Prior to discovering CSF I was quite overweight and I had some unhealthy habits that were hindering any progress I made towards weight loss.
I realized that I needed to make a change because my asthma was at the worst it had ever been. I felt winded after just walking up a flight of stairs. I also felt disappointed with the way I looked. Nothing that I wore made me feel positively about myself or confident.
Growing up I watched various family members in my life suffer as a result of being overweight for most of their lives. This made me reflect on my own lifestyle and who I wanted to be for my future children.
I tried to lose weight on my own numerous times before, but I struggled to keep myself accountable. For example I would stay on track for a month and see little success so I would give up, or a stressful event would happen in my life and I would binge eat whatever food I was craving at the time. At one point I decided that the way I looked was just the way it was going to be because I wasn’t losing weight and I wanted to eat whatever I wanted.
Before I started Copper State I counted macros with a different nutrition coach and counted macros on my own. My mindset was not in the right place during this time. I would commit for a few weeks at a time and then go back to my old ways. It would take me 3 plus weeks to get back on track and then a few weeks later the process would repeat. I wasn’t being held accountable by anyone including myself.
When I initially reached out to Adam about Copper State FIT, I wasn’t sure if this time was going to be different. I told myself that I was going to do this thing for real this time, but I had said that before. Within a week of starting I KNEW that this time was different. I was following my macros, I was going to CrossFit all the days I said I would, and I was successfully managing my cravings.
At the time I didn’t fully understand why it was different until the first time I filled out my accountability form. I knew the next day I would speak to someone that was also committed to my goal and was invested in my success. Speaking to Dana each week absolutely made my entire experience. As a ‘rule follower’ it was important to me to follow the plan we set on our previous phone call.
When I tracked my macros before I rarely weighed myself and I never took measurements or photos. Weighing myself often helped me to stay accountable to myself for my choices. While the scale is not the only measure of success I thought about it often when I was tempted to go off track. It helped me refocus and reminded me that the snack I wanted was only going to last 5 minutes that night. How would I feel tomorrow morning?
Seeing my first month’s progress pictures gave me a huge boost of confidence. My first pictures were taken January 2019 and my second set of photos were take February 2019. In a month I had lost 10 pounds, but I had also been doing CrossFit 4 to 5 days a week. There was a HUGE difference between the two photos. I was getting smaller and stronger!
Now, my life is drastically different. When I started my intention was to lose 50 pounds. In addition to that I became a long distance runner which is something I never thought I would do. I have chronic asthma which has always made it difficult for me to run. I feel like I have earned the title of “long distance runner” so I talk about it all the time 😉 I have participated in CrossFit competitions. Going shopping for clothing is something that I look forward to. I love wearing shorts now and I love feeling strong and confident.
February 2019 I decided that I wanted to start running when I was at the 2019 Ragnar Del Sol finish line. My husband was running so I went to see him. Because I was inspired by that experience I told Dana about it during our check in that week. She suggested that I try the CSF couch to 5K program. She programmed it for me in the CSF app so I could easily follow it. When I started that my intention was to run a 5K, ONE 5K!
I finished the 5K program at the beginning of the summer and there were no 5Ks happening because of the heat. Over the summer I took a break and focused on CrossFit, but when the fall came I was back to running. This time I had a new goal; run a half marathon.
In October 2019 an opportunity opened for me to join a team for the 2020 Ragnar Del Sol, hooray! When we were assigning legs in the relay no one wanted to be the first runner because their first leg was nearly 9 miles and considered “very hard” because most of it was inclined.
Our captain, Alyssa, said that she though I could do it so I said yes. We trained together and when they day came for me to race, I finished it at an approx. 11 minute pace. This was huge for me because when I started running just on flat streets in my neighborhood I ran at a 14 minute pace.
The week after the Ragnar I told my husband that I wanted to sign up for the 2020 Lost Dutchman Half Marathon. There were still spots open and I was already trained for that distance. I signed up and I did it! Crossing the finish line at the end of that race was one of my favorite experiences ever! I am planning to run the Rock n’ Roll Marathon January 2021.
If I hadn’t done Copper State FIT, I can tell you that I would be about 60 pounds heavier and still binge eating anytime something stressful happened in my life. I would not be as strong as I am now and I wouldn’t be a long distance runner. I would not have had the amazing experience of being a part of a Ragnar Relay team or completing my first half marathon. My husband and I wouldn’t be working out together and I wouldn’t have been able to participate in the Turkey Trot at my school with my students.
If you are mentally ready, CSF will get you where you want to go. If you have the right mindset, CSF will do the rest. When I started I showed up ready to work and CSF gave me everything I needed to change my life.
I would also say, “You can have ANYTHING you want, but you can’t have EVERYTHING.” This is a quote from Adam that has always stuck with me. I think about who I used to be and the choices I made before CSF. I can’t believe that lifestyle is what I ‘wanted’ as I consider the things I have now and the person I became. Think about who you want to be or what you want to be able to do.
If you’re thinking about enrolling with Copper State FIT, I say…. JUST F***in’ do it!