CrossFit to Lose Weight?
When I first began CrossFit it was for one reason and one reason only…to lose weight. It was not to set a PR on a clean or cut a minute off of my Annie time, the vision was simple- “I was overweight and tired all the time and no longer wanted to live that way”.
Maybe you had/have the same reason for CrossFitting. Maybe you’ve seen some of the results but would be happier if you shed a few more pounds. Maybe you lost a lot of weight but have begun to slowly put some of the pounds back on and it not be in muscle. I’ve been asked several times how I’ve lost weight and kept it off. My response is always very simple: “The hardest part of CrossFit is not the workouts at the box, but what you eat when you are not in the box.” Maybe that seems vague or abstract so let me break that response down in three points, because I like three points. I guess I’m a nerd that way.
- Breaking the reliability of convenience.
One of the first things I realized when I started my life change was how convenient it was to go get a burger and fries at a fast food joint. Suddenly deciding what I wanted to eat took a little more thinking than it once did. Yes, fast food is convenient…but it is not worth it. It will wreck the workout you have done for the day. Best case scenario you burn off the calories that you took in…but who wants to put all the work into a WOD just to break even?
What works best for me and what you will hear from the coaches at CFG is that meal prepping will be your best friend! Take an evening and cook some meals for the week for lunch and cook dinners at the house. If your night is busy, add time to meal prep your dinners as well. You can have all your lunches completely cooked for the week in about an hours time. TALK ABOUT A NEW CONVENIENCE!!!
If you absolutely have to eat out somewhere or want to go somewhere around Gardendale just because then check out this old blog on healthy options of things to eat around town here.
- Stay away from breads.
It’s as simple as it sounds. For someone trying to get the most out of a workout stay away from bread. My first 4 months of CrossFit, I did not eat a single piece of bread. On average now (1 ½ years with the new lifestyle) I may eat bread 3 times a month and that’s on the high side. If you want the science on it then you have come to the wrong place. All I know is that it contributed tremendously in my weight loss.
- Cheat meals not cheat days.
This may be one of the greatest revelations for me. A cheat meal will not ruin all the hard work you’ve done in the box. A cheat day could ruin your week. The freeing thing about a cheat meal is knowing that your next meal will be back to a healthier option. No longer do you eat and then think “Well I blew this meal; I guess I’ll eat bad tonight too.” That is the attitude that will send you backwards toward a downward spiral. Cheat meals do little damage that will be taken care of in the next workout. Am I suggesting a cheat meal a week? No, a cheat meal every other week will give you the control you need over the food you put in your body.
The hardest part about losing weight while CrossFitting is your diet, not the workouts. You can do it!
CFG on 3,
Tres