I had finally found out why I had gained almost ten pounds overnight, why I needed to nap every day, and why I was always cold.

The doctor had confirmed what I had already suspected. I had hypothyroidism. After reading all I could find on the internet, I was starting to feel hopeless about losing any weight. The condition itself could be treated medically, BUT weight loss was not typical w/ hypothyroidism.

I was determined to find a way (even though from what I had read, most hadn’t). So, there I was at “globo gym” #3 (3rd in 5 years). This time, I thought, my friends were there to support me and I’ll have fun while getting into shape. Like most women, I wanted to be stronger, lose weight and just plain “feel good”. I had just completed a marathon training program several months prior and despite that accomplishment, I was still slightly overweight and would get easily winded from just a simple flight of stairs.

This just didn’t make any sense to me. So, I dedicated that month to working out 4-5 days a week and eating well. All of this to lose only ½ inch and no weight whatsoever!! I couldn’t believe that all of that hard work merited a loss of only a half inch! I was starting to believe everything I had read on the blogs. Maybe they were right. I wasn’t going to lose any weight and possibly even gain weight, even with medication.

Meanwhile a close friend, (who happens to now be a trainer at No Excuses), kept insisting that I try Crossfit “come in for a day and try it out”. From the way she described the program I wasn’t sure if I could do this whole “body building thing”. While I was making these excuses, I couldn’t help but notice how strong SHE was looking after only 3 short months. At her 40th birthday party I was able to meet some of the other trainers and Kyle Maynard himself (owner of No Excuses Athletics).

All of these individuals with a story of their own. Each a walking billboard that this concept “works”. So I found myself at the gym one morning at 9am. I was going to do my first workout. Ten minutes. That’s all. It was ten minutes I would never forget! Wow! I was nowhere near the level of fitness I thought I had! Even with a month of steady training, having just completed a marathon several months prior and now beginning to train for a triathlon!

I decided ok, I’ll try this for a month and see how it goes. And I’m not going to lie, day after day, I was sore everywhere, even places I didn’t know I had muscle. This was tough, but I was starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Slowly, I was gaining energy, strength and my waistline was starting to shrink. I decided at that point that I was going to monitor inches lost and not pounds. I would be doing myself a huge disservice if I didn’t seriously think I was going to be gaining muscle mass doing this exercise at that level of intensity.

After the first month, I lost 4.75 inches! Needless to say, I was psyched and I was IN!! I had not yet committed to eating Paleo style but had been told that Crossfit was great and I would make progress, BUT Crossfit and Paleo together…I would “Kill It”! This kept playing over and over in my head.

On a routine doctor visit, I came to discover that my blood pressure was in a pre-hypertensive state. My MD asked me to drop ten pounds and check my blood pressure daily for the next month and then handed me a prescription. I told him I was too young, at 39, to have to deal with high blood pressure too even though in the back of my mind I knew my dad suffered his first heart attack at 40.

I ripped the prescription up while in my car because I knew that very conveniently, Crossfit was to begin a new Paleo challenge in just two weeks. Well, now I guess I have to do it! Here I was posing for my before pictures, writing a food journal and doing lots of healthy grocery shopping. One of the things I noticed right away was how different my refrigerator looked. Where it was once filled with “junk” food and lots of non-natural foods loaded with preservatives, it was now bright and colorful with fresh fruits and vegetables and all sorts of lean meats and the sort. Much to my amazement, since Day 3 on the challenge, I have had all normal blood pressure readings.

Through prayer and trainer/colleague support I’ve lost an additional 3.25 inches at the halfway mark of this challenge. All told, since August of 2009, I’ve lost a total of 9.5 inches and 10 pounds. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for me. My outlook on life has changed and I have this new attitude that I CAN do anything! I have new goals that I never would have thought possible a year ago. I awaken everyday with an excitement about what my day will bring and what is becoming of me as I enter the gym!

How about you? Are you ready for a challenge? Are your ready to change your life?

“Globo-Gym Results”
6/23/09-8/2/09
(going to the gym 4-5X week
and eating reasonably well)
Current Weight-158.5
5″6, female
No weight loss
1/2″ lost

“Crossfit Results”
8/19/09-9/2/09
lost 1 lb. and lost 2.75″
Note:Started training for a triathalon (1x week bike, swim & run.
Crossfit 3x week)

10/2/09
gained 4lbs. (Not following a healthy diet) but lost 2″
Completed triathalon on 10/4

10/23/09
lost 3.5 lbs. and lost .25″

10/30/09
lost 4.5lbs. and lost 1.0″
Experimented with Paleo for just 1 week

12/11/09
lost 3lbs. and lost 4.75″
No special eating plan at this point

12/11/09-1/11/10
Ate horribly throught the holidays and gained 4 lbs and added 3.5″.
Began crossfiting 4-5 times per week.

1/11/10
Gym began Paleo challenge!!
Current Weight:157.5lbs.
Wearing some size 12′s and 10′s

1/2 Way Mark-2/4/10
lost 6.0lbs and lost -3.25″

End of Challenge-3/1/10
lost 1.5lbs. and added .25″

Totals
lost 8.5lb and 3″ lost.
Current Weight-150lbs
Size 10′s and 8′s now.

Note: This is NOT REALLY the end of the challenge for me. I’m still actively eating paleo. It really has become a lifestyle. I invested so much time eating right, planning meals,etc, that at this point there is no way I’m going to throw away all the hard work I put into it. I feel great and look better than I have in a long time.This is the way it should be done. I have a journey ahead of me. I have not yet decided what my target weight will be. One thing I am sure of, is that I will not stop until I like what I see in the mirror. So long as I incorporate Crossfit and Eating Right..I will succeed.

A Round Guy’s Journey into CrossFit…

Growing up I always had the metabolism of a hummingbird. I could eat what I wanted and never gain a pound. This lasted up through college and into my early twenties – when I got my first desk job. Sitting at a desk, grabbing lunch where and when I could and generally having little or no physical activity had a drastic and immediate impact on my body. After 4 years of being a keyboard jockey I was laid off. This was during the I.T. crunch so work in my chosen field was not readily available. To pay the bills I took a construction job which lasted a year. During that year I dropped from 240 lbs to 180 lbs. I was in the best shape of my adult life. After the year was over I got back behind the keyboard and found myself back behind a desk. My cherished 180lb frame turned into a 265lb frame in just under 3 years.

I was fat. I was out of shape. I was tired all the time. I had man boobs. I couldn’t run to save my life. Simple tasks winded me. I needed to do something, but I didn’t know what.

George Schieber, a member of No Excuses, works with me. At that point he had been CrossFitting for about a year. After seeing his results and hearing about the gym I was finally ready to make a change.

I started at No Excuses the first week of 2010 at my all time heaviest. 265-270lbs. Going into this I knew I was out of shape although I didn’t know just how out of shape. At my first foundation class Ben had me do squats. I think I did 15-20 and for the rest of the week I couldn’t walk. Ben also had me do (try to do) a pull up. I jumped up and grabbed the bar. My shoulders just about separated and there I hung like a sock with a rock in it. Ben told me to pull. I told him I was… I just wasn’t going anywhere. At that point I realized I had a long road ahead of me.

CrossFit is all about measureable repeatable results. This was fortunate for me since my joining the gym coincided perfectly with the beginning of the 7 week paleo challenge. The first 3 workouts I did at No Excuses were Cindy, Jackie and CrossFit Total. Jackie walked all over me for 27 minutes. Cindy only gave me 5 rounds and my CrossFit Total was only 525 lbs. I survived, which I guess is ok, but I wasn’t satisfied… Not by a long shot.

Seven weeks of paleo diet and WOD’s later we repeated the benchmark workouts. My Jackie went from 27 minutes to 12:36 – cut in half. I added 4 rounds to my Cindy and my CrossFit total jumped 170lbs. I had also lost around 16 lbs. Not too shabby. Seeing these results just fueled the fire for me. I CAN do this, I CAN see results.

The best thing about No Excuses is that everyone, not just the trainers, push me. Past comfort, past discomfort, deep into begging for mercy. I don’t have the self discipline to do this at a “box” gym. It would be about 10 or 15 minutes before I decided it sucked and went home.
Thanks to Kyle, Ben, John, Laura and all the trainers. Thanks also to all my new friends and family at the gym who constantly push me to give 110% and constantly achieve new personal records!

Before coming to No Excuses and discovering Crossfit, I remember always feeling tired and never feeling like my clothes fit. I hated the way I looked, and was embarrassed to go shirtless at the pool. My wife complained about my snoring and I was always going to the doctor for headaches, colds, flu, intestinal problems, you name it. It was so bad, my coworkers began calling me “Typhoid Schieber”. One time in at the doctor’s office they were going to take x-rays and I had to walk around with no shirt. I don’t remember feeling more humiliated. Then the doctor, not so subtly, told me, “Mr. Schieber, you should consider lifting something heavy once in a while.” Enough was enough! I really needed to do something.

After some looking around, I tried a boot camp. It worked wonders…until it was over. Then I went right back to where I was, even worse. I joined a local franchise gym. I went for a while, and then slowly over time, not at all. It was pretty evident, left to my own devices, nothing was going to change. What next?

Still searching, I was at my kid’s dental appointment, and I saw a flyer with Kyle Maynard’s face smiling on it. It caught my attention, because Kyle is good friends with my son, Brian. They were on the same wrestling team at Collins Hill, and remain friends now. I read the flyer and decided to give it a try.

Being my typical prompt self, I called, later the next week. I spoke with Ben and he and I set up a time for my first attempt. When I walked in, I was surprised to see a place filled with weights, weight racks, pull-up bars, medicine balls, etc. I was surprised there were no machines, T.V.’s, receptionists, whirlpools, etc. What, exactly, were we going to do? We stretched, discussed my fitness goals, and Ben decided I should do a workout called “Cindy”.

“Cindy” is 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats; as many times as you can, in 20 minutes. That seemed simple enough. Let me tell you right now, OUCH! I didn’t make 20 minutes. I stopped in 10 and finished only 4 rounds, with the assistance of some heavy duty rubber bands and push-ups on my knees. I didn’t realize I was so out of shape. I knew I was overweight, but always thought it would be a quick recovery. What a reality check.
When I got home, I could not stop talking about it. I was hooked. It was everything I needed. Small groups, semi-competitive, high intensity, all within a one hour time frame. My wife told me, if you love it that much, GO!

When I started at No Excuses, I was 5’ 8” and 190 lbs at 47 years old. I could not do a pull-up without assistance. I could only do about 5 pushups before I was winded. I was ready for a change. I started out going only 2 or three days a week. I did everything I was asked and slowly but surely, I started noticing the shape of my body was changing.

After a couple months, we started something called the Hugo Challenge. The instructors were challenging us to try a Paleo diet and complete all of the prescribed workouts for one whole month. Since I had been seeing positive results up to this point, I was excited about what results this would bring. If I was to bet before hand, I would have lost everything.

We started and ended the challenge being measured in a pressurized “pod” that measures body fat percentage, weight, and bone and muscle density. The results were far better than anything I could ever have dreamed of. I lost 15 pounds, 10% body fat, while gaining 3 lbs. of muscle. I was thinner and smaller, but stronger and faster. How did THAT happen?

I can’t imagine my life without No Excuses. I look forward to the workouts. I am healthier than I have ever been. My wife told me I no longer snore. I haven’t been to the doctor for almost 1 year, except for my annual physical. When I went to my physical, my doctor took one look at me, smiled, and said, “FINALLY! Someone listened to me.”

The benefits for me go far beyond the physical and measureable. When I feel like giving up, someone encourages me. When I see someone else struggle, I can be a good example to them. The instructors, the members, everything about No Excuses feels like a family to me. Competition, encouragement, camaraderie, all of it is a recipe for success.

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No Excuses….yeah right! The name of the gym was motivational enough for me. I am the “queen” of excuses. I joined No Excuses CrossFit in December 2008. The owner, Kyle Maynard, barely had gotten the fire code clearance for the building. Kyle has been an inspirational young man in my life for several years. He wrestled at Collins Hill High School where my husband has been the head wrestling coach for the past 15 years. So when my husband told Kyle and his partner, Ben Davis, that I had just been closed out of a fitness boot camp, Kyle offered the chance for me and my daughter-in-law to try No Excuses. I was a 54 year old, unconditioned, over-weight female….looking for a miracle. When Celia (my daughter-in-law) and I first began we were skeptical. Both of us wanted to feel better and shed some pounds (me more so than Celia).

Ben began our initial training. I have known Ben for more years than Kyle. Ben and my son are the same age and became friends in middle school. I wasn’t sure if Ben could see me through the eyes of a trainer or would he only see me as Trevor’s Mom, coaches wife and Mrs. Ramos. I am blessed to say, Ben and the other coaches at No Excuses see me as a personal mission. When I lose faith in my abilities to complete a work-out (WOD)….they give me the faith and motivation I need to give all I have. After the first 6 months of training at No Excuses, I saw some changes in my strength. The extra pounds were still there but I was definitely feeling better (stronger and more energy). For the first 6 months Ben talked with me about my diet. I had very little confidence in myself and no will-power when it came to eating. I hated the scale and completely avoided it. Ben never judged….only encouraged and made suggestions. He even offered to go food shopping with me and clean out my pantry:)

In June 2009, I reluctantly participated in a challenge at the gym. The Hugo Challenge would last 4 weeks and along with increasing the number of WOD’s per week, I began changing my eating habits (this was part of the challenge). The challenge ended the first week in July and when I stepped on the scale I had dropped 25 pounds (a small miracle in my eyes). I am soon to be 55 years old, 25 pounds lighter (would love to see more shed) and certainly a healthier person. No Excuses CrossFit is an inspiring place. The young men and women who work and train there are like family. We cheer for each other and we encourage each other. I have never stayed with a training program this long and had this much success. No Excuses CrossFit is my excuse NOT to take care of myself!

Kathy Ramos
Lawrenceville, Ga.

I used to be the “chubby” one in my family. It wasn’t until I was 28 and had 2 children that I got frustrated enough to even try to exercise. I did several different things, and they were very time consuming. The only thing that really lasted was running. I even got in to running Marathons.

At this point, I’ve been running Marathons for several years – 2 per year for the last couple of years. But, I’d gotten so ingrained in the “more is better” training theories, and ended up giving up all other forms of training to focus solely on running. Yet, I began gaining weight – a total of 15 pounds in about 4 years. That may not be a lot, but on a 5 foot 1 woman, 15 pounds shows and it is frightening to keep gaining weight even with running 30-40 miles a week for most of the year. Not to mention I began getting slower and slower, and hurt more and more each year and with each marathon.

That is why I got a gym membership and began trying to get other forms of fitness back in to my life. I realized that when I began running and first had the dream of finishing a marathon, and was running my fastest, was when I lifted weights, took classes like step, muscle works, kick-boxing, and anything else I had time for. I spent nearly 2 hours a day, 6 days a week in the gym. I was pretty darn fit – I could leg press 415 pounds for 3 sets of 12 reps. I was about 17% body fat, my clothes hung off me, and nobody could believe how “small” I was. It was great. But, I lost all of that when I focused on only running!

I found CrossFit through my trainer, Jerome, when I signed up for personal training at Gold’s Gym. I could only afford 1 day per week (it was over $100 a month for that 1 day a week), so I wasn’t getting a lot out of it physically but I was starting to enjoy it and it made me realize that I really missed other forms of fitness. Running was great, but I was really missing the other stuff A LOT!! In training with Jerome he started talking CrossFit and explained that a lot of the workouts he put me through were similar to CrossFit. I especially loved the Kettlebell. Jerome tried to get me to do pull ups, but I wasn’t strong enough. I could do almost everything else he threw at me, but I just couldn’t get those pull ups.

In the fall I started working out with Jerome 2-3 days a week (because I was using my husband’s unused sessions). With that I finally started to see some results and started to drop some body fat. In late December, I found out about No Excuses Athletics, so I went by to check it out. Ben told me about CrossFit, the gym, and then put me through a 20 minute workout called Cindy (5 pull ups, 10 push ups, and 15 squats). I think I managed 10 or 11 sets, and I had to use one of the assistance bands. I went home and was on a fitness high for HOURS – it kept me awake until about 2 am even though I had worked out at about 4 pm. I was totally hooked.

It didn’t take long to quit working out with Jerome at Gold’s (but he followed me to NEA), start working out 4-5 days per week, and even go get my CrossFit Level I certification. I knew it was the most fun I’d ever had working out, and the fastest results I’d ever had, and I didn’t have to workout 2 hours a day, 6 days a week!!! By mid March I was doing pull ups without assistance bands, and I was starting to see muscle definition unlike any I had ever had – even when I could leg press over 400lbs!!!

In June, we did a gym challenge where we followed crossfit.com religiously and followed the Paleo Diet. I also did CrossFit Endurance 3 days a week during this challenge (and continue to do so). That one month was what made the most impact in the shortest amount of time. I lost 8.5 lbs of body fat, and gained 2.5 lbs of muscle, putting me at 14% body fat. I was even showing abs – which I’d NEVER had in my entire life or during any of my 10+ years of fitness. I was getting ready to turn 40 and had the best body of my life.

And I still have the best body of my life, and it keeps getting better and better, and I keep getting stronger and stronger, and faster and more fit. I’m amazed daily. The effects are not even just physical. I’m now able to push myself harder on my runs because of the intensity I can give in the gym. I’ve made some great friendships – we are like family.

CrossFit has changed my life!!