After a drunk driver took Crystal’s college sweetheart’s life, she found herself in a dark place and in need of help.
Hear how she faced both old & new wounds, and what she’s discovered about running, cooking, and winning her mental battles.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.”
Weight Gain Background and Contributing Factors
Crystal’s weight gain started around the age of eight, and she wore an adult size-12 by middle school.
In Crystal’s senior year of college, her high school sweetheart & long-term boyfriend was killed by a drunk driver in a tragic accident.
Crystal was devastated, and feel into a dark period in her life. She reached a peak weight of 275-280 pounds during this time. (125-127.3 kg)
How Being Overweight Impacted Crystal’s Life
Crystal’s family had a history of health issues, and her grandfather had died of a heart attack, so those warning signs were present in Crystal’s mind.
She experienced the limitations on her ability to enjoy life when she was unable to participate with friends in activities like zip-lining, or to enjoy fashionable clothing.
Crystal tried low-carb diets, and had some success, but felt that the lifestyle was not sustainable for her in the long-term. She tried “cleanses” and some aloe vera concoctions, too, but ultimately found that they were not for her either. She tried Weight Watchers as well, but left when it “didn’t engage me.”
The Turning Point
Crystal sought help sorting through her emotions after her boyfriend’s death. In addition to coping with her loss, she discovered how deeply her weight issues – and specifically, her family’s comments about her weight – had been bothering her and impacting her emotional well-being as well.
Therapy helped Crystal address why she felt she didn’t deserve to have happiness
Starting The Weight Loss Journey
Crystal signed up for a one-month boot camp challenge. Her focus wasn’t weight – it was pant sizes, and the fact that it was only for a month helped her to feel it was an attainable short-term goal to tackle.
“Short term goal and a prize at the end – sign me up!”
Crystal lost 20 pounds in that first month (and came in 2nd place in the boot camp contest, to her chagrin.) She immediately signed up for a second month’s challenge, but came away with something more important. She had finally found the missing weight-loss ingredient that worked for her: competition.
This changed everything for Crystal. Tapping into her competitive nature gave her the motivation and internal drive to push herself. After the two months of boot-camp competitions, she began to compete with herself instead of other people.
What Crystal Has Learned Along Her Journey
Crystal started with little knowledge of what is considered “healthy,” but she knew that if she paid more attention to labels, she could figure out what ingredients were in the meals she enjoyed.
This growing curiosity guided her to food blogs, Pinterest boards, and asking friends for new ways to make meals. For example, she found that finely slicing certain vegetables helped them blend nicely into meals.
Crystal talks about how much of the weight loss battle actually takes place inside you, where you have to be mentally prepared in order to succeed.
“It isn’t just a physical thing. You have to be emotionally ready to take that on, and to believe that you can do it.”
Crystal has discovered that the resilience she’s built while fighting the negative voice inside her head has given her a whole new sense of empowerment. She now knows, wholeheartedly, that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
Crystal’s Advice For Your Journey
- Believe in yourself!
- Don’t force yourself to do things you know for certain don’t enjoy.You will inevitably find excuses or a way out of doing them. Find activities that you enjoy to keep you moving and active. Crystal shares her personal experience with Zumba and spin classes to illustrate this.
- Evaluate where you are and make changes at the speed you can live with. Giving up certain habits “cold-turkey” can be unrealistic for some people. Crystal shares how she slowly transitioned out of drinking Diet Coke.
- Be willing to try new things! Crystal used to think oatmeal was a “retirement home” food, but has grown to love it.
- Take a deep, honest look at what is holding you back and why you haven’t succeeded at weight loss in the past.
“Weight loss is not just an outer thing. It’s an inner thing.”
Resources Discussed In This Podcast
- MyFitnessPal – online food tracking & support community
- RunKeeper app – mobile app for tracking running, cycling, other distance activities
- Couch to 5K app – training plan for beginning runners
- Hal Higdon training apps – Crystal recommends these for pace & distance
- Pump Up app – you tell it what equipment you have & what your focus is, for a custom routine
- Pinterest for recipes!
On Crystal’s Workout Playlist
Contacting Crystal
When Crystal isn’t out running, she keeps it real on her blog. Stop by and say Hello!
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