If you saw Lydia O’Bannon before she started Macrotaxing you might have wondered where there was room for improvement on her lean, athletic physique. The 30-year-old vegan physician assistant and former D1 college gymnast was certainly no stranger to fitness and healthy living. With 15% body fat and a glowing smile, she looked like she was bursting with energy. But looks can be deceiving. Lydia had, in fact, struggled with chronic muscle soreness and fatigue ever since her days as a competitive gymnast. Since starting Macrostax, she is pleased to report quicker, easier recoveries from tough workouts and improved performance in all her workouts.
As a physician assistant in a thriving orthopedic practice, Lydia needs energy not just for her workouts but for her long workdays, most of which are spent on her feet. Her jam-packed schedule includes five days per week of CrossFit and a second job, in addition to her full-time position, which usually finds her leaving the house to make a 5:30 a.m. workout with all of her food for the day in tow, returning home around 9 p.m.
Though she’d always made an effort to eat a balanced diet and track her calories, Lydia never realized how good she could feel once she took a “methodical approach” to nutrition, particularly the timing. Says Lydia, “[As a gymnast] I used to work out for hours on end with no food and minimal water, so when I started CrossFit, I didn’t even pay attention to whether I ate anything just prior to a workout to give me energy.” Like many of us, she’d feel guilty for eating a “bad treat” and attempt to make up for it by eating minimally for the rest of the day. She realizes now that she was actually under-eating. Once she started Macrostaxing, Lydia discovered she’d only been eating half the amount of protein and carbs and double the fats she needed.
Now that she eats her prescribed macros just before and after workouts, her soreness doesn’t last as long and even on “bad” days, she is outperforming her pre-Macrostax self. In the 18 months since she started Macrostaxing Lydia has posted frequent PR’s and found that every single strength metric has increased by at least five pounds—no small feat for someone who was strong and lean, to begin with.
Lydia was motivated to try Macrostax when she saw her friends using it and experiencing performance breakthroughs. Intrigued, she researched the long-term sustainability and knew she had to try it. Plus she knew and trusted Lindsey, the company’s founder, having trained at the gym Lindsey owned before launching Macrostax.
About six months into Macrostaxing, Lydia and her husband Jason O’Bannon, a competitive CrossFitter and owner of Black Bolt CrossFit in Cary, NC, decided to go vegan. She reports no problems hitting her macros without using any meat, eggs, or dairy to meet her protein needs. As a vegan, her go-to’s now include quinoa, lentils, beans, pea protein milk, and plant-based protein shakes such as pea protein, pumpkin protein, and hemp protein. As her 5 a.m. pre-workout breakfast, she loves a plant-protein shake and a few dried mangoes because it gives her the macros she needs without too much volume. Her typical dinner might be grilled veggies, grapeseed oil, and salt mixed with a starch like veggie pasta, potatoes, or rice, mixed with garlic powder and whatever sauce she’s craving. And though she enjoys her nutrient-dense, plant-based choices, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t partake of the occasional treat. Lydia still loves her peanut butter and jelly, cookie dough, and chocolate. In addition to the fitness gains Macrostax has afforded her, it has also given her peace of mind. Knowing how much and what to eat on a rest day or on vacation allows her to relax while maintaining her gains.
So how does the busy vegan professional make time to count macros? Lydia finds it easy. Instead of devoting a chunk of time to meal planning/prepping each week, she makes sure her pre and post workout snacks are dialed in perfectly and makes the rest of her choices by eating when she’s hungry or when she gets a free minute at work (usually every few hours). Even when she travels, she and her husband (who is also a Macrostaxer) stay on track by going grocery shopping at their destination and bringing healthy snacks. In addition to ensuring peak performance, Macrostaxing on vacation also allows them to cut down on restaurant costs.
No matter where her busy life takes her, Lydia is committed to Macrostax because she knows how good it makes her feel. Since she started the program she says, “I have gotten more benefit from working out one hour per day then when I used to work out than hours per day.” Macrostax is a key part of helping Lydia focus on her three main fitness goals—sustainable lifestyle, overall health, and injury prevention. Lydia only has one regret when it comes to Macrostax. She wishes she’d started years ago.
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