Changes for my year- 2012

http://games-beta.crossfit.com/article/sakamoto-prepares-2012

This article inspires me in such a way that makes me believe I could one day get there. Maybe not placing at the crossfit games, but maybe making it to the games.

I know I have done considerably well in the short amount of time I have been training as a crossfitter-4 months now, but I've got a lonnnnng ways to go to reach my potential.

The biggest obstacle is going to be one that I've struggled with all of my life... Food.

My diet has been a disaster for years. Growing up I lived off of sandwiches, chips and juice. I was fortuanate in that those were some of the most unhealthy choices my parents provided. I wasn't often pleasured with candy, pop, white bread or sweetened cereals. Even so, the addiction to different forms of shelf-life food has been real and undeniably difficult to remove from my diet.

Over my teen years, I became consumed with limiting calories. The type of calories didn't matter in my mind, I was only concerned with one thing; getting thin to look good in a leotard. This method only lasted for so long before it swung sharply in the other direction.

I was injured in the sport of gymnastics, a shattered bone in my foot and a permanent wrist injury. Not only did my calorie consumption sky-rocket but so did my weight. I put on 30lbs in 3 months. Yikes!! After that, cravings would follow me through the next 2 years. I managed to lose about 10lbs upon my initial return to gymnastics.

Re-injurying my wrist would send me on an up and down an awful road to continued weight struggle. I had left during this time for college and decided to return home to re-start my journey back to the gymnastics world. At this point, I became a vegetaria. At first I wanted to simply try it out, but one month of the endeavor and I was hooked. Another 10lbs were lost gradually over the following year. However, the wrist injury persisted and getting back to top form seemed impossible. 9 months after my return, I would make the decision to retire.10lbs were put back on over the next couple of months after leaving the sport.

3 months afterward I would become invigorated by the sport of cycling. Likewise, I fell in love with someone whose eating habits quickly changed my own. I lost the 10lbs again.

Shortly thereafter I returned to school, only to find myself severely depressed, exhausted constantly and living on pastries and sugary coffee. My weight fluctuated up and down between the 10lbs before I finally chose to return home.

That was when I found crossfit. Not only was it the first thing to replace gymnastics, but it also changed my eating habits. Very slowly I began re-introducing white meat into my diet. But the severe exhaustion continued to nag at my body. I felt like I just couldn't reach my fullest potential in crossfit. It got increasingly worse, some days I literally would nearly fall asleep behind the wheel. I finally got allergy tested and found I was severly allergic to gluten. I took immediate action entirely removing gluten, rice and potatoes out of my diet, along with my sugary coffee, nearly all dairy products and still no red meat. I increased my white meat consumption, seeing that that was one of the few food products I could eat. Within that week, my energy not only sky rocketed but my work outs became considerably easier, I lost a few more lbs and my body chiseled down quickly. The only drawbacks were the cravings and hunger I still felt.

After a week, I re-introduced corn products, as well as some rice, as replacements for bread, pasta and potato products. And then...the holidays came...

Nonetheless, it's been nearly 2 months since the initial detox and I am down 10lbs, I fluctuate between 2 and 5lbs heavier than my original weight prior to my injuries. My energy level is still elevated and my workouts are still pretty consistent. I have yet to reach my potential and I know the only way I will get there is following the crossfit diet.

As soon as I get there, I truly believe there will be nothing to stop me.

Now I just have to find the motivation...