Cathy McGillivray

You may not believe it but this is the same woman… me…

The first photo was taken on the 6th of January 2008.
The other photos??? 

Well that’s me on May 17th 2009 competing in my first competition The INBA Brisbane Bodybuilding and Figure Competition. 

Just 11 days away from my 49th birthday I placed 4th out of 8 competitors in the 40-49 year old Masters Figure Class, and on my Harley, yep just your average Nana.

But hang on you say…. You said it only to one day!!!!!  But that was 16 months!!!

But it did just take one day, actually it took about one second, it was the one second it took me to decide that I had to change my life because I was so miserable, and then the one day I walked into my local gym and started my training.

Now I can tell you that when that first photo was taken I had this vague dream of doing a competition but hell, look at me, I was 47 years old, weighed around 84kg, my body fat was somewhere over 38%, in fact it was so high that the book Chris the gym owner used to work out my percentage didn’t list numbers that big. 

Got to say one of the hardest things I have had to do was stand and have my fat measured, I will never forget the embarrassment but it was worth every second of embarrassment to wake me up to how overweight I was. On my first day at the gym I could not manage more than 5 minutes on the treadmill till I felt dizzy, and weights??? What!!!  You want me to lift weights!!!!

Please realise that I have never been an athlete,  I had my Thyroid removed 26 years ago and although I am on medication to mimic what a normal thyroid would do I have struggled with my weight ever since.

As you can see by my wedding photo in 2001 I weighed around 110kg’s and due to a visit to my doctor being mucked up I ended up with a different  doctor, who in his infinite wisdom decided to change my thyroxine dosage so drastically that I became clinically depressed and was on anti-depressants for 3 years.

But my New Years Resolution for 2008 was to get fit andhealthy once and for all. After 35 years I had finally stopped smoking in2007, and of course I gained about 5kgs, but apart from making my size 18 jeans uncomfortably tight, 5kgs didn’t make a big difference to how I felt… Miserable!

I was then extremely lucky to discover  Jo Stewart from NZ (who has won the Arnold Classic women's amateur lightweight class in 2008, is the five-time NZFBB National's champion and placed 3rd in the Arnold Classic woman’s amateur Middleweight class in 2009) and was introduce to her by my niece who had competed in NZ.

I knew she supplied email programs for people trying to get fit and healthy so I emailed Jo and asked her to help me, I sent her the “before” photo and she gave me my first diet and weight training program.  I can not tell you how much my life changed when I received that email back.

While I’m on the subject of diet I know you are thinking that I would have had to starve myself to loose all that fat…

Well think again!!!   I now eat 7 meals a day!!!!  I looked at the first diet and thought “how the hell can I loose weight eating all that food!!!”  But I did what I was told and the more I ate the more weight fell off me!!! It was hard to adjust to that many meals and I had organise myself to prepare the meals every night for the next day but when my body started changing I knew it was worth every minute of preparation time. And boy did it start to change…..

By November of 2008 I reached a point where I was fit and healthy, my blood pressure was that of an 18 year old, my calcium was equal to a 20 year old woman.  My Iron levels were perfect and my cholesterol was at the lowest point in the heathy range.  I could now spend 45 mins on the cross trainer and then jog home, I slept better and laughed more, I felt amazing!!!

But deep down I had another goal… So Jo received an email from me with the title…
“Oh No I want to Compete!!!!”

Then the real fun began, the diet became stricter,  I was still eating every three hours, still drinking about 4 litres of water a day, the training program became more specific, and her encouragement even louder…  She was great and I was motivated beyond belief!!!  Now had a definite timetable and a goal, the INBA Brisbane Titles and the ANB Asia Pacific International competitions in May 2009.

I made sure I told as many people who would listen that I was going to do these competitions so that I could not and would not back out.  It was very hard when I told the people who didn’t understand or were even jealous of the progress I had made so far and they said the discouraging things that negative people say like “You wont be able to have fun and go out?”  or “Ohh wait till you carb deplete you will be nasty then” . But I did still go out, my diet didn’t change that much and really the only time it was hard was on special family days when I had to watch what I ate or take my own food, but my family were great and I had Xmas day “off the diet” and really I knew I had a goal and I was going to achieve it so I didn’t miss anything !!

Now at the beginning of 2009 I contacted Jo and we talked about trying to organise my posing and routines etc by email and video. Together we decided that with Jo competing in the Arnold Classic in March and with the training and help I would need to get ready for a competition, I should find a local trainer to help me with the final pre-contest preparation.

I asked at the places I was buying my supplements  and they all told me the best person to contact was Kelli Johnson (the 2008 IFBB Miss Figure Australia) and Kelli, who lives on the Sunshine Coast about an hours drive from me, was happy to help me with my goals.  From February 2009 I travelled weekly to Kelli. Kelli worked with my right through until May and the day of my first competition.

On the competition morning I weighed 54.1kg. and a total of  37.9kg lighter and right on target!!  I was a little nervous, until we walked in and I saw the stage and WOW! I was hooked!!!  I just wanted to get up there and strut my stuff!!!!!! Before I knew it I was being primped and oiled and was pumping up… then it was showtime….. I loved being on stage and my family and friends came and cheered me on. I didn’t win that day but I have never felt as beautiful as I did then.

So that’s how I reached my goal….  It just took the one day to decide, and I took one day at a time, and after the first comp there was another 14 days to my next competition…

On May 30th I also competed in the ANB Asia-Pacific International, with 150 competitors from 46 countries where I placed 4th out of seven  in the 45-54yr old Grand Masters Figure Class….

What I have discovered is that age is no barrier, only you can make an obstacle impassable.  You must find passionate people to help you, and ignore the negative people!
I have since competed three more times. Winning Silver in the  2009 INBA Natural Olympia Grand masters Figure International class. Taking the 2009 IFBB Queensland Masters Figure Title, and my last competition was the 2010 IFBB Queensland titles were I competed at 50 years of age in the Master Figure class.

I have since attained my Certificate III, Certificate IV and Master trainers certificate in Personal training through the Australian Institute of Fitness and currently take Personal training clients at Fitness matters Bribie Island.

I am now living a lifestyle I would never have thought possible just a few years ago when I couldn’t walk to the shops without having to sit down and rest half way there. I love this lifestyle and now that I am a personal trainer my dream of being able to help others achieve their health and fitness goals is coming true.