Image
CrossFit workout, Paleo diet helped Carrollwood man get healthy
By TBO.COM | Staff Published: January 19, 2013
VICTOR AMUSO
AGE: 32
HEIGHT: 5-foot-10
STARTING WEIGHT: 297.5
CURRENT WEIGHT: 223
WHY I DID IT: I knew that if I continued down the path I was on, I might not be around for my wife and children for too much longer. My wife's father passed away when she was 12 due to poor eating habits, stress and obesity. I didn't want history to repeat itself. Additionally, I felt like garbage every day of my life. Aches and pains had become the norm. I had no energy, and I got sick looking at myself in family pictures. When my waistline blew up to a 46, it was somewhat difficult to find clothes.
HOW I DID IT: I had been doing CrossFit since July 2008, and had managed to yo-yo with my weight a few times. I went from 315 down to 255 or so, then back up to the 300s again, and down to the 270s. After moving from South Tampa to Carrollwood, I tried to continue doing CrossFit at my old gym, but the commute was just too much. So my wife and I decided we would join CrossFit Jaguar. On Jan. 15, 2011, my life was forever changed when I sat in a nutritional seminar at CrossFit Jaguar. Paula Jager taught about the Paleo/Primal diet. I was blown away and had quite a few "yeah, right" moments. It was so contrary to the stuff you learn about nutrition, both through reading and even from your doctor. For instance, "fat doesn't make you fat"; you can't eat grains; and as long as the source is good, bacon is actually good for you. But I figured that I had tried everything else, so why not? Following the Paleo lifestyle, I ate heartily, found a new passion for cooking and went from 297.5 to 232 by May 15. I also became addicted to CrossFit. I went from two to three days per week, to sometimes twice per day.
HURDLES: The first few weeks were hard. We would go to the grocery store and pass by the bakery, and my mouth would water sometimes. I would say this probably faded after about four weeks. The Paleo lifestyle is easy and enjoyable. CrossFit was hard when I first started, because I would often have to modify the workouts, and I came in "last" most of the time. I quickly saw improvements, though, and that also changed very quickly. I have to credit Paula with creating a framework that made this easier. She had an eight-week challenge that brought out my competitive spirit and kept me focused.
GOING THE DISTANCE: Two years later, I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm 32 years old, have a wife and three children, and run a small business that at times demands very long hours. In August 2011, just seven months into my journey, I tore my bicep warming up for a competition. This sidelined me until January 2012. None of this has been able to derail me. This is because Paleo is not a diet. It's just eating according to how we were created to eat. In the beginning we had to log what we ate, and I believe this is essential for anyone who has an unhealthy relationship with food. Today I don't measure or weigh anything. I eat when I'm hungry and don't when I'm not. I cheat occasionally and get the things I used to enjoy, but I find those things are less gratifying than they used to be.
Image
