Lindsey Lost 65 Pounds Doing CrossFit, Counting Macros, and Giving Up Social Drinking

Prior to starting her weight-loss journey, Lindsey said she tried the "run-of-the-mill" methods that most people do when they want to lose weight. "I would try to commit to a gym or at-home fitness regimen (biking, walking, yoga, etc.) and wouldn't stick with it past four to six days," Lindsey said.

Growing up, Lindsey didn't play sports, but she was surfing, swimming, and free diving, so she was active in a different way. As for her relationship with food, Lindsey said, "I used food as a coping mechanism. It didn't matter if I was happy, sad, or anything in between." She said she was never taught what it meant to eat healthy. "Nothing I ever tried stuck, until I found CrossFit," Lindsey said.

On a Sunday four days before Lindsey started her journey, she was sitting at a bar in Fort Lauderdale, FL, with some friends, "watching all the skinny, beautiful people walk down the beach." Lindsey said, "I realized in that moment how unhappy I was in my own body, how unhealthy I was, sitting here drinking a giant, sugary drink, when that's not what my body wants."

Lindsey looked at her best friend and told her that that week she was going to join a gym. "The following Thursday, on Oct. 27, 2017, I walked through the doors of my gym and haven't stopped since." She began her journey weighing 262 pounds.

Over the course of her 21-month weight-loss journey, there has been a lot of toying with her nutrition. When Lindsey first started CrossFit, she didn't follow a diet. She continued eating as she normally did, then slowly "traveled the Paleo route," which she said wasn't all that hard for her since she doesn't eat dairy.

"Once I started Paleo, I felt my body performing better in the gym and feeling better overall, so I continued to eat Paleo," Lindsey said. It actually helped her break through a weight-loss plateau she'd been on for a while, and she was able to drop more weight.

"It wasn't until January 2019 that I recognized my love for competition and committed to the year of 2019 being the year I would check some big boxes off my goal list," Lindsey said. She stopped socially drinking every weekend (although she'll drink once a month for special occasions like weddings or birthdays) and began counting her macros. Instead of drinking beer, she changed that social drinking habit into drinking seltzer water (her favorite is Polar Cranberry Lime).

Lindsey also downloaded My Fitness Pal. After getting disciplined with herself about counting macros and not drinking, she saw a significant change in her weight and body composition since this January. She not only continued to lose body fat, but she also was still gaining muscle mass (tracked on an InBody scanner at her gym).

She adjusted her macros more than once to find something that worked for her to fuel her energy at the gym, help aid in recovery (and avoid being sore), and still allow her to gain muscle and lose fat. "I currently eat 1,775 calories a day, 113 grams of protein, 200 grams of carbohydrates, and 49 grams of fat, which breaks down into 30 percent protein, 45 percent carbs, and 25 percent fats."

Here's an example of what Lindsey eats in a day:

Breakfast: Two eggs and one-quarter cup egg whites scrambled, one piece of bacon, one pack of instant oatmeal and flax (sugar-free) mixed with half a scoop of Quest Cinnamon Crunch protein powder, and black coffee

Snack: One banana with one tablespoon natural peanut butter, or two rice cakes with one tablespoon peanut butter

Lunch: Six ounces of protein and 45 grams of a carb like rice mixed with some steamed veggies, or six ounces ground turkey with taco seasoning, one cup brown rice/quinoa mixture, steamed veggies, and salsa

Pregym: One pack of instant oatmeal (sometimes she adds half a scoop of protein, depending on how much protein she's already had for the day)

Postgym: Two rice cakes

Dinner: Six ounces grilled chicken breast, four ounces sweet potatoes, one cup brown rice/quinoa mixture, and steamed veggies

Lindsey started out doing CrossFit five to six days a week at 3:30 p.m. after work. She said, "I attempted to become a morning person at the gym and found out quickly I do not fit in with the 5:50 a.m. crew. I am too loud and awake!" After reaching her weight-loss goal of 65 pounds in just under two years, this is the schedule she continues to follow.

Lindsey said, "There's a quote that says, 'Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing,' and that's the quote I truly live by." She was so motivated at first to lose weight and "look good naked," but now she is disciplined as an athlete and what she wants to accomplish.

On her fridge, Lindsey has her goals written out and her action plan to achieve them, and underneath it all it says, "Do these things still make you happy?" She sees that every day. "I have it on my fridge to remind me about the goals I have set for myself; even on those days when I don't feel like going and just feel like eating Taco Bell, I look at that."

She said to set long-term and short-term goals that you want to achieve and write them down to hold yourself accountable, or tell a friend or a coach. Every so often, reevaluate why you are doing it and if it still makes you happy.

The nonscale victories have become the most important thing to motivate Lindsey at this point; she's been able to achieve things she never thought she'd be able to do.

"I have run four 5Ks, one of them being a Spartan race, and each time, I was able to beat my previous time. I can do a handstand (this was huge for me in 2018). I competed in the CrossFit Open and finished 85,505 (not great, but better than not doing it at all). And most importantly, I've been able to stick with my routine and become disciplined to go to the gym every day." The one thing she's the most proud of is not quitting.

Lindsey spoke from experience when she said to set small, attainable goals at first to help you become consistent and disciplined. "If you set goals that are short-term and attainable, you're more likely to keep pushing," Lindsey said.

She also said to keep setting goals, don't ever stop, and find something you love. "You can't commit to a life of doing cardio and eating chicken and broccoli if you're a vegetarian who hates to run. You have to be in love with whatever it is that you are doing," Lindsey said.

Lindsey added, "Have someone that will hold you accountable." This can be your spouse, your best friend, your coach, or a gym buddy, but it should be someone who will be there for you and not be afraid to tell you the truth and hold you to your word.

Lindsey started sharing her fitness journey online to help inspire others, because she knows how much watching other people transform and reshape their lives meant to her when she started. It's hard to look at superfit people and think they once stood where you do.

She said, "I think it's important to share my journey. It's crucial to show the struggle and the realness of getting fit and healthy, and not just the end result of how heavy I can lift or if I have abs."