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Coaching Interviews:
Alice Graham

Alice Graham is an 18 year old national level ice dancing competitor. In 2005, Alice and her partner Andrew were bronze medalists at the Canadian Jr National Championships. This year they’re preparing for the Canadian Senior National Championships in early 2006. In this interview, I caught up with Alice and, despite her hectic skating schedule; she shared her thoughts on her body transformation program.

Dr Berardi:
Before you started coaching with the body transformation program, how long had you been exercising?

Alice:
I’ve been skating competitively since I was 13; so, about 6 years.

Dr Berardi:
How much physique and performance progress had you made during this time?

Alice:
I have always been in fairly good shape. Just this last year I decided that I wanted to become leaner and more fit for the physical aspects of ice dancing. I also wanted to find a way to have more energy throughout my training day. I was sluggish and felt low in energy most days.

Dr Berardi:
Did you ever use a nutrition coach or off-ice coach in the past.

Alice:
I had both nutrition and exercise advice in the past.

Dr Berardi:
What kind of results did you get?

Alice:
Well, my off ice training was great but my nutrition wasn’t so great. This lead to poor physique results. I started to gain too much weight and needed a different approach.

Dr Berardi:
What convinced you to coach with us?

Alice:
My mother actually found information about this approach to nutrition and thought it would be beneficial to my training. I was also interested in how the program focused on high quality nutrition and targeted exercise rather than simple calorie restriction and general fitness work.

Dr Berardi:
Be honest, did you have any reservations before you started working with us? If so, what were they?

Alice:
I was always restricting my calories and was a little apprehensive about increasing my calorie intake, which I knew you’d make me do. Also, since you lived so far away, I was wondering if this style of coaching would work for me.

Dr Berardi:
So you had a bit of a hard time getting your head around the distance-based nature of the program? What made up your mind?

Alice:
I had knew you worked with so many people before me and got such great results that I had to just jump in and do it. Further, as I have great support network around me, I knew I’d be motivated to stay on track.

Dr Berardi:
While following the program, what did you like best?

Alice:
After a couple of weeks, the routine became simple, I had lots of energy, and I enjoyed the high quality food. It wasn’t hard to follow the program; it became part of my routine.

I felt more like an athlete. We take our bodies to greater extremes than the average person; therefore we need our bodies to be in top condition so we can go to those extremes.

I liked how I got to eat every 3 hours and how I just knew what foods to eat and when. I also liked how I felt! I had much more energy than when I tried to get into shape in the past. I lost fat but wasn’t even hungry!

Dr Berardi:
Did you find the program hard to follow? Why or why not?

Alice:
The only time I found it hard to follow was when I didn’t stay on top of my game. The trick is prep. I started making shakes for two days and cutting my veggies for the next day when I was making my salad for supper. Once I found little tricks the program became very simple.

Dr Berardi:
What were your physical stats before starting the program?

Alice:
I started the program at 135 pounds and 21.5% body fat

Dr Berardi:
How about now?

Alice:
In the first 8 weeks of the program I dropped to 125 pounds with around 15% body fat. I’m still amazed that I lost 10 lbs and 6.5% body fat in just 2 months.

Dr Berardi:
So, you’ve lost over 11lbs of fat while gaining about 1lb of lean mass! Great work! What other improvements have you seen while working with us?

Alice:
My energy had skyrocketed, my craving for sweets have been practically nil, and I feel much more confident in myself because I know I’m treating my body right and doing everything I can to reach my goal.

Dr Berardi:
Have people noticed your body changing? How have they responded?

Alice:
People have noticed a big change in me. They say I look better. I don’t know whether it’s the physical thing or the way I present myself. I hold my head higher and I present myself the way I want people to see me, as a confident young woman.

Dr Berardi:
What are the top things you learned while following our program?

Alice:
1) That breaking your long term goal into smaller/more attainable goals will set you up for success.

2) That treating yourself with more respect through nutrition and proper training will make you a more confident person.

3) That following a nutrition plan can be simple if you make it a habit.

4) That if you fall off track for a meal it’s not a big deal (think 90:10)

5) That eating certain things at certain times is crucial to maximize energy.

6) That counting calories isn’t as important as making sure you get high quality foods.

7) That ‘the super foods’ really are super and that you should think of food as fuel rather than a reward. (Saving the money from restaurants to buy a new pair of shoes is rewarding!)

8) That proper nutrition really does affect your frame of mind.

9) That healthy food can taste really good (like my bedtime snack tastes like cheese cake… but it’s so much better because I know it’s healthy!)

10) That if you eat every 3 hours your blood sugar won’t plunge and you won’t crave the junk food.

Dr Berardi:
Describe your total coaching experience to date.

Alice:
Positive, simple, smart. This program makes sense.

Dr Berardi:
If someone was hesitant about working with us, what advice would you give them?

Alice:
Dr. Berardi has worked with so many people – he knows how to get results. Think of your body as an experiment. It may take some time, but with his knowledge and background he’ll be able to find the right ingredients to mold your body into something extraordinary!

Dr Berardi:
What’s the next step for you with your physique progress?

Alice:
I’m not finished this step! I’ve made so much progress, but I’ve just begun! I plan to follow Dr. Berardi’s program until I’m a national champion!

Dr Berardi:
Any parting words?

Alice:
Thanks, John, for taking me on as a client!