Well friends. Many of you know that I have begun a dramatic life changing journey. Now that sounds really serious. But to me it has really changed my life, even more so the last couple weeks. A little over three months ago I was invited by two dear friends to join them at Teton CrossFit. When they told me about CrossFit, I had to look it up on the internet and I honestly thought it was for people with bodies like this....
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Plus, lets not forget the fact that just last April I spent 3 weeks in bed due to 3 herniated discs in my back. Let's just say, I never... NEVER... want to have pain like that again.
So I went to CrossFit and met for the first time... my coach.... Jennica Hirrlinger! I didn't feel like the fat kid, I didn't feel left out. Instead I felt welcomed, and special attention was spent on me, helping me to learn to lift weight properly, avoiding injury and especially learning that I don't have to be as good as everybody else.
Instead... I learned...
This is what I looked like the first week... WARNING... This may be graphic... just kidding this pic is after the first 2 weeks... you don't want to see the first pic. And then so on because I am not very good at editing these things...
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| After the second week of crossfit |
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| One month of doing crossfit |
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| We are strong women! |
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| Remember Jennica? Yeah.. this is her... and... me looking better and better! |
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| 2 months into crossfit... 16 inches total loss... 6 around the waist |
The first two weeks consisted of agony, pain, inability to walk down stairs, or get off the floor. I was in way worse shape than I could have ever imagined.
But I was paying a babysitter which helped me get out of bed every morning, grab my water bottle and tennis shoes and go be tortured again. Each and every day.
Suddenly I started noticing a difference in the way I was feeling. Instead of hating those millions of squats, and pushups and pull-ups... I was looking forward to seeing what I could do. I was improving every day. Little did I realize what a change I was making in my life.
A month and a half into training we did Dead lift maxes. I could have never imagined that I would lift 215 lbs off the floor! But I did!
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| 2 and half months of crossfit |
And then fast forward another 6 weeks and we do dead lifts again. I am building up to my max. And I lift 215 like nothing...
I lift 225lb... piece of cake.
I lift 235lb great.
255 lb... hard but I had a feeling to try one more lift.
265lbs... that is a lot of weight sitting right there...
I lifted 265 lbs off the floor! Talk about a leap... 50 lb improvement over my last Personal Record! It is amazing what 6 weeks can do!
And things just kept getting better. But there was one thing that bothered me. Probably because I am a girl and we are just funny like that. Yes I was seeing big changes in my body and my mood. I have become so much happier and deep down proud of myself. But the darn scale wasn't moving... not even an ounce. So something else had to change.
So I made another change in my life... that has had many benefits. That I didn't realize I was missing until I changed.
What did I do... I decided to do a 30 day Paleo Diet challenge. What is paleo? Well you can follow this link and learn all about it... http://thepaleodiet.com/
Basically what I have done is (for the most part) eliminated all dairy and grains from my diet... as well as starchy vegetables for the most part.
I started this challenge on November 18,2013. I weighed a hefty 217lbs. Which mind you is after the 70 lbs I have lost in the 3 years since Salt was born. But regardless... I had lost more than 16 inches without losing a pound in 3 months. So I'm going for the fact that all that fat was just converting to muscle.
So the first two days were pretty difficult. Especially since I did the classic I'm going to eat everything I wont be able to have for the next month this weekend thing.
But I made it through those first two days. Day three I felt like I was sick. Like I had the stomach flu but no throwing up. Just kinda miserable. Day four, I woke up... and felt like a brand new person.
I felt really good. Like I could conquer the world...
And then the end of the week came and it was time for me to weigh in...
DOWN 7 LBS!!!1 Wahoo! do the happy dance!!!!
Now losing 7 lbs is really exciting. But these are things that I noticed most.
I was taking time every day morning and evening to make a good nutritious meal for the boys and I and we were actually sitting around the table for 30 minutest to an hour laughing talking and eating good food. We were no longer eating store bought, manufactured crap, or fast food. Sitting in front of the TV eating at our leisure or me jamming food in my mouth while I study. Instead we have started spending more quality time with each other.
I know... the bad mom in me has now been published to the world. But this is what is so exciting to me. I didn't realize that I was really doing this all the time. I had no idea that the boys and I were really not sitting down and having meals together. I had let everything overwhelm life. I was making quick meals that were cheap and unhealthy like mac and cheese or pizza or chicken nuggets all the time and letting them just eat cold cereal every morning.
Now we have meals like eggs, bacon and avocado, or strawberries, bananas and eggs for breakfast. The boys still get pancakes and I am trying to get up the nerve to try a recipe for banana pancakes... For dinners the boys are having things like noodles and broccoli and oranges and chocolate milk or chicken and broccoli (can you tell they like broccoli?) While I eat yummy things like chicken with broccoli, spinach, onions etc.
At first I really missed the bread and pasta. But look how good this food looks... and yes I cooked these plates...
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| Delicious Chicken over spinach and onions |
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| Chicken, spinach and portabella hash... (my favorite so far) |
And then I go with my family and they eat things like this...
And then I realized why I felt so good the second half of the week... I had the junk out of my system. So I have been hitting it hard again this week. I know that Thanksgiving will be a bit of a challenge. But real life happens and you get to have treats once in awhile. But I have to be careful that those treats don't become my daily normal diet.
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| 3 months of crossfit... this tank used to be really tight |
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| tummy is getting a lot smaller |
Sometimes I don't realize that I am making progress on a really big challenge that has plagued me my entire life. And then, I am so glad that I took the challenge and then have been documenting it with pictures as Jennica told me to. I have finally dropped a pant size and hopefully I will continue. Actually I know I will continue. Because I have been blessed with determination.
These changes in my life have not only changed me physically, but have also given me the drive to do better in everything. School is going better, I am so much happier and, I don't hate my job. I am able to deal with things more naturally and I don't get frustrated with the boys as easily. I love going out and building snowmen with the boys, chasing them down the sidewalk or running in the park... Or even getting on the floor and wrestling or playing legos! Life is so fantastic!
I will keep carrying on and pushing hard. I have found a good addiction.. my CrossFit addiction where I enjoy the pain I put myself through, because I know that I am getting better and better every day. And closer and closer to every goal I have always had for myself!
