Below is the Success Story of Scott S. He was the leader of the A-Team with a WLC score of 521 points! A big round of applause for Scott!!! Congratulations!
I'm Scott. I'm a I finished the Whole Life Challenge (WLC) improving my fitness score by 25 points, losing 2 inches around my waist, and 10 pounds. I started at Crossfit Max Effort (CFME) in March 2012, with Nathan, my now Navy son. He was preparing to go into the military and I joined for 2 reasons: to support him, and because I had dabbled in and believed in Crossfit as a functional way to get in shape. I say dabbled, because I had been going to www.crossfit.com since 2007. Also, as a civilian member of the military--I'm a medic (physician assistant)--I saw early on how Crossfit (CF) was emerging as the premier way to prepare the warfighter, before it was popular in the civilian sector.
But dabbling in and attempting Crossfit on your own compared to being a member of a solid gym community are two different things. I won't go into all those awesome benefits, but you can read my review of my gym here: http://goo.gl/Ju7cyn Suffice it to say that it is way more motivating and fun to be a part of my gym.
Back to the WLC. I noticed improvement in my running and my energy for workouts. My favorite Lifestyle change was learning to drink water. Because I'm a big fella, and the water requirement was based on weight, my portion was 15 cups per day, which I did for about 3 weeks. I think that was a bit too much, but nevertheless, I used to think 8 cups of water a day was too much. Now that's a piece of cake. I discovered that I feel much better when I'm adequately hydrated and that it does, in fact, help me with my eating. Often, when I'm hungry, I've found that, in truth, I'm thirsty. So, I'll take that with me, though I'll strive for 9 cups of water per day.
I found that, for me, having a list of approved foods (and everything else is breaking the rules) helps. Additionally, the points earned (or not) was motivating. I would like to try to continue that on my own with a few modifications. I should add that during the WLC, I stuck to the food lists like glue, but didn't measure or worry about portions. I tried to major on protein which is an appetite suppressant for me. I ate until I was full.
I learned that I can do some sort of exercise (besides CF) and mobility nearly everyday.
It's funny. When I was asked if I was going to do the WLC, my major road block, having read the rules, was Stevia. I'm a sweet-n-low guy. But I decided to try it (the WLC & Stevia). I discovered I liked the WLC and didn't really like Stevia that much. But really, Stevia was just 1% of the challenge--but what a major road block it was. What's your "road block"? hehehe...
In summary, I had a great time doing it, and plan to continue the new stuff: drink more water and exercise more often (but smartly) than I used to. I'll pay more attention to what I eat and appropriately reward myself for making good choices. Now that WLC is over, I'm adding a few things to my authorized food lists: bacon, sausage, cold cuts, protein bars in reasonable amounts. And, bring on the sweet-n-low! Anyone want my Stevia packets?
