I have never been an athletic person. I was always overweight, last-picked in PE class, and much more content sitting on the couch than doing anything that required physical effort. My school sports history consisted of second grade soccer, and half of a season of softball in high school. My father was always very active, running 5+ miles a day and doing weight training. He encouraged me to be active, and sometimes I would for a short time, but I would always lose interest or come up with some excuse as to why I couldn’t continue. My mother was never really active, and was always overweight like me, so I convinced myself that genetically I could never be athletic. It just wasn’t in the cards for me. Best excuse ever. It required zero effort.
I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. I feel as though I’ve been on some sort of diet for the majority of my life. You name it, I’ve tried it: Dexatrim, Slim-Fast, NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, I even visited a doctor in Calabash who gave me growth hormone injections and Phentermine to help with my weight. Most of those helped temporarily (about 5-10 pounds), but none of them were sustainable for long periods because I felt like I was starving the entire time.
About seven years ago, I made the decision to become a vegetarian. I thought by doing so, I would have a healthier diet and no longer have to worry about my weight. On the contrary, in those seven years, I gained almost 50 pounds. My portions were huge and my carbohydrate intake was through the roof. Since one can not live on salads alone, I found myelf eating lots of pasta, potatoes, and drinking about 6-8 Diet Dr. Peppers a day to keep going.
My turning point was in July of 2011, when I stepped on the scale one day and was completely shoked by the number. One hundred and ninety-nine pounds. I remember thinking to myself, “I can’t let myself get into the 200’s!” I had talked to some of my patients and friends about CrossFit, and they encouraged me to try it out. The two people who stood out to me were Katherine Norfleet and Whitney Sauls. They talked about how CrossFit had really helped them to get active, and what a great environment it was. I had always avoided “the gym” because I was embarassed of the way I looked, but they assured me that there was no judgement at CrossFit. I thought to myself, “well, now is as a good a time as any to join”, so I enrolled in the August On-Ramp course. My mom had recently inspired me by losing 45 pounds, but I wasn’t making myself any promises.
There is no other way to say it: CrossFit has changed my life. I never imagined that I would look forward to working out, and I’m doing things I would have NEVER believed I could do. Run one mile? This time last year, I would have laughed at the suggestion. Now, I actually welcome to opportunity to push myself and better my performance. I have learned that CrossFit is not “a gym”. It’s a network of dedicated individuals that like nothing better than to help you feel your best, look your best, and perform at your maximum capacity.
It’s now May 2012, and Karen and company have helped me lose 35 pounds, eat healthy, and feel better than I ever have in my entire life. My only regret with CrossFit is that I didn’t join sooner!