To say Irene Kolivas is a whole new person is not an exaggeration.
Over the course of eight months, she lost 77 lb. And for the first three months, she wasn’t even working out—just eating Paleo.
“I lost 30 lb. in three months not even moving,” Kolivas says after a WOD at CrossFit 101 in San Jose, Calif.
She officially started CrossFit in September 2011.
“Huge, huge transformation,” she says. “It was nice to just be able to go somewhere and not think how uncomfortable I am in my own clothing that was really a big deal.”
Kolivas had tried Weight Watchers, joined 24 Hour Fitness, walked with friends, climbed hills .
“I tried everything, but nothing stuck because I just didn’t feel the motivation,” she says. “I didn’t want it bad enough.”
Now her goal is to lose another 50 lb.
Although Kolivas initially showed no interest in CrossFit when her boyfriend started, CrossFit 101 head trainer Trac Nguyen said he never doubted she would finish the on-ramp program once she signed up.
“I saw in her eyes that she was a very determined individual. She had all the courage, all the right mental strength,” he says. “It was just trying to catch up her body to her mental strength.”
14min 37sec
Additional reading: By the Numbers by Amy Santamaria and Tim Retzik, published Sept. 29, 2010.