The Difference Between Any Other Weight Loss Challenge and NOT OURS

Watch this video. 

Canyon CrossFit has put together a very POWERFUL contest, The Performance Nutrition Experience. 

I don't like to say "challenge" although I catch myself saying it sometimes (only because its faster to say). If you have participated in any other kind of weight loss challenge, a primary focus is loss of body fat%. Every time I talk to some one that says they are in a weight loss challenge, deep down inside me I feel like I want to get them out of the challenge (even if I have to give them a reimbursement). Let me share with you a little about my past.

At 19 years old I weighed over 330lbs. I never really weighed myself, I didn't want to. I was afraid of what was simply the truth, I was obese and unhealthy. LIFESTYLE. It was unfortunate, but growing up I lived a very unhealthy lifestyle. I didn't know any better. I lived in a household with my family, there were six of us. My father worked his ass off to keep his family in a house and his only ambitions were to raise his kids right. Perhaps he he was focusing too much with our Education and ignored something else. I grew up very disciplined and I appreciate that, but one thing we didn't do right was our diet.

Let me put it this way, we always had to have Kool-Aid in the fridge. If it was out, we had to make some some more. Two packets in a pitcher with tons of sugar. I am talking about five to six large spoonfuls. (check out the link to see what I mean) I remember, thinking back, I used to wake up in the middle of the night thirsty. Instead of getting a glass of water, I would just start drinking the kool-aid straight from the pitcher. (getting angry with myself...)

There are many families, like mine, that are living like this blindly. What does it have to take to wake up and start realizing what you are doing to yourself?? It took death for me. It had to go as far as my father passing away right in front of my eyes to realize how serious nutrition is for you. Never again will I live like that.

I don't want people to experience what I have gone through. There are so many opportunities for people to gain years back into their life. We just can't be ignorant. MORE PEOPLE WILL CHOOSE TO CHANGE THEIR RELIGION THAN TO CHANGE THEIR DIET.

My first weight loss journey was a great start, however; thinking back I made many poor choices. My mindset was always calories in vs calories out. Work more calories than I am consuming to lose weight. It worked and I lost tons of weight. But when I started CrossFit, my competitiveness caught up to me. I used to run more than 50 miles in a week and go to CrossFit sessions. I wasn't getting any better at CrossFit. That's when I hurt my knee and had to stop running. I was desperate to continue my weight loss so I started reading the CrossFit Journal. I read, read, read, and read more. I started to learn that my range of motion was never legit most of the time, I focused on trying to get faster times by shortening my range of motion. More importantly, I didn't look at the nutrition aspect of CrossFit. 

So began my REAL journey. I slowed down and made sure every rep was LEGIT. I eliminated all grains and sugars and pasta, legumes and soy. I was seriously doubting Crossfit. But I still continued headstrong. After a month, I started to see things pick up. From there I took off. I became stronger, waaaaaay stronger and faster (by not doing any of my weekly miles) . What intrigued me the most was some stats:

I want to share accurate results but I can't find the papers. I wrote them down and I need to relocate them.

But the conclusion was. I lost body fat % and gained Lean Body Mass (about 20lbs) since I took CrossFit and my nutrition more serious. 

I am a firm believer in being functional. The focus is not about weight loss its about building strength and becoming a functional human being. You have to eat whole natural foods and eliminate grains, pasta, sugars and processed foods if you want to live an optimal life: live long and prosper so you can become independent as you get older. 

This is why Canyon CrossFit is not looking for weight loss, it will not translate to your performance in your workouts. We want you to become lean mean fighting machines!