SHE used to run more than 50 miles a week and ate only once a day.

That was in a bid to get in shape to run the London Marathon but she never lost a pound in weight.

Now Carrie Portman never goes hungry, eating every two hours, and has reached the British finals of a body beautiful competition.

Miss Portman is a trained figure champion, meaning she has one of the most well-toned bodies in the country and regularly gets up on stage to flaunt it in a bikini.

She used to be overweight and got the inspiration she needed to get into shape from fitness magazines.

"I'm the type of person who will never be happy with my figure," she said. "Unfortunately, I'm a perfectionist and I'm always striving to do better. There's always something that can be improved."

Now Miss Portman's normal day involves getting up at 5.15am to do a cardio session before going to work as a theatre assistant at BUPA South Bank Hospital, Worcester.

She returns from work at 6.30pm and heads straight to Energize Health and Fitness, Malvern Link, where she does weights and another cardio session.

"Trying to juggle a full-time job and training can be quite stressful and tiring," she admitted, but said the buzz she gets on stage makes it worthwhile.

She has plenty of help with her training from her fianc Matthew Godfrey, who owns the gym.

Her diet is strict, containing barely any carbohydrate, but the thought of the end result makes her able to stick to it.

"There are times when you have to make certain sacrifices, like not being able to go out and socialise with friends over a meal or drink because of the strict diet and long hours in the gym, but that's not all the time," she said.

Trained figure competitions involve women showing off their bodies in different poses, as well as performing a dance routine wearing only a bikini or leotard.

Miss Portman has her costumes specially made in America at a cost of nearly £500 each, a price tag which she says is worth every penny.

"It's surprising what a difference a perfect fitting bikini tailored to your requirements makes to your figure," she said.

The trained figure British finals are being held on Sunday, October 8 in Nottingham.