The holiday season is upon us, and I am responding accordingly, aggravated, annoyed and overwhelmed. Every year it seems it gets more and more difficult to maintain a positive and cheery attitude, which I feel is essential when three kids are part of the equation. The simple task of decorating the house turns into a monumental task, and I become resentful that an ancient pagan ritual which the christians decided to make their own and then was blown out of proportion by Madison avenue takes over my world for an entire month (or longer)and dictates my life/schedule/kids schedule/monetary expenditure/food choices............
Oh, now we're getting to the crux of the issue, food choices. Do I enjoy the the holiday parties and gatherings that are staples this time of year, certainly! It's wonderful to visit with friends and spend time being merry. But what the hell is up with the lack of appropriate food choices, has EVERYONE lost their mind, or am I the crazy one?? Event after event, party after gathering, it's the same story, pastas, chicken dishes either in creamy sauces or fried, cheeses, heavy soups, breads galore, desserts of every manner from cookies (I baked them myself, you just HAVE to try one) to ice cream bars with 2 dozen available toppings, to pies, cakes, mousses....OMG, I think I'm going into diabetic shock just typing this!!!
It's been tough finding food that I can actually eat without feeling like a train wreck the next day, and it's also tough dealing with people who are not accepting of the choices I make regarding what I eat. During the holiday season, this is magnified because of the amount of time we spend with others, and I am being frequently reminded how, once again, the way I have chosen eat and exercise has put me in the minority. (nothing new here, been in that place on one level or another my whole life.!) Have been accused of being an extremist and neurotic, have been told to loosen up and enjoy, you only live once! All by people who also tell me how great I look......they can't say how strong I am because none are crossfitters.
All this adds to my generalized bah hum bugness, and I find myself with patience for very little. WODing 3-4 times a week, running 2-3 times a week, meeting the needs of three kids, running a very complicated home life which includes a wonderful, but often absent, husband, leaves me feeling like I should minimally NOT have to explain why I don't want that damn cookie, and really maybe some of those exuberant bakers should consider putting the flour and butter away, eat an apple, and come WOD with me!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Our bodies are our temples. Stop poisoning your temple with sugar.
- The past few days have brought about some interesting, but not so surprising news stories. Friday on the front page of the News Journal (local rag) and USA Today (national rag) was a story regarding findings of a new study that reported the expectation that one in every three Americans will develop type 2 diabetes w/i the next 10 years. Today, the News Journal has another story on the evils of sugar, and for once, it's a good one, includes the issues of grains ("it's homemade, I used organic, brown sugar and honey!") dairy ("my kids eat yogurt more than they drink chocolate milk!") and drinks ("sure I let them have Gatorade, they need to hydrate after football practice") as well as candy.....("we always have something sweet in the house, don't want them to feel deprived!!)
I find it extraordinarily difficult to constantly fight this battle, but I do it, and have been for a long time. Because my two younger daughters seem to have inherited so many wonderful traits from their amazing dad, I have worked with the assumption that they have also inherited the not so amazing traits from him as well, specifically, the predisposition for type 2. Now, their dad is currently not a diabetic, but most of his immediate family was, and the only reason Gary is not is because of the years of regimented eating and exercising he has done. After years of tinkering with his diet and exercise regiment, we both have no doubt that if he stopped Crossfitting and stopped the paleo diet, his blood sugars would go through the roof. Genetic predisposition is certainly one reason to be vigilant, however, while there is no diabetes that I know of in my family, I know that type 2 does not discriminate among those of us who are lax with our carb intake, and have a sweet tooth, (check to both for me!) And so, I too, for this reason as well as the reasons outlined in previous postings which are related to crossfit performance, am paleo zone.
But what to do about the kids? I cannot begin to count the number of uncomfortable situations and outright battles I have dealt with and fought because I felt my kids were being put in impossibly unhealthy situations....at school, at friends homes, during holidays and parties. When I've tried to educate those parents/educators/friends who clearly were clueless, the push back was so great, I'm sure it was a pr for them! Then their were those who agreed, then proceeded to offer up "homemade, w/ ORGANIC sugar treats" to my kids! SEE ABOVE!!
It's been insinuated, and I've been outright told, that my kids will hate me for feeding them the way I do. Apparently, organic chicken or turkey, vegetables, fruits and nuts at most meals, in some form or other, is considered deprivation. Having cake twice a year, (once for each their birthdays) is a horror, NOT baking, at all, is NOT nurturing, and trading Halloween candy with them for books, headbands, nail polish and what ever other fun junk I can find at the dollar store makes me a real drag.
And so, every day I try and find teachable moments, situations where I can show my kids the difference between a good choice and a bad one, and why. My 9 and 11 year old know what carbs/fats/proteins are, what foods contain each, the difference between a good carb and a bad carb and what diabetes is, and what it does to your health. At school they have learned to decline the never ending barrage of birthday/holiday treats which are offered to them, because God forbid we should ever have a celebration of any kind in this country which doesn't include loads of sugar and processed foods. Is it easy for them to sit in a classroom where everyone, including the teacher, is eating a cupcake, absolutely not. But I tell them that their bodies are their temples, and to worship them is to feed and exercise them properly and often. I am trying to teach them so many important lessons, what is a healthy choice, and why it's important to make them. I also hope that they are learning how to swim upstream, away from the crowd when needed, which is never easy as a child/adolescent, but oh so valuable.
It's tough for them, but they are bright and seem to embrace what they see their dad and I doing every day. We keep ice cream in the house for them (Bryers!) as well as the occasional chocolate bar, which they share over the course of a few days. Am hoping as they grow and develop, these choices they have to think about and struggle with at times will become natural habits for them, which do not cause them too much distress. I've stopped trying to change the world around us, I put all my efforts in making sure my girls worship their temples, everyday.
Friday, October 22, 2010
mom angst
I was up at 4:30 this morning, my 11 year old, Sophie, had to be at school by 5:45a.m. today to catch a bus headed to Washington D.C. for a school trip. They are scheduled to be away for the day, suppose to be back by 6:30 tonight.
Nothing new about school trips, my kids have been going on them since prek, what IS new is them going without me. I have chaperoned every trip my girls have been on until now. Through a scheduling snafu, I was shut out of this one, and this is no small trip. Mount Vernon in the early part of the day, Arlington National Cemetery later on.
When I realized I could not weasel my way on the buses that only had room for 92 people (I'll stand, or, I'll sit on the floor.... really, I'll fit, I'm fit, I do crossfit....) I tried to tempt Sophie with visions of a perfect mental health day......stay home with mom, sleep as long as you want, we'll go to lunch, have our nails done, go to the book store, shopping, whatever.....JUST DON"T GO WITHOUT ME!!!!! But my sweet, mature, angel of a daughter, who hates getting up early, said "No Mom, I have to go, they'll take points off my grade, and besides, all my friends are going!"
What have I been turning around in my head all week.....bus crashes, mean girls on a long bus ride targeting my baby, obnoxious boys on a long bus ride saying inappropriate things that she barely understands. And once they arrive, what if she gets lost, hurt, is too hot, is too cold, loses her money, gets bit by a stray dog, run over by a car, or kidnapped by a perv. (I saw TAKEN with Liam Neilson, 4 times!!) For days, these thoughts have swirled around my head, and this morning, when I dropped her off, and hugged her, gave my cell number to the chaperone who took MY spot, and asked this woman to not take her eyes off my baby, these thoughts continued to race through my mind like an out of control train careening down the tracks.
I watched as Sophie entered the classroom ahead of me this morning, two girls immedietly flocked her, plans were being discussed, who sit next to who, could she sit between this one and that one, a squeal from a fourth when she realized Sophie was in her group. The teacher approached me, can he help me he inquires, not unless he stays and I go, I reply. He chuckles, and assures me all will be well, it's a very structured trip he tells me, and the train in my mind slows, only a bit. He also tells me what I have grown used to hearing, and what I will never tire of hearing, what a great kid Sophie is, what a pleasure she is, and how bright and mature. I do not thank him for his kind observations, only agree, as I feel I've had little to do with this, she is her own person, I am the fortunate woman who gets to call her daughter. In spite of all my shortcomings as a mother, and there are plenty, this child continues to develop into a person that is easy to love, someone with an innate sense of fairness, a tremendous amount of empathy, someone people gravitate to. My heart literally expands at the thought of Sophie.
I take one more look at her, and she leaves her friends and walks over to me. In her classroom, in front of all her classmates, she hugs me and lets me kiss her. "Be careful sweetheart," I say. "Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine, I love you!" says my 11 year old angel.
It's only 11a.m. Gonna be a long day......
Nothing new about school trips, my kids have been going on them since prek, what IS new is them going without me. I have chaperoned every trip my girls have been on until now. Through a scheduling snafu, I was shut out of this one, and this is no small trip. Mount Vernon in the early part of the day, Arlington National Cemetery later on.
When I realized I could not weasel my way on the buses that only had room for 92 people (I'll stand, or, I'll sit on the floor.... really, I'll fit, I'm fit, I do crossfit....) I tried to tempt Sophie with visions of a perfect mental health day......stay home with mom, sleep as long as you want, we'll go to lunch, have our nails done, go to the book store, shopping, whatever.....JUST DON"T GO WITHOUT ME!!!!! But my sweet, mature, angel of a daughter, who hates getting up early, said "No Mom, I have to go, they'll take points off my grade, and besides, all my friends are going!"
What have I been turning around in my head all week.....bus crashes, mean girls on a long bus ride targeting my baby, obnoxious boys on a long bus ride saying inappropriate things that she barely understands. And once they arrive, what if she gets lost, hurt, is too hot, is too cold, loses her money, gets bit by a stray dog, run over by a car, or kidnapped by a perv. (I saw TAKEN with Liam Neilson, 4 times!!) For days, these thoughts have swirled around my head, and this morning, when I dropped her off, and hugged her, gave my cell number to the chaperone who took MY spot, and asked this woman to not take her eyes off my baby, these thoughts continued to race through my mind like an out of control train careening down the tracks.
I watched as Sophie entered the classroom ahead of me this morning, two girls immedietly flocked her, plans were being discussed, who sit next to who, could she sit between this one and that one, a squeal from a fourth when she realized Sophie was in her group. The teacher approached me, can he help me he inquires, not unless he stays and I go, I reply. He chuckles, and assures me all will be well, it's a very structured trip he tells me, and the train in my mind slows, only a bit. He also tells me what I have grown used to hearing, and what I will never tire of hearing, what a great kid Sophie is, what a pleasure she is, and how bright and mature. I do not thank him for his kind observations, only agree, as I feel I've had little to do with this, she is her own person, I am the fortunate woman who gets to call her daughter. In spite of all my shortcomings as a mother, and there are plenty, this child continues to develop into a person that is easy to love, someone with an innate sense of fairness, a tremendous amount of empathy, someone people gravitate to. My heart literally expands at the thought of Sophie.
I take one more look at her, and she leaves her friends and walks over to me. In her classroom, in front of all her classmates, she hugs me and lets me kiss her. "Be careful sweetheart," I say. "Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine, I love you!" says my 11 year old angel.
It's only 11a.m. Gonna be a long day......
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Fat Junkie
One more Zone blog became neccesary, when I realized I didn't explain my rational for my blocks. If you're still reading and interested, I KNOW you're crossfitter who pays attention to nutrition, everyone else fell asleep two blogs ago.....
At the point in my zone experiment when I was down to 10 blocks a day, two things happened. I realized that, because I do not eat red meat, (I'll get to the aforementioned beef jerky) all my protein was coming from sources that had almost no fat. Chicken, turkey, eggs, tuna (yeah, I eat it with no mayo) are my standard sources of protein. Turns out, when that's the case, it's standard operating procedure to double your fat blocks, information that is buried in the Barry Sears book, and something Rob Wolf talks extensively about in his humorous and extremely informative essay, "42 Ways To Skin The Zone". This article, easily found on the web, is based in science and common sense, and funny as hell. It's also the article that helped me to make the zone palatable for me. I strongly urge anyone with an interest in eating for optimal performance to read this essay. So, I immediately doubled my fat blocks to twenty, and life overall became more manageable. Except I still wanted to be leaner, which is when I took Rob Wolffs advice again, who advocates trading blocks!! So because I suspected, as did Gary, that it was the carbs that were keeping me from taking off a few extra pounds, I traded 4 carb blocks for 4 fat block, in effect, leaving me with 6 blocks of carbs, 10 of protein, and 24 of fat. And it worked, I took off a few extra pounds of fat, got leaner, and quicker in the gym (although not as fast as I would like!!)
So basically at this point, I use carbs strictly as a source of quick release energy, and I take in 50% of those 6 blocks pre and post WOD, and spread the rest throughout the day, in conjunction with 10 blocks of protein and 24 of fat, I have found my weight, and my performance, has improved. For me, it seems pretty clear that extra carbs were being stored as fat, when I whittled them down to the bare minimum, making sure that I have enough at the right time for optimum performance, I got lean. To be clear, my carbs are all complex, basically fruit and veggies, no dairy, no wheat. I do get a small amount from the 2/1 bars that I eat, (1.5 blocks of carbs for every bar, which also has 4 blocks whey protein & 2 blocks fat) other then that, it's basically a paleo diet executed the zone method, which I slowly evolved into. Which I find shocking, as I tried paleo once, and lasted two weeks, found it "too restrictive!" Yet, here I am, and this is the beauty of the Zone diet, as Rob Wolf writes, the 40/30/30 ratio is a place to start, it is not the end all, and every person, their body, metabolism, etc is different. Tinkering is imperative, for me, informed tinkering has been key. About that beef jerky. When I eat it (14 years as a vegaterian, and tear this stuff UP!) I count both the fat and the protein and add them into my blocks for the day. I eat Harry and Davids brand, and the nutritional content is available on the label. It's awesome, two thumbs up!
I do hope someone finds this helpful, as I realize how geeky all this is.....as for me, all this zone talk has me starving, off to a cheat meal! Later!!
At the point in my zone experiment when I was down to 10 blocks a day, two things happened. I realized that, because I do not eat red meat, (I'll get to the aforementioned beef jerky) all my protein was coming from sources that had almost no fat. Chicken, turkey, eggs, tuna (yeah, I eat it with no mayo) are my standard sources of protein. Turns out, when that's the case, it's standard operating procedure to double your fat blocks, information that is buried in the Barry Sears book, and something Rob Wolf talks extensively about in his humorous and extremely informative essay, "42 Ways To Skin The Zone". This article, easily found on the web, is based in science and common sense, and funny as hell. It's also the article that helped me to make the zone palatable for me. I strongly urge anyone with an interest in eating for optimal performance to read this essay. So, I immediately doubled my fat blocks to twenty, and life overall became more manageable. Except I still wanted to be leaner, which is when I took Rob Wolffs advice again, who advocates trading blocks!! So because I suspected, as did Gary, that it was the carbs that were keeping me from taking off a few extra pounds, I traded 4 carb blocks for 4 fat block, in effect, leaving me with 6 blocks of carbs, 10 of protein, and 24 of fat. And it worked, I took off a few extra pounds of fat, got leaner, and quicker in the gym (although not as fast as I would like!!)
So basically at this point, I use carbs strictly as a source of quick release energy, and I take in 50% of those 6 blocks pre and post WOD, and spread the rest throughout the day, in conjunction with 10 blocks of protein and 24 of fat, I have found my weight, and my performance, has improved. For me, it seems pretty clear that extra carbs were being stored as fat, when I whittled them down to the bare minimum, making sure that I have enough at the right time for optimum performance, I got lean. To be clear, my carbs are all complex, basically fruit and veggies, no dairy, no wheat. I do get a small amount from the 2/1 bars that I eat, (1.5 blocks of carbs for every bar, which also has 4 blocks whey protein & 2 blocks fat) other then that, it's basically a paleo diet executed the zone method, which I slowly evolved into. Which I find shocking, as I tried paleo once, and lasted two weeks, found it "too restrictive!" Yet, here I am, and this is the beauty of the Zone diet, as Rob Wolf writes, the 40/30/30 ratio is a place to start, it is not the end all, and every person, their body, metabolism, etc is different. Tinkering is imperative, for me, informed tinkering has been key. About that beef jerky. When I eat it (14 years as a vegaterian, and tear this stuff UP!) I count both the fat and the protein and add them into my blocks for the day. I eat Harry and Davids brand, and the nutritional content is available on the label. It's awesome, two thumbs up!
I do hope someone finds this helpful, as I realize how geeky all this is.....as for me, all this zone talk has me starving, off to a cheat meal! Later!!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Eat to WOD not WOD to eat.
Since my last post, I've comfortably settled in this new way of eating, and have concluded a few things:
1. I may never reach my ultimate goal weight, and thats OK. I've kept off a solid 22lbs, some times a little less, sometimes a bit more, still, it's not a bad place to be.
2. Having finally taken a cheat day on Labor Day, I discovered that they are not an option for me, I get too sick, my body simply wants nothing to do w/food it's no longer used to. Even a cheat meal, if too rich, causes me to feel bad....stomach pains, indigestion, headache, etc.
3. As a former vegetarian, (crossfit fixed that w/i 3 months, after 14 years!!) I'm amazing myself w/ my willingness to eat anything, if I deem it potentially helpful to improving my WODs.
Current favorite foods and examples of this: Almond butter & all natural beef and turkey jerky.
4. Cleaning up my diet has made me, overall, so much more aware of my body and how it feels. Have paid special attention to pre and post WOD nutrition, (thanks Pat Sherwood!!) and am constantly astounded by how, when I get the food and the timing of when I'm taking it in just right, it can make such a difference in my performance.
5. This whole "experiment" is working for me so far because of a couple of simple facts, while I am not a foodie (so I don't miss, or crave, anything more than I want to be strong) I am a control freak, and so my sensibilities appreciate the simplicity of this adventure, which boils down to, if I eat correctly, and WOD appropriately (Thanks Jud!!) I see results. Not rocket science!
6. For the past 7 weeks, I've been taking in 6 blocks of carbs, 10 of protein, 24 of fat. This seems to work pretty well for me. I also stopped eating Zone bars, switched to something called 2:1, much higher protein count, a lot less carbs, easier for me to control carb intake & have portable protein. Plus they taste YUMMY!!
That's it for now, off to WOD!
1. I may never reach my ultimate goal weight, and thats OK. I've kept off a solid 22lbs, some times a little less, sometimes a bit more, still, it's not a bad place to be.
2. Having finally taken a cheat day on Labor Day, I discovered that they are not an option for me, I get too sick, my body simply wants nothing to do w/food it's no longer used to. Even a cheat meal, if too rich, causes me to feel bad....stomach pains, indigestion, headache, etc.
3. As a former vegetarian, (crossfit fixed that w/i 3 months, after 14 years!!) I'm amazing myself w/ my willingness to eat anything, if I deem it potentially helpful to improving my WODs.
Current favorite foods and examples of this: Almond butter & all natural beef and turkey jerky.
4. Cleaning up my diet has made me, overall, so much more aware of my body and how it feels. Have paid special attention to pre and post WOD nutrition, (thanks Pat Sherwood!!) and am constantly astounded by how, when I get the food and the timing of when I'm taking it in just right, it can make such a difference in my performance.
5. This whole "experiment" is working for me so far because of a couple of simple facts, while I am not a foodie (so I don't miss, or crave, anything more than I want to be strong) I am a control freak, and so my sensibilities appreciate the simplicity of this adventure, which boils down to, if I eat correctly, and WOD appropriately (Thanks Jud!!) I see results. Not rocket science!
6. For the past 7 weeks, I've been taking in 6 blocks of carbs, 10 of protein, 24 of fat. This seems to work pretty well for me. I also stopped eating Zone bars, switched to something called 2:1, much higher protein count, a lot less carbs, easier for me to control carb intake & have portable protein. Plus they taste YUMMY!!
That's it for now, off to WOD!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
My Zone experiment
by Shiret Singh on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 5:09pm
ON May 31st, 2010, Memorial day, I decided to put myself on the Zone diet. Up until this point I had been Crossfitting for almost 2 years, had certainly gained strength as well as endurance, but was feeling unsatisfied with my current performance at the box, and I wasn't thrilled with the way I looked either. I read Nicole Carols essay, Getting Off the Crack, several times, and went through a level 1 certification class, which spends a significant amount of time talking about the role of nutrition in Crossfit. I went to sectionals and regionals and watched, in awe, at some of the strongest men and woman I had ever seen (our coach being one of them!!) do WODS that seemed impossible to me. Most importantly, I had a heart to heart with my best friend/hero/husband, Gary, who as a cardiologist by profession, knows more about nutrition than anyone I know. (one of the few docs who practices what he preaches, and always has)
This is the guy who came home 13 years ago with lists and lists of foods and their glycemic index, explained to me what a glycemic index was, and told me we were eating this way from now on. Yeah, BEFORE The South Beach Diet was published, but I digress....
With a strong family history of diabetes, a primarily overweight/obese patient population, and an uncanny way of staying on top of current research in such a manner that when the rest of the country was eating low fat, my husband was eating low carb, I am fortunate in having my own, really smart and really supportive dietician by my side. Except that while I was a healthy eater compared to the rest of the country, I wasn't eating like Gary. Which, when I went to him back in May whining about my performance at the box, and my thighs, is what he candidly pointed out to me. It wasn't pretty, but it was the truth, I had fallen into the "I work out hard, so I can eat whatever I want" hole and I was in deep.
After thinking/reading/talking for a good while, (and watching everyones numbers, every week, get better, while mine were stagnant....yeah, I'm dysfunctionally competive, could use a 12 step program ;-)!!) I simply got tired of working so hard for what I deemed to be nominal results, and I knew I was putting forth maximum time as well as effort, and I also knew that I was fortunate enough to have a coach who is a genius at programming, the only thing left was nutrition..... I had no choice but to address my eating habits. And so, with Gary by my side, and Barry Sears making the rules, I entered the zone on 5/31/10.
First thing I did was buy several scales, two food scales, one for my kitchen and one that is in my purse to this day, if I eat out, I weigh what they bring me. Also bought a body weight scale w/ fat percentage, more on that horror. Then I printed out lists of foods and how many blocks they are, this stays in my kitchen next to the scale. I was ready.
I was 159lbs with a fat percentage of 24. Ugly! Couldn't bear to take measurements, which I sorely regret, but I was a size 6 or a medium. My Helen time the beginning of May was 18:39 my 5k time was 31:39 or there abouts. Couldn't manage more than 7 or 8 pullups at a time, and I'd been doing them since December. You get the idea.
Started this at 14 blocks, and at first, made sure every meal had an equal amount of protein/carbs/fat. This quickly became a problem for me as I naturally ate more carbs in the early part of the day, and more protein at night. Immediately started to feel shitty and weak, especially during WODs (which are typically at lunchtime for me), as I wasn't taking in enough carbs before or after the WODs in an attempt to save the blocks for my later, equal meals. The WODs I did the beginning of June are some of the worst I've ever done in terms of performance, by Friday, I was done. Barry could keep his Zone, I was freaking OUTTA there!
Common sense prevailed in the form of Gary, who pointed out that some of the Zone rules were meant to be broken, or at least modified for individual needs. In my case, it was important for me to have 4-5 blocks of carbs before, and 1-2 blocks of carbs after,in order to do well, and feel good afterwards. So what if I was eating the lions share of my carbs before one oclock, as long as at the end of the day all three columns (and yes, I write every bit of food I eat down, and the blocks it equals) said 14 blocks, I was good to go. I went with this modification because, A) quitting after a week was SO unpalatable B) I knew I could eat this way, I'm a protein junkie at night.
Now things got a bit better, and I started to see the weight come off, a little bit of weight.
After a couple of weeks, I started to realize that I could probably be OK w/12 blocks, the moderately hungry feeling I always had was something I was getting used to, (really!!) and while the weight was coming off, it was slow, and I wasn't seeing any real gains at the box. So I went down to 12 blocks, and all of a sudden, I was taking off weight like crazy! At twelve blocks, I started to notice my clothes getting bigger on me, and my energy level going up. WODS were still not what I wanted them to be, but I kept the faith. Within a few weeks, 12-15 lbs were history, and people were starting to notice.
At this point, I want to address the cheat meal. This is something I hear a lot about, for me, I decided that I was not going to go this route. It seemed like too much trouble to go through weighing, measuring, WODing, only to ruin it with a meal/event/party (and there have been MANY this summer!!). This is just my take, of coarse one meal doesn't ruin a week or two efforts, but I wanted all my efforts to count. So I choose to not cheat.
What WAS I eating, WELLLLL, better than I ever have, 2 eggs every morning w/ fruit and nuts, an apple 40 minutes before every WOD, at that point, a zone bar after every WOD (more on that later) cheese sticks or sliced turkey w/more fruit & nuts throughout the rest of the day, or another zone bar, and a big spinich salad w/ chicken at night was a typical day. Did not have any alcohol the first 3 weeks, then, started saving a carb so I could have a beer or a glass of wine at night. It was good, and then, I hit a wall. Down about 17 lbs, feeling good, but not at my goal weight yet, I stopped losing weight. Oh NO!!
Talked to Gary about my dilemna, really wanted to take off more weight, but I was stuck, and I hadn't seen the gains I was looking for at the gym, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to function with any less food. My man pulled through for me, AGAIN. He advised me go down to 10 blocks, but increase my fat blocks when needed. In other words, have a block of nuts when feeling hungry, throughout the day, up to 20 blocks of fat, just keep the carbs strictly at 10, as well as the protein.
And this is when things got good at the box, because I took off more weight, and overnight (almost) I was 23 pounds lighter, which made it easier to run/do pushups/pullups.... any body weight movement I tried to do became easier, and I was doing it quicker. Did I lose some strength, yes, a little, but not much, and I have no doubt I will regain it, and more, because I an determined to do so. I am still not at my goal weight, want to lose 30 lbs altogether, today I am 5 1/2 lbs shy of that number, I have taken my carbs down to 8 blocks, with 10 blocks of protein and 20 blocks of fat. It's not easy, but I like being strong and fast a whole lot more than I like sushi, margaritas and chocolate......and I love that stuff! But I really love being more than a casual crossfitter, I want to be as good and strong as possible!!
Today is August 5th, it has been 9 1/2 weeks since I started this experiment, which, next to marrying Gary (!) and finding crossfit, so far seems to be the one of the best things I've done for myself. The clothes I have had to buy for myself are a size 2. I cut my Helen time by 5 minutes, and my 5k time by 5 1/2 minutes. I've put together 13 pullups, and know I can/will do more. I'm getting closer and closer to the athletes I've been chasing for almost a year now, and I thank them for giving me something to strive for. I am grateful to be part of a box full of positive, hard working members, and a coach who is smart, creative, and unyielding in his expectations. Finally, there is no way I could have done this w/o my wonderful husband, who is guiding me, supporting me, and putting up with me like no one else would. This story is just starting, I hope the future is filled with strong WODs....bring on the muscle!!
This is the guy who came home 13 years ago with lists and lists of foods and their glycemic index, explained to me what a glycemic index was, and told me we were eating this way from now on. Yeah, BEFORE The South Beach Diet was published, but I digress....
With a strong family history of diabetes, a primarily overweight/obese patient population, and an uncanny way of staying on top of current research in such a manner that when the rest of the country was eating low fat, my husband was eating low carb, I am fortunate in having my own, really smart and really supportive dietician by my side. Except that while I was a healthy eater compared to the rest of the country, I wasn't eating like Gary. Which, when I went to him back in May whining about my performance at the box, and my thighs, is what he candidly pointed out to me. It wasn't pretty, but it was the truth, I had fallen into the "I work out hard, so I can eat whatever I want" hole and I was in deep.
After thinking/reading/talking for a good while, (and watching everyones numbers, every week, get better, while mine were stagnant....yeah, I'm dysfunctionally competive, could use a 12 step program ;-)!!) I simply got tired of working so hard for what I deemed to be nominal results, and I knew I was putting forth maximum time as well as effort, and I also knew that I was fortunate enough to have a coach who is a genius at programming, the only thing left was nutrition..... I had no choice but to address my eating habits. And so, with Gary by my side, and Barry Sears making the rules, I entered the zone on 5/31/10.
First thing I did was buy several scales, two food scales, one for my kitchen and one that is in my purse to this day, if I eat out, I weigh what they bring me. Also bought a body weight scale w/ fat percentage, more on that horror. Then I printed out lists of foods and how many blocks they are, this stays in my kitchen next to the scale. I was ready.
I was 159lbs with a fat percentage of 24. Ugly! Couldn't bear to take measurements, which I sorely regret, but I was a size 6 or a medium. My Helen time the beginning of May was 18:39 my 5k time was 31:39 or there abouts. Couldn't manage more than 7 or 8 pullups at a time, and I'd been doing them since December. You get the idea.
Started this at 14 blocks, and at first, made sure every meal had an equal amount of protein/carbs/fat. This quickly became a problem for me as I naturally ate more carbs in the early part of the day, and more protein at night. Immediately started to feel shitty and weak, especially during WODs (which are typically at lunchtime for me), as I wasn't taking in enough carbs before or after the WODs in an attempt to save the blocks for my later, equal meals. The WODs I did the beginning of June are some of the worst I've ever done in terms of performance, by Friday, I was done. Barry could keep his Zone, I was freaking OUTTA there!
Common sense prevailed in the form of Gary, who pointed out that some of the Zone rules were meant to be broken, or at least modified for individual needs. In my case, it was important for me to have 4-5 blocks of carbs before, and 1-2 blocks of carbs after,in order to do well, and feel good afterwards. So what if I was eating the lions share of my carbs before one oclock, as long as at the end of the day all three columns (and yes, I write every bit of food I eat down, and the blocks it equals) said 14 blocks, I was good to go. I went with this modification because, A) quitting after a week was SO unpalatable B) I knew I could eat this way, I'm a protein junkie at night.
Now things got a bit better, and I started to see the weight come off, a little bit of weight.
After a couple of weeks, I started to realize that I could probably be OK w/12 blocks, the moderately hungry feeling I always had was something I was getting used to, (really!!) and while the weight was coming off, it was slow, and I wasn't seeing any real gains at the box. So I went down to 12 blocks, and all of a sudden, I was taking off weight like crazy! At twelve blocks, I started to notice my clothes getting bigger on me, and my energy level going up. WODS were still not what I wanted them to be, but I kept the faith. Within a few weeks, 12-15 lbs were history, and people were starting to notice.
At this point, I want to address the cheat meal. This is something I hear a lot about, for me, I decided that I was not going to go this route. It seemed like too much trouble to go through weighing, measuring, WODing, only to ruin it with a meal/event/party (and there have been MANY this summer!!). This is just my take, of coarse one meal doesn't ruin a week or two efforts, but I wanted all my efforts to count. So I choose to not cheat.
What WAS I eating, WELLLLL, better than I ever have, 2 eggs every morning w/ fruit and nuts, an apple 40 minutes before every WOD, at that point, a zone bar after every WOD (more on that later) cheese sticks or sliced turkey w/more fruit & nuts throughout the rest of the day, or another zone bar, and a big spinich salad w/ chicken at night was a typical day. Did not have any alcohol the first 3 weeks, then, started saving a carb so I could have a beer or a glass of wine at night. It was good, and then, I hit a wall. Down about 17 lbs, feeling good, but not at my goal weight yet, I stopped losing weight. Oh NO!!
Talked to Gary about my dilemna, really wanted to take off more weight, but I was stuck, and I hadn't seen the gains I was looking for at the gym, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to function with any less food. My man pulled through for me, AGAIN. He advised me go down to 10 blocks, but increase my fat blocks when needed. In other words, have a block of nuts when feeling hungry, throughout the day, up to 20 blocks of fat, just keep the carbs strictly at 10, as well as the protein.
And this is when things got good at the box, because I took off more weight, and overnight (almost) I was 23 pounds lighter, which made it easier to run/do pushups/pullups.... any body weight movement I tried to do became easier, and I was doing it quicker. Did I lose some strength, yes, a little, but not much, and I have no doubt I will regain it, and more, because I an determined to do so. I am still not at my goal weight, want to lose 30 lbs altogether, today I am 5 1/2 lbs shy of that number, I have taken my carbs down to 8 blocks, with 10 blocks of protein and 20 blocks of fat. It's not easy, but I like being strong and fast a whole lot more than I like sushi, margaritas and chocolate......and I love that stuff! But I really love being more than a casual crossfitter, I want to be as good and strong as possible!!
Today is August 5th, it has been 9 1/2 weeks since I started this experiment, which, next to marrying Gary (!) and finding crossfit, so far seems to be the one of the best things I've done for myself. The clothes I have had to buy for myself are a size 2. I cut my Helen time by 5 minutes, and my 5k time by 5 1/2 minutes. I've put together 13 pullups, and know I can/will do more. I'm getting closer and closer to the athletes I've been chasing for almost a year now, and I thank them for giving me something to strive for. I am grateful to be part of a box full of positive, hard working members, and a coach who is smart, creative, and unyielding in his expectations. Finally, there is no way I could have done this w/o my wonderful husband, who is guiding me, supporting me, and putting up with me like no one else would. This story is just starting, I hope the future is filled with strong WODs....bring on the muscle!!
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