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At Farmgirlfit, one of our favorite things is to see our members create goals and work hard to reach them.  We asked Melissa, a dedicated member, to share her journey at Farmgirlfit thus far.  From October 2011 to March 2012, Melissa lost 40 pounds by working out at Farmgirlfit and making significant nutritional changes.  Enter Melissa:

In the Spring of 2011, I had an annual physical during which the doctor told me that I needed to lose weight and get my triglycerides down because I was on track for having Diabetes.  That spring, I tried being serious about losing weight, but I just wasn’t focused.  I couldn’t find a place to work out that gave me the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that I longed for. I had done functional fitness at other gyms and tried to do these same workouts at big box gyms by myself, but it didn’t work.  I needed others around me to motivate and inspire me. So when Farmgirlfit opened, I knew I had to at least give it a try.  Needless to say, Farmgirlfit was my answer. I knew from the moment I walked in to Farmgirlfit on October 3rd, 2011 that it would be a component for my journey to a healthier Me.  Farmgirlfit brings together women who share the same passion about working hard to get results making it a safe place to be all you can be, challenge yourself, and be inspired by others.

Working out at Farmgirlfit between October and December of 2011, I saw many changes in myself and I was truly happy!  I loved getting to the gym 3 days a week.  Even with a full-time work schedule, a husband, and two active kids, I was starting to see results.  I was getting stronger and could feel more energy.  During that time I lost 14 pounds. On New Year’s Day, I made some simple resolutions that I was determined to accomplish:

1.)    Go “Primal” for 30 days. (Starting January 1st, 2012)

2.)    Train for and finish my first sprint triathlon in July.

3.)    Do a pull up, without the assistance of support bands, by October 1st, 2012.

With my husband Nate by my side, I began the year by eating Primal for 30 days.  This entailed eating like a hunter/gatherer, mainly meat and veggies with some berries.  From January 1st, 2012 to March 14th, 2012, I lost an additional 26 pounds.  Since October 3rd, 2011 I have lost a grand total of 40 pounds and am still losing weight.  I am not quite to my half way mark, but I feel amazing and, most importantly, for the first time in my life I KNOW I will get there.  Not because I have will power or because I am depriving myself of anything (because real food now tastes amazing!), but because I truly want to.  I want to be the best mom, wife, and the best ME I can be.  I want my kids to be proud and see their mom making good choices with food and exercise.  I want to play joyfully with my children, whether we are playing sports at the park, playing a simple game of tag, riding bikes, or enjoying winter fun up on the slopes.  I want to be present in all aspects of my life and not in a fog.

As my family proceeded with this lifestyle change, it was no longer just a 30 day challenge, we also switched our family to higher quality foods.  We have introduced farm fresh eggs and grass-fed beef into our daily meals.  My relationship with food has changed over the last several months.  I now eat foods that will make me perform better during everyday life and during The Grind at Farmgirlfit.  I finally see food as fuel, and it no longer consumes my every thought or determines what I do in my day.

Three months into 2012, my workouts at Farmgirlfit are still challenging as I try new things, get better at old things, and adjust the intensity of my workout to achieve daily success. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always make progress in the short-term.  Some days you just can’t win them all.  I have, however, made some great strides and continue achieving success overall, such as toward my 3rd New Year’s resolution.  When I started at Farmgirlfit I used a thick green support band to do pull-ups.  Now, I am down to using a single red band when I do Farmgirlfit’s pull up test.  I am 100% confident that I will achieve my goal of doing pull ups without any band by October.  I have also mastered stringing double‑unders together when jumping rope, and not hopping in between singles.  One of my prouder moments at Farmgirlfit took place recently when I shaved one minute off my previous mile time.  If you work out with me, you know that I would rather lift heavy weights than run any day of the week (my three rep max on deadlift is now 275 lbs, another personal record), but I continue to improve on many aspects of fitness at Farmgirlfit.  There, I use my previous scores on benchmark workouts along with the determination of other members as personal motivation.

During this journey, at every step of the way, I have learned that I am trying to be comfortable with myself in my own skin. I have figured out that it isn’t as much about the weight loss as it is about how I feel.  However, I won’t lie and say that I don’t love seeing the pounds drop, because I do!  I love knowing that soon I will be shopping for cuter and better fitting clothes.  I am less embarrassed to work out in a tank top and I am trying not to be too self-conscious when a photo of me in a tank top is posted on Facebook or a blog.  What I see may not be what others see.  My journey is teaching me to celebrate my successes as they happen instead of waiting for a magical number to appear on my scale. I no longer believe my journey will end when I hit my existing goal.  I will be excited to make new goals as I get stronger both physically and mentally.