CrossFit is definitely an intense exercise program presenting dynamic exercises like plyometric advances, and also Olympic lifts while using non-traditional weight training equipment such as kettlbells, sand-bags, suspension systems or perhaps water-filled implements. The program is organised in such a way which participants are questioned to do a particular quantity of repetitions in a workout within a specific time period; the greater innovative CrossFit participants may actually compete against each other to find out how fast they can total the daily exercise and post their own results around the CrossFit internet site.

1. In less than two years, Scott Stare learned about CrossFit through his personal trainer, Matt
Ilharreguy, became a CrossFit enthusiast, lost an astounding 158.5 pounds and recently had his
body fat hydrostatically measured at 12%. Scott is fit, healthy and quickly becoming a fierce
CrossFit competitor. Scott’s journey is far from over because he is “only getting started”. I was
encouraged to write this article by Matt and Vanessa, owners of Resolution CrossFit in Yorba
Linda. They are both proud of Scott and his accomplishments and hope that Scott’s story will
inspire other athletes the way Scott has inspired those of us who know him.
The winter months of 2009 were well under way and Christmas was quickly approaching when
Scott’s girlfriend, Eunice, was contemplating a Christmas gift for Scott. She hoped her decision
to buy him personal training would secure their relationship by setting their future on the right
course. Eunice loved Scott “just the way he was” but her parents and his parents wanted him to
be healthy before considering marriage. It’s not that the families cared about the visual image of
26-year-old Scott’s 333-pounds on a 5’9” frame, but they were understandably worried that
Eunice would be widowed at a young age and their potential children would be raised fatherless.
On Christmas Eve of 2009, Scott received Eunice’s Christmas gift and began a journey that has
people talking.
Whether you believe in
destiny or coincidence, being
in the right place at the right
time is what set Scott’s
journey into motion. Worried
that Scott might feel
uncomfortable in a large gym,
Eunice found a small
neighborhood gym that
offered packages for personal
training. She was waiting at
the front desk for someone to
talk while personal trainer,
Matt Ilharreguy, who worked
at the gym but was off that
day, was doing his own
workout. Matt noticed Eunice
waiting for help and realized that nobody else was around to help her so he took a short break,
approached Eunice, and ultimately sold her a one-month personal training certificate.
Scott began training with Matt immediately and enjoyed the personal instruction enough to
resign for a second month. It was during this second month of training that Matt told Scott that
he and his girlfriend, Vanessa Chanez, were opening Resolution CrossFit in Yorba Linda, a
specialty gym for CrossFit Workout of the Day enthusiasts. Matt explained that CrossFit was
not Boot Camp, not P90X and not Cross Training. Matt encouraged Scott to “try it out”. At the
new BOX, they could work on functional movements with the help of conventional equipment.
Unfortunately, Scott had already convinced himself that after two months of training he “knows
it all now and can do it on his own” and that he no longer needs a personal trainer or anyone else

2. for that matter. Scott declined Matt’s offer to follow him until Eunice persuaded Scott to
continue with the personal training by trying out a few classes at Resolution CrossFit. Scott
agreed to try it and has never looked back.
It was in the group classes that I first met Scott. Classes were small when RCF first opened,
making it easy to get to know each other on an intimate level. Scott was quiet and I could see he
had a lot of work to do go get in shape. While most of us ran 400 meters as a warm up, Scott
walked 200 meters. He struggled to do push-ups on his knees and it hurt to watch him do
jumping pull-ups but he was always 100% driven and always a hard worker. I was inspired way
back then. On one 400-meter run, I was passing Scott and sincerely said, “Way to keep pushing
Scott”. He said thanks and continued to push day after day. There was determination in his eyes
and I couldn’t wait to see what he could do. I was pulling for him and quietly hoping he
wouldn’t quit. It didn’t take long for me and everyone at RCF to understand that Scott was not a
quitter. What none of us knew at the time was that Scott would shrink drastically in physical
size while growing abudantly in his ability to inspire all of us, and those to come.
When I recently asked Scott what motivated him to stay and battle it out in the early days, he told
me, “Matt and Vanessa. As my trainers they encouraged me to push harder when I worked out.
They saw what I could be and encouraged me to see it too”. This wasn’t the first time I stared at
Scott with my mouth open and had nothing to say. That’s because Scott is on a mission and has
no doubt about where he’s going or where he came from. He’s quietly matter of fact and
confident in his quick and precise answers. When I asked if it bothered him if I asked him more
questions, he simple smiled and said, “No”. I knew he meant what he said and that quiet isn’t
the same as shy.
The rest of Scott’s story reads more like an interview. I wanted to know what inspired Scott to
get fit, how he changed his lifestyle and what he would say to inquiring minds about how he did
it. I couldn’t help but notice how many questions Scott was fielding on a regular basis from
other athletes, so with Matt and Vanessa’s encouragement and Scott’s willingness to open up, we
all hope that Scott’s story will inspire you too.
M: “How much did you weigh when you came to Resolution CrossFit”?
S: “333 pounds”.
M: “ How tall are you”?
S: “5’9”.
M: “In a few months, you’ll have hit your 2-year mark as a CrossFit convert. How much do you
currently weight”? (Scott recently participated in a hydrostatic body fat weigh in at RCF).
S: “174.5 pounds and I’m down to 14.4% body fat” (-158.5 pounds).
M: “What was on your mind when you chose CrossFit as your fitness routine”?

3. S: “I could visualize myself being who I wanted to be but I couldn’t do it on my own. I needed
encouragement and accountability. While Eunice encouraged me, she didn’t always hold me
accountable. (Now smiling) If I didn’t want to work out, Eunice wanted me to be happy and
would tell me not to go. At RCF, I felt like part of a family and stopped looking at working out
as a chore. I knew that if I didn’t show up or didn’t push hard, someone would ask me where I
was, ask me if I was okay and even track me down on Facebook”.
M: “Scott, if we can agree that your previous weight was in direct correlation with your previous
lifestyle, what is it that’s different about your new lifestyle in direct correlation to your new
weight?
S: “When I was heavy, my friends accepted me the way I was. While it felt good to know that,
looking back I feel like that enabled my unhealthy lifestyle. My CrossFit friends also accept me
the way I am but always encourage me to do better, accept but not enable. When it comes to
food, I wouldn’t say that I’ve transformed into a “Food Nazi” but use portion control as my
guide. I used to think that I was done eating when I was stuffed and that was the only way to eat.
Changing a lifetime of binge eating to portion controlled meals, was “hard as hell”, for the first
six months because I was constantly hungry. I still like to reward myself with dark chocolate
peanut M & M’s, in moderation”.
M: “What about body image? How did you see yourself then compared to now”?
“I didn’t like the way I looked and I didn’t like seeing the large numbers on my clothing tags. I
used to think, ‘Nice, I get to put these gigantic pants on again today’. The final straw came the
day they moved my office at work to an upstairs space. I climbed the small staircase to get to
my desk and when I got to the top I was out of breath. I discovered that I was now about to start
every workday out of breath at the top of the stairs. That realization forced me to start thinking
about other things that bothered me about my size like knowing my only option for clothes was
shopping at the Big and Tall stores. Sometimes I forget how much weight I’ve lost, until I walk
past a glass door or window and I’m thinking big but seeing small”.
M: “You look fantastic. Not only have you lost an incredible amount of weight and body fat,
you are fit and look happy. In what ways has getting healthy benefited you the most and what
lifestyle changes have you made”?
S: (smiling) “I get to wear popular brands of clothes that never fit me before, like Quicksilver
and Vans and I can shop at normal everyday stores. Big and Tall shops are now a thing of the
past. I have learned enjoy healthier foods that I used to try and avoid such as salads, veggies,
fish and Korean food. I made the choice to cut soda completely from my diet. As a result of the
changes I made I’m happier and I don’t have trouble climbing the stairs at work. Eunice has even
told me that her family is very impressed with both my health and my ability to preserver
through a very trying time. I feel good about myself and feel motivated to work out and eat
healthy every day.
M: “I know that people ask you how you did it and compliment you all the time. What do you
tell them?

4. S: “When people say, ‘Wow, you’ve lost so much weight!’ I feel happy but at the same time I
feel a little awkward, I don’t know how to handle it. I’m somewhat socially awkward and I am
not a huge fan of being the center of attention. I didn’t set out to do this for the praise; I just
wanted to be a better me. Don’t get me wrong, the compliments are nice and do make me feel
good.”
**I have had the pleasure of knowing Scott since he joined Resolution CrossFit. Although he
looks entirely different physically and is happier and more outgoing, he hasn’t changed at all
when it comes to being humble and kind.
M: “You are often told that you’re an inspiration and asked how you did it. Many people are
moved emotionally when they talk about you, myself included. What advice do you have for
those who have tried “everything” and are still searching for ways to get fit and healthy”?
S: “When people tell me that I am their inspiration I feel nervous and responsible for their
success. I feel like if they fail I will somehow be responsible. Maybe I didn’t inspire them
enough. I never set out to go this far, I just started on a journey and I’m enjoying the scenery
and benefits along the way. I guess I would say that everyone needs to begin their own journey,
for themselves, and nobody else. I began my journey to lose weight so I could marry Eunice but
that’s not what kept me going. I was lucky that I found CrossFit. It changed everything for me.
I found coaches who encouraged me every day but held me accountable too. I found other
athletes who cared that I showed up and were happy for me. If I ate poorly, my workouts
suffered. My journey became one where one hand fed the other. In order to have a good
workout, I had to eat responsibly. CrossFit led me to the right path and I like where it has taken
me. I think I’ll stay here”.
**Matt and Vanessa and all of us at Resolution CrossFit remind Scott that he made the choice to
change his lifestyle through his hard work and discipline; he is healthy and looks great!
M: “Any other words of wisdom”?
S: “Don’t get discouraged. There are days, even weeks when I don’t want to go in. Sometimes
I weigh in heavier than I want and I don’t want people to see it. But, those are the days when
you have to go in. When the WOD is difficult, when there’s something you can’t do, when it’s
tough, those are the most important times to show up. Transformations don’t happen overnight.
It never gets easy but it does get less difficult. I think about what Matt and Vanessa told me in
the early days, “I know it sucks but push through it”.
Scott is an example of how CrossFit, a good diet, and a lot of motivation can change a person’s
life. Rather than comparing and contrasting Scott’s level of fitness, we want to talk about what
he is doing today. Scott Rx’s almost every WOD, he is doing handstand push-ups, chest-to-bar
pull-ups, and ring dips, name it and Scott is doing it! His accomplishments have not come easy,
he comes to CrossFit five to six days a week, and he gives 100% effort everyday, he never
complains, we all get sore and have aches here and there, but with Scott you do not hear about it.