Bodies are weird. They’re weird AF. You can change your body fat, your muscle mass, your shape…all by altering a few things about your lifestyle. But then your body will decide to take on a life of it’s own, whether that’s through hormones or pregnancy or stress or menopause or age. For some, bodies change minimally throughout their life. For me, it’s changed a lot. And I’m at a point in my life where I’m able to look back and really marvel at each stage and understand the science experiment that I’ve been putting myself through for years now.
A handful of people have asked for before and after photos. But for me, I have beforeandafter beforeandafter beforeandafter photos that range all throughout my life. That starts before puberty then to starving and binging in my teen years to overeating sh*t food in college then to dabbling in exercise and being afraid of the gym then onto my CrossFit years that have yo-yo’d but never ended. So let’s take a glance down physical memory lane because I think it’s interesting as f*ck and honestly motivating for me to continue on my path and see what will happen in the future.
This photo above spans over 7 years, starting in 2009 on the left, 2010, 2012 then 3 weeks ago in 2016 on the right. My body weight has ranged from 150 pounds then to 125 pounds then up to 160 pounds and now I’m probably around 130 pounds (I only weigh myself once a year at the doctor to make sure I don’t mind f*ck myself).
The photo on the left is definitely at my unhealthiest. I was in college at the time, eating and drinking anything that was handed to me, not caring or knowing what “healthy” meant. Even though I was in Health and Exercise Science in school and knew a general amount of what was good for me, I was still in the high school mindset believing I could eat whatever I wanted and just burn the calories off to stay “skinny”. So at this point I was spending HOURS in the gym on the stairmaster, running for hours on the treadmill and doing some light lifting (but feeling very intimidated by the men in the weight room). I ran my first (and only) half marathon that year and I think that’s what got me started with understanding that dedication leads to something. I started off hardly able to run a mile and slowly increased my distance every day, ran through the winter months, until I was ready for a half marathon. And ended up finishing in under 2 hours, which I was super happy about.
Shortly after running that half marathon, I began to challenge myself to lift more and long story short, found out about CrossFit. I couldn’t do any of the movements because I wasn’t strong enough so I would look at CrossFit workouts on crossfit.com and modify them however I could. Push ups on my knees, pull ups and dips on the assisted machine, kettlebell swings with a dumbbell. Before I knew it, I was seeing strides in my own fitness with being able to do those movements unassisted. At that point, I decided to make the jump to a real CrossFit gym, doing my first competition 3 months later. When I was seeing all these improvements, I wanted more and had to face the facts that my diet was sh*t. Since CrossFit recommended paleo and/or Zone, I decided to try out Zone first then slowly worked my way into paleo. In the second photo, I was eating almost strict paleo (Monday – Friday) but still had some gluten free oats and peanut butter, but absolutely no gluten. When I dropped eating bread and pasta and anything gluten related, not only did I drop weight pretty quickly, but all the stomach issues I had growing up INSTANTLY went away. But even though I had changed my diet so drastically, I still ate sh*tty food on the weekends as my “cheat” days. I would eat nasty ass food like Oreos and pizza and chips and queso. And I would ruin all the strides I had made in the week and was back to feeling sick and awful by Monday. It was a really bad relationship with food at that point, which is why I never use the word cheat anymore when it comes to anything I eat. I was at my thinnest I had ever been but I wanted WAY more muscle and wanted a better relationship with food.
Once I started competing in CrossFit, I was hooked. I loved the nerves, loved the calm feeling before the 3,2,1GO, loved the cheering and camaraderie and the support for women lifting. I had finally found fitness that made sense to me. I didn’t want to run endless hours or count calories to make sure I burned them all off on a bike. I finally found a gym with no mirrors, no judgement, and no bullsh*t. CrossFit was the first place that empowered women because of what they were accomplishing in the gym and I had never felt that before. And I wanted to be part of that. So I started working out every day, rarely taking rest days and constantly increasing my weight load day to day. Every single day in the gym was me giving every single ounce of effort I had all in hopes of making it to CrossFit Games. And the more I worked out, the more results on saw; placing higher and higher at competitions. The third photo, in my white PaleOMG shirt, was actually taken at a competition that I won. I was so excited about my accomplishments, but I was absolutely 100% unhappy in my skin. I continued to gain weight, some muscle and some fat, and my hormonal acne because of lifting was out of f*cking control. I was so unhappy and really stuck with what to do: continue to compete and be unhappy, or end competing and see what happens. So I took the latter and started lifting lighter, taking more rest days, eating more of what I wanted (except for gluten) and being less stressed out.
What’s interesting about these photos is the second, third and fourth photo are all while eating paleo and all while doing CrossFit. The only thing that was different was my priorities and goals. I wanted to lift weights, I did it. I wanted to get better at CrossFit, I did it. I wanted to lose weight and be more comfortable in my skin, I did it. None of these stages came easy. They took blood, sweat and tears and seriously years to reach. It wasn’t a day change, it wasn’t a 30 day cleanse; it was figuring out what I wanted, learning what worked for my body, and constantly experimenting. And I’ll still be doing that for many years to come as my body changes and my priorities change. My point is, remember the big picture. Health and fitness is about the journey. It’s not about the perfect butt or perfect abs or perfect arms. It’s about always striving to be the best YOU. And what’s so awesome about it is that you can strive forever, until the day you die, to be a better version of yourself. Both mentally and physically. So stop obsessing over the little details and just start trying to be better and better, no matter what that better version is.
“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.”
Sunday – Rest day
Monday –
18 mins to get 5 Rounds Of:
9 L- Pull Ups
9 Strict HSPU
14 KB Walking Lunges (2 x 70/2 x 45). Heavier than usual!!!
I got 4+3 using 45# kettlebells
Then 9 min Ladder Of: (3-6-9-12-15…)
Front Squats (185/125)
Burpees
I got 18+1 using 85#
Tuesday –
Every 30 sec for 10 mins: 1 x Snatch @ 70%. All reps must have a 3 sec pause at knee. (5-10# more than last time) – I used 90#
Then 16 min AMRAP Of:
500m Row
100 Double Unders
400m Run
I got 2 rounds + 225 meters into my third run
Wednesday –
Back Squats: 4 x 7. All sets at 74% (15 mins) – I used 125#
Then 12 min AMRAP Of:
9 Deadlift (225/155)
12 C2B Pull Ups
15 HRPU
I got 4+20 using 125#
Thursday – Rest day
Friday –
Deadlift: 4 x 7. All sets at 74%. Reset at bottom of all reps! (14 mins) – I used 165#
After each Set: 40 sec Top Of Dip Hold On Rings (in hollow)
Then 4min AMRAP Of:
5 Power Clean (225/155) and 15 Wall Ball
– 2min REST THEN –
4min AMRAP Of:
7 Power Clean (185/125) and 15 Wall Ball
– 2min REST THEN –
4min AMRAP Of:
9 Power Clean (155/105) and 15 Wall Ball
I got 3+6 (105#); 2+12 (95#); 2+9 (85#)
Saturday –
With a partner complete: (one person working at a time)
100 calorie row
100 lateral burpees over the bar
100 thruster (135/95)
100 toes to bar
100 lateral burpees over the bar
100 calorie row
We finished in 35:45 using 55#
___________________
At Home or Hotel Gym Workout:
5 rounds for time:
20 jumping lunges
15 pike push ups
10 v-ups
3 minutes rest
5 rounds for time:
20 tuck jumps
15 hand release push ups
10 leg lifts
The Perfect On Sale Gym Outfit:
Nike Bralette (2 colors – 20% off)
Nike Tank Top (4 colors – 30% off)
Zella Front Zip Jacket (33% off)
Onzie Black Leggings (5% off)
Nike 5.0 Free Running Shoes (6 colors – 50% off)
Juli, you look amazing. Great to hear you have found balance and I’ve also found this is the best way to get results. Rest, recovery and nutrition are so important.
About pregnancy – we welcomed our first baby late last year. Fortunately I was healthy enough to continue working out throughout my pregnancy and was in the gym lifting weights the morning of the day I went into labor. I went full term and had a natural birth without the need for pain medication. Was back at it within 4 weeks of giving birth and achieved my pre-pregnancy body, fitness and strength within 4 months. Our baby is 6 1/2 months old now and I’m the fittest and strongest I’ve ever been. Sound good?? The reality is it took a lot of work and educating myself. Like you have experienced with your body, NOTHING comes without hard work and effort. I went off the contraceptive pill a few years before getting pregnant and worked on balancing my hormones and improving my gut health through nutrition so that I could give myself the best chance of a healthy pregnancy. I continued to train 6 days per week during my pregnancy (which wasn’t easy) and got help from personal trainers on modifying my workouts throughout pregnancy to ensure the exercises I was doing were safe, and also worked on exercises to help with pregnancy such as balance (one-legged deadlifts, etc). I continued to eat a nutritious diet. Pregnancy is not an excuse to eat crap food and I think it’s more important than ever to be conscious of nutrition and giving your body and baby what it needs to thrive. I had a real fear of childbirth so read books on natural birthing and practiced yoga and meditation consistently. I also educated myself on what to expect at the hospital so there were no surprises. I loved being pregnant and felt a great sense of achievement after giving birth to our healthy little boy, but that’s not to say it was easy! Yes, your body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy, more than I expected, but embrace it. I’m looking forward to having baby number 2 one day.
Come on, let’s be honest – You are hot in all four photos 🙂 Is that degrading?
thanks, brian! you’re a kind soul
Hi Julie,
This hits home. I am going exactly what you had went through. I love lifting heavy but I feel it’s making me bigger and I don’t like what my body has become. The acne is driving me crazy and I feel I may have to come to the same decisions as you did. I want to be happier under my skin.
What 30 day cleanse did you do, if I can ask. I may need to do a cleanse to find my way through eating.
Thank you for Sharing!!!
Hi Juli,
Thanks for sharing your story! I do crossfit a few days a week and really love it. One thing I continue to struggle with is pre/post workout food. I work out at night and find myself snacking a little too much to get energy when I get home from work/before working out. Can you share any go-to snacks/meals that you have when you do your daily workouts? Thanks 🙂
i’m not huge when it comes to snacking pre and post workout. i just have whatever is around me like a larabar or a protein shake i made or a yogurt and then i usually just eat a meal after i workout so i don’t need a snack. that’s just what works for me!
Hi Julie,
I noticed that you don’t wear a bellybutton ring anymore. Did you decide to do this for health reasons? If so, did you notice a difference in your body after taking it out?
Thanks for the great post – you are so inspirational!!
Jenica
no, not for health reasons. honestly, it kept falling out during CrossFit workouts or competitions and I would lose it, so I just stopped buying new ones and stopped wearing it in the end! not really a fan of the look anymore anyways haha!
Thank you so much for posting this! Its such a relief when others post about their struggles and how they have overcome them. When you feel like you are alone in the way that you feel, you can start to feel bogged down by all of the research and LOSE WEIGHT NOW campaigns. Its hard to take pride in your body and be proud of the things that it does for you when you hate it. Reading these posts make me feel that we are not alone and to push through it. There really is a light at the end and we just need to figure out how to get to it!
Hi Juli,
I love everything you share. I pretty much self-recovered from extreme orthorexia that developed about a year ago, and finding the paleo diet and your feed months ago has really changed my life for the better. Now I am trying to undo the years of chronic long-distance cardio through heavy lifting and CrossFit. Out of curiosity, do you tend to keep carbs lower on rest days? Or are your workout and rest days not very different from each other?
Thanks so much!
not at all. i did that when i first started but found myself obsessing about it. i just pretty much eat the same on rest days now. to me, your body is still burning almost the same as it did after your workout (if you’re lifting on a regular basis) so it still needs the same fuel. but that’s totally my non-doctor belief haha! take it or leave it
I’m a new reader and by new I mean I’m scarfing down boring salad during lunch break and found you. I also live in Denver and do Crossfit. I have a love/lust relationship with crossfit and trying to figure out the balance. Im struggling with wanting to do muscle ups, HSPU’s, and double unders to be the very best crossfitter (is that even a word?) and finding similarities with picture 3 but wishing I was more of pic 4. I was wondering about the gluten statements and how much difference it made for you? Looking forward to trying some of these recipes!
i’m not sure exactly what you mean by the gluten statement so i’ll just say what I do: i eat some gluten free things like bread a couple times a week and a gluten free treat once in a while, i don’t really ever eat gluten on purpose (except for a piece of wedding cake once in a while) because i don’t think it’s needed in a diet whatsoever. when i went gluten free, i lost about 30 pounds pretty quickly. it was amazing to see that and proof that it wasn’t needed in my own personal diet. not sure if that helps so feel free to add any other questions below!!
I was just curious if it made you feel different health wise? The reviews, research, blogs, articles, opinions are so mixed it’s hard to know. I will say breaking up with cheese and beer and beer cheese is sad ☹️
it made me feel 100% different after cutting out gluten. it was like night and day, honestly. as soon as i cut it out, i had more energy, slept better, etc. it was the best thing i ever did for my body.
Just wanted to say that your blog above really hit home with me. I’ve never been a fitness nut–in fact, I rarely worked out until I was in my mid 30s. I’m now 41 and I’ve still on my fitness journey. As women, we are VERY hard on ourselves and what we look like. And we judge other women too (I do it too). We have to stop doing that and just focus on being “healthy” and loving our bodies. Your posts always remind me of that, and I love it! Thank you for being YOU!
I like the honesty about how much our bodies change over time, and I was curious about if you experience any hormonal problems when getting really lean. I am trying to recover from reaching a very low body fat % ( down to 5%) and haven’t had a cycle in a year and a half. I have been able to gain some weight as lean muscle and body fat but still no cycle. I want to stay lean and feel comfortable in my body and keep up my athletic abilities (I am a runner and lift heavy a few times per week) I am worried about gaining more weight in order to get my cycle back. I am 35 and have two healthy kiddos. I feel strong but would like to be just a bit smaller than I am right now because my fastest running times were when I was at my lowest weight earlier this year. But I know it isn’t healthy to be at such a low body fat %. Right now I’m 5’7″ and 130 lbs and have gotten up to 10% body fat. You are super lean in some of those photos and I am wondering what your body fat % is at those times and if it’s unreasonable for me to want to stay lean. Thank you !!
i honestly have no idea. i don’t know what % i am now or was back in the day. i’ve never had that checked. i would talk to a doctor about that!