Questions

Generally things are going well. I'm having fewer mood swings and didn't dream of food last night. Yes, these are victories in my book.

From the link "17 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight", I am guilty of #2,3,4,5,7,11,15,16. Hmmm... as for right now, I think the biggest ones are Not giving it enough time and that my body is at a Homeostasis/Weight Plateau. My body likes to stay around 140 pounds. Any time I have really double-clutched to lose the weight, it's been an uphill battle and it came back. Any time I have gained weight, eventually my numbers found their way back down to around 140.

Well, Body, times are a-changing. You aren't in control any more; I am. I have learned that my body is so used to an abundance of food, fattening food especially, that it continues to store it as it would in primal preparation for famine and procreation: on the stomach, hips, tush... It's called the "body-fat set point". Our excess has created a higher percentage as the norm. Since I have no famine and no babies, I need to trick my body into thinking it must use those stores now. It's a mind game, and I'm gonna win!

The more I look into this Paleo eating, the more interesting and confusing it is! I'm not sure if anyone can even answer, but here are some of my confusions:

1) the Zone books tell me that for optimal burning the protein:carb ratio is 77:99 grams a day, but then I was reading a couple of articles that said to get better results mandates an even more restrictive 50-80 grams of carbs a day. So if we can use ketosis (normal-eaters, this means that basically your body runs out of food to use up so it goes for the stores. since eating away muscle is a last resort for our bodies, it goes for the gut) so effectively, then why does the Zone preach balance over deficit? Which is better?

2)Is "Primal" different from "Paleo"? Some articles, recipes, suggestions (Mark's Daily Apple, for example) refers to nut butters and cheeses... aren't those forbidden?

3) Can I get a final ruling on saturated fat? Focused avoidance or casual reduction?

4) Is eating too much fruit really cheating in disguise? Will it curb my body-changes?

5) Is honey allowed as a natural sweetener or will it just perpetuate the sugar withdrawals?

6) Does my fish oil intake count against my daily grams of fat?

7) Is whey protein allowed on Paleo? I know a lot of people are big fans of it, but the books say that dairy is an inefficient source of protein.

Most of the people who read this (family and friends) are normal-eaters. I realize you can't answer most of my questions, but these are good questions for us all. Fellow CFers, anybody have some insights??

Out of hibernation...

It's been a full week since my last post. I didn't mean to slack off on the documentation; life just gets in the way. I had to start making priorities and between keeping up a daily post or actually taking the time to keep eating well and keep my job, I went with the latter. Thanks for understanding!

This week has been OK I guess. The time crunch has been keeping me with pretty boring basics on this lifestyle change. I have a list (seriously a full page) of recipes I can't wait to try, but the time just hasn't been there yet. I'm hoping after Monday I can start delving into that a little bit more. I am going to jump out the window if I make myself eat another package of "Spring Mix" and rolled-up deli meat. Ugh. Can't wait to do some cooking. I've always been intimidated by spices, but this little challenge offers the perfect opportunity to spice up my cooking, literally. I am a baker by nature, so I need this substitution to keep me from making cupcakes...

Today I attended a RxStar workshop at the box. This is a group of women who are getting together to perfect their crossfit skills. It was awesome. I didn't know anyone in the morning session, but everyone was so friendly and supportive. This community really comes together and accepts anybody. What I really want to talk about are the women who ran this thing. WOW. They were gorgeous people. Inside, outside, everything. Their kindness, patience and encouragement were so heartening when your skin feels like it's tearing and your muscles start to ache. I was so inspired by them: they are so strong, beautifully strong. Long, lean, beautiful musculature and they are in complete control over every movement.

It was really an incredible experience to be around women of that physical caliber. Ladies of OCCF, please don't be offended: you are constant sources of inspiration and, often, jealousy, but I had never met a woman who could hold casual conversation while doing a muscle up. Good gracious. Olga said it, so I'm quoting it: "It's time for the girls [of OCCF] to step it up". Bring on the blisters and the IcyHot because now I want to be like them.

The sign of a CrossFit Girl: nice body, nasty hands. I'm gonna go clean my wounds again and slice up an apple. Paleo Di, out.

Yep, I'm Average

We dunked on Thursday to find our exact percentage of body fat. Everyone I've told that doesn't do Crossfit says something along the lines of "oh, I wouldn't want to know". Why not!? It's so cool. You are submerged in a bathtub on a scale like in the produce section of the grocery store. See? Cool!

I am at 22.5% body fat. For my age, that is smack-dab in the middle of average. The print out even told me that for a medium build that 22% is "ideal". Well.... it's not ideal for me :) Most of the women in the box are in the teens; that would be an exciting goal! I realize that all of my fitness goals won't be met in the next 6 weeks, but hopefully this cave-woman trek will be the jump start to better choices and increased efforts.

Since the dunk is done, it's officially the beginning of the challenge. We took "before" pictures in generic workout garb, but it was suggested that we take a before in a bathing suit. Hmm. I mean I guess it makes sense. I, like most women, buy clothes that already flatter my body so any losses would seem less because the clothes already fit well. As we all know, there's little room to hide in a bathing suit. I think if I do take one, I'll keep it in my possession :)

As for the food side, I have realized that I'm not hungry as often as I think I am--which is good-- but I crave eating often. Just sitting around, grading papers, etc. I want to be munching on something. Maybe after work slows down a little bit I won't be so wound up and wanting to munch?

Know Thyself... guess I didn't!

I figured out that I ate junk food to relieve stress sometime in college. It did not occur to me that the inverse would be true: that not eating junk food would exacerbate stress. Goodness! I'm not sure how well I am handling everything, to be honest. Trying desperately to find a balance between my work, my family/social life and my health, it seems to always be at a deficit somewhere. Funny... the order I listed them in is usually where the priority is.

Lately I've really been focusing on getting to the box more often, watching my food (obviously if you're reading this) and enjoying my social life. It's been wonderful. I am happy, sleep well, look forward to my days and enjoy the challenges I face in those areas. In response to the up-side, my work has imploded. Nothing is running smoothly, and it's such a snowball effect. I feel inundated which is compounded by the fact that I am not able to eat cookie dough to calm myself. *Sigh*

I'm pitiful; I know. Well, now I know. I will be strong; eventually my withdrawals will temper. Tomorrow we are dunking for percentages, so the actual challenge starts then. Since I haven't been completely strict, we'll call this first week a warm-up? :)

Oh, Crossfit, you are fabulous. Last night we were doing deadlifts (for non-CFers, we pick it up then put it down and that's all), and I'm always afraid of my back. The chiropractor I went to over summer is not a proponent of weight-lifting at all for me. He's convinced that Crossfit will ruin my back by lifting incorrectly (bad form would ruin any person's back). So while everyone was putting the weights on the bar, I asked Ben to literally stand next to me and to tell me to drop it immediately if at any point my form started to suffer. With new confidence and strength from the last few months and the reassurance of someone looking out for me, I lifted over 200 lbs! Very exciting. My final CFT is 415. I was shooting for over anything in the 300's!

Well, today was my "rest day", so naturally I'm going to stay up inordinately late to get some work done instead of rest. I know that's a huge thing on which I need to work: getting enough sleep. Goodnight, to anyone who actually reads this.

Today-- a New Day

So despite a stuffy nose, today is so much better... (here are the specifics, Jon) Around 7 I had two eggs, a small salad, a handful of walnuts and added a whole grain tortilla for breakfast. I know the tortilla is bad, but I think cold turkey might be making me crazy(-er). 10:30ish I had two slices of roasted turkey and half an apple. Near 1:30 I had a big salad, half an avocado, half a rotisserie chicken breast, and frozen cherries. On my way home sometime near 5, I munched on walnuts.

I think the weakest part of my day is post-lunch/pre-dinner. I found ways to eat mid-day at school, but it's tough after lunch. I wonder if there's something I can drink that would have the right stuff for around 3:30-4:00 in the afternoon to get me to dinner.

So much better today, but I have to admit my recovery from yesterday is horrible! I'm sore and exhausted... and leaving in 10 minutes to go deadlift!! Oy.

A Case of the Mondays

So my "blah" status is still going strong, and today in the box I was push pressing less than I was a month ago. Frustrating! But my fabulous friends gave me support and love, asking what I've been eating and how often and encouraging me to stick with it. A special thanks goes out to Jon, Punky and Larry (aka Schinn) for listening to my madness.

We're dunking on Thursday, so that'll be interesting. According to The Paleo Diet's calculations I am around 24% body fat (the higher brink between "normal" and "overweight"). I'm curious to see the discrepancy, if any.

Today and tomorrow we're doing the CFT (Crossfit Total) which is the sum of your maximum deadlift, over-head press and back squat. I want to do it again at the end of this to see the progress. Right now recovery is slow and painful; however, as many sources have told me this will change soon. I can't wait!! Seriously, can't....

Dramatic Effects

So it turns out that if you detox your body from junk (no matter how short a time) and then you reintroduce a little, your body hates it! I had a few drinks last night--the book said I could, I swear-- and today it feels like I had 20. Some friends picked up pizza, against my better judgement, I picked up a piece and almost threw up after two bites!

Note to self, this Paleo thing is going to have huge effects! My body was already growing intolerant of oil and cheese, but it seems all the reactions are going to get stronger. The bonus is: when my will-power wanes, my stomach will fight back!!

If you have a while, check this out (thanks, Joe!):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
"Sugar: the Bitter Truth"

2 down

Oh man. I've been able to stick with the "good foods list" for almost 48 hours.

I started with eggs, avocado, and half an apple yesterday; snacked on the other half and some chicken breast for snack; ate a bowl of steamed veggies, turkey breast slices and frozen cherries for lunch; chicken breast and salad for dinner. My energy was fairly consistent all day, but my mood felt like it was fluctuating most of the day. It didn't help that I had a rough day, but I felt less in control of my feelings than usual. Stress eating is something I seem to have picked up, so when I was driving home all I wanted to do was grab some ice cream and movie-- so I went to Crossfit instead!

Today, I ate some avocado cashews and chicken breast on my way to paddling. Afterwards, we all went out for food. Egg omlet with bacon and spinach with a side of fruit. I really think that trying to do this outside of California would be difficult. The only sides listed on the menu were toast, breakfast potatoes, and hash browns. I looked at the waiter and just said, "Um, do you have anything else?" and he's like, "Yeah, we have a some fruit". Easy as that!

I'm reading the Paleo Diet book, and one of the testimonials had a guy mentioning that for the first two weeks, his recovery time and overall energy were low. Great. I buess I'll wait it out for a couple weeks. I haven't gotten creative with my food yet, I'm just trying to get the hang of it and stop thinking about all the things I shouldn't eat...

On a vine, on a bone or on a tree NOT in a bag, in a box or in a combo

Tonight I cleared out all of the junk in my cabinets and packed up all the good stuff to shove in the back. The bread--gone, cheese--gone, rice--gone, oatmeal--hiding where I can't reach without a stool. The chocolate and pudding I plan on finishing tonight. No need to let it go to waste in the last 12 hours!

The people tonight were so psyched for this event; I really lucked out choosing a box (that's a Crossfit gym for you common-folk). Everyone is motivating and kind. I love it. There's something special about a guy who hugs you after not seeing you for 3 days then walks over to pick up 300 lbs. Awesome.

So it turns out we're going official with this business-- dunk tanks and body percentages. Therefore, the challenge doesn't start until after the first dunk. However, I am the queen of excuses, so I begin tomorrow. Here we go, family and friends, it's time to break up with some foods.

So long, starches! I will miss your deliciousness, but I won't miss your evidence on my a-- uh, abs! Dearest desserts, I think I'll miss you the most. It's not you; it's me... and a little bit you.

Pre-Game

Because of I'm generally a good eater and I excercise, I think it's going to take something like this to really kick start a body change. I wouldn't drop 3 dress sizes from Nutrisystem. I'm not willing to have out-patient surgery because the ad is catchy. Subway and a long walk won't melt away my last few inches. I already follow a pretty healthy diet and only cheat on that a couple times a week-- I don't eat white bread; I don't like rice or potatoes (except french fries), and I hardly ever eat fried foods.

I'm doing this because I'd rather lose the right weight than just any weight: I'd rather drop a dress size than drop 5 pounds.

My gym (Crossfit) is holding a "Paleo Challenge", and this blog is my own way to keep myself accountable and to keep my friends updated as I push past a sugar addiction and deal with a busy schedule. I'll post good recipes, any progress, my frustrations or fun tid-bits, so feel free to follow along with me. The flag goes up on Friday, January 15th.

It won't be easy--I can already tell.
It won't be pretty--well, not until the end anyway.