67 pounds. That’s how much weight I gained during my pregnancy with my daughter. My doctor told me that an ideal weight gain would be around 30 pounds, but the weight kept creeping up until I weighed 189 lbs (at 5’2’’). After my daughter was born, my life changed in an instant and dropping 67 pounds was definitely going to be a challenge. I didn’t feel attractive and that projected into my daily life. I hated the way I looked in the mirror and didn’t understand why this weight wasn’t coming off.

I joined CrossFit Central in January 2010 after my sister-in-law told me about it. I immediately went online and scheduled my Elements class for that next week. I knew that I had to schedule my class early in the morning while my daughter and husband slept, in order for me to attend class regularly. I love my CrossFit mornings because it gets my day started off full of energy!

Since joining I have lost the pregnancy weight, 47 pounds, and weigh LESS than I did before getting pregnant! I was lucky to haveCrystal Nelson as my Elements Coach. How she kept a straight face while teaching me the different movements will remain a mystery to me! She also looked at my food log and began teaching me nutrition and the Paleo diet. Crystal told me about an 8-week online nutrition course she and a friend were doing and so I joined that and immediately saw improvements in my body.

We wrote out goals for ourselves prior to our first session and mine was to “Fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans in 8-weeks.” At the time, I thought it was pretty wishful thinking considering these jeans couldn’t make it up my mid-thigh. On Week #7, I decided to try them on and see how I was progressing. It was one of those moments when I realized how far I had come. With a big smile on my face, I walked downstairs to show my husband and paraded around my living room wearing my size 4 jeans.

I’m a big believer in the combination of CrossFit and eating according to the Paleo Diet and how big of a role it plays in my daily nutrition and health. During this time, I increased my CrossFit workouts to 3 times a week with Big Mike. He’s the most motivating and inspiring person I have ever met. When you are depressed and feel like a lesser version of yourself, it’s hard to be driven. But because of his coaching, I am a stronger person both physically

I walk with confidence now and I can’t imagine my life without CrossFit in it. Everyone needs that mental/physical challenge in their life…it can be a crossword puzzle or a triathlon. For me, it’s every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:15am with Big Mike!