Author: James Jeffers

Chris recently completed our five week nutrition challenge where he lost 14.3 lbs, decreased his body fat by 2.6% and lost 6.75 inches. When asked what his favorite part of the challenge was Chris stated “the amount of food that you actually get to eat.”

Introduce Yourself

“Hi I’m Chris Quigley, I’ve been a member of CrossFit Jungle Gym for about two and a half years and I just went through my second nutrition challenge.”

What made you sign up?

“Because last year, I really let the discipline go with my nutrition, a little bit with my fitness too, but especially with the nutrition. During Covid and quarantine and kind of using all of that as an excuse to not keep the nutrition dialed in. So I felt like I needed something to help me get started again.”

Tell us a little bit about your success over the last five weeks

“I was really happy, I lost over just over 14 lbs which I really wasn’t expecting. I thought it would be maybe 7 or 8 pounds, to get the 14lbs, I was really excited by that. I’m under 200 lbs again.”

What was the first sign of progress

“To me, I could feel myself not as bloated almost immediately. I could feel it, I don’t know if I was necessarily weighing myself to see it on the scale, and to some degree I could see it in my face. That first week or two just eating clean and being more disciplined with the food – I could feel the differences very quickly.

Was there any results that you got that we wouldn’t notice on paper or in measurements?

“I am finally starting to feel it coming to WODs and to running. I’m doing the run clinic right now. For example, last week our run homework was to run three miles and I did that at like 11:30/11:40 minute pace. This week was to run forty minutes which I did at a 20-30 seconds per mile faster, without stopping and I wasn’t even really thinking about it. That’s a connection between the clinic and being a little bit lighter.”

Everyone faces obstacles when trying to reach new goals, what was the biggest obstacle that we helped you overcome?

“It’s very easy to follow the prescription plan. There is some prep work and shopping that you maybe aren’t used to doing. Otherwise it’s 4 trays a day of basic foods. That makes it really easy to follow and for me to be able to stick to it.”

Any other contributing factors that helped you to be successful?

“We had four people in my house do the challenge and having mutliple people in the house do the challenge at the same time was really helpful. We all kind of watched each other and encouraged each other and helped keep each other accountable.”

Would you recommend if somebody does this challenge in the future to get their whole family to do it?

“Get as many people in your family as you can, it always helps to have that other person. Even just to prep food with, shop with or talk about the challenge with.”

Is there anything that you would want to share with someone sitting at home that was maybe sitting in the same shoes as you?

“Just get started. Just take those first steps. Come in and if you start a program like this, it’s very simple to follow. You will be surprised by the amount of food you can eat. The protein portion is very generous. You do that and eat that tray prescription and you’re definitely not hungry. You have cravings but your not truly hungry.”

During our last five week nutrition challenge Dawn lost 11 lbs, decreased her body fat by 3.3% and lost 2.5 inches! Dawn stated that her favorite part of the challenge was the simplicity of it. See Dawn’s full story below.

Introduce Yourself

“Hi, my name is Dawn McBratney”

You have been a member of CFJG for a while now and you just completed the 5 week nutrition challenge. Why did you sign up for the challenge?

“I signed up for the challenge because I had been doing CrossFit since March, I felt like it was a good way to get into shape. The challenge was a good kick start for the new year for me.”

You had some amazing results within 5 weeks – tell us a little bit about your success.

“I went into this after the holidays and I have been a little lax with the holiday eating. Over the course of 5 weeks I was able to lose 11 lbs, which is great. I’m down 3.3% body fat – so that is fantastic. I really wanted to lose body fat and start working on the effects of my CrossFit workouts, increasing muscle mass. I’m down 2.5 inches so I feel leaner, I feel tighter and I’m feeling stronger.”

We have the measurements that you had the success with. Was there any results that you had that maybe you’re coaches wouldn’t know about?

“Yes, definitely some things. I’ve never been a junk eater or bad eater, I think that the way I was eating during the challenge with very balanced meals, very balanced macronutrients and the discipline with the vitamins. This helped my digestive system. Actually my digestive system was probably as regular as it’s ever been, that’s a big thing for me, that’s something that I always struggle with. I think between the eating, the nutrients and the water, which is another big thing I struggle with. Being consistent with the water during the challenge, really helped crack a lot of those things which is fantastic for me.”

What was your first sign that you were making some progress?

“First off, it was very easy for me to drink the 8 oz of water in the morning, that was not part of my usual routine. Easier for me to get through 50 oz of water through the course of the day. I felt better, less sluggish during the late morning. So that was the first sign, I started feeling better, physically.”

What was the biggest obstacle for your nutrition that we helped you get over during the challenge?

“My nutrition obstacle is not so much what I eat, it’s that I tend to skip meals because I get busy or if I get stressed out. I don’t eat when I’m stressed, I have a pretty stressful job. The nutrition challenge was helpful for me to have those planned meals, everything ready to go. I took the time to not skip meals because I have the meals. When work and family life gets crazy I have the structure of having the meals there and ready, so I didn’t have to skip a meal or result to bad food.”

You had good success – what were the top contributing factors to help you get that success?

“I think the accountability of the challenge. I think it was great having to check in with Facebook, with the group. Seeing how people were eating and feeling, that was great. It’s always good to know that you’re not alone and having that accountability and that check in was super helpful for me. Even for someone like myself, I consider myself to be a self motivator, it’s good to know that I’m part of that group. So I think that was a really big factor for me as well.”

If there was someone in your shoes, like where you were 5 weeks ago, what would you tell them about the nutrition challenge?

“I would say without a doubt it’s definitely a great thing to do. I looked at it as, there are so many things I’m doing right, taking the effort to workout everyday, to get rest. The nutrition challenge gave me another tool in my toolbox, it helped manage not only my health but my lifestyle. It’s a great thing to do even if you have done something like this or if you feel like you’re a good eater, I think it would definitely add something to your lifestyle.”

During our 5 week nutrition challenge CFJG athlete Ed lost 13.3 lbs, decreased his body fat by 2.6% and lost 6.5 inches. See his full story below!

Introduce Yourself:

“Hi, I’m Ed Hotchkiss”

You just finished the 5 week nutrition challenge, why did you sign up?

“I signed up for CrossFit to get in better shape and for weight loss. I was making steady progress with that for the first six months, but I hadn’t really focused on nutrition. A lot of members spoke highly of the nutrition challenge, so it looked like this might be a good way to start the new year and speed up the progress.”

Did it help?

“For sure, I think the first six months I lost about 20 lbs without incorporating nutrition. In a five week period dropping 13.3 lbs is definitely speeding up the process. I achieved the results I was looking for.”

You have lost weight and been on a steady trend down, that’s awesome. What other successes did you have during the challenge?

“As far as workouts go, the cardio ones, I feel like I wasn’t getting as winded. With the workouts overall, I feel like I had more energy.”

What was the first thing that you were like, yeah this is working?

“At the end of the first week, I didn’t feel as bloated as I normally do. I cut out some of the unhealthier foods out of my diet, felt a little better just walking around, health wise and energy wise too.”

Was there any results that you had that maybe your coaches wouldn’t have noticed?

“Part of the challenge was incorporating 15 minutes for yourself, for stress relief. In the middle of each day I would take a time out from working and just kind of a stress relief. I would be able to refocus my efforts at the end of the day for work and also here.”

What was the biggest obstacle during the nutrition challenge that we helped you overcome?

“I would say, I eat vegetables but not to the extent that I have been on this diet. Early on it felt like my body went through a little bit of shock. The prescription plan that we were given, the first couple days were the toughest, but overall I wasn’t hungry the entire time. I got used to my prescription plan and that was huge in helping me to stick to it and stay away from the less healthy foods I would typically eat before the challenge.”

What would you say are the top factors that helped you have the success that you had during the challenge?

“I would definitely say the Facebook group for all the people who were participating. I’m not that active on social media, but it’s good to know that other people are doing it with you. People are sharing ideas and recipes and if they were having difficulty or if they were having questions that you might have, you can get it answered in the Facebook group.”

If someone was sitting at home in the same shoes as you five weeks ago, what would you tell them about the nutrition challenge?

“I would tell them – give it a shot. If you’re thinking that you want to lose weight or increase muscle. Clearly everything I have done in the gym, you guys know what you’re doing so I have seen nothing but results. I would say give it a shot if you’re thinking about it. “

Kristen completed our five week nutrition challenge and lost 5 lbs and decreased her body fat by 2.1%! Kristen stated her favorite part of the challenge was learning that eating healthy does not have to be boring.

Introduce Yourself

“Hi I’m Kristen Simms and I have been a member of CrossFit since the end of August.”

Why did you sign up for the nutrition challenge?

“Nutrition side of a healthy life is always harder for me. Working out, while I’m not on top of my game and lifting the heaviest weights, that’s easy. I just listen to directions and do what I have to do. The nutrition part is always the hard part for me, so I really – I think I know a lot, but I just want to keep learning about nutrition so I can continue some of these tips and tricks throughout the rest of my life.”

Tell us a little bit about the success you have had over the last five weeks.

“I’ve definitely been a little up and down. It’s my first nutrition challenge, some people have been doing it a couple times. I still lost(weight) and gained muscle and all of those other things. Walking away from it, at the commitment level that I gave it, I’m still super happy. What it tells me is, if I buy in and continue to do this – those numbers are going to get even better. I’m still super happy to see that I got results even though I wasn’t 100% compliant. I can sustain this for quite a while.”

What was your first sign progress during the challenge?

“I just have to say, I fought the scale. I had to hide it in a closet, I did not get on it. I would be flexing in the mirror and I would notice things are juicer, or things are tighter. I will say, I just went back into work in person yesterday and I had a semi form fitting outfit on and and three people gave me a compliment, so I knew that something was happening.”

Obviously there are the results that we got on paper, are there any results that we as your coaches wouldn’t have noticed?

“Just the comradery in our meetings on Monday nights. The Facebook group that we had, learning different recipes and learning about peoples lives. I feel like I made a lot of connections that’s something very purposeful and just adds to the experience.”

What was the biggest obstacle that you faced that we helped you overcome with the challenge?

“I definitely think the biggest obstacle – I don’t know if I’m totally over the hump but I’m getting there. I think the biggest obstacle for me was weekends, unstructured time for me. During the week I was more or less compliant more of the times that I was on the weekends. I’m going to blame my mom, sorry mom. I would spend time with my Mom, going out to eat as a social thing and things like that. I will say, I talked about the challenge enough that I sent her home with a couple trays that I had to try and get her to buy in. I think as I keep talking about it with her it will be something that we can do together. So I’m kind of excited about that. “

What were the top contributing factors that helped you have success during the challenge?

“I think that the top contributing factors was not counting calories, not counting macros. I’ve done that before, I can do it for like three days and then when I’m not hitting those numbers it’s even more frustrating. I feel like with our tray method, you just put it in the tray. I will say, even if I didn’t meal prep for the week, if I was at work and had stuff in the refrigerator I could put together a meal pretty easy, so that was awesome. Again with the group that we had, learning that it doesn’t have to be boring. The cheeseburger casserole or the turkey meatloaf, I’m always thinking chicken or cut up vegetables, the carb one was easy, I can fill that one out. Aside from the first week I didn’t eat that much chicken – it was kinda neat to learn that you can be creative and still get results. That was really cool.”

If someone was sitting at home right now in the same shoes you were five weeks ago, what would you tell them?

“I would say definitely do it. I thought I knew a lot coming into it, and I stand by my claim that I knew stuff about nutrition, but what I know and what I apply are two different things. Even if you think you know what you’re doing or you think you know a lot – it’s just eye opening and you learn so much. Everything you learn you can continue to carry, it’s not like you’re buying prepackaged meals, you can keep doing it. If you feel like you plateau you can do it again and get another prescription to reevaluate where you are. I feel like I learned a ton.”

Nicole recently completed our 5 week nutrition challenge where she lost 11 lbs, decreased her body fat by 2.8% and lost 8.5 inches. Nicole stated that her favorite part of the challenge is that she was not starving the entire time, she felt full and satisfied so she wasn’t always looking for a snack. See her full story below!

Why did you sign up for the nutrition challenge?

“My husband and I had a baby in August, our eating has got off track. I needed a reset. January is a really stressful time for work so I figured this was a good time to hold myself accountable.”

“Tell us a little bit about your success over the last 5 weeks”

“I’m really happy with my results. I lost almost 11 lbs, I lost 8.5 inches, I feel great and my clothes are fitting much better. The program was so easy to follow. It wasn’t like it was painful for five weeks or like I was depriving myself. It’s so easy to follow.”

What was the first thing that you noticed that this was working?

“For me, I’m a grazer and I like to graze and eat all day long. Two days into it I was like wow I’m not hungry – this is working. This meal plan is great. It almost felt like too much food in the beginning, but I noticed my clothes were starting to fit looser only a few days into it.”

“Are there any results or successes that we as your coaches wouldn’t know?”

“There is two things, one is, even though this is a really stressful time, I felt much calmer throughout January. January is my first time going back to work after my maternity leave so it really could have been stressful and I felt like I kept my calm throughout. The second thing is I have been getting heartburn a lot. I haven’t taken a heart burn pill since I started this challenge.”

“What was the biggest obstacle that was keeping you from healthy before the challenge?”

“Sometimes you just get on a downward spiral. As soon as you start eating sugar and make an excuse, you get out of control. For me I needed a little more discipline and structure and I didn’t really have that.”

How do you feel like the challenge helped provide that structure?

“I liked the trays – the trays make it really easy to measure. You can basically put anything in the trays, so that makes it really easy. The prescription of three meals with your fat. It made it really easy to follow.”

What were the top contributing factors to you having the success that you had?

“I think that I’m really competitive so that’s number one. Number two is money motivates me which Joe would cringe if he heard me say that. I paid some money to do this challenge, I was like this is going to work so that holds me accountable. Also, I just wasn’t happy with the way I felt and looked.”

Are you satisified with your results?

“Yeah! I’m going to keep going.”

Is there anything that you would say to someone who was in your shoes five weeks ago?

“I was on the fence about signing up for this. I know what to do, I do know how to eat healthy. I definitely learned some new things. While I knew how to eat healthy before, the trays make just make it so idiot proof and it’s so easy. I’m really glad I did it. Like I said, I used to graze all day and eat small meals here and there. Now I just eat three times a day I feel totally full and satisfied – I don’t even have the urge to snack. I’m really glad I did it, I feel like it’s going to help me in the long term.”