We’ve said it before and we’ll keep on saying it: if you want to transform your body and improve your health,
it starts with food.
And nobody knows this better than Rick K., a member at
CrossFit Michiana (a
Whole9 Nutrition Partner).
Rick has lost 150 pounds in 4 months by combining Whole30 eating with CFM’s high-intensity exercise program. But, more importantly, he has changed the course of his life, and his family members’ lives. Here is Rick’s story.
TIME FOR CHANGE
Rick, in November 2011
Everyone who makes a commitment to this kind of weight loss and lifestyle change has some kind of story. Rick’s story begins in front of a whiteboard – his son Zach’s board, used for tracking yearly athletic goals and accomplishments. Zach is a high school wrestler whose goal every year has been to make it to state finals. “I noticed that during his semi-state competition, I could barely walk up the steps, and I couldn’t fit into the seat,” Rick said. When Zach announced that he would be giving up football to pursue his goal of making it to state wrestling finals, Rick knew it was time for him to make a change, too.
The first stop on Rick’s journey was open auditions for The Biggest Loser. “I had just had knee surgery, and the doctor said I should go,” he said. A callback for a second audition sent his hopes soaring, but when he didn’t make the show, they came crashing down again. “My hope was crushed. It was so frustrating getting your hopes up and believing you finally had the answers and then nothing.”
That’s where CrossFit Michiana comes into the picture. A friend of Rick’s family had initially approached the gym to ask if they would be willing to oversee Rick’s “at-home training” if he made The Biggest Loser, but when owners Jim and Carole Turnbo got word that Rick hadn’t made the cast, they made it clear they still wanted to help.
“That week Jim met with Rick and offered to work with him. We wanted Rick to have the opportunity that we give all of our athletes,” Carole said. But there was a catch: At that point, Rick was unemployed, so paying membership fees was out of the question. “We knew Rick had no source of income, so we had him sign a contract stating that he would do whatever we asked of him. He would follow our strict nutrition guidelines, he would show up to work out at least 3 times a week with no excuses. And then, of course, he would reap the benefits of an excellent nutrition and fitness program, free of charge.”
Rick was hesitant to get his hopes up again, but he knew he needed to give this a shot. “I told myself that if I could look this Jim guy in the face and shake his hand, then I would do anything to have a better life…I asked myself when I left that first meeting, ‘Dare I hope, is this the way? ‘Cause I do believe, I just don’t know how to do it.”
