About Me

Welcome to my blog! Thank you for taking the time to visit.

My name is Tara. I am 25 years old, a qualified Personal Trainer and I live in NSW Australia. I am married and have a very active 3 year old son.

I love travel, baking, photography and spending time with family. I am passionate about health and fitness, finding balance, and creating and living a life that I love.

My Story
I started on my weight loss journey back in 2008. I moved to Australia in November 2007. By July 2008 I had gained 13kg (29lbs) and weighed in at my heaviest weight of 74.5kg (164lbs - picture below). I know that may not seem like much, but on my 5'3.5 frame, it looked like a lot.

I started out walking on the treadmill and doing Turbo Jam. I then moved on to ChaLEAN Extreme in February 2009 and finally lost it all and got back to my 'happy weight' by September 2009. I managed to find these old pictures. First picture was February 2009 weighing 141lbs (64kg). The second was September weighing 133lbs (60kg) after 1.5 rounds of ChaLEAN Extreme. I thought I had to eat low calories in order to get results which lead to binge eating.

I continued to undereat (1200-1400 calories per day) and over exercise. I got married in April 2010 weighing in at 57.5kg (127lbs), my lowest weight since high school.

Between April 2010 and July 2014, my weight fluctuated 3-5kg, I ate clean, lifted heavy and continued the restrict/binge cycle.

In July 2014 I started IIFYM, lifting heavier, eating more and doing less cardio. This is where I am today.

July 2014 - October 2014

July 2014 - October 2014

My Current Stats
Weight: 136lbs (61.5kg)
Macros: 6 days at 1760 calories 175C/130P/58F.
One reefed day at 1950 calories 270C/105P/50F.

Current Split
Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Back + 20 mins cardio
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Shoulders + 20 mins cardio
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Arms & Abs + HIIT (refeed day)
Sunday: Rest

Supplements/Vitamins
Quadralean fat burner 2x day
Cellucor C4 pre workout
Multivitamin
Omega 3 fish oil
Probiotics

My Current Goals
Over the next 13 weeks I am focusing on cutting weight. My aim is to get to around 57-58kg (125-128lbs).
February 1st - April 1st 2015: Reverse diet to maintenance.
April 1st - July 1st 2015: Bulk and build some muscle.
July 1st - October 1st: Cut weight.

We are taking a cruise to the South Pacific in October 2015, and I want to cut down for it. Otherwise I would have continued bulking.

I follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to eating - 80% clean, 20% delicious stuff you'd probably judge me for eating. Living life to the fullest for me means eating a pop tart every once in a while and not feeling guilty about it.

You can read more about my experience with IIFYM and find my current calories and macros here.
You can read more about my experience with Binge Eating here.

Thanks for reading! xxx