The Paleo/Crossfit Challenge: Week 1

So how did the first week of the challenge go?

Okay, I'll admit.  I was NOT 100% paleo.  :/  Paleo fail!  I had bread 3 times, beans once and a pumpkin spice latte once the first week.  I feel so guilty about that and I can't cheat like that anymore.  Gotta clean it up more if I wanna see bigger/better results.

My purse: looks like a kitchen pantry. So many paleo snacks so I don't go off track and buy a candy bar if I'm hungry. Apple, baby food mush, mixed nuts (no peanuts), banana, carrots.

Life Savers
Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee.  Add unsweetend almond milk and daily allowance of Stevia. Yum!  Not really sweet, but the stevia makes it less bitter.  It also prevents me from getting sugary coffee from starbucks.


Frozen grapes.  They are so good and they totally satisfy my sweet tooth after dinner.





New Obsession
Brussel Sprouts - cook bacon in EVOO or Coconut Oil.  Add brussel sprouts, let crisp/brown - about 5 mins.  Add balsamic vinager (not vinagrette) and water to pan.  Cover and let steam for 5 mins.  So good!















WOD 1 - Level I

I started CF mid-July of this year so I'm fairly new. I completed my first challenge WOD on 9/18/2013.

WOD 1, Level I was as follows:
18 min AMRAP
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
8lb Wall Balls
55lb Deadlifts
12" Box Jumps

OMG, this WOD totally kicked my butt!! The wall balls were tough! The line was higher than I normally use and I almost had to jump a little to get the ball up to the line. I felt light headed at times during the WOD and my legs felt a little shakey during the box jumps. I felt pretty solid with the deadlifts though. My coaches and other crossfitters were cheering us on, which helped me push harder. I almost made it through the complete WOD! I made it further than I thought I would. My score was 18:14. Which means I made it through 81 Wall Balls, 81 Deadlifts, and 76 Box Jumps...all in 18 minutes. WOW. That's a lot! I think I did well for being a beginner and now I have something to work for....COMPLETING the WOD when it comes back around at the end of this challenge.

WOD 3 - Level 1

WOD 3, Level 1 - The Hang Power Clean Sprint
5 min AMRAP

The Rep Sequence

Round 1
10 45lb Hang Power Cleans
20 Meter Sprint

Round 2
8 45lb Hang Power Cleans
40 Meter Sprint

Round 3
6 45lb Hang Power Cleans
60 Meter Sprint

Round 4
4 45lb Hang Power Cleans
80 Meter Sprint

Round 5
2 45lb Hang Power Cleans
100 Meter Sprint

 

I finished at 4 minutes 10 seconds.  I'm just happy I finished under the 5 minutes!  I was definately out of breath by the end of this WOD.  I just went hard though.  My legs felt a little shakey when running and I had a few no reps.  When I got tired, I forgot that I had to deadlift it and then do the power clean, and another time I just didn't get the bar up all the way.

 

 

On a Mission: 90/10 paleo

Week 1 & 2
I made it through the first week, although I wasn't 100% paleo.  I had my two servings of brown rice, which I was going to allow myself each week.  During the week, seemed to be easier than the weekend.  I'd pick up soup, or a smoothie or chicken and veggies over brown rice for lunch and I had my homemade paleo crunch or banana chips to munch on.  For date night, Chivo and I went to a Brazilian steakhouse, and I kept it mostly paleo, although I had to allow myself one of those little cheesy biscuits they put on the table.  I don't know what's in them, but it's delicious!  I think my boyfriend does much better on paleo than me, although he did have some funky cravings over the weekend - smores and siracha Cheetos (i think).   I didn't have coffee or soda all last week or over the weekend. Proud of myself.  :)  I am still drinking crystal light which Chivo thinks I shouldn't be drinking.  I should probably look at the ingredients and then maybe I won't want to drink it.  It just really helps me drink more water.  I guess I could try natural flavoring like lemon, cucumber or mint?

Over the weekend, I tried to keep it mostly paleo but I ended up making myself a quesadilla....fajita size flour tortilla, siracha sauce and Cheddar cheese on Saturday.  On Sunday, I went to a BBQ and had a hot dog...with the bun and a few tortilla chips with some queso blanco.  I tried not to go nuts though.  I brought plantain chips and salsa along with me so I wouldn't pig out on chips and it really helped.  I also let everyone try the paleo crunch and they all loved it.

Exercise
It was kinda hard to get back into exercising since I feel like I've been out of it for a little while with school stuff, and vacation.  I haven't made it into the gym yet to do weights but I've started walking at the park. 
I love going to the park with my dog and music or audio book.  The park has 3 mile loop with lots of runners and walkers.  Sometimes I meet my friend Stella out there so we can walk and talk.

Results
I've lost 4.5 lbs so far in the past 11 days, which makes me super happy!
I want to exercise more, and I'm sure I'll be back doing weights soon.  My goal is to run a 5k in 3 months.
I think eating 90% is what works for me.  If I really want something that's not paleo, I'll eat of few bites of it and that satisfies my craving.  I want this lifestyle to stick so 90/10 works better for me.  I've also been trying to think of food differently - Food is fuel.

Goals
My short term goal is to lose a total of 10 lbs by June 14th.  I'm already 4.5 down, but now I'm at the weight I seem to plateau, just gotta push hard to get past it!
My long term goals feel better about myself, get fit, look good, run a 5k by the end of September.

I just need to stay consistent.  I've got this!

Paleo fail!

Okay so since I challenged myself to not eat grains for thirty days....I've cheated a lot. I try to stick to paleo for the most part but when I'm tired and hungry and don't feel like cooking, that's when I cheat. Or when I'm super busy and running all over, I've cheated. But I have really been feeling the positive affects of the paleo diet and I want to see more results. My clothes are fitting nicer and looser. I've had friends comment on how I look like I've lost weight. It's a good feeling. I need to prepare more, especially for those days when I'm feeling lazy and do t want to cook.

I found a coconut water that I actually like. Coconut water with mange purée. Really good! I went to the grocery store today and bought a bunch of fruits and veggies. I have meat in my freezer, I need to set some out to thaw.

I hate that I've been so busy and tired that I haven't been able to exercise much lately... Well at least not in he gym. I do seem to walk at least a mile a day because of school. I am all over that campus so at least it helps since I'm too busy to exercise. Im really not a morning person but i might have to start thinking about waking up early to exercise.

Getting back into gear!

Wow, is it Day 25 already??

I know I've missed a few days but school started last week and I've been so crazy busy.  I enjoy everything that I'm doing, just wish I could focus more on school right now than working.  I'll try to recap what I can remember.

I'm on Day 25 right now.  I can't believe I've made it this long.  I'm pretty happy with myself and the results that I've seen so far.  I've lost 8 lbs so far and I've been feeling pretty great.  I've also noticed that when I have cheated, I immediately feel horrible...I mean my stomach hurts, and I feel bloated. 

While I haven't been 100% paleo every day, I have tried to stay 80% paleo 20% non paleo and I've been pretty successful at it for the most part.  I've found a way to eat at my favorite restaurants and still stick to 80% paleo.  On Day 22, I revamped my chili recipe to make it paleo friendly.  I didn't have to do a whole lot to change it, switch out the kidney and pinto beans for extra veggies.  I'll post the recipe for the chili later.  It was pretty good although I did kinda miss the beans, cheese and cornbread that I usually have with it.  I went for a 3 mile walk later that evening and then decided to go see Lawless.  Bad idea on an empty stomach.  Movie theater food is the opposite of paleo food....and I was sucked it.  I was starving because I didn't eat dinner.  I ordered a small popcorn and a small soda.  I didn't finish either item and my stomach really didn't like me after that.  :/  Next time I will come prepared with some munchies in my purse.


The start of my Bison Paleo Chili

Day 23.  I had some left over chili for lunch.  MMmmm.  I have been craving sushi for a while now and I am finally getting to go!  My friend that is also on paleo came with me.  It was like a meat smorgasbord!  We had a ceviche appetizer, then 4 different tapas plates and short ribs.  The tapas plates at 6 piece of raw fish in soy sauce with added garlic or citrus and sprouts or onions.  All very tasty.  I know soy sauce isn't paleo friendly, but I haven't found the soy sauce substitute yet.  Remember 80% paleo.  It was all delicious and rice free.

I had a mini break down last night because I was stressed with my car, work and school.  I had Cheetos AND noodles for dinner on Day 24.  Talk about paleo fail!!!

Days 19

Day 19

I had My Fit Foods for breakfast - Steak, egg whites and red potato mash.  It was really good. 

I've been thinking more about the whole potato and paleo thing.  Why are potatoes so controversial in this community?  Is paleo just the name of this lifestyle or are they really trying to eat as cavement did?  Here is the wikipedia defination of the Paleolithic Diet.... "The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the "Paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet.
Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils" By this definition, I would assume that potatoes are ok.  I don't think it's a bad thing to consume red potatoes, but I don't want all the extra carbs so I'll limit my intake.

Day 14, 15, 16, 17 & 18- I've made it two weeks already!!

Day 14

Omg, I've made it two weeks without grains!

Today was so crazy busy that I really didn't get to eat much. I had a banana and coffee for breakfast. But then I didn't eat again until dinner time because I was working on building a playground with SIFE. We got rained out! So close to being finished. Afterwards I treated myself to a watermelon juice. Seriously the best drink!

When I got home, I had some banana chips but I was so engrossed in making a trifold board for SIFE that I kept putting off eating, but not on purpose. Before I knew it, it was time to get ready to go out with my friends. So I made my go to salad - star berries, sunflower seeds and baby spring mix. It's so easy and quick to make.

Party time! I only had one drink while out and I had so much fun.

Day 15

I did not want to wake up early today even though I had told a friend I'd meet her to work on her classroom before I went to finish the playground. But my plans to finish the playground fell trough and my friend luckily didn't want to wake up early either.

I decided to reward myself today for doing pretty well on this new diet so I got a Starbucks iced coffee with whole milk and another banana for breakfast. Is it possible to have too many bananas??

Yay, one of my good friends recently got engaged and she invited me to go wedding dress shopping with her today. Yay! But hmmm..... What can I eat for lunch?? I shopped with them for a while then we were all hungry so we looked around for lunch. They decided to go to a bubble tea place that had food. Not too much food to choose from if I don't want to go off my diet too bad. I got curry chicken. It was delicious. It came with rice so I ate a little of it but I tried to focus on just eating the chicken and avoiding the potatoes. Ugh. Bad choice. I immediately felt bloated and super full. It was the first time I've had grains in two weeks and if that's the way I'm going to feel after eating grains, I will gladly skip them!

For dinner I had a salad with ground beef, guacamole and salsa. Paleo is doable. Sometimes it's hard to not add cheese and sour cream and beans to taco salads, but I feel much better about the eating habits that I'm forming. I'm nervous about tomorrow though, I start school and my schedule is already busy. I will need to find time to make food and things that I can take on the go.

Oh and obviously I didn't get to make the chili today that I had planned to do. Maybe next weekend.


Want some Whole30 approved spices?  Check out this link: Whole30 Approved Spicehound

Day 16

First day of the Fall 2012 semester! I am so not ready for this.  These first few days will be crazy busy for me.  I have morning classes, then head to work, then home to work on homework or stuff for my tutoring.  How am I going to manage sticking to paleo?  I need to buy a lunch cooler to keep my food from spoiling while it sits in my car during class.  Houston is crazy hot and the heat would seriously over cook my food....and I don't wanna cook lettuce or strawberries.  Gross.

So I just picked up a Bacon Chicken Salad to bring to work and some beef jerky if I need a snack.  Oh and I bought a cool lime refresher from Starbucks this morning because I was in need for some serious caffeine after my macroeconomics class.

Around 1pm my stomach started to hurt.  It was a weird feeling, like hungry, kinda painful like I had worked out my abs hard in the gym (but I haven't recently) and uncomfortable.  Not sure what's wrong.  Ugh.  I ate my salad but it only made the feeling go away a little.  Maybe it was from yesterdays rice? or the cool lime refresher? or maybe the beef jerky....can beef jerky go bad?

No working out tonight.  I have to buy school books online, finish the SIFE trifle board, buy a printer and my tummy hurts.  I just grabbed a smoothie after work for dinner because I was hungry and had to run some errands.

Day 17

Is it possible that today is busier than yesterday?  Half a day of work, class, tutoring then homework.  I seriously feel like I'm living off of smoothies right night.  I had a protein shake with some coffee mixed in for breakfast.  On the way to tutoring I picked up a fruit smoothie.  For dinner, I needed to eat something more nutritious and substantial.  I made grilled chicken and had my go to salad, by now you should now what type of salad that is....strawberries, sunflower seeds and baby spring mix. 

Day 18

I need to get back to eating regular foods.  A protein shake with coffee for breakfast on the way to class. 

What can I pick up to eat for lunch and a snack at work?  My Fit Foods!  I just need to make sure to avoid any dish with rice, pasta or grains.  It's doable. 

Are red potatoes paleo friendly?  I looked this up before stopping for food because I wanted their bbq chicken which comes with green beans and a red potato mash.  Seems like red potatoes are a touchy subject in the paleo world.  This blogger goes more into depth about red potatoes and if they are paleo.... Mark's Daily Apple - Are potatoes paleo?  He says that "Evidence exists for human consumption of roots and tubers from multiple sites spanning multiple time periods: Northern Europe (specifically Poland), in the terminal Paleolithic and early Mesolithic."  So I've decided I will get the meal with the red potato mash, but I won't do it very often.  I'll limit my spud in take since I'm trying to get into better shape.

Snack time!  I have egg salad with nut thins and celery from My Fit Foods.  So good.  But do not eat the nut things if you are trying to stick to paleo foods.  I made the mistake of eating them, THEN looking at the ingredients.  I thought that the Almond Nut Thins would be made from almonds. Well they have almonds, rice flour (fail) and some other paleoFAIL stuff.  You live you learn to look at ingredients before you eat something.  If you aren't trying to eat paleo, but are just eating healthy, Nut Thins are a tasty cracker replacement.  Oh and the egg salad....does have some mayo in it.  Another paleofail but at least it's nutritious since who knows when I will get dinner tonight.

Dinner time - egg drop soup, chicken and a little brown rice. I knew I shouldn't have eaten any grains. I don't want this to spiral out of control and start eating more grains little by little. Just need to cut out grains cold turkey.....again. I don't need them, they just taste good.