We are proud to feature Alissa Dougherty as one of our success stories! She he is a great example of how working hard at CrossFit and changing your eating habits can make a big difference. Her total weight loss since starting with FCCF is now 46 pounds! She wrote the following blog post. Thanks Alissa, for helping to show people that they can do it too!
In her words:
Doing CrossFit showed me that I was babying myself at the gym. Even worse than that, it showed me that my personal trainer (who I was paying to push me) was babying me. I can’t even begin to tell you how many countless hours I spent on the elliptical, treadmill, and stair stepper machine with no results. I dreaded going to the gym and skipped out on my workouts anytime I could find an excuse. Then, I saw a Groupon for Flower City CrossFit. I can still remember a conversation I had with my personal trainer at one of our last sessions. I told him that I was going to do CrossFit. He laughed in my face and told me that I would NEVER make it through the first WOD.
My first night at Bootcamp, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I looked at the whiteboard and thought, “this doesn’t seem so bad. I can do this!” About halfway through the first round, my goal became not to puke, pass out or die. I couldn’t believe how out of shape I was. Had all those hours on the elliptical done nothing?! The next day, I was very sore but I had to go back. After all, the Groupon was for a month. By the end of my third month of Bootcamp I was seriously considering CrossFit, but I was intimidated watching the 6 PM class finish up. There was a lot of weight on those barbells, I didn’t know what half of the lifts were, some nights I could barely jump rope at Bootcamp, and the reps and times on the board seemed so far away from where I was fitness-wise. I would think, “Yeah right, that’s not happening. You would be working out long after everyone else went home.”
After talking with trainers and several CrossFitters, I decided I could do it and I made the switch. Everyone told me that you never feel prepared to switch; you just have to do it. When I talked to Jeff, he told me to try it out for three months, and if I didn’t like it after a month, I could switch back to Bootcamp (but he didn’t think that would happen). He was right. After the first WOD, I was hooked. I immediately wished I transitioned sooner. When I started I would be really nervous all day wondering what the WOD would be and worry about not making it through it. I have made it through every single one. In fact, I don’t even worry about what the WOD will be anymore because I know that no matter what it is, I will finish. I might not have the best time or the most reps and I might even finish last, but none of that matters. There is always going to be someone to cheer you on or finish the workout with you. Now I worry about my other goals like handstands, double-unders, pistols, toes-to-bar, and a CrossFit total score over 500… just to name a few. I have come a long way since Bootcamp.
In January, I participated in the FCCF Food & Fitness Challenge and lost 17 pounds and 11.5 inches in eight weeks. Since March, I have lost another 12 pounds and 7.5 inches. In total, I have lost 46 pounds since I started Bootcamp last May. The FCCF Food & Fitness Challenge completely changed my relationship with food! I used to work out to try to compensate for my eating and used it as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted. But now, I think twice before I eat like crap because I know it will affect my energy, mood and my performance during that week’s WODs.
Not only has CrossFit changed my body physically, it has changed me mentally. I am a stronger person because of it and I have more confidence and pride in myself than I could ever have imagined. I proudly will tell anyone who asks that I CrossFit and about my success. They say things like “I am so scared for you!” or “I can’t believe YOU CrossFit.” Most of these conversations end with me saying, “Yeah, it’s pretty badass.”
Thank you to Jeff and Laura for creating an amazing community and having AWESOME trainers who continue to help me realize what I am capable of every time I walk through the doors.
In her words:
Doing CrossFit showed me that I was babying myself at the gym. Even worse than that, it showed me that my personal trainer (who I was paying to push me) was babying me. I can’t even begin to tell you how many countless hours I spent on the elliptical, treadmill, and stair stepper machine with no results. I dreaded going to the gym and skipped out on my workouts anytime I could find an excuse. Then, I saw a Groupon for Flower City CrossFit. I can still remember a conversation I had with my personal trainer at one of our last sessions. I told him that I was going to do CrossFit. He laughed in my face and told me that I would NEVER make it through the first WOD.
My first night at Bootcamp, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I looked at the whiteboard and thought, “this doesn’t seem so bad. I can do this!” About halfway through the first round, my goal became not to puke, pass out or die. I couldn’t believe how out of shape I was. Had all those hours on the elliptical done nothing?! The next day, I was very sore but I had to go back. After all, the Groupon was for a month. By the end of my third month of Bootcamp I was seriously considering CrossFit, but I was intimidated watching the 6 PM class finish up. There was a lot of weight on those barbells, I didn’t know what half of the lifts were, some nights I could barely jump rope at Bootcamp, and the reps and times on the board seemed so far away from where I was fitness-wise. I would think, “Yeah right, that’s not happening. You would be working out long after everyone else went home.”
After talking with trainers and several CrossFitters, I decided I could do it and I made the switch. Everyone told me that you never feel prepared to switch; you just have to do it. When I talked to Jeff, he told me to try it out for three months, and if I didn’t like it after a month, I could switch back to Bootcamp (but he didn’t think that would happen). He was right. After the first WOD, I was hooked. I immediately wished I transitioned sooner. When I started I would be really nervous all day wondering what the WOD would be and worry about not making it through it. I have made it through every single one. In fact, I don’t even worry about what the WOD will be anymore because I know that no matter what it is, I will finish. I might not have the best time or the most reps and I might even finish last, but none of that matters. There is always going to be someone to cheer you on or finish the workout with you. Now I worry about my other goals like handstands, double-unders, pistols, toes-to-bar, and a CrossFit total score over 500… just to name a few. I have come a long way since Bootcamp.
In January, I participated in the FCCF Food & Fitness Challenge and lost 17 pounds and 11.5 inches in eight weeks. Since March, I have lost another 12 pounds and 7.5 inches. In total, I have lost 46 pounds since I started Bootcamp last May. The FCCF Food & Fitness Challenge completely changed my relationship with food! I used to work out to try to compensate for my eating and used it as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted. But now, I think twice before I eat like crap because I know it will affect my energy, mood and my performance during that week’s WODs.
Not only has CrossFit changed my body physically, it has changed me mentally. I am a stronger person because of it and I have more confidence and pride in myself than I could ever have imagined. I proudly will tell anyone who asks that I CrossFit and about my success. They say things like “I am so scared for you!” or “I can’t believe YOU CrossFit.” Most of these conversations end with me saying, “Yeah, it’s pretty badass.”
Thank you to Jeff and Laura for creating an amazing community and having AWESOME trainers who continue to help me realize what I am capable of every time I walk through the doors.
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