Josh is a regular member of our Eminence Barbell Club Powerlifting/Strength class. He was making incredible gains with his lifts in class but decided to join our Summer Shred Nutrition Program in order to get his cholesterol numbers in check. Right from the start of the challenge he quickly gained an understanding of what healthy eating should look like. Josh had a starting weight of 194 pounds, and a 40-inch waist. By the end of the challenge, his weight was 16 pounds down - he was now 178 pounds, and he had lost a total of 4 inches off his waist! Even more amazing, is that he was able to get his cholesterol down within the normal, healthy range. Last but not least, he ALSO continued to have personal records (PRs) on his deadlifts and bench press during this 12-week cut - which is not always typical during a weight loss program! Congratulations and well done, Josh!! We love seeing you in the gym and watch as you are crushing all your goals!
Ready to commit!
The last 3 months at CrossFit Eminence I participated in a nutrition challenge to lose body fat. At first the thought of completely changing my diet and cutting out a lot of the unhealthy foods freaked me out. I wasn’t 100% sure if I was ready to commit to the diet. I knew I needed to lose weight and get a hold of my health, so what better way than a dieting challenge? Despite my doubt in the diet, I signed up with 12 other people and started the adventure that would unknowingly change my life for the better.
Starting things off...
The first couple of weeks were the most difficult for me, completely changing my diet. I had to cut out alcohol and only stick to “template” foods. The first week is meant to build a baseline and adjust your body to the food and eating periodization. I instantly became a grill master and meal prep king. Surprisingly I lost 4 pounds within the first two weeks and figured this dieting thing would be a cake walk. Shortly after the second week, my weight loss came to a halt and we adjusted my diet template down into phase 1. Phase one was the same as the maintenance diet minus a lot of the carbs. This wasn’t too hard to me to deal with. Phase 1 was successful for about 4 weeks, and lost and I additional 6 pounds, but like all good things it must come to an end.
Using carbohydrates for fuel
Phase 2 was a bit more difficult for me. All of my precious carbs with meals were gone. I was noticeably hungrier, and sometimes I let the lack of carbs get the best of me. I not only learned self-control when hungry but also to savor my small amount of pre- and post-workout carbs via mass amounts of strawberries and blackberries. Phase 2 was extremely successful for me. I lost an additional 5 pounds. I felt this was mostly fat due to the lack of carbs I had in my diet.
Phase 3 was intense. No healthy fats, no pre workout carbs, and no post work out carbs. Just good old-fashioned meat and veggies for every meal. This phase was the cherry on top. Although the most hardcore of the 3, it was very manageable due to the fact I had already been dieting the last 10 weeks.
Crushing all his goals!
Overall, I am thankful I was able to participate in the fat loss challenge. I ended up losing 16 pounds. I started at 194 pounds and a 40-inch waist and ended at 178 pounds with a 36-inch waist - crushing my goal of hitting 181 pounds. Two other major benefits of the diet is controlling my high cholesterol. Prior to the fat loss challenge, I was told that I needed to get on medication to control my cholesterol and I requested to try lifestyle modifications before medication. The diet challenge gave me that power to take control of my life and my health, and come back down into a normal range for cholesterol!
Last but not least, I not only lost a ton weight on the diet, but I gained muscle. I was continually hitting PR after PR while cutting out carbs! Shout out to Coach Chad and the other coaches at CrossFit Eminence, for all of the support and knowledge sharing throughout the program. I learned so much about healthy eating and what is possible with a little bit of discipline. I can’t wait for the next challenge!
