Finding a welcoming fitness community - Laurie’s Story
Content warning:
The following is an interview with one of our campers who shares her journey with her body at different sizes. She discusses her experience with weight stigma, changes in her weight, and weight loss surgery. We appreciate that this content may be upsetting for some readers.
Our goal at CrushCamp is to provide a safe space for all to invest in their health and wellness goals. We are committed to educating on the benefits of exercise beyond just weight loss to help shift fitness messaging away from conventional diet culture narratives. If you are currently struggling with negative self image, disordered eating or disordered exercising, please consult your family physician for help. There are resources available to support you.
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Introduce yourself: Tell us a bit about yourself and when you started coming to CrushCamp?
My name is Laurie Gaal, I've been coming into CrushCamp for about two months now. I’m born and raised in Calgary. I love local live music, shows, events, and absorbing our culture and community as best as I can.
Could you tell us a little bit about your fitness journey and why you started coming to CrushCamp?
My fitness journey is a long one. I’ve been overweight since I was probably about three or four. So my whole life I’ve been overweight. I tried every diet, and my parents sent me to “fat camp”, which I loved. The environment was so supportive, but recreating that back home wasn’t possible. I realized that I actually liked working out for the first time. [As I entered] adulthood [I experienced] a lot of depression and mental health concerns; I have things such as PCOS and lymphedema in my legs. [It felt like] things [were working] against me and I’ll be honest, I made excuses too. It came to a point where walking down a block my legs would be on fire. I lost an aunt who also was obese, she died in her early 50s and that was my wake up call. [I realized] I [was following] the same path as her, so in that moment I [decided] to get weight loss surgery.
I had the surgery in 2019. My doctor was really supportive, and we [discussed everything] to make sure it was the right thing for me. I lost 100 pounds right away, it was super quick and then I stopped. I was sitting here going, “well, I got the surgery… what now?” Surgery is just a tool - it’s not a solution, it’s not going to fix everything. Just like any weight loss or fitness goal it takes work and effort.
I started focusing on healthy eating and exercise; walking, and running; but strength was not much of my workout at that point. Eventually I did end up losing 200 pounds total. I sustained that for about a year and then I started gaining [when we entered the pandemic]. I was in my head struggling with depression. I’m a huge extrovert. To all of a sudden be around no one, I was struggling working from home. From that I gained around 40-50 pounds back and it was embarrassing for me because I was so open about my surgery and my weight loss, and all of a sudden I was bigger again. So I told myself “okay I need to start getting this back under control”.
Coming to CrushCamp I was looking for something that was inclusive and welcoming and accepting of me for who I was with all of my history and coming in fresh and CrushCamp met that need. It had a little bit of everything. Everything I saw made me know that it was an inclusive place where I would feel welcomed regardless of if I was starting out from scratch.
What has been your experience so far since joining CrushCamp? what have you loved about being here?
My experience at CrushCamp has been really supportive and welcoming. I think everyone coming back to the gym or any type of fitness environment after an extended period of time off, there’s a lot of fear and there’s a lot of questions of: “Will they accept me? Will I be welcome here? What are the people like? Will they stare at me or my body? I received none of that. The first day they were so welcoming, they showed me the facility, they made me feel like I was already a part of the Wolfpack and so for me, coming here everyday it’s that opportunity to see friendly faces. I love that when I come to class, it’s always me as the person I am challenging. It’s my personal best, but also realizing that around me other people are also reaching their personal best. There’s that collective excitement where it doesn’t matter where you’re at currently, it’s all about where you’re going and what you can do and that just vibrates through every class.
What changes have you noticed in yourself since coming to CrushCamp?
Since I started coming to CrushCamp, I think my outlook on a lot of things has really changed. So has my relationship with my body. It’s less about “I’m losing weight” it’s more about “I’m getting stronger”. I can flex and feel my muscles in my arms and my legs and my core. That’s cool, I’ve never experienced that before! I have lost 15 pounds, it’s not all about the weight loss, but it is positive to see me losing that regain. I feel better in my clothes. I went camping a couple weeks ago with friends and someone I hadn’t seen in a few months since I started coming to CrushCamp said wow “you look amazing” and I was like “what I haven’t done too much” and then I reflected, I’ve done 30 classes, “Yeah I have done a lot.” I have been positive - I want to workout everyday, I have never experienced that in my life where I want to come for my fitness and for myself; having that space for myself is really important.
What goals are you working on right now?
I’m working on pushing myself to be kinder to myself. Some understanding that I’m human. If I have pizza with my partner, that’s life, that’s good, that’s celebration. I’m not punishing myself for my decisions because I’m more than that. I’m a full person and I have to [honour] all of my needs. I’m focusing on how do I make my body feel good and less about weight loss. More about how can I get stronger, feel better, fitter, and focusing on the mental health side of it. I think a lot of people forget about [the mental aspect] with their fitness journeys.
What would you say to someone who is nervous to try CrushCamp?
To just try it ! Do the two week trial and really do it. The first day I came to class and I was like “oh my gosh my body is sore it’s out of touch”, but within the week, I was already feeling so much better - so keep going. Know that if you’re out of fitness for awhile, no one is judging you. I’ve come to the realization that: if someone has an issue with my body, or what I’m wearing, or what I look like, that is a “them issue” not a “me issue”. So I’m here for myself.
Ask yourself what you are here for? Whether it’s yourself, your family, your kids, or just for overall feeling better. Make sure that it’s your priority and just try it. See what you’re able to do — you never know until you try.
Are you ready to give CrushCamp a try? Click here to learn about our 2-week trial
“Since I started coming to CrushCamp, I think my outlook on a lot of things has really changed. So has my relationship with my body. It’s less about “I’m losing weight” it’s more about “I’m getting stronger.”