I had been out of shape and overweight for as long as I can remember. I was that kid who was picked on in gym class for most of my life. It continued on into my adult life but I grew to accept that it was who I was. I had tried several times to lose weight but it always seemed to come back. At my heaviest I weighed in at 276 pounds. I work as a firefighter and knew that there was no way I would be able to finish my career in the condition I was in. Now a husband and father of two I knew I had to do something. I was tired of feeling that way.

Some friends had told me about this place called CrossFit Fire and how great it was so I decided to check it out. As soon as I walked in I felt intimidated watching all these people in great shape working out. Turns out, they were the most positive and supportive people I had ever met. I completed my free workout and was hooked so I immediately signed up for their ramp-up.  Once I was in ramp-up I knew I had made the right decision because working out was actually fun and I couldn’t wait for the next class.

Bill and Jennie worked with me to get through the workouts by helping me scale to my abilities. Pretty soon I was doing the full workouts with the others in class and was seeing results at an amazing rate. Then something happened that I didn’t expect. I actually started to feel good about who I was and the person I was becoming. I figured I would get in physical shape but never expected the mental change that took place. I was now more confident and mentally stronger than I ever thought I would be.

Bill and Jennie are truly amazing people because they don’t treat The Fort as a business but a passion. I am proud to call them both my coaches and friends. Their programming and nutritional advice is second to none and I truly believe that they along with everyone else at The Fort saved my life. When I started at CrossFit Fire I weighed in at 222 pounds and 23.5% body fat. I am now 175 pounds and have 8.1% body fat. At my annual physical, my doctor told me my cholesterol had dropped 100 points and that she had never seen that without medication. She also said I don’t have to try to lose weight anymore-words I never thought I would hear from a doctor.

I struggled as to what pictures to use in this testimonial because I still didn’t feel confident being half naked on the internet. After I saw my pictures my wife took compared to when I started CrossFit I decided I had to in order to show the progress. This was very hard for me to do. The solo clothed picture is from my heaviest. The other ones are from before I started at CrossFit Fire to present.

Thank again Bill, Jennie, Josh, Steph, Zach and everyone else at The Fort for your support and encouragement.

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I started out writing a testimony about my weight loss and my journey at CrossFit Fire, but I don’t feel like that would do the last 7 months of my life justice. Instead, I would like to take you on a brief journey of finding my self-worth.

I struggled with body image my whole entire life. In February of 2011, I was way overweight, a size 14, was miserable with my life, had no confidence, avoided mirrors, and what’s worse than all of that, is that I was COMFORTABLE living in a miserable existence. I have an outgoing and fun-loving enough personality to mask all of that. When my awesome brother challenged me to fight this miserable existence, I resisted for a while. I finally caved and went on a 2 week “paleo” challenge in which I lost 7 pounds right away. My brother, at that point, pretty much forced me into checking out his class at CrossFit Fire. I went to one class, it looked pretty amazing, and signed up for ramp-up.

I remember walking in the first time thinking this would be a good experience, but that it probably wouldn’t lead to anything. I had so much fun in my Ramp-up that I decided to start going twice a week. Well, as I started getting stronger and loosing weight, I decided that over the summer I wanted to start going MORE! By summer, I was down 30 pounds and had set some lofty goals: unassited pull ups, double unders, RXd WODs, getting down to my goal weight, etc. By the end of summer, I was a size 4, achieved all those goals, and was SO close to my goal weight. I started the Better Body Challenge with the idea of honing in on my diet. Within the first week, I surpassed my goal weight (actually a pound lower)! And now, I think I’ve got another 10 pounds I can get off me. Plus, I’ve got some goals I’m working on to improve myself as an athlete.

When I started at CrossFit Fire, I figured I’d get results, but I didn’t think I’d get these results. I also did not expect to LOVE everyone at The Fort! I seriously look forward to going there and am extremely grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community! ANOTHER thing that happened that I didn’t expect, was the confidence I found in myself! I’ve done things hat I’ve never thought possible. I look in the mirror and how clothes fit and I’m happy! I’ve never felt this good in my life! Not only do I know I look better, but I FEEL better physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I finally feel confident in who I am as a person and can walk with my head a little higher and it feels awesome! I couldn’t have come this far without everyone at Fire! Thanks to everyone for forcing me out of my miserable existence and into a life filled with happiness and hope for a brighter day and better times ahead.

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Two babies in less than 2 years and a lot of excessive “baby weight”; I was in the worst shape of my life.  I knew that I needed to do something, but I didn’t know what to do.  I had gone to a few different gyms in the past, but it just wasn’t for me.  A few friends of mine had been doing CrossFit, so I figured I would give it a try.  My husband and I signed up for a free intro class in January of 2011.  We went early and caught the end of Team Saturday, and I thought that I would never be able to do that.  Written on the board were the basics of the Paleo diet and again I was skeptical.

After completing the intro class, I felt so inspired.  My husband and I signed up right away.  Jennie encouraged us to take pictures of ourselves so we can “see” the results.  I was so embarrassed that I took the pictures myself using a timer and hid the camera so no one could see them.  I told myself that my goal would be to lose 20 pounds by my birthday, which was 5 months away.  Much to my surprise, at the end of ramp-up (2 weeks) I had already lost 10 pounds.

Now 5 months later, my birthday is less than a week away and I am down 32 pounds.  I have so much more energy than I ever thought I would have chasing two children around.  After 2 months at CrossFit Fire, I was able to do an unassisted push-up and I recently completed my first unassisted pull-up.

Without the support from everyone at CrossFit Fire, I would not have realized my goal.  Getting up to workout at 5:30am everyday was a challenge at first, but the GYG makes working out so much fun. Thank you Zach for all of your guidance and encouragement.  Thank you Jennie and Bill for making me feel so welcome and giving me the tools to live my life to the fullest.

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So far (1 year) Ive gone from 235lbs, XL shirts, and tight 38" pants to a comfortable 30" pants, medium/small shirts and have plateaued at 170-175lbs. I owe it all to the awesome coaches of CrossFit Fire!

You're like a magical team of train conductors. All Aboard! This train is now departing the land of globo gyms, chronic cardio, corrupt food pyramids, and fast food. You can all open your eyes and take off your blinders now....Next stop... A world of healthier eating, exercising, living, and just plain fun. Chu Chu!!!!

Thanks again for everything you and Bill do. It's truly life changing!

-Chris

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Ladies and Gentlemen, I am most proud to present Dad's 90 day result pictures! He's been coming to the Fort for over a year now, but over the course of the 90 day Better Body Challenge, he really dialed in his nutrition. I'm hoping Dad will write his own testimonial so he can tell you in his own words about his journey of losing weight, and getting healthy in his fabulous 50's!

Dad's 90 day progress

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My husband and I started CrossFit in February 2009. I had recently had my second baby and gained a solid 40lbs. I exercised at a gym, using all the different machines, but could not get rid of the baby weight.  I remember feeling so defeated and overwhelmed thinking how far I had let myself go.  A friend of my husbands recommended CrossFit after he had been doing it for a couple of months in St. Charles. He told us about his typical day of strength/weight training followed by a short but aggressive workout. I can remember him leaving our house and thinking he was completely crazy. There really was just no way I was going to be deadlifting more than my body weight.

I am just shy of a year at The Fort, and I can honestly say the past 10 months have changed my life. I owe a thank you, more than words could ever express, to Bill and Jennie. They are two great coaches that have done more than help me lose some weight. As much as that is a great accomplishment for me, it is more about building confidence and an inner strength. Bill and Jennie have poured their heart and soul into CrossFit Fire, and it shows through their dedication at The Fort. For me, CrossFit is not something that is easily explained to people. You just have to get out there and try it!

Weight lost to date is 35lbs., and I can deadlift my body weight

Much love to The Fort and all of its members!  Thanks for always pushing me just a little bit further.

90 day progress pictures

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Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

That is what I told myself 6 months ago on my way to my Crossfit Fire intro class. I weighed 345 lbs and was squeezing into 2XL clothing. I graduated high school at 235 lbs, and my weight shot skyward. Over the next 15 years, I lost a little weight here and gained a little weight there. I belonged to several different gyms, and also did solo workouts as I tried to get my weight under control. I couldn’t find anything to stick. I knew I needed to lose weight, but didn’t have the motivation to do it.

In April of 2010, I was introduced to Crossfit Fire by my friend Chris. He told me he had started working out at this place and was getting pretty good results. He reminded me that I have three kids and need to get serious about weight loss. I listened to what he had to say and told him I’d look into it. After losing his patience, Chris signed me up for the intro class and introduced me to Zach Mitchell, the morning coach. I told Zach the program sounds great, but I was worried about being so far out of shape that I would have a heart attack. Zach assured me they hadn’t lost anyone yet, and that they can customize the daily workout for anyone. Reluctantly, I agreed to go to the intro.

On April 24, 2010, I walked into the Fort for the first time. Although it did not look like any gym I had been in before, I had that same feeling walking up to it. Everywhere I looked there were people in great shape finishing up with their Team Saturday workout. My self conscience mind was telling me that people were looking at me thinking that this guy is too fat to workout with us. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I was introduced to Bill and Jennie, who were very welcoming. Jennie took me through a workout assuring me that I would be exhausted after 10 minutes of working with her. She was right. The workout was quick and intense. I had a feeling of pride simply because I finished it. After the workout, Jennie took a few minutes to talk about nutrition. This was a first for me at a gym. When she asked me where I gained all of my weight, I replied that I gained most of it in my stomach. She laughed and told me I gained all my weight in the kitchen, and that’s where I needed to lose it. This statement has been the cornerstone of my weight loss success. Bill and Jennie gave me the finer points of the Paleo Diet and signed me up for my ramp-up class. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and haven’t looked back.

Six months later I am tipping the scale at 228 pounds, about where I was as a junior in high school. More importantly, I often find myself running around the yard with my kids. In 6 months, Crossfit Fire has helped me achieve the impossible. I am stronger and faster than ever, and for the first time, my weight is actually going down. I’ve always known I could lose weight through diet and exercise. It took the people at Crossfit Fire to complete the equation. The coaching is excellent and the peer support is second to none. Thinking back to my first day, those people weren’t looking at me because I was too fat to workout with them, they were looking at me thinking here is a guy who can use our help. The support I get from the members at Crossfit Fire renders me speechless. Whether it’s advice to refine a technique or just getting through a workout, people are always looking out for each other. This is what makes Crossfit Fire different from every other gym out there. No one will do the work for you, but everyone will stand next to you and get you through it.

I owe a heartfelt thank you to Bill, Jennie, Zach and all the members of Crossfit Fire for helping me get into a new chapter in my life. I look forward to a long healthy future at Crossfit Fire.

- Ryan Fain

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