Sarah-Louise Hawkins ditches her quest to be skinny and bulks up bodybuilding

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Had struggled with weight for years, trying every fad diet to no avail
Started bodybuilding in March 2013 after seeing unflattering photos
Swapped junk food for six healthy meals a day and five workouts per week
Lost over 2st in weight and has totally transformed body shape
Says she has finally come to accept and love her body
Now competes in bodybuilding competitions

Published: 05:03 EST, 25 June 2014 | Updated: 07:50 EST, 25 June 2014

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Overweight Sarah-Louise Hawkins had tried every fad diet there was.

But after years of failed cleanses and juice detoxes, Sarah-Louise ditched her dreams of looking like a skinny catwalk model - and turned to bodybuilding instead.

Sarah-Louise, who says she used to hate her appearance, is now so proud of her figure that she flaunts her buff body in a skimpy two-piece at bikini contests.

Sarah-Louise (pictured left before she started working out) decided to start bodybuilding in March 2013, and has managed to totally change her body (pictured right, as she is now), finally gaining self acceptance

After fad dieting for years, Sarah-Louise (pictured left, halfway through her bodybuilding journey) decided to give up on trying to be skinny and tone up and gain muscle instead (right, how she looks now)

At her heaviest, the petite 5ft 2in blonde tipped the scales at 12st 2lb and was a size 16. She now boasts an impressive 9st 10lb physique and is a muscular size 8 to 10.

Full time student nurse, Sarah-Louise, 22, from Chester, says: 'I used to hate how I looked, it would depress me on a daily basis.

'I was always the bigger one out of my friends and I just felt so low, it stopped me from going out.

'I had tried every diet - Slimfast, Weight Watchers, Atkins, the 5:2 plan, Master Cleanse and juicing detoxes. I even tried literally not eating.

Sarah-Louise pictured in January 2011 when she weighed 12st 2lb

Sarah-Louise decided to compete in competitions after a fellow gym-goer suggested she should

'I battled with these fad diets for years, even in high school. I was always looking for that quick fix - just anything to see the scales move, but it was all rubbish.

'It has taken me years of battling to accept that I don’t have the frame to be a skinny girl and I’m not built like catwalk models.

'I have thick thighs, a bum and abs and that’s okay now. I’ve realized that I can use these attributes to my advantage and I’ve built something incredible with what I was born with.'

Single Sarah-Louise decided to start bodybuilding in March 2013, after seeing unflattering photos of herself.

She says: 'I decided to get into shape after the usual scenario of seeing myself in holiday pictures and going into changing rooms and just feeling absolutely awful about myself.

The difference today (right) even between halfway through her transformation (left) is obvious, and Sarah-Louise hopes to build even more muscle by October 2014

'So I joined a gym and attended a few exercise classes. I began to really get ‘the bug’ for training.

'I started looking at pictures of fitness athletes and dreaming of myself being like that. I thought, why not me?'

With the help of personal trainers, Sarah-Louise drew up a nutrition and fitness plan to build more muscle.

More...

She swapped junk food for six healthy meals a day and five workouts per week - shedding two and a half stone in the process.

'The plan the trainers devised, really educated me on what the body need to function and what I needed to repair my slow metabolism after all the years of fad diets.

'I began taking my nutrition seriously. Despite a few hiccups in the first weeks, I stuck solidly to the diet plan and started seeing weight loss and definition.

Sarah-Louise swapped junk food for six healthy meals a day and five workouts per week - shedding two and a half stone in the process

Although Sarah-Louise loves her new burly body, her powerful frame has divided opinions amongst the opposite sex

'Over time, my body became a lot stronger. My muscles are nice and full and I feel strong and powerful now.'

Sarah-Louise decided to compete in competitions after a fellow gym-goer suggested she should.

She entered the bikini category at the UK Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation Show in May this year.

'I had to really push myself to get up on that stage in next to nothing. I still can’t believe I achieved that, neither can the chubby child in my head still.

'But once I was up there, I got over my fright. I had worked for over a year to achieve this so I told myself, enjoy this moment!'

Sarah-Louise hopes to build even more muscle by October 2014.

Although she admits that it can be difficult managing her diet alongside training to be a student nurse.

She explains, 'Having to eat a small meal every couple of hours when you’re doing a fourteen-hour shift is a real killer!

Sarah-Louise’s diet then

BREAKFAST: Cereal or nothing at all

MID-MORNING SNACK: Cereal bar

LUNCH: Pasta and cheese

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK: Kit Kat

DINNER: Takeaway meal or chicken with pasta

Sarah-Louise’s diet now

BREAKFAST: Fish and spinach or protein pancakes

FIVE SMALL MEALS: 100g of protein (e.g. chicken), vegetables (e.g. broccoli) with carbs (e.g. sweet potato, quinoa or basmati rice)

SNACKS: Almond butter or a handful of nuts

'Leading up to my first competition in May, I was lucky enough to be working with some incredible nurses that let me sneak off for a quick break and shovel a bit of rice and chicken in my mouth!'

Although Sarah-Louise loves her new burly body, her powerful frame has divided opinions amongst the opposite sex.

'I find that a lot of boys don’t like that you train harder than them or that you’re doing bigger weights than them. I don’t know if it’s jealousy or what.

'In night clubs, I like to wear dresses that show off my toned physique. However a few men have come up to me saying I’m too masculine or that girls shouldn’t look like that.

'But I’m happy knowing that I’ve done everything to become the best version of myself now. I don’t want to be average or just like everyone else anymore.

'Standing out in the crowd is great. I hope I can inspire and help others in the future.'