Starting Stats:
Weight – 175.5lbs
Waist – 31”
Hip – 42”
Finishing Stats:
Weight – 159lbs
Waist – 29.5”
Hip – 40”
Total Change:
Weight – 16.5lbs
Waist – 1.5”
Hip – 2”
“Why the Transformation Challenge?
Anyone who knows me knows that I am pretty introverted, preferring to just put my head down and do my thing, hoping not to draw any attention or notice. To say that something like this is out of my comfort zone would be an understatement! That said, this is not the first time that I’ve worked with Coach Neil. Slightly more than 5 years ago, I had (what I would consider) quite a bit of success with his programming. Then some things in my life changed. Not bad things, mind you. Just changes. I transitioned through menopause and our youngest child moved to Montreal to attend university. We were officially empty nesters and I was officially on the downslope of my life.
Gradually, I stopped being as mindful and conscious about what and how much I was eating and drinking. I continued to be as active, but the slow shift in my eating habits resulted in a slow weight gain; I could no longer work out as efficiently or with as much intensity as I once did. I began to feel and think poorly of myself. In January, I reached out to Neil and Erika. I told them that I wanted to change the way I was navigating this stage of my life. The catch was that I was planning to be away for a large chunk of the winter, in California. Ten weeks, as a matter of fact, the longest I’d ever been away. Could they coach me long distance? They both
replied with a strong affirmative.
So, for extra incentive and motivation, I decided that the Transformation Challenge would be that little bit “more” that would help me stay focused in Palm Springs. Neil designed my nutrition and lift program and advised how much and how often to include a cardio component. I found a gym and began to implement the program. Neil and I communicated weekly and he tweaked my macros and workouts as needed, based on my log, reports and photos. When I had an “off” week, which usually meant over my macro targets, Neil neither berated me nor sugar-coated things. He let me know that yes, that happens sometimes and there is no way to undo it, but let’s focus on the week ahead and get back on track.
With one-month left in our rental period in Palm Springs, we packed up and came home, spurred by the pandemic. Neil went with the flow, modifying my lift workouts to accommodate the equipment I had in my basement (I knew that stuff would come in handy some day!) and I rented a spin bike to continue cardio. I asked Neil at the end of my 12 weeks to give me some idea about the parameters for the testimonial portion of the program. He said that it’s not really about him or about Trench but more about the program and my experience with it. That said, however, I don’t necessarily think the two are mutually exclusive. Trench provided me with the tools for the program; I had to put them to work. We all want a fast fix, but as Neil says “it’s not a sprint; trust the process”.
Congratulations, high five, knuckle knock to all of the participants! Regardless of which one of us is deemed the ‘Transformation Champion’, we can all be proud that we chose to start the program, even if is definitely out of comfort zones.”
