Thumbing thru magazines, we’ve all seen those weight loss ads featuring before and after pictures. Most of us do little about it. But for Williamsport’s Rachel Black in 2013, she took it upon herself to shed the excess weight by lifting weights instead.
“Ever since I was younger, weight had been a problem for me, and I decided to do something about it,” Black explained. “First, I was doing a lot of cardio, and I found that boring. A friend introduced me to weights, and I fell in love with it. Once I began lifting, my self-esteem greatly improved, and I felt better about myself. Not only was I losing the weight, but I began to feel much stronger mentally.
“When I began weightlifting, I was able to lose 95 pounds. Three years ago, my son Xander was born, and I began to put the weight back on.”
Undeterred, Rachel returned to her weight training and at one point held junior world records in her federation for deadlift, squat and total weight.
“Those records meant that all my hard work, and despite what I looked like, I was still able to be an athlete. It was an intrinsic motivation that I was able to do something that I never thought I would have been able to do. From the time I was little, I had always been overweight, so being able to move my body and see all my work producing greater achievements felt really, really good.
“Perhaps the biggest obstacle I’ve had along the way has been finding the time to train consistently. I also had a lot of insecurity about what my body looked like back then. I was worried about people judging me about the way I looked. But, the community embraced me even though my body was bigger. They helped me out, supported me, and pushed me, and they didn’t care what my body looked like. That provided a tremendous boost to my mental outlook.
“Right now, I don’t follow any specific diet. I’ve read a lot about intuitive eating, so I am not constantly worried about what is going in my body. I want to be conscious about what I eat but don’t want it to control me. I’ve learned to eat lean protein, good carbs, and vegetables, and if I want a piece of pizza, I let myself do that. That approach is working for me as I have lost 75 pounds in the last year.”
When the pandemic hit, Rachel had no place to train until TLC owner Steve Kurtz reached out to her.
“That changed my life. I had met Steve several years ago at various competitions. He suggested I come in. I wanted to do these things, but at first, I felt guilty because of my child. I had no one to watch Xander and Steve said, bring him along. Once I started getting him in here, it’s been much easier. There are things here he likes to do, and he gets activity just like I do. It has really been like a bonding thing for both of us. After we get up in the morning, we come to the gym, bringing along all the things he needs to keep him busy. Once here, I’ll lift for an hour or two, get him ready and then go to work.
“That was eye-opening to me that it is just not about paying membership and having a place to lift. This place has been like a community to me. The people here are so encouraging, and every day I look forward to coming in. It really is like a family.
“There have been days when I didn’t want to go to the gym. With a toddler boy, it is hard. A lot of parents find it difficult to do the things they love to do, so I constantly remind myself of what are my goals and what my responsibilities are. So on those days when I don’t want to do it, and the weights look heavy, I just have to push through it. I want people to see that it is possible no matter what kind of background they come from. My dedication is driven by those thoughts.”
Black has just hired a coach in preparation for the national strongman competition this June 25 in Manchester, New Hampshire, and has begun a seven-day-a-week regimen working towards her next goal.
“The weight was my own mental block. People weren’t coming up to me saying; you weigh 300 pounds, get out of here. When you are trying to better yourself, people encourage that. It sounds corny, but you should want to be the best possible version of yourself that you can be.
“Looking back to the people I knew when I was heavier, they don’t treat me any different now. They are proud of me and supportive. If they are your true friends, they will stick by you, at least they have for me. I’ve always told people if there is something someone wants to do, just start. Just go try it because you don’t know if you’ll love it or not. Don’t ever worry about what anyone else is thinking; just go do it.
