Our son Ben has been passionate about fitness and nutrition since junior high. While obtaining his Exercise and Sports Science degree at Texas State, he was introduced to CrossFit by his close friends Terrel and Crystal McReynolds. It became his new passion.

At 46, I have been overweight most of my adult life (230-250lbs). For about 6 months in 2001, I started running, but it was too hard on my knees and calves. Otherwise I really haven’t been active for the past 20 years except for little spurts here and there. I’ve tried dieting, SlimFast even Hydroxycut. All resulted in 30 day weight loss, which would last for a short time until I went back to my same eating habits.

Ben has been trying to get me to just try CrossFit for the past two years. My answer was always, “I’m not ready now, I need to get in shape first.” That would last about 30-40 days and I would revert back to my old ways.

This year a family loss changed my perspective. Shortly afterwards I heard a few speakers, including Tony Hsieh of Zappos, talk about ‘what is your goal in life?’ and the importance of following your dreams. I wasn’t happy with myself, felt I was in a rut and had very little energy every day. My wife Moira and I decided to help give Ben a chance to follow his dreams and open a CrossFit box. We also realized that we would need to drink the Kool-aid too! So on July 5th, 2010 we tried our first CrossFit boot camp workout. We worked out 3 times a week (M, W, Th).

The pictures above are from day 1, Moira & I are circled. As you can see, the workout was mostly body weight stuff, push-ups, sit-ups, squats with a PVC pipe, ladder drills and so on. Tuesday I was sore, but by Wednesday I was ready to install hand rails in the restrooms. I didn’t think I could make my 2nd workout! Ben convinced me and my neighbors that we needed to come out. After warm-ups we were fine. After the first week, I started to really look forward to each workout. I soon realized it wasn’t just the workout that I was looking forward to, but the interaction and support from my fellow CrossFitters. Being so out of shape, at times it was hard to push myself, but at EVERY workout, the rest of the class was there to support and encourage me.

The above pictures are from weeks 1, 5 & 8. Even after a 60 minute workout that wiped us out, we’re smiling and enjoying being together even though no one else probably would! That is the CrossFit difference. Not only do you have a certified CrossFit coach there making sure that you are using the correct technique and scaling the workout for your fitness level, but you also have a group that is holding you accountable for showing up for each class and is there to support you.

Our Plan: We started with the Advocare 24 Day Challenge (10 Day Herbal Cleanse & 14 day weight loss and weight-management supplements) along with the Zone Diet (www.zonediet.com). CrossFit is a big supporter of Advocare products and we thought it would help kick off this new life style. I say life style because I knew for this to work, we would have to really change our ways.

When people ask me about the Zone Diet, I am hesitant to call it a diet. It should be called an eating system, since it really helps balance your food intake. It focuses on lean proteins, good carbs (lots of veggies and fruits) and healthy fats. I am still zoning and I have never been hungry after a meal, 3-4 cups of veggies will take care of that! Advocare was a great compliment to help suppress those initial cravings I had.

Results: After 12 weeks, I have lost 39 pounds and just shy of 4 inches in my waistline! As exciting as these measurements are, the real change has been my energy level and my personality! I feel so much more motivated, it’s hard to put in words. I am looking forward to my next 12 weeks!