Vanessa Gardiner

Goal

Reduce weight, change body composition

Testimonial

I am a post menopausal woman that up till a few years ago had few problems with weight. Once I started menopause though my weight started to spiral out of control. I tried going back to what I knew (eating healthy and reducing fat intake) after several failed attempts at utilizing Paleo as a method of dieting. This didn't work either and I became discouraged. The more discouraged I became the less I cared about what I ate and the weight went up and up. At Christmas I weighed in at the heaviest I had ever been and found I was not effectively exercising. I used to do a lot of cardio and weight training as well as Crossfit and nothing seemed to interest me anymore. I knew I was depressed and I didn't want to slip down further. In January I decided to pursue a new goal and to look at alternatives after a good friend inspired me with her decision decided to take up marathon running in her 50s. I just didn't know where to start anything anymore. I talked to a naturopath and utilized some natural means to increase metabolism but had limited success (lost 4 lbs). I then decided that I wanted to focus on triathlon training (always admired those people and I live all three disciplines) and I joined a local club and started training. It was so hard. I couldn't run without feeling heavy and hurting and I would loose my breath swimming as I was so out of practice. Then in March a friend of mine told me about Team WAG and I could see she was having incredible success. In late March I signed up and started counting macros in April. I really wanted to get the weight off for training reasons. I couldn't decrease my race times if I didn't lose the fat. I also have a hiatal hernia which means my stomach pushes through my diaphragm. It causes acid reflux and this causes breathing issues. I really had to get the weight off to reduce the pressure. I have had steady progress and to date I have lost 18 lbs. I am not done yet. I ran my first Give it a try at the beginning of June and placed third in my age category. This was huge for me and now I can't wait to race again in August. This race will be much farther so training will be harder and longer. My goal now is to place in some longer distances and to see those abs surface after a long hiatus of hiding behind fat. I will be finishing the race season in Nevis this year in November. Who knows what is next. Anything is possible. For anyone reading this.,,set a goal and get on it. If I can have this success at 52 anyone can. I couldn't have done this without Team WAG. The support of the group and the great coaching throughout has made a tough goal attainable and not as daunting as going it alone. No one has to struggle alone trying to figure this out. Team WAG has all the answers you just have to ask. Cheers and see you at the finish line. Get Your Coach Today!