From 175 to 149 lbs. An Interview with #TeamWAG member Sarah Connor

Q: Why did you decide to join Team WAG?

A: I had been tracking macros with a different coach for about a year before joining WAG. I was successful in losing 20 pounds at first, but found that my previous coach didn’t quite understand my training style and wasn’t able to customize my macros to reflect that. I felt hungry a lot and sometimes didn’t have the energy to put 100% into my training. I eventually couldn't sustain the macros I was being asked to eat and decided to stop working with a coach. After about 6 months without the accountability, I found myself carrying a few extra pounds after the holidays and wanted to refocus, set new goals in the gym and look awesome for my sister’s upcoming wedding. Enter WAG. I have lost about 10lbs since starting with WAG.

Q: Was there anything about the program that surprised you?

A: I was surprised at how attentive and focused my coach was to my personal progress. I knew how many other clients she must have to communicate with on a daily basis, but in my interactions with her, it always feels like I’m her only priority. She makes an effort to understand my lifestyle and training schedule, and keeps me in the loop on why she is making changes to my numbers instead of just preaching. This helps me understand more about how my body responds to food and lets me know that she’s not just punching numbers into a generic formula. One of the goals I communicated with her when I first started was that I wanted to eventually be able to eat intuitively without tracking and it’s been clear with each check-in that she keeps that goal in mind.

Q: You work full time and are in school, your schedule must always be changing. How have you managed to stay on track with all of these other priorities?

A: I love being busy, but it isn’t easy trying to stick to your macros when you’re constantly on the go, with so many priorities pulling you in every direction. There is nothing worse than having to come home from a long day of work, and having to do school work on top of figuring out what to eat. So just as any other flexible dieter will tell you, planning and meal prep has been huge. I reserve a couple hours, one day a week for food prep and it makes it so much easier to stick to the plan. I make all of my office lunches for the week at once and also prepare some extra foods that take a while to cook in the oven to reheat for dinners. I’ve identified the foods that will work for my numbers and always have those options to grab if I need something on the run.

Q: What has been the biggest change you've made in your lifestyle since joining?

A: My whole mindset towards food has changed along with the types of food I actually want to eat. I grew up with a massive sweet tooth and was a regular in the candy aisle at the Bulk Barn before WAG, but now I legitimately crave delicious high volume foods that fuel my body over the not so nutrient rich foods that used to make my mouth water. I plan my day so that I feel full and energized while still leaving room for a bowl of frozen yogurt or sweet treat. I’ve learned that I really enjoy cooking and creating in the kitchen, which is huge for a girl who ate powdered mashed potatoes in university and when I go out for dinner, I truly prefer to order steamed veggies as a side instead of fries. These are changes that I never thought would happen for me but in understanding more about food and my body through my experience with WAG, I’ve been successful in changing for the better.

Q: What advice do you have for other people delaying a lifestyle change, or think tracking macros is too much work?

A: It is work. It would be misleading to say that it wasn’t. It’s a totally different approach to ‘dieting’ that most people aren’t used to and can definitely be overwhelming at first. After committing to this lifestyle for more than a year, I can say for certain that, much like many things in life, tracking macros stops being work after a while, and starts to become part of everyday routine. The food scale becomes just another appliance on the counter and logging food in MyFitnessPal is part of your daily smart phone usage. Making this lifestyle change is a big step, but it works and if you’re willing to commit and remain accountable, it will change your life.

Q: Is there anything that you've accomplished since joining WAG that you maybe couldn't, or wouldn't do before joining?

A: I’m not sure if there is anything I can say with certainty that I couldn’t have done before, but there are so many things that I’ve tried to do since joining WAG that I wouldn’t have tried before. The confidence I’ve gained in myself and my abilities in and out of the gym is so encouraging and helps to stay motivated.

Full disclosure: Sarah is Coach Laura’s sister, but Sarah has done 100% of this work on her own! Sarah works with Coach Mel.