CrossFit South Bend

[vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” border=”none” parallax=”true”][vc_column width=”1/2″][promo image=”10013″]Before[/promo][promo image=”10014″]Before[/promo][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][text_output][content_band style=”color: #fff;” bg_image=”http://crossfitsouthbend.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/neikarulez.jpg” parallax=”true” border=”all” inner_container=”true”] [custom_headline style=”margin-top: 0; color: #fff;” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h3″]My Whole 90 Journey[/custom_headline]

I came to Crossfit South Bend as a marathoner, that was pretty much all I did was run. I also came here as a vegetarian/vegan (I’d been both over the previous 20 year period). I came here looking for change. Everyone around me could drink a shake and lose weight and despite logging thousands of miles over the previous 15 years, I always struggled to lose weight at all. I started talking to people and adding weight resistance was a common recommendation people were giving me.

During the first few months here, it felt hard to fit in. It felt hard to not know the routine or what the names of the moves were, but I trudged on. During one of my workouts with Brandon, I got what I can only call an exertion headache. Splitting pain that came on instantly during back squats. If not for that moment the course of my life would probably not be where it is right now.

I went to the doctor, had some blood work done and eventually found out that my hypothyroidism had progressed into something called Hashimoto’s Disease. Basically it is a ridiculous name for your body is now starting to attack your thyroid as a foreign invader. The doctor encouraged me to meet with a nutritionist in his office. This woman I previously knew as a 30 year vegan, was now telling me that to help my body, I needed to eat meat. I was intensely devastated. My husband couldn’t even understand me on the phone when I told him, it was that heartbreaking for me. Being vegetarian was part of my identity. My kids had only known this vegetarian life. My internal thoughts were swirling about how eating meat was being a traitor to my animal kindness beliefs.

After months of seeking other opinions only to find that they all said basically the same thing, I finally decided to make some changes. It was during this time that I was also talking to Robby, who was telling me the same thing the doctors were. When I was ready, I took the plunge and read, “It Starts With Food” and joined Robby for the 90 day plan.

To say it was the best thing I ever did is probably an understatement. Despite some medical setbacks late in the process, I have never felt better. Robby literally helped me every step of the way. He helped me before I started when I wanted to back out. He helped me during the first 6 weeks when my results were at their best. He said to me, “It’s like your a different person! Your face is clear and you just seem so happy.” He even helped me when towards the end some of my symptoms started to return. (Acne is a big indicator of something being off for me and it returned, despite following the plan.) He encouraged me to have blood work redone and sure enough, there were things that were off again. The good news was that the Hashimoto’s numbers were better and my pre diabetic numbers too, those are what the food change helped with. But my thyroid numbers were worse, something food didn’t have much control over.

Although my stats are pretty boring, I only lost 9 pounds and 2 inches off my waist, I don’t regret a minute and would do it all again. As a matter of fact, I never stopped the original plan. I never added the other things back in. I feel so good that I don’t see the point in messing with it. Truth is that sometimes I miss the sweets and the bread but not enough to stop eating this way and mess with all my progress. I plan to continue this journey as long as it takes to reach my goal. I’m thankful for Robby in so many ways, but the biggest is despite not knowing me very well, he believed I could do it before I did!! Thanks Robby! Thanks CrossFit South Bend! Thanks to all the coaches who’ve encouraged me this last year, I honestly wouldn’t have done it without you!

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