From coach Ayse’s site.
I met Laura back in 2016 when she decided she wanted to learn some Olympic weightlifting techniques to help with her CrossFit Classes. Since then we have accomplished many milestones together and became great friends. I asked her to briefly write about her journey. She inspired the heck out of me and I am sure she can make lots of connections with many women out there who have been battling the same obstacles. Here is Laura’s Story:
” I started my weight-loss and fitness journey in January 2016. I was 234 lbs. and absolutely miserable trying to keep up with my busy one year old daughter and a terrible work-life balance. I’d spent the last 10 years pretty sedentary, over-eating due to stress and boredom. I knew something needed to change but I wasn’t quite sure how to accomplish it. Struggling with my weight was the norm most of my life. I had tried ALL the fad diets over the years, wasting who knows how much money on Globo-gym memberships I never used. My daughter provided a strong motivation to change, but I was worried I would fail yet again if I went back to Lean Cuisines and waiting in line for treadmills.
I started with small changes, walking a few miles every day and eating less volume. I lost almost 30 lbs. in six months but I knew what I was doing was not enough to accomplish my goals. On a whim, I tried CrossFit at the Garage in July 2016 and was immediately hooked. In August, I joined Barbell Club to work on my weightlifting form and met Ayse. Her eye for Olympic lifting is amazing. Through her careful direction, I’ve improved my technique and gained a tremendous amount of confidence, allowing me to lift heavier than I thought possible. I’ve reached multiple personal records and look forward to future achievements as I continue my training with Ayse.
In September 2016, Ayse introduced me to counting macros in the first of many nutrition challenges. That’s where my real progress began! TOTAL. GAME. CHANGER. Ayse is super patient and knowledgeable. She walked me through how to properly balance macros (carbohydrates, protein & fat). How to portion, weigh, and log my food. How to read nutrition labels properly and shop for better options at the grocery store. With Ayşe’s backing, the pounds and inches steadily started coming off and staying off. I’ve lost an additional 40 lbs. and counting – dropping 4 pants sizes! I’ll admit I haven’t done the best job of documenting my journey through photos or measuring, but thanks to hydrostatic weighing, I learned between April 2017 and March 2018 I lost 20.5 pounds of fat – almost 10% of my body fat!
I’ve never experienced this kind of sustainable success in weight loss, in changing my body composition, and performance as an athlete. I’m not hungry and have more energy for everything – which is huge for me as a single mom working full-time. It’s given me the confidence to teach healthy habits to my child so that hopefully, she doesn’t struggle as I did. Through Ayşe’s guidance, choosing healthier foods at home, at restaurants, during the holidays, or on vacation has become the norm instead of the exception. I can indulge occasionally without feeling guilty because I now understand the very next meal is the next opportunity to make a better choice – not next Monday or next year. With Ayşe’s support, I’ve weathered multiple storms where it would have been easy to fall back into unhealthy habits – holiday seasons, vacations, work stress, deaths in the family, an emotional divorce – all while continuing to lose weight and gain strength. I get asked a lot what I did to lose so much weight and everyone is always surprised to find out there’s no quick gimmick involved – just fueling your body the right way. I look forward to continuing my journey with Ayse and I recommend her coaching to everyone! ”