Why a section on action takers? Simple. These individuals weren’t happy with their current state of affairs and unlike everyone else, they decide to do something about. Read their stories below:
“When good enough, isn’t!” I don’t know why, but that statement proved to be very powerful as I looked back at my past nutritional history. I found that I had settled for “good enough”. However, that mindset quickly faded away when I signed up with Graeme for coaching towards my goal of competing in a fitness/ figure competition.
Let me begin by providing a brief overview of my past eating habits. Growing up in an Italian family of six, there was always a lot of “good” food around; food that was high sugar and bad fats. My dad would always remind us to eat it before it is gone, because my two brothers and I had pretty big appetites. However, I was able to maintain a very small 115 pounds because of my heavy involvement in sports. I never thought twice about what I ate.
At the end of high school and beginning of University, it proved to be a busy time and I could not keep up with all of my activities. But I did manage to keep up with my eating. I ballooned up to a soft 160 pounds! I became very depressed and self-conscious about my body. I started to try and limit my calories as a solution to my weight problems.
You know, we’ve all heard the saying “calories in, calories out. To lose weight just increase your caloric expenditure and decrease your intake”. Isn’t that what Gillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser always says? Well that worked to an extent to bring my weight down, but it only made a slightly smaller version of the same body. This “losing weight” mentality really did become an obsession. My days continued to revolve around when I would go for a run, to the point where I could not even go on vacation without knowing that there was a gym or hotel equipped with a treadmill.
I firmly believed in my mind that eating did not matter too much, as long as I burned the calories that I took in, plus some. I would go as far as making sure that I burnt up to 1200 calories doing cardio daily. If I burned more, I felt great!
The problem was, my body composition and shape wasn’t changing. What was I doing wrong? Maybe not enough cardio?
This continued for years until I enlisted in the services of a no-nonsense trainer, Jon Merkley. Jon definitely kicked my butt in the gym and got me on a great resistance program, telling me to limit my cardio. But of course, I would sneak in and do extra cardio! Results were slowly but surely coming but Jon had to sit me down and explain that I would be seeing more if I would stop doing the damaging amount of cardio that I was doing. He even went as far as refusing to train me if I came in for extra cardio.
Training continued and I was very proud of the changes my body was making. However, when Jon and I decided I was going to compete in a figure/ fitness model competition in May 2010, he recommended I meet with Graeme to help clean up my diet for the competition and take care of my special nutritional needs.
Coming into my 20s I discovered a severe intolerance to milk and milk products. I had to be very mindful about the food ingredients that I put into my mouth, cancelling out anything with milk, whey, casein, or lactose.
Let me just begin by saying that this whole experience with Graeme was a life altering one. Graeme met with me to go over my background and I am sure that with all of my food sensitivities, I was a challenging case. But he set me up with a carb rotation style diet which was detailed oriented and idiot proof. He provided me with easy to make recipes that were not only healthy but delicious and very easy to bring to work! The plan was great as he would change it every couple of weeks as the competition drew nearer.
Something that really stands out to me about Graeme was that he was constantly available if I had a question or if something was not agreeing with me. He had the solution! Graeme would also have regular meetings with me to check my body composition and educate me on the functioning of the body. I am sure that he realized that competition nutrition was a difficult task for me to grasp. However, Graeme was very patient with me and thorough with his explanations, he made me feel at ease with what we were doing.
On May 15th 2010, I stepped on stage for the first time at the IDFA Novice Classic, in Toronto, Ontario. I had gone from 155 lbs and about 26% body fat, to 128 lbs and 13% body fat! I felt and looked great! At my first competition I finished 4th in Figure and 3rd in Fitness Model, I was very happy.
However, I was not done; I entered another Show on June 5th. It was the UFE Showdown event in London, Ontario. With another 3 weeks of preparation with Graeme I came in looking leaner and better. I managed to place 4th in Fitness Model and won the Figure category! At the same time I qualified for the UFE National Championships in November 2010! I was ecstatic! I know that there is no way I would have been able to accomplish what I have without Graeme’s knowledge and guidance; he may just be the most knowledgeable person I know!
Not only did Graeme help me with my competition diet, but he also helped me with finding foods and recipes that were milk free and still edible. He also tackled my digestive issues and they are much better today. This entire process has changed my thinking towards food and given me to tools to live a healthy lifestyle. I will continue to work with Graeme in my off season and again for upcoming competitions; after all we have a national championship to win!!!
Thank you for everything Graeme, I couldn’t have done it without you!”
Nikki Olivastri
“I started working with Graeme because I had tried many weight loss programs and over the years had managed to lose and then gain hundreds of pounds. I’m a middle aged woman with about 100 pounds to lose. I had been working with a trainer for about a year and a half and while I was stronger and fitter I had not lost any weight. One of the first things Graeme said was “You can’t out train a bad diet” and there was the real problem – what I was eating.
Graeme’s program was such an eye opener. On every other eating program I worked very hard to ensure that I maximized the carbohydrates I could eat. Graeme educated me in how to use carbs at the appropriate times and in the appropriate amounts to achieve the results I wanted.
To date I’ve lost 26 pounds and at last count 13 inches. Just as importantly I’m not always craving carbs or looking at the clock to see when the next meal is scheduled. I think this is a program that can and is becoming how I live and that has never been true about any other eating program.
I started my journey with Graeme with an open mind because I clearly had to do something and nothing else had worked. I cannot thank him enough for his coaching support and would encourage anyone who is serious about losing weight to enlist Graeme’s assistance.
You won’t be disappointed.”
Sue Thomsen
“I’d been working out with a personal trainer for almost 2 years and still wasn’t happy with the results I’d been getting. Although I didn’t really need to lose weight I was “soft” and definitely felt I had a layer of fat that could go but more importantly I wanted to learn to eat better so that I could have more energy and be healthier as I was getting older and had a young child. My trainer referred me to Graeme. He said Graeme could help me with diet and proper food and nutritional choices.
Graeme was amazing. He basically started from step 1 with me explaining everything along the way. He gave me detailed menu’s and recipes which were easy to follow. He explained why certain foods were better than others and how important it was to keep my metabolism working throughout the day. He also was available all the time to answer any questions I had and “tweak” my menu as needed. In only a matter of 3 months I managed to drop 9 lbs but for me more importantly I lost about 5% body fat and no muscle! As an unexpected but welcome bonus as a result of my added protein intake (I hardly ate any protein prior) my hair grew!!! My husband and hairdresser noticed. My hair hadn’t grown in years!!!!
I look forward to continuing my journey with Graeme and learning more about my body and nutrition so that it will just become second nature to me and so that I can hopefully live a long happy life.
Thanks Graeme!!”
Michelle Barletta
“I had always been very active, training with a personal trainer for 6 years and was a long-distance runner when I first met with Graeme. I became increasingly frustrated with the amount of time I was putting into exercise and eating what I thought was a “decent diet”. I just didn’t seem to be getting any results and felt stuck in a rut.
Within weeks of starting to follow Graeme’s plan, I could see changes in not only my body but also in my energy levels and, the biggest improvement was in my quality of sleep! I had been a terrible sleeper for years and attributed it to hormonal changes after having two children, and only after sitting down with Graeme, did I realize that it was due to overtraining and a diet that was not best suited for me. One of the best things to come out of the program for me was that Graeme has shown me to have a healthy relationship with food.
I was thrilled that after only a couple of months on Graeme’s program, I lost 7 lbs of fat, gained 3 lbs of muscle and my overall body fat dropped by 4.5%. All that while cutting down the amount of time I spent in the gym significantly and still being able to enjoy food.
My only regret is not having met Graeme years earlier!”
Nicole Dell
“I started my journey with Graeme as a busy wife and mother of two. Over the past several years, I’ve been faithfully kickboxing and running many times per week but just couldn’t lose weight. Talk about frustrating! In fact, not only have I struggled to lose weight, but year after year the pounds have continued to sneak on. I’ve tried every weight loss plan available and nothing has resulted in long term weight loss, only long term frustration and guilt.
Prior to working with Graeme, I never thought I’d be the person to pass up a sweet treat at a meeting or place an order in a restaurant that didn’t include french fries. I have always envied people with that kind of will power…until now. I’ve become one of those people! Graeme has taught me it’s not will power at all; rather I’ve learned that by optimizing my metabolism I am now in control of the foods I eat and loving it!
The results of working with Graeme have far exceeded my expectations. Not only have I changed my body shape, losing 16 lbs and close to 5 inches off my midsection but I’ve experienced a dramatic improvement in my mood and energy levels! I never thought my mood and energy were an issue until I felt the benefits of changing my eating habits. I can’t completely describe the amazing transformation that takes place when you work with Graeme, I can only suggest you just go for it and trust his process.
Thank-you Graeme!”
Kelly Finlayson
“As an international figure competitor, I have spent the last 2 years struggling with my contest preparation diet. I have always loved food, therefore, it was very important that I find a plan that met all my nutritional needs while not sacrificing on quantity or flavor. My previous dieting attempts have largely consisted of weeks on the stereotypical “white meat and green vegetables” diet, leaving me irritable and starving. Although I had success at both the regional and provincial levels, I began to wonder if sacrificing my love of food was really worth it.
Once I qualified for the Canadian Bodybuilding Federation’s National Championships, I knew I had to take my conditioning to the next level in order to place in the top 12. After meeting with Graeme and hearing his vision for my meal plan, I instantly knew I could trust him to produce the results I was looking for. While my goal of 7% body fat was an ambitious one, Graeme’s easy-going, yet confident assertion that we could achieve it, reinforced my resolve.
Over the next 12 weeks, Graeme and I met on a regular basis to monitor progress and ensure the diet was working for me… and boy did it ever! Over the 3 months we worked together, I went from 14.5% body fat to 7% body fat and stepped on stage in the best shape of my life. I surpassed my wildest expectations by placing 3rd overall in Canada for my height class, a virtually unheard of achievement for a 1st showing at Nationals. In fact, I had several judges come up to me saying that I was in the best shape they had seen yet.
The best part of the whole experience was the variety of meals and recipes I was able to enjoy. Contest dieting is never fun, but with Graeme’s creative meal planning, I was able to have flavourful meals that not only tasted great, but also looked after my nutritional requirements. The meal plan worked so well, I never felt hungry (well that’s a little white lie, the last 10 days were tough but that’s the nature of the sport).
After such a wonderful experience, there’s no question I will continue to use Graeme as my nutritionist. With his guidance, a national title is well within my reach.”
Emily Zelinka
CBBF Figure Athlete
3rd place – Figure Tall
http://www.emilyzelinka.com/
“My goal was to retain as much muscle mass as possible while obtaining 5% body fat to participate in a bodybuilding competition in four month’s time. With Graeme’s expertise, passion, and in depth nutritional knowledge, he was able to develop a diet plan that was tailored to fit my lifestyle and was easily accommodated to meet my changing dietary needs without losing focus of the end goal. Achieving this goal was easier than I anticipated with the continuous support and ongoing communication that Graeme provided.
While on this diet, I quickly began to notice real changes and real results that fuelled my passion to win. Seeing these changes inspired me to train harder, knowing that I was on the right track and my faith in Graeme and his ability to guide me along this journey was strengthened. With Graeme’s guidance, I surpassed my dreams and expectations by winning my bodybuilding show and I can now look back and truly say that without the support Graeme provided I would not have been able to attain this lifelong dream.”
Scott MacDonald
1st Place Middleweight Men
2009 Stratford Bodybuilding Championships
Comments