fond of good red wine but I recognise just how many extra calories it adds to my daily total as well as it also making it more difficult to get up earlier in the morning to exercise before work!

How did you first hear about Maxitone products and what made you try them?

Even before I'd seen the poster for the Body of 2009 competition I'd already seen a Maxitone catalogue that I found in one of my copies of 220 Triathlon at the beginning of this year. The products looked great, as did the people endorsing them. Really solid inspirational role models, healthy and strong looking – not waif-thin model types but actual real people as well as athletes. Coming from a running and triathlon background with a lot of friends who are incredibly fit and sporty I found this really appealed to me.

I'm a no-frills, no-nonsense kind of person, I just want bare facts and I especially don't want things dressed up to look pretty, so was really impressed at the information about the products that was readily available and the obvious research behind it.

When I learned that Maxitone did a protein shake with super things like CLA (which I've known about for a while now) as well as green tea and other wonderful things, I visited the Holland & Barrett store in Victoria mainline station and picked up a tub in banana flavour.

What are your favourite Maxitone products and why?

This is a tricky one, there are so many! I love the shakes because they taste good, don't upset my stomach and mix well. I tend to vary the flavours (vanilla and chocolate and banana and strawberry are my favourite mixes) so don't get bored - though would love it if some more flavours were available (though not sure how I'd fit them all under my desk!!).

The Definity Crisp bars are particularly delicious and Sculptress caps have produced some quite marked results over the last few weeks, it works a treat.

If I had to pick an overall favourite it would be Sculptress bars though due to the portability of them. I love them because not only do they taste great, they’re compact enough to fit into a small bag but dense enough to satisfy, I always take them with me when I go on long walks/cycle rides. I've also taken them abroad with me now twice in the last few months and they travel really well! They're also great if you don't fancy your whey in liquid form and need a bit more bite!

If you could give one tip to anyone reading your story and wanting to replicate your achievements, what would it be?

There are so many things I could say, like how you have to be honest with yourself and how much food you consume over the day, right down to the odd biscuit or chocolate here, small glass of wine there, bite of cake, spoonful of peanut butter etc... No matter how small and innocuous it might seem, it all adds up, to hundreds, no thousands of calories in the long run, which equates to extra pounds on the scales and notches on your belt! If you don't log/keep track of it you won't recognise this, and living in denial (as I had done for so long!) will only serve to assist with weight gain and subsequent erosion of your self-confidence.

However, I'd say the No.1 tip I'd promote would be to not give up, ever! Set yourself a goal and stick to it, even if the results don't manifest as quickly as you would like. Progress varies from person to person, you have to learn to understand your body and what it wants and needs to be lean, strong and healthy. This does not happen overnight; at least it didn’t for me! Everyone loses weight and gains muscle at different rates and although comparing yourself to others at times is inevitable - it is inevitably futile! Ultimately, you have to go with what works for you. Although the same weight-loss principles can be applied to many, there's no 'one-size-fits-all' approach that works for all. One thing I found out though, is that although throughout this year my methods/techniques/views/beliefs etc may have altered and changed, my goal of training for, and entering, the Body of 2009 competition remained the same and that was always an important point of focus for me. So yes, my one piece of advice would be to keep going, even when you think you're losing because, as I have written on my blog title - you only fail when you give up trying.

What's been the single best thing about the changes you've made?

This is probably the hardest question because this whole process has taken me on so many different journeys and I've learnt so much about myself, and had to discover how to take charge of my future by first being honest about my past.

I'd never even *heard* of a Figure Athlete a few months ago and now I think I'd like to work towards a body that's quite similar – although not quite as lean! I think the best single thing has been the confidence it has given me. The confidence in how I look, feel, and what I can do – and indeed I CAN do to affect and effect this. I have the confidence to make, and continue making positive changes in my life and hopefully have this extend that to others around me - I want everyone to feel this way and this good about themselves! I have found the confidence to realise that I don't want to be a computer programmer for the rest of my life, and that just because you're good at something, and it's what you do as a job, it doesn't mean you can't be good at something else – something that interests you!

I've had the confidence to change my course from a Degree in Computing with Business to an Open Degree, incorporating many topics of interest, but starting off with working towards a Certificate in Health Sciences. This transition would not have taken place last year, I can guarantee that.

I guess most importantly, or at least most relevantly at the moment for me, I have had the confidence to take and upload those pictures, write my piece, and press 'send'! I don't think I'd have had the confidence to be able to do that this time last year. I'm quite a private person (despite my keeping a public blog!!), none of my friends or family (aside from those who I live with) know I've done this – it has taken me right out of my comfort zone but I am happy in my new found confidence, very happy indeed.

What's your favourite way to exercise?

I don't have a favourite to be honest. That might sound really wishy-washy but I get bored quite easily so I like to mix things up a lot, the combination of my different training methods have produced massive improvements, both mentally and physically, and above all I enjoy the feeling of being active - it's such a mood improver!!

I love running for both the solitary: 'getting away from it all and being alone with my thoughts' and the social: 'running a race in a pack getting carried away in the atmosphere and camaraderie' aspect. I also love indoor wall climbing for the social element, as well as the mental challenge negotiating a tricky route on a high wall can present.

I love rowing because I'm good at it(!) and cycling because it's great fun (although quite scary at times) and you can really push yourself for a lot longer on a bike... you can go out for hours and hours and scale pretty high hills... but recover rapidly and keep going. Unless you're an incredibly fit endurance runner that's just not something usually achievable!

I love weight training because of the way it makes me look and feel, the strength it provides is both physical as well as mental and this is incredibly empowering and important to me as a woman. I enjoy aerobics videos especially those by Nell McAndrew, I think she's fab and it's great to see her sweating and working as hard in the DVDs as I am! I also love pilates but don't do enough of it which is bad with me being a runner with a core that needs strengthening!

I go along with my boyfriend to early morning (06:45!) spinning sessions at my local gym. The spin bikes are really fantastic and we have the advantage of having a slightly psychotic spin instructor who is just amazing, he does the class with us on his bike and makes us push ourselves harder than we thought possible. I always leave his classes feeling knackered but elated - probably the reason why it's always so full at that time in the morning! My boyfriend and I have also been recommended a yoga instructor who runs a class locally so we’re going to go along soon and see if we can't increase our flexibility and clear our cluttered minds a little!

There's so much to choose from that I don't think I could ever limit myself to just one activity! I love my local gym for the variety of machines (particularly love the Cardio Wave and the stepper) and machine and free weights – so much choice, so little time!

I would say though, that whatever I do I push myself at. I don't do things by half-measures, I don't see the point! I like to feel, and know, that I've worked my hardest and I *love* it when my muscles ache as it shows I’ve actually worked them! I get out of breath, sweat, go red, probably look thoroughly unattractive doing it but I don't care as I’m only doing this for me so am not really fussed what other people think - it's the results I achieve that are important to me, not how I look when I'm in the process of obtaining them!

How do you treat yourself when you've achieved something positive?

I'm not really sure if I do! I know this might sound corny but the results themselves are reward enough for me! Being able to get into clothes I like, not shying away from the camera and walking down the street feeling confident in my skin is a present in itself!

That being said, when I got the phone call about being a Body of Finalist, I shared the bottle of champagne I'd been given for my 30th birthday in May, with my other half, I was so thrilled, it felt like the best use for it!

It would also be nice to go for a nice meal together at some point to celebrate what I consider to be one of the greatest achievements of my life. But I don't generally like to associate food with reward as I’ve seen too many parents console/placate/subdue their children with sweets and/or high fat snacks and I don’t think it's a good idea to associate junk/fast food with feeling better about yourself as this leads to comfort eating in later life.

I don't know, maybe I *should* treat myself, maybe I'll go buy a sporty (and matching!) outfit for the photoshoot, that would be awesome, my usual kit is a mismatching amalgamation of tops and bottoms but then the gym is my arena, not my catwalk :-)

What made you enter the Maxitone Body of 2009 competition?

Ha! I've come to the end of the questions and I feel like I've already answered this above. I entered this competition because I thought it was an achievable goal and I needed one to force me to focus my efforts enough to make a difference to my weight, shape and well being.

I wouldn't begin to say that this has been an easy journey, but it has been made less daunting and difficult by having Maxitone's quality products at hand, useful online tools and resources, and the wealth of knowledge that the internet provides to support me in all this.

The results have proven very much worth the effort - and I'm far from finished yet!