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This is my "True Story"
"How I lost 4.5 stones, got over my panic attacks & became a model and started to compete in fitness competitions!"

By Angie Weston

 I had a nervous breakdown 4 years ago after a traumatic break- up with my ex- boyfriend. I suffered severe panic attacks because I was so stressed out.

 I was so scared to even go outside! It was the feeling of absolute terror and extreme anxiety for no rational reason. My mind just shut down, I couldn't comprehend or understand what was going on around me or with my body. I was paralysed with fear! I thought I was going mad and would end up in a mental home! I'd try telling people but they just looked at me as if I were crazy, which made me even worse.

 I had to leave my new job (croupier in a casino), I couldn't talk or look at people, and I was scared to cross the road in case if you couldn't cross back! I couldn't do my own food shopping, drive or go on public transport and if I did go outside it would be with Valium and glasses of wine, even if it was in the morning. My friends didn't want to know and my social life went to zero, I couldn't do anything or go anywhere I went from riches to rags. I had to stay at my parents' house where I'd locked myself in the room wondering how to get better, I'd try everything but nothing worked.
 The doctors prescribed me all kinds of medication which made me worse and they had bad side effects. They said my illness would go within time but after 2 years I was still the same. I was fed up of my four walls and not being able to have a normal life.

 I had no drive in me and no reason to live; I was so tired of the warfare in my mind. I put on a lot of weight, I was so fat, depressed and thoughts of suicide did cross my mind.

 I've always been a full of life, energetic person, grabbing life with both hands and for me to be like this was so out of character, I was still young, had dreams to live for and places to go.

Ever since I was young I've always had a dream, a vision to do fitness competitions, I just loved training in the gym. It was my passion and I wanted to do it as a career, but instead I was prisoner in my own body reduced to nothing. I started drinking heavy and smoked up to 40 cigarettes a day. My diet was terrible; I would eat anything and everything! I didn't care where I ate. I was the queen of takeaways; I loved McDonald's, KFC, and Pizzas and used to eat them for breakfast. My heaviest weight was 13 stone and dress size 18. I would cover up and wear extra baggy clothes and wore jumpers even in the summer to hide all my bulges, I was so embarrassed and ashamed of my body, people thought I was pregnant and kept asking me when the baby was due! I hated myself for letting myself go and getting so overweight. After feeling absolutely hopeless for so long, I said to myself, "I'm sick and tired of just existing, I want to live! I want to live my dreams. I want to do it for myself and not for the money but for the love of it!" Everyone thought I couldn't do it, I was beyond saving and that everything was going against me but I knew down deep inside me that fitness was my destiny. I refused to be held back by my illness and rose up like a warrior ready for war!

 That night I started to change my life around and decided I was going to a fitness competition, even if it was going to kill me, I was doing it!
First I changed my diet, I stopped eating wheat and dairy products altogether (it reduced the amount of water that my body stored and got rid of my bloated look), and I also cut out sugar, coffee and tea and drank only water and herbal tea. I ate plenty of vegetables, fish, chicken, potatoes and yam. Apples and bananas were a treat only. Every day I would eat 6 small meals, each with protein and no carbohydrates after 3pm. I plucked up the courage to venture out and joined the local gym. I knew it going to be hard, I had to confront my fears head on and I had to re- teach myself how to communicate and to deal with the normal things in life. I didn't have a guide book telling me how to get over panic attacks; I did it on my own, through sheer determination, discipline, faith and hard, hard work. I managed to fight the negative thought and pushed through the barriers. I totally changed my lifestyle; I didn't party or go to social events. I just threw myself into training, eating right and thinking right.
It was a 24- hour job, 7 days a week constantly watching my body change. I started reading and learning about fitness competitions and what was required for my class. I watched videos on their posing routines and how to pose on stage. I started to practise them at home and even had a routine ready.

That's what you call faith!

I eventually got some part work as a cleaner; it was all I could cope with. I'd go to the gym in the mornings and go to work after. It was private homes so no one was there. I also moved out and got my own flat and stared to drive again but traffic jams were a nightmare, I had Valium with me everywhere I went.

One day I decided to get baptized and become celibate too! Shortly after I stopped drinking and smoking altogether.

 I was serious about my health and my future. I started to train at the gym everyday. The weight came off and when my gym owner saw the change in me she started to train me for my 1st competition. Her name is Kimberly Anne- Jones and is rated number 1 pro bodybuilder, trainer and nutritionist in the UK! Kim set a date for my competition and I had only 8 months to get ready to go on stage.

I was still in a bad way but I had an explosive hunger to overcome my fears and to reach my goal.

Through prayer and a lot of faith I slowly came off all my medications. Kim helped me with my stage presence, my posture, posing routine and most of all my new hot body! After all she is known as the "trainer of champions".

We trained twice a day, 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening, 6 days a week. I did an hour of running or on the stepping machine, 30mins on abs and 30mins weight training on a body part. It was very hard work, I was exhausted, and all I would do is eat, sleep and train. The last 3 months before my competition my diet was restricted to broccoli, potatoes, tuna, chicken breast and egg whites only. For breakfast I would eat broccoli and tuna and in- between meals I had chicken breast. This helped me to get extra lean! I didn't take any slimming pills, diet coke or caffeine I was 100% natural and anything with caffeine would bring back the anxiety. I got all of my supplements from Holland & Barrett because they are natural. I increased my vitamin and sea kelp which helped with my fat burning and made my hair and nails grow healthy and fast too.

The big day had come and I felt like a million dollars! I weighed 8 stone and dress size 8!

 I was ready mentally, physically and spiritually. My panic attacks were still there but not as bad as they used to be. All I knew was that I was going on; it was do or die time! Before I knew it, it was show time. I went on stage and all of my panic attacks and fears just disappeared, it went totally. I performed 100% in front of a sold out theatre of 800 people. It was the best thing I've ever done, words can't describe now how happy I was, I will never forget the feeling of being on stage and from the moment on I knew that this was where I belonged, I loved it! I placed 4th. I went on to another 2 competitions one month after, I placed 2nd in one and went on to the British Championships too! I placed 6th.

Kim and I are now training partners and we are getting ready for my next competition. I've also started fitness modelling which I have always wanted to do, not bad at 31 years old!

 I now represent health and fitness, my healthy lifestyle has rubbed off onto my parents and friends too. Some of my friends don't even recognize me in the street and just walk past me, it feels great because I look and feel like a new person. Today I motivate and help other people to reach their goals.

 Life is sweet now, I have a peace that I've never had before but I know it didn't come easy or cheap, it cost me everything. Sometimes the only way out is going through it. I didn't let what I was going through stop me from where I was going to. I faced my fears and kicked them to the curb! I stopped playing Simon says with my emotions and now I'm in full control of my life.

I've totally turned my life around and I thank my angels for watching over me every day, nothing is impossible, just believe!

Angie will be competing later on this year. She is currently very busy with modelling work. Angie uses a variety of LA Muscle supplements including Glutamine Absolute, LA Whey and Sculpt.