'Struggling' mum-of-two, 28, who was so tired she ate a BLOCK of chocolate between meals reveals how she transformed her body in 10 months

• e-mail

When Leah Van Unen saw a picture of herself while on holiday in Queensland, she was shocked. 

Leah had hardly put on any weight during her pregnancies, but hadn't noticed as the kilos began to pack on as she juggled being a mum of two young children.

She did what every new mum tends to do, putting her children first and focusing less and less on her own sleep, diet and health. 

'I just wasn't looking after myself,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I didn't know how to be a mum-of-two, and was struggling with the routine.' 

Leah Van Unen, 28, packed on the pounds after juggling motherhood with two young children. But after starting The Bod program she went from 87 kilos to 71 kilos

The Melbourne mum is now happily showing off her rock hard abs that she had lost for years

Leah, 28, was battling sleep deprivation and juggling making meals for her children, now aged three and 18-months-old, and trying to cook dinner for herself. 

To keep her energy up, the Melbourne mum was relying on anything that would give her a sugar rush.

'In between meals I'd eat like a block of chocolate because I was so tired,' she said. 'I didn't drink coffee so I would go for sugar, anything to keep me awake.'  

Leah's regular exercise was being counteracted by the 'crappy food' she continued to eat, and soon she was tipping the scale at 87 kilos.         

But Leah didn't really notice the weight gain until she and her husband took the children to a vacation in Queensland when her youngest was six months old. 

Leah had just returned from the pool when her husband said he wanted to start a meal plan. 

It was an idea that, at first, Leah resisted. 

'I said "Oh we don't need that, I know how to cook healthy food"', she recalled. 

Leah was battling sleep deprivation and juggling making meals for her children, now aged three and 18-months-old, and trying to cook dinner for herself and her husband (all pictured)

Leah did a 'full pantry overload', throwing out things like white rice and sugar and familiarising herself with the healthy food aisle of the supermarket, when she started The Bod

But when Leah later saw a full-length photo of herself that her husband had taken, she realised just how much her body had changed. 

'It was a shock to see,' she said. 'That photo didn't feel like me. I didn't feel like I looked healthy.' 

It was the turning point Leah needed to jump start getting back into shape. The first thing she did when the family returned home was buy a meal plan. 

Leah had been following Sophie Guidolin, creator of The Bod fitness program, on social media for years and had been inspired by the mother-of-four's ability to juggle her own health with that of her family.

One Snapchat in particular during which Sophie was meal prepping with her twin daughters, who were the same age as her daughter, especially inspired Leah.  

Leah did a 'full pantry overload', throwing out things like white rice and sugar and familiarising herself with the healthy food aisle of the supermarket and wholemeal. 

Leah immediately loved meal prepping and turned her focus to making meals that were 'really nourishing' and rich in nutrients, not just for her but for the whole family

She immediately took to meal prepping, loving the amount of recipes that allowed her to freeze food for days on end and always have a healthy meal ready to go.  

Leah also turned her focus to making meals that were 'really nourishing' and rich in nutrients, not just for her but for the whole family. 

'I don't think about how many calories I'm eating anymore, but how much my body is actually getting from that food,' she said.  

'I used to think about wanting to be skinny,' she said. 'But now I think about what's healthy and what's good for me.' 

For breakfast Leah now often makes oat pancakes, adding protein shakes after her workout and enjoying a light lunch that is usually a salad or a wrap. 

For dinner she keeps it basic, preparing a meat with plenty of vegetables for the family. 

'I love heaps of veggies and salad,' she said. 'I now try to fill myself with actual good stuff before I eat anything else.' 

Leah hasn't completely given up her sweet tooth, but instead of usually reaching for the chocolate she relies on yoghurt flavoured with blueberries, honey and cinnamon.

As part of the program Leah also began to incorporate more weight training into her fitness routine and, combined with the new diet, results began to show immediately.

As part of the program Leah also began to incorporate more weight training into her fitness routine and, combined with the new diet, results began to show immediately

'It was so motivating,' she said. 'I was feeling so much more energetic in that first week, everything was sort of shifting.' 

'In that first week the scale dropped, but also looking in the mirror I saw results straightaway. I knew it was really going to work.' 

Leah now weighs 71 kilos and is using what she learned through The Bod to maintain her success. 

But Leah has also taught herself not to feel guilty when she misses a few days or decides to have dessert after dinner.

'I don't hold back if I feel like it,' she said. 'Listening to your body is important.' 

'I want to do all this because I love my body, not to punish myself.' 

And Leah encourages new mums who also want to transform their bodies not to feel pressured to start immediately.

'Everyone is on their own journey and everyone will get to their point to make a change in their own time,' she said. 

'It's about nourishing the body more than fixing yourself,' she added. 

'It shouldn't be "Oh, I have to work out because I ate that bar of chocolate'" but rather "Oh, I have to move my body today because it's good for me.'"