| 36 going on 26 is how Glamour Figure Competitor Kerry Ratcliff is feeling right now after displaying a hot body and taking out the Glamour Class at the NABBA/WFF Nationals. But it hasn't always been that way. Kerry suffered an eating disorder, exercised too much and lived on laxatives in her 20s and was depressed. In the past few months Kerry has turned her life around and is now in a happy place enjoying a new found lease on life and a healthy lifestyle. In this article Kerry tells us how she overcame her issues and inspires woman out there to turn their life around through fitness too! |
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| You had history of eating disorder. How did you feel while you were in that space. I developed an eating disorder when I was 16. It was motivated by media more than anything else but also I guess by wanting to be like all the "pretty popular" girls at school. I was always the funny one, the chubby one. Definitely not the pretty one. What started off as just a way to try loose weight and try be like what I thought I should look like – according to all the magazines etc – eventually took over my life. I was living on diet pills and laxatives and eating junk. Either eating nothing and then having lollies or cereal or binging completely and throwing up my food. It was awful. Constantly fighting with myself and trying to control my food and then the disappointment when I gave in and binged. I would spend hours at the gym running on the treadmill or doing the cross trainer. Morning sessions followed by afternoon runs. Just doing cardio never lifting weights just cardio all day every day. It was a constant battle with my self and my food – a really draining place emotionally and physically. |
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What 'clicked' and you manage to change your mental thought. Did you have people who helped you? I eventually broke down when I was about 26 / 28 and told my parents . I went for counselling and saw a psychologist. I knew I could not carry on like that. It was not healthy for my body or my emotional state and also my family and relationships It took about 2 years to eventually "resolve " the problem. After that I decided to try and focus my energy of other things like my career, which I love. I use to travel allot and I was happy and I guess the bulimia just find of faded into the background. But the I got married and got offered a job in NZ, which was a great opportunity so we packed up and moved to NZ. left: Kerry in her not so proud anorexic days. |
| In the first year here I got made redundant twice and then divorced. It was just all too much for me being alone in a country with minimal friends ( as in old friends who really know you) and my family being in the UK . Before I knew it I was resorting to old habit. Missing meals, eating cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eating lollies for dinner and just really not eating healthy proper food. Also binging and throwing up my food. The thing is I was never really "fat" but I just had no shape or muscle. I was still going to the gym every day. I had a trainer – I was doing everything "right" I eventually got to a stage where I was tired of eating nothing and training for hours and really getting no results. I was getting frustrated and then my bulimia started to come back and I knew I didn’t want to go back to that dark place again but I also could not get the shift in my head that if I ate properly I would change my body. Cause as I thought I was still not really fat so what would eating more so – it would make me fat. |
What made you decide to compete. Tarren suggested I should compete but I really had NEVER thought about it. But I then sat down with my friend who is also my trainer – Ruth Wagenar , and we decided lets do it. She is the most amazing women who is passionate about fitness and the human body. She works at AUT doing research on exercise and the human body and all sorts of interesting things. She put together a magical program and we started to train for the NABBA/WFF Pan Pacific comp on the 28th Aug. Basically I had 6 weeks. I don’t have kids but my job is very demanding. I work 10-hour days but I love my job and I love my training – so I make it work. I get up at 5.30am and I walk with my friend Craig for an hour. Then I do a full days work and at 6pm I train weights. Its hard work and I sometime wish I didn’t have to do it but I love how I feel I always remind my self 2 things – 1) The feeling after you train far outweighs the short feeling of joy deciding not to go and then feeling guilty for not having gone 2) I remember how I use to train so hard and eat so little and get no results ! Now I get to eat yum food and still get a healthy hot sexy body. |
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Did you ever think you could've turned out how you did on stage looking sexy with muscles NEVER ! I never thought it was in my genetics to have muscles like this. I have done various forms of exercise since I was 17 years old and I just figured that’s my body – accept it. You don’t have that body type that build muscles . left: Kerry in her wedding dress |
| What do you hope others who see your new bod will think of you. I would hope that I can inspire other who think ahh im over 35 – ill never have the body I had when I was in my 20s ! YES YOU WILL – just make the time – set the goal and do it. Think about it after – do it now. I definitely did not look anything like this in my 20s ! Was there any significance in wearing your wedding dress as formal gown at NABBA/WFF Nationals? It’s a beautiful dress and it is sexy. I hated the fact that it was tainted with the memory of my wedding. It had been in a box for a year and I figured hell – lets wear it - if it gets full of tan I don’t mind. I was going to burn it but some how this felt more rewarding and a way of saying – HELL YES – I am have worked dam hard at this and now I am single an happy and ready to meet someone amazing ! who loves me for everything about me ! Lets not forget I had to take it in as it was far to big around the hips and bum LOL Advice to others who maybe going through their own eating issues Remember you don’t have to be in that situation – you can get over it. It’s not easy and no it never goes away but why not take the energy it consumes and put it into something positive. Its funny – eating disorders are about control. So use that powerful tool you have – and put that control into training and planning healthy meals. Its exactly the same form of control but so much healthier and the rewards so much more satisfying. Believe in your self , trust some one enough to ask for help and love your self enough to over come it. Believe me – the results far outweigh any fad diet or training regime. Its simple – eat clean , believe that you can do it and just do it. Go and lift some weights – get off the treadmill and try doing some weights. You will not regret it |
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| What has health and fitness lifestyle done for you. It has made me happy again. My friends and family say I am glowing and I feel amazing. I feel younger and full of energy . Hot and sexy – evolved from a cardio junky to a girl with muscle – cause girls with muscles are hot ! |
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