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2-Year CrossFit Transformation

This Is How My Body Transformed After Doing 2 Years of CrossFit

Aug 20 2018

As a health and fitness writer, I'm game to check out the latest trends in my world. Two years ago, CrossFit was continuing to gain popularity, so I "took one for the team" and signed up for the month-long, on-ramp training that's required in order to take regular CrossFit classes. Running and yoga were my obsession at the time, so my I headed into the experiment thinking my angle would be something like, "I tried CrossFit and it was the stupidest thing ever." But within those first few weeks, I realised my assumptions were all wrong. And believe it or not, I've learned a lot about myself from my time at the box.

Over the past two years, CrossFit has changed my life in so many ways. I am not the same person I was two years ago, and I'm so grateful I took the leap, stepped out of my comfort zone, and tried it. I found out why people are so obsessed with CrossFit, and now I'm obsessed, too. Keep reading to learn all about the ups and downs I experienced during my two-year CrossFit journey.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar

After 1 Month

Walking into Champlain Valley CrossFit for the first time, I was nervous as hell! I had never worked out in a gym before, I had never once picked up a kettlebell or a barbell, and I was so nervous I was going to be really bad at it. Everyone there looked so lean and muscular, and I didn't; but I soon learned that it didn't matter. The coaches and fellow gym members were so helpful, encourageing, and supportive, and within that first month, I started to feel like the gym was my new favourite place to be.

After completing the month-long on-ramp, where you learn the important basics on exercises and form, I committed to a month of classes, Monday through Friday, at 5:45 a.m. After immersing myself in CrossFit completely, I fell in love because it offered so many benefits. My weight was down, especially my belly fat, and I had more arm definition, more toned thighs, and a perkier butt (my husband even noticed). I felt more energized, stronger, and more confident because of all the physical and mental challenges I was faced with.

I decided to sign up for a year-long unlimited membership so I could continue to go five days a week. If I felt this awesome after just one month, I couldn't wait to see what the next few months would bring.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar

After 6 Months of CrossFit

Sharing the photos of my progress after six months with the world was hard. When I started my CrossFit journey to get completely ripped, I was convinced that after six months, I'd have amazing transformation photos to share. My body definitely didn't look as lean and sculpted as I expected it to.

At first I got really pissed at CrossFit. I was working out five days a week, getting up at 5 a.m., busting my ass doing a bazillion burpees, and eating clean and my body wasn't getting close to where I wanted it to be. I still had my baby belly, and I actually gained weight and my muscles grew. I was thicker all around, and even my sports bras were feeling tighter. WTH!

I was also experiencing amazing benefits. I was getting so much stronger, improving every week. I even climbed a 15-foot rope, did my first pull-up, and accomplished my first handstand push-up! I was feeling more energetic, more confident, and happier, all of which spread out into my life, my work, and my relationships. I realised that progress may have been slow, but it was still progress, so I kept at it.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar

Just Under 1 Year of CrossFit, After 3 Months of Intermittent Fasting

Around my eighth month of doing CrossFit, I felt like I needed to dial in my diet more. Early morning workouts were making me so hungry, and once I got home and started eating at 7 a.m., I found myself eating all day long. The numbers on the scale were going up, and it wasn't from my muscles growing. I started intermittent fasting, and within three months of eating from noon until 7 or 8 p.m., I was able to lean out.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar

What I Ate

Intermittent fasting was a little difficult at first because I was definitely hungry by 9 or 10 a.m. I slowly worked my way up to waiting until noon for my first meal of the day, and after a few weeks, my body was used to it. I also found that stopping my last meal by 7 p.m. prevented bloat and helped me sleep better, which improved my performance at CrossFit. I was hitting PRs in both my front and back squats, I was running faster, and I was able to move up in dumbbell weight.

What I Ate

Here's an example of a day's worth of food:

  • Lunch (around noon or 1 p.m.): big kale salad with carrots, red and yellow bell peppers, celery, cucumber, steamed green beans, avocado, baked tofu, and sunflower seeds
  • Snack (around 3 p.m.): banana with almond butter coupled with a protein shake, or a homemade vegan RX bar coupled with Kite Hill unsweetened almond milk yoghurt
  • Dinner (around 5:30 or 6 p.m.) huge Buddha bowl with sauteed chickpeas, steamed broccoli, edamame, roasted sweet potato, greens, and a drizzle of peanut sauce
  • Snack (around 6:45 p.m.): a few handfuls of nuts with fresh raspberries or Trader Joe's dried bananas. Or, for a treat, vegan ice cream with frozen bananas and cherries.

I eat a mostly plant-based, whole-foods diet, but do eat eggs a couple times a month (from my friend's backyard chickens). My stomach bloats easily, so I don't drink alcohol and I limit my sugar, refined carb, and whole grain intake, which helps immensely. I also drink about 80 to 100 ounces of water a day.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar

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After 1 Year of CrossFit

Hitting that one-year mark felt like a huge accomplishment. All the benefits I had been experiencing continued, and I felt so grateful for the inner strength and confidence I felt every day in the gym and in my life.

The absolute greatest benefit was the freedom I felt from the constant negative thoughts I used to have about my body, of always trying to lose weight and get leaner and more toned. Of incessantly thinking about food: what I should eat, what I shouldn't eat, feeling bad when I ate too much, and worrying about when I was going to fit in my next workout. And what I was doing wasn't working at all (screw you, marathon training!), so it was an amazing feeling to put in the effort and actually see results. I decided to sign up for a second year-long membership so I could crush some more goals!

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar

After 1 Year and 9 Months of CrossFit

Life continued on in CrossFit land, and as I gained more confidence in myself as an athlete, I decided to take the plunge and signed up for my first CrossFit competition, the CrossFit Open, in February through March 2018. Once a week, for five weeks, you were judged on one grueling workout. I overcame the fear of competing in public, I PR-ed my deadlift, I did 24 pull-ups (when I previously had only been able to do two), and the greatest part was watching my family, especially my daughter, cheering me on from the sidelines.

After 2 Years of CrossFit

After the CrossFit Open, in April, when the weather began to warm up, I was inspired to run outside more. I ended up suffering a knee injury that forced me to take a little break from CrossFit and from running. I went about once a week for those next couple months, did lots of walking and yoga, saw a PT, and took time to heal.

About a month before I hit two years, I went back about two or three times a week and modified what I needed to. My knee wasn't 100 percent, but it was getting there. As much as it sucked taking a break from those intense workouts and from my CrossFit family, it made me realise that CrossFit would always be there for me.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar

Life Lessons From CrossFit

Over my two-year journey, I learned that I'm stronger than I think and that I have the capacity to push myself past my comfort zone. I learned that I really like how a barbell feels in my hands, that I'm actually a little competitive, and that when I'm doing CrossFit regularly, I feel my best.

As a woman who has struggled with body-image issues her whole life, it brings tears to my eyes to think that, thanks to CrossFit, I'm not hung up about the number of pounds on the scale, but am now more concerned with the number of pounds I can lift. It's a huge breakthrough! And as a mother of a daughter, I love that I can lead by example and show her how awesome it is for a woman to be strong.

I'm excited to see what the next year brings, to crush some more goals (muscle up, you crazy complex exercises — I'm coming for ya!), and to continue getting stronger.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jenny Sugar

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