November 20, 2015
Transformation Series: Trista Elaschuk
If you need some transformation motivation, look no further! At 6 Pack Fitness we love to share inspiring stories in our Fitness Transformation Series. Today, we'd like to introduce you to Trista Elaschuk, a 27-year-old who overcame weight struggles to become a figure competitor who is now in the best shape of her life.
Yo-Yo Diet Struggles
Her entire life, Trista had struggled with her weight. Growing up in a family where multiple members struggled with obesity, she easily fell into the mold. Although she always wanted to transform her body, she never took the step to obtain the necessary knowledge. During her childhood, Trista was very active and played competitive soccer into her teenage years. Her soccer skills had the potential to take her far, but her weight held her back. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep up with the other girls. More and more, her weight was becoming a source of resentment.
At the age of 16, Trista began her first diet. She successfully lost a lot of weight quickly, but it wasn't permanent. After having followed the diet for 3 months and losing 40 pounds, she wasn't able to commit to a lifestyle change and quickly put the weight back on. Over the next year, she continued to gain weight and reached a peak weight of 195 by the time she graduated high school. Trista felt miserable and her attitude dramatically soured. That's when she knew she needed to change.
The first steps to her weight-loss success came with joining Weight Watchers. Within 6 months, Trista had peeled off 50 pounds and reached a weight of 145. Beyond pleased, she felt better than she had ever felt before. The joy, however, was short-lived. Her attendance at Weight Watchers meetings waned and soon enough, she was slipping back into old habits. The weight came back and before she knew it, by the summer of 2012, Trista was back up to 185 pounds.
That July, Trista had enough. She decided to return to Weight Watchers, as the program had proven to work for her. This time, she would be committed to changing her lifestyle for good.
"When I first started my weight loss journey I hated the gym. My weight loss came to halt and I knew I had to start hitting the gym to make a change."
Enough Is Enough: Making the Change for Good
September soon came and weighing in at 165 pounds, Trista knew she needed to begin her fitness transformation in the gym. Her first activity was running, which soon led to 10 km a day on the treadmill. Health and fitness were becoming a part of her life and she would never miss a run at the gym. Although Trista's boyfriend was heavily into bodybuilding, she was still too intimidated to venture into the weight room on her own. January of the next year, a close friend introduced her to bodybuilding. Together they began weight training five days a week. Trista was hooked! The weight room quickly became her new home and she began to love challenging her body. She spent the next year learning new weightlifting programs and following various bodybuilders on social media. Trista became fascinated with not only the sport, but also the tremendous ability displayed by the women involved.
Trista attended her first natural bodybuilding competition that November. The hard work and dedication of the competitors amazed her. After she left the show, she felt like she was on an inspirational high. Trista found a new motivation, one that was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She knew she had to be on that stage.
She kept thinking to herself: "I could do that. That could be me."
The Road to Competition
In January of 2014, Trista knew she was about to endure the hardest journey of her life. So she hired a coach: Kamber Lindenback. She began her competitive fitness transformation at 162 pounds, with 24% body fat. In the 23 weeks that lay before her, she had to give it her all and transform her body. 100% committed to this new journey, her first step was trading in partying and binge eating on the weekends for heavy lifting and meal prep. Trista was now spending 6 days a week in the gym. Nothing could slow her down. Trista first heard about 6 Pack via Instagram back in 2013, but she didn't get her first bag (a gift from her fiancé) until she started figure prepping in 2014. her fiancé"My 6 Pack Bag has become a staple in my life ever since. It has given me the ability to bring my food with me wherever I go. Every time I travel, I use my bag as a carry on and bring my food with me on the plane. It has completely reduced the stress of eating while traveling because I am always prepared."
Several months later, Trista got her chance to step on the stage in Red Deer, Alberta and compete in the figure category with 15 other women. Trista placed third and qualified for the Alberta Provincials. For her, this was the most exhilarating, rewarding and humbling day of her life. She never imagined she was capable of such an accomplishment and she felt amazing. At this moment, she felt that her fitness transformation was truly a success.
For the next 8 months, Trista focused on her weak points and building her physique. On May 17th, she competed with the NPAA in Calgary and again took home third place. Just 5 weeks later, she competed with the NPC in the Tanji Johnson Classic in Olympia, Washington. This time, she placed 1st in the figure novice category and went on to win the novice overall. Another week went by and Trista stepped on the stage at the ABBA provincial stage in Alberta where she placed 6th out of 11. Although she didn't place in the top 5, Trista is determined to get herself in the top 5 next year, with an ultimate goal of taking her fitness transformation all the way to the Canadian National Stage.
Trista has accomplished more in 2015 than she ever could have imagined. She's become a supplement brand ambassador, sponsored athlete, and is now working on becoming a certified sports nutritionist and personal trainer.The phrase Trista has taped on the mirror in her bathroom, which she looks at every morning: "Champions aren't built on excuses."
Trista's fitness transformation shows that the struggles of yo-yo dieting can be overcome. A crucial component in doing so is meal prepping, which was a huge part of Trista's fitness transformation and continues to play a large role in her figure competition training success."Bodybuilding has completely transformed my life and brought a sense of accomplishment and willpower I never imagined I could possess. I have fallen in love with the sport and the lifestyle and cannot wait to see where it takes me."
Being prepared with your meals is especially important if you need to be strict with your macros for competition. Stay on track with your Beast Duffle, available in black and red or pink and purple like the one Trista rocks! Get inspired with even more motivational tales in our Fitness Transformation Series, including other figure competitors like Jennifer dos Santos, Amy Perrin, Denise Johnson, Deziree Slusher, and Amy Holland.