Christie Kirkland

I made the decision to work with Gaby after a series of events that left me questioning what was happening internally to me.  I had always been a vomiter throughout my 10 years of adult running, it was just something I managed. I did however, consider where I was going wrong. The catalyst for this was a DNF at an event I was incredibly well prepared for but suffered serious gut upset where I was unable to stomach anything for hours. At altitude, with nothing in my system, my vision went and I was pulled from the race. I went home with my tail between my legs and decided before my next event, I would find someone to educate me on where I was going so wrong.

I had followed IntensEATfit on social media for some time and the messages really resonated with me. I reached out to Gaby and immediately knew during our 1:1 meeting (interrupted by my little kids on and off) that she was person I wanted to learn from. Not only was she a total expert, she was so understanding of my home and work environments and knew I was busy.

I worked through the modules to prepare for my race and began to notice my relationship with food improve. I now considered food as fuel and was making focussed dietary choices to ensure my body would train, recover and perform at its best. The program opened up conversations for us as a family, and the principles within the program still underpin our meals. The lead up to my race was very different to any other, with nutrition being at the forefront of my mind. I practised each and every long run and found out what worked best for me. With Gaby’s advice and support, I became more confident in swapping nutrition around based on what I felt like eating and really understood the science behind it.

I went into UTA 50 feeling prepared and confident. Gaby and I had ironed out my race day nutrition, I had practised using all of the fuel in the lead up to and I had noticed less and less gut upset in training. On the day, I confidently moved through my nutrition plan. My body welcomed the fuel and I had a successful race with no gut issues. I raced like I knew I could and that made me really consider, how would I have performed in all my previous races with this knowledge? My last UTA50 did not feel this good! It made me excited for future events knowing I had cracked the code!

Working with Gaby has been life changing for me. As a busy mum of three, the program has taught me strong foundations that I hope I can continue to share with my boys as they grow up. The approach I take to meal planning for our family has shifted and follows the principles shared by Gaby in the program. Gaby is a nutrition wizard and no question is either too silly or too complex for her to answer. She is very approachable and willing to impart her knowledge with participants.

My only regret is that I didn’t connect with Gaby sooner.