From flab to fab

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Most of us are probably guilty of not eating as healthily as we should and not getting enough exercise. It's just so easy to make excuses.

But have you ever wondered what you might achieve if you made up your mind to eat well and exercise?

Body transformation - Carolyn Gerdtz, 37, before and after stats:

• Weight 100 kg to 57kg = 43kg loss
• Body mass index 35.5 (obese) to 20.5 (healthy)
• Waist 107 cm to 66cm = 41 cm loss
• Body fat >40% to 12%

And Kellie Robins, 36, from frumpy single mum to cover girl for a health magazine.

"Once you've said that you're going to do it - yeah, you just do it," she said.

They are poster girls for healthy eating and regular exercise who got their advice and inspiration online from Sue Heintze.

"They're normal everyday people who have put in a bit of hard work and they've been amazed at the results," she said.

Carolyn went from 100 kilos to 57, size 22 to 10 but more importantly from chronically ill to super fit.

"Having blood pressure issues in my mid-30s, I didn't think that was a good way to be. I had high cholesterol and I really was very concerned that I was going to, essentially, bee dead really before my time," said Carolyn.

After a job promotion, the busy electrical engineer stopped exercising, ate too much take-away, enjoyed far too much wine.

"So little by little, you got bigger and bigger. Bigger and bigger and it'd be like oh I had a few chips yesterday, I'll have a bucket today and I just gradually let it get out of control" says Carolyn.

To get control back, she decided to take a 12 week fitness challenge but not the way most people do.

"I had been to gyms in town in the past and I knew people there," she said. "I'd grown so large and I was so embarrassed about how I looked."

Her internet mentor is Sue Heintze. Despite living 2000 kilometres apart, they forged a close bond on the net.

"Her first goal was, she wanted to get her rings off her fingers," said Sue.

Her other goal was to fit into her size 20 work pants. They were on and the rings were off in 12 weeks but Carolyn didn't stop there.

These days she's a fixture at her local gym, a human dynamo with energy to burn.

Sue says anyone can get fitter and healthier in 12 weeks.

"Consistency and patience and I preach that to all my clients. It's a 12 week program not a three six or nine week program" says Sue.

You may not want to turn your body into a machine like Carolyn has, but Sue promises results if you:

• Eat low fat, low carb meals. Lots of veges, lots of fruit and eat six times a day.
• Exercise for between 30 minutes and an hour a day.
• Have short term, medium term and long term goals.
• Treat yourself once a week

With consistency and patience, we can all have bodies we'd be proud to show off. Perhaps even in an arena where body image is everything.

At Sue and Carolyn's first face to face meeting, they had reason to feel pleased. Two pictures of health, achieved online.

"Like anything you've just got to want to do it badly enough," says Carolyn.

"It's changed everything in my life. Confidence. My kids noticed how much healthier and happier I am," adds Kellie.

If you are wondering, experts say 12 weeks is the perfect time to see results in physiology after starting an exercise and healthy eating program.

=Further information

Sue Heintze
Website: idealbodiesonline.com
Email: sue@idealbodiesonline.com