Let’s Catch Up…

This month I am the featured member at my local CrossFit box, CrossFit Trivium. My box was also awarded the title of Best CrossFit box in Nashville by Nashville Fit Magazine this month, so that’s pretty cool. As the featured member, I was asked to write a short narrative about my journey. Since most of us aren’t going back to read my story or past blogs, I figured I would include my article in this blog.

But first…

Before I go to the article, I also wanted to write about my check in with Jamie today. The big news is that I dropped 5.7LBS over the last two weeks!!!!! I’m shocked and excited. To loose almost 6 pounds after a year and two month is GREAT! With the gain two weeks ago and the big loss this week, It places me at a little less than 3 lbs away from the the 200’s. I can’t wait! I can’t wait to see Jamie’s face when I get there! That will be a great milestone for this journey. Of course, this year will be filled with milestones… I can’t wait.

Here’s my article, which is a very short version of my weight loss journey. I didn’t include much beyond the weightless journey, but I have NEVER been in shape. I played sports as a kid but have ALWAYS been big. The new me is ALL new to me, and I’m loving it. I truly have not known how great life could feel until now. It just keeps getting better. It’s never gotten easier, but it has gotten more and more rewarding personally. Anyways, here’s my fitness journey.,..

It was on a drive home form work one night when I realized that I was committing suicide… a slow, steady, and certain death. It was also in that moment when I knew that my life had to be different. I had three girls counting on me (Wife and two daughters) and I needed to make sure that they could count on me… that I would actually be around for them in life.

I was over 415lbs. I struggled to keep up in life. I was ashamed and self-conscious. I had enough control of my life that I could manipulate work and home to support my terrible lifestyle. I got away with whatever I wanted to do… eat poorly, not be physical, and self-isolate.

I ate all my emotions and I had many.

My first attempt at loosing weight was great! I had a nutritionist from Vanderbilt who worked with me on my food and I started riding a bike… a lot! I got really into cycling, road mostly. I ended up setting goal to compete in a triathlon. I got down to about 280lbs and got second in a sprint triathlon. That’s when everything stopped. Why? Because I didn’t set any goals after that… I had nothing to work toward. I also realized that doing this health thing for my girls was stupid and didn’t last. It was something that sounded good, but didn’t give me a strong enough why.

I spent years putting weight back on and dealing with stress and emotions by eating again.

In June 2014 I started CrossFit, after a body said something about it when we were talking about needing to get healthy. It was intimidating as HELL talking with my local box and even worse showing up to see the madness of a CrossFit class. I was officially scared to death. The owners of CrossFit Combustion ended up being amazing and not as scary as they initially seemed.

Why did I want to get heathy this time? I did it for me… I wanted to look and feel better about myself and I needed help. CrossFit provided the community, love, and encouragement I needed to make big changes in my life. My weight went up and down during the first three years of CrossFit. I kept reading about how fit people would eat whatever they wanted because they worked out so much. So, I figured I could eat whatever I wanted and be fine… NOPE!

Finally a little over a year ago I started talking with Jamie Free about food. It was a humbling experience. He required honesty and focus, neither of which I wanted to give toward food or my weight. When I weighted in with Jamie in November of 2016 I weighted 389.1LBS. Only 25LBS away from the highest number I ever saw on a scale. That day hurt my heart. I had devoted almost three years to 5:30a workouts to be nearly just as big as my heaviest. That was not the bulking I hoped for in CrossFit.

A little over a year later, after changing jobs, moving, transitioning CrossFit box’s, and two eating seasons later I’m almost under 300lbs. I’m more fit than I have ever been and am looking forward to working even harder this year. My goal of 2018 is to become an RX athlete. Never in my life have I ever been able to do the things I will do this year. When I did my first Toes to Bar the other day, that was a dream… something I never thought possible in my life. This year I will have moved well beyond suicide by food and inactivity, and into a dream world of first-times each month. I will do things that I never even dreamed of this year and I can’t wait to share them everyone. Thank you for all the love and encouragement you all have shown me since my transition to CrossFit Trivium and I hope I get the chance to encourage you and cheer for you along your journey. 2018 might all be a dream, but it sure is a good one!

I’m on a mission to be “fit” by age 40. On January 31, 2018 I will be 39. Only one more year in my crazy goal. If you want to follow more of my journey you can follow me on instagram @fitby40.blog or read my blog www.fitby40.blog

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