Body Beautiful

BRISBANE: In a former life, buff Brisbane body builder Vicky Thomas was unfit, out of shape and struggling for motivation.

While the 37-year-old wasn’t fat, she wasn’t a lean, mean muscle machine either.

But in a decade of dedication, Ms Thomas hoisted herself to the top of the Australian body building arena and then moved on to conquer the world in New York.

Ms Thomas was last month crowned Ms Fitbody at the International Natural BodyBuilding Federation (INBF) titles in America, a totally drug-free competition.

“It was a great thrill to win,” Ms Thomas said.

“It made all the commitment worthwhile and now I want to win more international titles next year.”

The heady heights of world acclaim are a long way from the day Ms Thomas took the first step toward changing her body image and turned her life around with a gym membership 10 years ago.

“I started going to my local gym to lose weight and tone up. I decided to try my first figure contest less than six months ago and in that short amount of time I have won two Australian titles and a world title,” she said.

“It’s a lot easier to lose fat than people think.

“There’s no trick to it it’s just consistency.

“There has to be a deficit in the amount of calories you put into your body and the amount you burn off through exercise.”

The next goal on Ms Thomas’ agenda is the World Championships in 2009 but to achieve her ambition she needs some financial support.

“I aim to compete at the World Championships again in 2009 and am eagerly seeking sponsors to help further my competition career.”