Terribly Awesome

When I first started CrossFit my biggest concern was that I'd be the fattest person at the gym… Well, guess what? I am. 

I am the fattest, slowest, (not the weakest), girl at CrossFit. And I'm okay with that!

Today as I was running I found myself thinking things like:

"That tall guy is really fast." or….

"The guy with the birthmark is working really hard." or….

"That hott old guy is a beast." or....

"I wish I could do pull ups like that skinny girl" 

I have no doubt that people who don't know my name think of me as "the overweight girl." But as long as that's followed by the thought, "she's been working hard." I really don't care. 

I say this only because I am working really hard. I have no reason to care what anyone else thinks. As long as I'm better than I was yesterday, I'm happy. I am only competing against myself.

Doing the "beached whale"

So I've lost 10 pounds. I feel better. I feel healthier. I'm stronger and I'm faster. I still feel big. I still feel like a beached whale every time we do stuff on the floor. But things are getting better. One thing I remind myself of is slow progress is still progress. Don't forget that!

There are things about my weight loss journey that I will never fully be able to portray to you. The importance of it will never really be depicted. But I'm doing the best I can. 

Recently people have told me I'm becoming obsessed or addicted to CrossFit. I have heard that countless times from almost everyone in my life. Well if this is what it takes to get to where I want to be, then call me addicted. 

In the last two days I've done lots of running. Each workout probably had close to 1.5 miles. I hate the running almost as much as I hate jumping (& we all know how I feel about jiggly jumping).

Unfortunately I inspired an Indian run today with my confusion yesterday. I didn't anticipate it being so terrible until I realized I had to run it with really fit people. Boy did I drop out of that one fast! && that was just the warmup.

So today I ran 1000 meters, did 60 American kettle bell swings (Which are much harder than the turkish ones… maybe it's Russian.. hmm?) & 30 pull-ups. (Im still doing jumping pull-ups but they sure are getting easy.) << Hopefully my trainers don't see that! 

We finished the WOD today with some ball slams & some pushups. Fun stuff people.

Doing some super hulk-like ball slams.

When I got home I told my dad it was "terribly awesome" (as I limped into the room) because it was sure terrible…. but there has yet to be a WOD that I didn't find more awesome.

Happy Saturday folks, be active.

CrossFit: Do or Die

So I'm writing twice today... If that seems like overkill, you're probably right!

The WOD today was so much fun, & frankly, from a personal standpoint, I kicked ass.
Aside from the fact that overhead squats practically force you to smell your own armpits for a good 15 minutes. *not pleasant*

I wasn't pleased with my workout this morning so I decided to go back for another round this afternoon. I'm so happy I did & I can go into the weekend knowing that I worked hard. There's nothing worse than feeling like you didn't give it your all, & I wanted to leave it all on the table.

The proudest part of my workout was the fact that I did 4 rounds of 200m runs without stopping! Woohoo! That's another CrossFit first for me (: This morning I did a lot of walking & I had scaled the distance. So I did significantly better tonight.

It's funny because at some point I said something to Sean about how running sucks because I can't breathe.. He responded with, "Don't worry, it will get better." & for the first time, I believed it.
So folks, I know getting started really sucks. It's hard work. But it does get better.


To top off an awesome workout, we got to do some pretty fun skill work. We did 10 minutes of deck squats & pushing this sled thingamajig. (I felt like I was in some intense football movie :p)

The deck squats were less than enjoyable... I almost hate them as much as cutting lettuce at work. (& if ANYONE has heard me rant about that, you know how I feel about it!)

So I was pretty psyched about the workout. I'm falling in love with CrossFit, that's no secret. Unfortunately at the end I was pretty let down by some comments about whether or not I was doing too much... I'm a "go big or go home" kind of girl & this is more than a hobby to me. It's kind of do or die, literally. I'm morbidly obese & headed down a path that leads to nowhere but health problems.

If working out as much as possible leads to...
- Looking drop dead gorgeous on my wedding day
- Being able to walk up stairs without being out of breath
- Having self confidence
- Not being afraid to go on an airplane
- Getting to buy cute clothes
- Living a long, healthy life

Then count me in... Let's do this.

Peas & Chipmunks

Do you love food? I know I sure as heck do! That's why I am where I'm at, right? 

So here's the low down… I know I've talked a ton about CrossFit & working out, but where does my diet fall into all of this?

Well I can tell you this, I've lost 10 pounds, so I must be doing something right, eh?

After reading (most of) Robb Wolf's "Paleo Diet" I was pretty convinced, that's the way to go! But more recently, after talking to my parents & Doc, I've decided to truly focus on just eating under 1200 calories a day. I have absolutely nothing against the Paleo diet, but as someone who's really trying to shed some pounds, food intake is key. 

I can honestly tell you though, the days I've done Paleo, I felt a million times better. So I'd recommend it to anyone.

So yesterday I had about 1139 calories… Cutting it close right?

Just a random thought… My cat ate 4 chipmunks last night… I wonder who had more calories?

A chipmunks 165 calories… sooo 4 of those would be 600… She wins, but I'm pretty sure she gets less than me to start!

Anywho… As a calorie counter, I thought I'd share 3 foods I can't diet without. Here we go!

Please consider that I'm a student, working full time, so most of my favorites are great on the go snacks…

Great snacks to put in your purse!

To be fair,  there are quite a few foods I struggle avoiding when I'm on a diet… Oh the temptations…

My biggest temptations!

Today on my way back from CrossFit I almost stopped & got a slurpee.. Oh, how good it sounded! But just in time my pops called me & reminded me of 80/20. (80% in the kitchen, 20% workout). What you eat is seriously the main contributor to whether or not you lose weight.

So it's shy of 7AM. Early I know… I had the worst time going to sleep last night & I had to get up at 4:50AM to make it to the 5:30 workout. 

Mary was the coach this morning. She's pretty cool I reckon but it was hard because she wasn't familiar with what I could and couldn't do. I also felt like she totally underestimated my strength! She was one of the better trainers I've had as far as explaining how to do things. She definitely played the best music! The only way someone could beat her music is if they played country :p Rich played Sweet Home Alabama the other day, & you know I love that! 

On the down side this morning I can hardly walk without crying. My knee feels like all the "bolts" are loose. I was hoping to make it to the class this afternoon… But with this pain, I'm not sure if that'll happen :/ Icing them with frozen peas! 

7 Things That Happen When You Start CrossFit

Hey there folks!

My pops is probably the most influential person in my entire life. He always knows just what to say no matter how my day is going. Last week he told me, "Sometimes you're the bug, & sometimes you're the windshield." Well, guess what folks... Today I was definitely the windshield, stopping every negative thought in my track!
Other than the fact that I got in a fight with a ham machine, and the machine won!
I'll get em' next time! ;)

My momma & I were talking today about how all the bad things in life shape us into who we are today, making us beautiful. Today I got a bracelet in the mail from "Words to Sweat by." It says "Unbroken" Throughout the entire workout tonight, it reminded me of why I started. Every time I think about giving up, I think about why I started.

So today marks two weeks of CrossFit. Woohoo!

In honor of my teeny tiny milestone, I'll let you in on the few things...

7 Things That Happen When You Start CrossFit.. (7 because 5 is too little & I'm too lazy to do 10 ;)

1. You get addicted!
In the last two weeks, about 50% of my Google searches have had to do with CrossFit.

2. Your friends & family start researching it & giving you warnings.

3. You'll get crazy good at counting... This hasn't quite happened yet for me. Actually it's made me realize how bad I am at multiplication. Lol.

4. You'll gain weight at first. This one's been tough for me... I get so hung up on what the scale says. You have to stop looking at the scale and look at other indicators, like how your clothes fit!

5. You'll get more energy! Even when I'm dragging from CrossFit sore muscles, I have this new energy , I practically am bouncing off the walls.

6. You'll learn a lot about your mental weakness... Ya see, the WOD is posted online. I check it out like  3 times a day & often find myself thinking... Hmm... I just won't go today. I find myself giving myself an out.

7. You'll learn a lot about your mental strength... When you find yourself dripping in sweat, halfway through a workout... You'll realize how strong you are. When you finish the workout, you won't regret it.

Tonight's WOD really tested me. I wasn't completely satisfied with my own performance but it was still good. We did 5 rounds of the following.

21-15-9

Thrusters

Jumping Pull-Ups

A thruster is a front squat followed by a push press. (Don't worry I had to ask too ;)
I did all of it with a PBC pipe (is that what they're called?)
Anyway, I felt like such a wimp. Everyone else is a lot stronger than me... But that's ok, I still finished strong!
My jumping pull-ups are getting so much better... They're pretty easy now actually. Maybe one day I'll be able to do a real pull up after all, eh?

I'm off to workout with Doc... say a little prayer.

When Normal Wasn't Good Enough

Sometimes things that happened in my past consume my day… 

Sometimes they remind me of all the times I failed & how "I'll never succeed." I've been telling myself that my whole life. 

I went to a counselor & they told me I was a victim.

I went to a psychiatrist & they told me I had learning disabilities.

I went to an academic counselor & they told me that I'd never get into a good college.

I went to an endocrinologist & they told me that before long, I'd have diabetes.

I decided to have bariatric surgery but they told me I was "too depressed" to handle the emotional side effects.

They told me to wait 6 months...
I don't want to wait 6 months. I want to change now. 

I don't want to be normal anymore. 

I wake up every morning and feel the air outside. I burn my toast, & rejoice that at least I have burnt toast. I went out into the world & took every step, with purpose. Sometimes I have to hush all the negative voices that mock me in the back of my mind. I go to CrossFit for me. I go to make every movement & every moment count. 

I refuse to be normal. I choose to be something more.

fan-tas-tic

First of all, I've gotten quite a few questions from readers. In response to all that, I am working on a "FAQ" section for my blog. But to answer a few...

- Yes, I plan on having pictures of me actually doing CrossFit stuff eventually... I just have to work up the guts to ask for someone to take one :p Stuff like that makes me more nervous than a ceiling fan storeowner with a comb-over.

The photoshop design for my wrist
wraps from this super nice lady to match
my new blog design! :p

- Yes, I have bought "CrossFit stuff." At this point, I just don't want to look like a poser, so I don't actually use it! (wow, that sounds lame). But this lady is making me customized wrist wraps with my initials. Pretty legit if you ask me ;) She has a website so I'll be posting that sometime. Buy her stuff!
Oh yeah, I have gotten CrossFit shoes too... Just waiting for the perfect time to bring those bad boys out... Maybe when I get to my first weight loss goal?

- I also surprisingly have been asked what music I work out to. I understand your pain folks, it's hard to find a good workout playlist. My newest one is on a link below. I'm too lazy to write it out. If you don't have Spotify, get it. It's the shit.

Lizzy's CrossFit Playlist
^^ Click that

If you've read this far without quitting on me...
My day was fan-tas-tic. Busy. But awesome. (With the exception of a history paper that I've yet to start)


My favorite trainer ever, Patrick, was at CrossFit Glory today. It was amazing to see him because I'd been trying to track him down so we could train again. Unfortunately, he's no longer in the area. It's funny how much someone can change your life even when they don't know it. In high school, I went through a lot. Some things were my fault while others were just me being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Patrick was a great trainer and honestly just a great person to look up to. He provided a safe place in what I see as a not so safe world. I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to thank him enough for that. All while it was good and fun to see him, it was also embarrassing. I've gained a lot of weight since I trained with him. But hey, at least I'm trying now...

The WOD was great tonight. I'm comfortable with modifying things now, I honestly don't really give a sh*t what other people think, because I'm working my butt off for me. Okay I take that back, I care a little bit... When the guys were done and just watching us, that was semi-embarrassing.

I can't say enough good things about the people at CF Glory though. Everyone is so encouraging, it's like a little family. There's this guy... uhmm Ryan I think his name is. He is always upbeat and encouraging which honestly is nice to always have someone cheering you on. So props to him for that.

We did do a lot of running tonight, & as I've expressed plenty of times... Running is not my strong suit. (Along with jumping, pullups, situps, kettlebell, etc... jk)
Here's the thing about running... Usually it's my mind stopping me more than my body. Mentally, I tell myself I "can't" do this. I'm also pretty certain Sean's caught on to this too because whenever he see's me walking he come's out & "encouragingly yells" at me. Then I start running & feel stupid because I probably could have ran the whole time :p Silly me...

7 Minutes of What??

There is one negative statement I've heard from almost everyone I know that does CrossFit. That is...

"Burpees suck. They always will suck." 

So last week Doc told me we were gonna do 7 minutes of burpees... Uhmm do I look like I can do 7 minute of anything right now? 

Anyhow, I avoided our next training session for a good 5 days... but then I realized, if I ever want to train with him again... I have to get it over with. 

He only ended up having me do 4 minutes so that wasn't too bad! :) I got in 30 & that is a pretty good place to start.

If anyone doesn't know what a burpee is.. I hope you never have to find out.

** On a different note**

My dad has always been ruthless on water intake.. So he'd be pleased to know that I'm finally working hard to drink a gallon a day. This isn't easy for me... So here's a sneak peek at my idea of motivation!