Lauren Mallast

PROGRAM
2024 NEW YEAR TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE: 1ST PLACE WINNER

“This has the first official cut that I've done and actually completed, and I could not be happier with how it went. I have tracked my macros in the past but I’ve never given it the time needed. I was always second guessing what they should be and changing them way too often. I would then just give up. I started CrossFit again in December 2022, and while I was getting stronger I wasn’t seeing the composition changes I wanted, I knew I needed to get my diet figured out.

I had been wanting to work with Black Iron Nutrition for a bit and when I saw the New Year's Challenge I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to start and try it out. And I am SO HAPPY I did. I have never been this consistent with my nutrition before. Having Kelly during the whole process was a game-changer. I didn’t have to think about where I needed to be, I just trusted the process and slowly saw the changes. The difference between the progress pictures is insane to me. While I went into this hoping for some body comp changes, I honestly wasn’t expecting this in only 3 months.

I went into this wanting to prove to myself I could stick with something for 12 weeks, and I am so damn proud of myself honestly. For me to be disciplined enough to turn down extra pastries, candy, drinks with friends, etc is HUGE for me, I haven’t been in the right mindset or disciplined enough to really do that before. I still lived my life and enjoyed time with family and friends but was able to put my priorities and goals ahead of just wanting all the food and drinks. I know myself and can’t completely cut all sweets out but I was able to find different things to fit into my macros to satisfy my sweet tooth, and still live life. Kelly told me about Athletic Brewing as well, which was amazing for when I wanted to have something to drink. I've been learning how my body reacts/performs with different foods and how it recovers.

This really has been such a great learning experience. This challenge has been so much more than just a physical transformation challenge, my confidence in myself and my ability to be so disciplined and consistent has grown tremendously. My family and friends have been telling me how proud they are of me too. I am so excited to continue to work with Kelly and to learn how to properly reverse diet and get back up to maintenance. Even at the end of the cut I PR’d my clean and jerk; so I can’t wait to see how things continue to change with my strength, performance, and muscle growth as I start to add more food in.

I did another DEXA scan to see where I was at the end of the cut... I cut almost 10% body fat! I started at 28.5% and am now at 18.7%. I don’t think I have ever been under 20% in my entire life even doing two a days when I played volleyball in college lol. I can’t recommend you guys and Kelly enough. It really has been such an amazing process.”