Show Your Body Who’s Boss
THAT IS WHAT CRIS WILLIAMS DID WHEN SHE DROPPED NEARLY 80 POUNDS AND GAINED THE CONFIDENCE TO GO AFTER EXCITING NEW EXPERIENCES
Taking charge and making change
When Cris Williams was 19 years old, she weighed more than 200 pounds. For almost 20 more years, her confidence was low and she found that her weight held her back from living life to the fullest. It was time for a change.
Cris decided to reduce her calories and reverse her eating habits by eating her biggest meal of the day when she woke up. She also started doing cardio every day. She was too intimidated to go to a gym, so she walked and cycled instead.
Keeping her eye on the prize
After a year, Cris had nearly halved her weight. People whom she hadn’t seen in six months didn’t even recognize her. Cris had slimmed down to 112 pounds, but her journey was just beginning. Learning to keep the weight off was a whole new challenge. Cris found that strength training helped her keep the weight off. “It also gave me the confidence to look at other options in life,” she recalls. “I changed jobs, entered running and walking events, and started doing fitness competitions. The confidence I gained really opened up new doors in my life.”
Participating in competitions and events kept Cris motivated. She did a half-marathon, duathlons, and women’s physique competitions. She also loved more unorthodox events, like polar bear dips or climbing the CN Tower. “I’ll do anything that keeps my fitness journey interesting,” Cris admits. “I love to share the experience with existing friends and make new ones along the way.”
CRIS AT A GLANCE
FAV HEALTHY SNACK
Greek yogurt with jam and nuts
GO-TO CARDIO
“Anything I enjoy doing!”
FITNESS IDOLS
Mindi O’Brien and Nicole Wilkins
PERSONAL MANTRA
Suck it up, buttercup!
Staying strong through the setbacks
Occasionally, Cris’s weight crept up higher than she liked, but she was always able to find something to motivate herself. “I never want to go back to missing out on experiences because I feel I’m too heavy to try them, or too worried about what other people will think,” she says. Cris found that diet and exercise were equally important to her transformation. She maintains that you can successfully lose weight if you’re exercising like crazy but not eating well.
By that same token, you won’t be able to build a strong, healthy body without moving your machine. She advises others to be patient because there is no quick fix when it comes to fitness. “Eat and exercise to make yourself healthy, and looking great will be a by-product,” she recommends. “If you’re going to obsess about the number on the scale, then you’ll just get frustrated and might even give up. The only scale you should have in your house is a food scale.”
Photos By CHRIS V. LINTON Follow (@CHRISVLINTON)
