Success Is Sweet!

Holly is truly a success story! When she first came to boot camp she showed the desire and hunger for a better life. She is one of the most consistent dedicated boot campers that I have. She has followed every direction that I gave her without question and put her confidence in me 100%! I am so proud of Holly and feel blessed to have her as a friend and client. Way to go Holly!!!

My initial struggles with food and body image started in the 7th grade. My best friend and I decided it would be smart to starve ourselves during the day satisfying our hunger with only hard candy and then for dinner have a bagel and a huge Mountain Dew. I’m positive this actually stunted my growth as I should probably be a lot taller than I am now. I played all of the typical sports in high school but was never really taught about nutrition or the importance of exercise beyond two-a-days. During college I joined a women’s only gym but hardly ever ended up going; I also would resort back to the same old starvation habits when I felt the scale was creeping up too far.

At the beginning of 2007 I had foot surgery and was basically getting no activity for three months during the recovery period. Over the next few months my weight slowly crept up and up, leaving me with no choice but to buy pants in a size I thought I would never be. In February of 2008 I joined Weight Watchers and ended up dropping 13 lbs but wasn’t really doing anything for exercise. Then I decided to join a small gym and hire my own personal trainer for 10 sessions; which was great as I dropped another 12 lbs. However, I felt like I was at a point where I could go no further, even if I added more weights to the machine I wouldn’t see the scale budge which was very frustrating. A few months after my final trainer session, I began to see the scale start to increase by 1 then 2 lbs. I knew I needed to do something different this time.

My friend Ashlee convinced me to join her at a CrossFit boot camp with Coach Zach. She told me he was one of those trainers that wouldn’t let you get by just giving it 50% - he wanted 150% and by the end of class you would know you had pushed yourself to the max as you would leave a complete ball of sweat. I initially thought it was something I would not be able to afford but she told me to stop buying the clothes I wasn’t happy with and spend that money on the program. She said before you know it you’ll be back in to your old clothes which were already the smaller size I was after. I took that advice and now I’m back in to my favorite pair of shorts from high school (even though they are a bit dated I love knowing I can still fit in them).

After the trial boot camp I went home and debated overnight and by Sunday I had decided to sign up for a 6 month term. A few months in to the program I met with Coach Zach on a one-on-one basis, he went over the Zone diet with me and told me if I wanted to see results I had to change my eating habits. It was hard for me to not count calories and fat since that was what I’d been trained to do. I put a lot of trust in the information he had given and it has worked. Since joining CrossFit in February of 2009 I have lost a total of 43 lbs since I had surgery with the last 22 lbs since joining CrossFit and 3 (almost 4) pant sizes.

The first three weeks of class were tough; I remember having to stop and catch my breath quite a bit but Coach Zach never made me feel bad – he just encouraged me to push it and keep going. I can now keep up with the ‘fast kids’ in my class and I actually use them to push myself harder. This past July I began taking three different supplements from the Advocare Trim line and around the end of September I began to notice the scale nudge down at a much steadier and greater pace. I feel like the supplements give me more energy without any of the caffeine highs other weight loss supplements give you.

I have a new sense of self esteem which I don’t think I’ve had since back in high school. My entire body has lost inches and I feel I can now wear tank tops since my arms have a bit of definition – I never knew girls had those outer upper arm muscles. My legs have also lost inches and I am wearing shorts again instead of suffering through the TX heat in my jeans.

I look forward to each CrossFit boot camp because I know how energized they make me feel. The workouts are different every time so I never get bored or feel like I’m at a gym. Plus the extra weekend boot camps and kettle bell classes are amazing!

The Pay Off

I just have to share this with you! First, Roz has been coming to boot camp for 1 Year exactly. She is consistent in coming to boot camp and takes advantage of the UTB's and challenges we are always putting on. She is currently a participant in I AM CROSSFIT and because of her hard work, determination and constant positive attitude she is reaping the benefit's. Here is her story.
As a kid, I was athletic - a competitive dancer. But then high school, college, the years after... I still did yoga and dance/movement in my theater practice, but nothing too strenuous and my diet was a joke-- the pounds piled on and I was quite chunky at 180lbs. In 2003 I was in a car accident that left me with chronic shoulder and neck pain. I stopped being physical in any way. I took daily pain meds, was on anti-depressants, and even endured steroid injection therapy that caused me to gain 20lbs in a month!
So, by December 2006 I weighed over 200lbs, was barely squeezing in to my size 14/16 and Plus Size 1 clothes, and my body fat was 34% -- officially obese. A few days before New Year's, I went to a free Crossfit workout at the old gym location. It killed me! But I was hooked. I loved the challenge and everyone -- Jeremy, Zach, the other people working out -- was so supportive; even when I couldn't jog 400 meters, strangers would pat my back and say "Keep it up, Roz!" as they flew by me.
So I started boot camp in January 2007. Coach Zachary has hounded, inspired, pushed, challenged, and transformed me. In the past year, I have seen drastic improvements to my health, happiness, appearance, and wardrobe! As of today, I've lost 50lbs --I'm at 157! My body fat percentage is under 24%. I just bought my first EVER size 8 pair of jeans. I am a stronger, more confident, more assertive person. I have severely cut back on my pain meds and no longer take anti-depressants. My chronic pain is not cured, but it is much more manageable and boot camp has helped me gain strength, flexibility, and range of motion in my injured shoulder and neck. And my butt got its first legitimate compliment in 10 years... albeit from my younger sister!
This year, my goal is to get my body fat percentage under 20% and to get stronger and faster! And learn how to do kipping pull-ups. And stop drinking Diet Coke.
I just have to say, I am so proud of Roz and it has been a pleasure to seeing her progress and change her life. Way to go Roz!!

I AM CROSSFIT Before and After

The glorious before pic in the summer of 05 two months before crossfit found me. It has been a challenging road to get to this point and I know it will be a challenge to meet my goals from here on out. Not only am I coaching you guys through this, I am putting my self through I AM CROSSFIT as well. So I'm just like you guys and I go through the same challenges. So don't get discouraged and we can lean on each other to meet our goals.