Long Time...

I haven't been updating lately, but my excuse is not that I have been off the wagon! I've just been super busy and writing down my daily food intake took a backseat.

I have been very good Paleo all of last week and so far this week. As is typical, I went off Paleo on Saturday at lunch (an arugula and ham pizza so at least it had lots of greens), but other than that I've been great.

A few things I've realized:
1. I actually don't vary my daily meals too much. Breakfast is almonds, fruit and an egg and/or turkey. Lunch is a chicken salad. Dinner is a grilled or baked meat and steamed or roasted veggies. I always get hungry in the later evening and my go-to then is fruit.
2. Brussel sprouts are my new favorite vegetable!
3. I am not a person who can just have a tiny bit of something, like those who can have just one bite of pizza or dessert. If I start, I will finish. Some people can moderate their portions and not deprive themselves of anything. Not me!
4. I am very good at eating Paleo Sunday-Friday, but when Saturday comes around I need to kick back a bit. If I try to go 100% all the time, I end up crashing and going way off Paleo to an extreme. So this challenge has helped me realize that my best approach is one that is extremely Paleo six days a week with one day of letting go.

I realize also that I have not been strict Paleo for 30 days so I may not have realized the benefits. But I do know that when I eat Paleo I feel great. I can throw in a non-Paleo meal once in awhile but I need to return to Paleo to feel good.

I did my max pull-ups yesterday (January 24) and got 27! I was so proud of that number. Two weeks ago I would never have thought I could do that many. I have Amanda to thank for helping me strive toward a goal. She looks like such a badass when she does so many at once that she provided the motivation and knowing that she was working toward a goal for so many pull-ups helped me. Thanks Amanda! You are awesome!

So I'm headed out of town for the next month and that will be a true test for me. I won't have a Crossfit gym so I'll have to motivate by myself to work hard and I will hardly know what exercises to do in a traditional gym. But I realize in five weeks I'll be back at the gym and I want to work hard now to make that return less painful.

If any of you are in Vail next month let me know. We'll hit the slopes and I'll take you to my favorite bar in the world too!

Back on It

I haven't posted in a few days, so my recollection of meals is a little fuzzy, but here's the jist:

Friday:
8 am: banana, 1/4 green pepper, 2 slices turkey
12 pm: grilled chicken salad with tomatoes
8 pm: sashimi, steak, one spicy tuna roll (yes, a roll with rice), 1 glass red wine, 1 tequila, soda and lime juice

Saturday:
I enjoyed the huge luxury of sleeping in until 11 on Saturday. For you young whippersnappers that may be a common occurrence, but once I had kids it became pure gold only received once in awhile.
12:15 pm: salmon, green beans, artichoke hearts
4:30 pm: queso and chips (I entertained people for a football game and I couldn't resist my own thing...I know, excuses are plentiful but don't add up to anything of substance.)
6:30 pm: pork chop, asparagus

Sunday:
8:30 am: 1 egg, apple
12 pm: chicken fajitas with onions, peppers, lettuce, pico de gallo and guacamole
6:30 pm: pizza (we ended having an impromptu family visit and not enough food to serve dinner, so pizza was ordered).

So I sit here tonight at 9:30 reviewing the last three days and see that I would be so on and then so off in one fell swoop. Why am I so quick to accept temptations? When I go out of my routine (going for a night on the town or having people over to my house and choosing to serve something that's not Paleo-friendly), I cave. I need to think about that some more.

And for the record, after eating pizza tonight, I feel terrible physically. I'm excited for a new week and a healthy day tomorrow.

In a Funk

The last couple days I have been feeling very apathetic about staying on this more strict Paleo diet. Right now the only thing keeping me on it is knowing I am writing this blog and thinking about doing more pull-ups at the end of the month. I don't know why I'm feeling down on this right now, especially when I'd had such an easy first several days. Oh well, I'm still on and will continue.

Thursday:
8 am: one egg, spinach
11:15 am: Chipotle chicken and beef salad, guacamole, tomatoes
3 pm: Paleo brownie apple
6 pm: ribs, half a sweet potato, zucchini and squash

Wednesday:
7:45 am: banana, slice of turkey, handful of pecans
8:30 am: Crossfit
12:30 pm: chicken lettuce wraps
3:45 pm: handful of pecans
7:30 pm: hummus (I know, not Paleo), carrots and green peppers, spaghetti squash, pomodoro sauce, chicken and zucchini

Back in the Groove

Tuesday went well and though I'm having some sugar cravings, I've been able to stay away:
8 am: banana, handful of pecans, slice of turkey
10 am: Crossfit
1 pm: grilled vegetable salad with chicken
3:30 pm: turkey jerky (this may not be great with the preservatives or whatever, but I looked at the ingredients and nothing stuck out and it was tasty!)
6 pm: brussel sprouts, chicken and a tortilla soup minus the tortillas
8:45 pm: large grapefruit

The Floodgates Opened (but Closed Again)!

One can frame Saturday in two different ways. If looking at it from the perspective of a 30 day Paleo Challenge, it was a big FAIL. If looking at it as one day of moderation in an otherwise stellar Paleo week, then it is pretty reasonable.

I hosted 40 people for my daughter's birthday party where we served pizza, cake, oranges and salad. I was busy the whole time and had a little plate of salad and some orange slices. I stayed away from the pizza and cake. But three hours later as I was cleaning up I couldn't resist a slice of bbq chicken pizza and one bite of each of the two cakes we had for the party. I should have done a couple things differently--1. plan to have a better lunch than just some basic salad (which was lettuce only) and 2. had somebody else clean the pizza up.

Saturday evening we went out with friends who ordered drinks for us, and I didn't turn them down. I had two vodka sodas and two glasses of wine, but otherwise stuck pretty well to a Paleo meal of duck and no dessert.

Sunday I woke up ready and motivated to start a new week.
10 am: a few pecans and a slice of turkey
12 pm: sausage and pork ribs, side salad from the County Line
5:45 pm: grilled salmon on a bed of spinach with sliced almonds
9 pm: small bowl of blueberries

Monday:
8 am: slice of turkey, one banana
8:30 am: Crossfit
12:15 pm: grilled chicken salad with tomatoes and onions
4:30 pm: handful of pecans
6 pm: grilled chicken on a bed of spinach with tomatoes and green peppers covered in homemade tomato sauce
8:45 pm: small bowl of strawberries

Tonight I went to support Jesse as he busted out 500 burpees in 50 minutes. He was a marvel to watch. Talk about mental toughness, not to mention being in such good shape that his form never suffered through all those burpees. It is great to have a trainer who is so committed and such a good example. You are a total stud Jesse!

Tough Day

Today was by far the hardest day I've had so far. My cravings hit me hard. I sat and stared for an hour at the bowl of candy that sat on the table in front of me at the title company during my closing this afternoon. I was dying for something so while at HEB I went to the dry goodies area and looked at the cinnamon pecans I love. I read the label that stated they have sugar, butter, etc. and I actually walked away. At dinner tonight, I wanted to dive face first into the queso, but I made it. All because I don't want to have to write that I gave in.

7:45 am: 1 turkey slice, 5 pecans, one banana
8:30 am: Crossfit workout
12:30 pm: grilled chicken salad with bacon and tomatoes
3:30 pm: 5 oz. chicken salad
5:00 pm: 6 pecans
6:30 pm: chicken fajita meat with onions and peppers

The challenge tomorrow--my daughter's 3rd birthday party where we will serve pizza (my favorite!) and cake. I'll be having salad. And then a night out with friends tomorrow evening. Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend!

18 Pull-ups!

I thought I had 19, but Jarrod took the last one away because my head wasn't above the bar, so I am tied for second place now.

Amanda, here I come...!

My Two Favorites in One Day!

If going Paleo means I get to have two of my favorite salads in one day (CPK and Bartlett's), then what's not to like. We normally don't eat out two nights in a row but due to a late closing I had we ended up going out for dinner.

Here was the day:
7:45 am: whey protein shake, handful of blueberries
11:30 am: grilled vegetable salad from CPK (no corn)
4:30 pm: handful of grapes
6:45 pm: grilled artichoke, grilled chicken salad (no tortilla strips) from Bartlett's

In case you've never been to Bartlett's (formally known as Houston's), there is a walnut apple cobbler with ice cream that just happens to be my all-time favorite dessert in the whole wide world. When the waitress asked if we wanted dessert, I enthusiastically said "we will pass on my favorite dessert!". It felt good to have the willpower to turn it down. My husband Andy laughed and said "this Crossfit deal sure lit a fire under you!". I think this month's challenge makes such a huge difference in my desire to succeed and stay strong.

Of course, I'm also feeling the pressure just from posting that I will try my max pull-ups tomorrow. It's gonna be cold when I go in...but hey, this is my baseline measurement so I shouldn't be nervous. It'll be the end of the month shot where the pressure comes.

I hope others are having success this week! I love reading other people's blogs to get inspiration.

Day 9: Squats are the death of me

7:45 am: 1.5 eggs (my daughter ate the other half of the second egg) with turkey, handful of almonds, handful of raspberries and blueberries
8:30 am: Crossfit workout
50 - Squats
40 - KB Swing (35 lbs.)
30 - Wall Ball (8 lbs.)
20 - Push Ups
10 - Man Makers (10 lb. dumbbells)
20 - Push Ups
30 - Wall Ball
40 - KB Swings (moved down to 25 lbs.)
50 - Squats
Time: 19:47
This workout was ridiculously hard for me today. Squats are a major weakness for me (lack of flexibility and lower body strength) so by the time I got down to the final 50, I was fighting for every individual squat. I felt weak again today though I realized part of this is because my breathing is still not back to normal from my bout with bronchitis in December. In any case, I was wiped out. I was the last of four to finish the work-out. I love the community feel at Crossfit as it felt good to have the others cheering me on to finish.

Thanks for the comments from Jesse and Jeff with ideas for food to try to feel a little stronger during work-outs. I'll take that advice.
12:00 pm: chicken and beef fajita meat, onions, peppers, lettuce, guacamole and pico de gallo
4:30 pm: 5 baby carrots and 6 grape tomatoes
7:45 pm: Salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, pepperonicinis in a lemon vinaigrette, pepper crusted pork tenderloin with a sweet potato puree (courtesy of Gumbo's, which had a great selection of Paleo-friendly choices). NO WINE, just water with lemon!

This afternoon I successfully stared down a tootsie roll lollipop and stayed away. I normally have no will power whatsoever when it comes to candy, but I did it!

Day 8

Another day down and it went well.
8:30 am: 1 egg, 2 slices of turkey, handful of almonds, handful of blueberries
10:00 am: Crossfit workout
12:30 pm: grilled chicken salad with bacon and tomato
3:30 pm: 6 oz. of Tarragon Chicken Salad from HEB
6:15 pm: boiled chicken seasoned with pesto, roasted brussel sprouts seasoned with pepper, kosher salt and olive oil
8:15 pm: orange
The past couple days I've noticed my appetite is small. In the morning I am not hungry for breakfast and at dinner I feel full quickly. At the same time, during my past two workouts I've been feeling a little bit weak, like I haven't eaten enough. I find this very strange as I'm filling my body with great healthy food and it's filling me up but not providing adequate fuel. It seems like my portions are reasonable (not too small). I'll be curious to see if this feeling continues.

I have another goal I've decided to work toward by the end of the month. I noticed on our Crossfit board today that the top three continuous pull-up numbers for women are 26, 17 and 15. My goal by the end of the month is to knock #2 and #3 off the board and get at least 18 pull-ups. I am going to see what my record is on Friday (after a day of rest) so I know if and by how much I have improved by the end of the month.

30 days of Paleo!

Somebody once said that when they die, they want to have slid in to heaven having used up their body completely so they know they had all the fun they could have. Well that is how I felt when I returned from my Christmas vacation in Colorado. For five days I enjoyed any and every food that crossed my path, from pizza to gourmet dinners; I drank everything from hot apple ciders and hot chocolate to wine and hard liquor. I got minimal exercise from skiing. When I returned on December 27, I was spent.

So the challenge that Westlake Crossfit presented to me came at a perfect time: 30 days of 100% adherence to the Paleo Diet. It technically started January 3, but my plan started on December 28. For 30 days, I am eating meats, vegetables, some fruits, and nuts. No processed sugar (very challenging for me as I love candy), no alcohol, no grains, and no junk food. Strict Paleo adherence would also include no salad dressings (except olive oil/lemon concoctions and pure home made things like that), but my plan will allow small amounts of this.

Some baseline information to start: I usually weigh between 127 and 130 pounds, and my normal diet is pretty healthy. I eat 80% Paleo during the week and then splurge Friday and Saturday. After a weekend of splurging, it is very normal for my weight to be up to 133, but within two days of resuming a normal diet, it settles back down. When I returned from Aspen and weighed on December 28, I was 134. On January 3, I was 128. So I'm a six days in and back to normal.

I decided (though a few days late) to blog about my meals and workouts so I have a record of my month. I get a lot of motivation from reading my Crossfit friends' blogs, so hopefully mine will be helpful to them as well.

I tend to get sick on a fairly regular basis (with two little kids and a husband it all seems to visit our house) so I'm hoping this diet will help me stay stronger so I can fight off these bugs. I'm also hoping to improve my Crossfit workouts. I'm not really looking to lose weight during this month, but I'd love to tighten up (especially my lower body), so I will be curious to see if my body fat % goes down at the end of this.

I took body composition measurements off Leonard's scale today. I don't have the exact figures here, but my body fat percentage was higher than I expected. The average of the two measurements was around 24%.

Here is my log of the last couple days:

Day 6:
9 am: 2 eggs omelette with spinach, bell peppers and onions, 1/2 apple with almond butter
12 pm: spinach salad with grilled chicken, onion, tomatoes. Dipped the fork in the honey mustard dressing for each bite, so I used a very small amount of dressing.
3 pm: handful of almonds
6 pm: grilled chicken, asparagus, 1/4 avocado
9:30 pm: cup of unsweetened apple sauce and 5 almonds

Day 7:
8 am: 5 almonds and two slices of turkey breast
8:30 am: Crossfit workout
12:30 pm: grilled vegetable salad with chicken from California Pizza Kitchen (salad have asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, onions, sundried tomatoes (no corn), dressing on the fork, two glasses of iced tea
6 pm: broiled cod seasoned with olive oil and garlic with baby tomatoes, broccoli, baby carrots, 1/2 avocado
9 pm: orange
Dinner tonight, that's on a salad plate, not a large plate.

So far I've been surprised by my lack of appetite. I'm not hungry at all and it's hard to get the food I make in. I'm usually ravenous and eat large amounts, but I feel very satisfied and in fact have been making an effort to eat a little more.

One week down and I have to say it's been easy because I started out feeling so rotten that I had to treat my body differently just to feel better. Hopefully I'm over my candy-craving hurdle, but I won't be surprised if it rears its head again. My big challenge will come Wednesday during our weekly date night and again Saturday night when we go out.

Stay tuned...