Breaking Up Ain't Hard To Do

As a lifelong fat kid representative I'm an avowed t-shirt wearer for any and all physical activity, especially anything in a pool. Someday this may change but not today. It took me months to allow a girl I was once dating to see me without a shirt. How did such a tub-o-lard get a girlfriend you ask? I was in a band, I'm somewhat clever, mildly funny, and always a carried myself with overwhelming confidence despite my inner self loathing. Relationships are an entirely different subject, this blog is about a breakup with my gym.

When I started this journey my weight was 536. The physical limitations of being so obese made not exercising an easy choice; it physically hurt to exist and every movement was painful. I knew I needed to change and finally realized that I could move in the water. There was a big hurdle I had to overcome with the water: my body image issues.

After researching facilities with a pool I concluded that I wouldn't bring myself to get in a pool at a Y or town rec center. I was too embarrassed with my size and couldn't imagine being laughed at. The rural area i was living in at the time was limited. I researched aquatics programs and decided to go with a facility that is, aside from weekend family times, an adult fitness and rehabilitation center 50 miles from my home. Membership dues were higher than other facilities and the expense of driving was a big hurdle but I felt welcomed there; the cost of not doing something was my life and for once I felt worth something.

From January-April 2012 I made a two hour round trip three to five times a week to hit the pool and move at Lifeworks. Slowly I began to add lifting weights into my routine. To offset the expense of membership and travel I took a part time retail job closer to the gym and I found a way to make it work. And when an excuse came up I found a way around it. This dedication somewhat limited my tolerance for excuses from others about NOT helping themselves improve their health. I understand how difficult it can be but you've got to want it more than anything if you are going to be successful. This is a maxim for life in general.As the months past I saw great results; my body was shrinking, new clothes were constantly needed, and my strength was returning. There was only one problem: I became too routine.

How can this determination become routine? It became routine because my intensity started to wane in light of my short period of immense success. Instead of staying the course of high rep multi-lift circuits, I only did the handful of lifts I liked. My pool time became secondary and faded as the summer continued so my cardio conditioning went down the tubes. I started to feel invincible and allowed way too many sugary calories to creep in under the premise that if I was lifting for strength I needed more calories. Justification of excess replaced motivation for success. From August-December 2012 I plateaued near the 400lb mark and something had to give.

Numerous fitness friends sang the praises of CrossFit. As the fat kid who walked off football 2-a-days in junior high,  I FEARED CrossFit. It seemed way too intense for someone in my condition. I'd coddled myself with my training and outside of walking did NO cardio outside the pool. Nearly everyone I ran into that was involved with CrossFit seemed to be in amazing shape. My excuse became "I need to work on my squat form before I try that". A conversation at a friend's wedding made me realize that if I wanted to get better at a form I knew was a problem that I should probably practice under the eye of a qualified trainer who can help me improve the form. In short, the only way to improve or prepare for something was to START DOING IT.

I emailed CrossFitCleveland and cited my reservations asking to meet with them to determine if we would be a fit. After stopping by to visit I signed up for an abbreviated three week Executive or beginners course. About a week before starting I even had a nightmare about it; my mind can be my worst enemy sometimes. After completing the course I decided to retake the six week session that began almost immediately after! These groups are smaller and feature scaled progressions through many of the movements utilized in CrossFit.

Since starting at CrossFit Cleveland my plateau has broken; I have barely visited my old gym and routine. Today I sent Lifeworks a notice that I would not be resigning another contract with them. The facility is great and the amenities are amazing but I needed to be pushed. CrossFit has reignited my desire to get healthy; I know my nutrition must be clean in order to attempt the WODs. Ultimately it plays into my competitive nature by pitting me against my biggest nemesis- myself and all of my excuses. Both facilities are great and once my sprint triathlon training begins I'm sure I'll return to Lifeworks to swim. Until then I'll venture onward with the tenacity of a honey badger in my effort to hit a box jump greater than 6" and complete my first unassisted pull-up.

Refocused And Refreshed!

Hello true believers! Yesterday's lunch was at BD's Mongolian BBQ- a great healthier restaurant choice due to the fact that you design your meal. Pictured was the second bowl that I couldn't finish. I used to do 3-5 bowls no problem. I was too cheap to pay for their carryout box and my lovely red haired date, who is a vegetarian, refused to put the leftovers in her purse for me insisting I instead fill my own pockets. :) And yes there are vegetables under all that delicious meat.

Below is a pic of a new shirt; I love non-scale victories (NSV) such as clothes fitting better! I couldn't button in my birthday on 8/22. I wore it on our date yesterday! Only a smidgen of my meal ended up on my new attire. Some things may never change.

This week I added a regular WOD to the three beginners WODs I've been doing and maintained exemplary nutrition. This is also week one of breaking through a sugar and flour detox and I lost 5lbs! Clearly by the photo you can see it wasn't starvation. Sleep, hydration, and relaxation all attributed to this weeks successes!

More big announcements and rants soon...stay tuned but in the meantime keep moving ever forward, one step beyond!

Follow me on these amazing FREE apps
Fitocracy for fun points for exercise: username ProfMarvel
Myfitnesspal for tracking nutrition: usernameProfMarvel

And don't forget to listen to Cut The Fat Podcast on iTunes! Dr. Ray and Blythe share a wealth of honest scientific data based knowledge without selling "miracle" supplements.