Nutrition Fail

Ok, it's time to stop pretending that this little "nutrition challenge" is working for me right now. I started off with very good intentions but just haven't been able to see this thing through. Don't get me wrong, my breakfasts, lunches and dinners have been great lately. But my snacks are killing this nutrition challenge. I can't seem to lay off the dairy and sugars. Maybe I am an all or nothing kind of person. It could be time for a 21-Day Sugar Detox or a true Whole 30. Here's the thing. If I was totally and completely happy with my body composition right now, I wouldn't change anything. I think it's perfectly healthy to eat a 90% Paleo diet with a few weekly cheats in there (like coffee drinks from starbucks or gluten free treats) But the fact of the matter is that I am not entirely happy with my body comp and if I really want to change things, I'll have to buckle down. Programs like the Whole 30 or 21 Day Sugar Detox are great for that because they have very clear cut "rules" if you will. So now I guess the big question is, how bad do I want it? That's the question that I think everybody has to ask themselves before they start any kind of nutrition or fitness program. What are your goals and how bad do you want to attain them?

I Love Saturdays

Saturdays are one of my favorite days. I guess that sounds kind of dumb because most people love Saturdays. Usually because they don't have to work. Well, I have to work on Saturdays but I love it. Saturdays at CrossFit Katy are so much fun. At 8am we have Open Gym/Squat Class. I usually spend that hour though coaching one of my fave little CrossFitters. (She's 10 and thinks CrossFit is the coolest sport ever!) At nine o'clock we have our Saturday morning Team/Partner WOD. I love the Team WOD's because people get so into it! I mean there's competition every day in every class at CrossFit Katy but Saturdays things just get kicked up a bit because there's so many people. The atmosphere is great and it's a fun class to coach. Next we have our beginner class which usually finishes up around 11:30am then it's time for Lunch. I guess I love Saturdays so much because there's kind of some ritual behind it. Neal and I always go out for lunch on Saturdays and usually we get to get together with some good friends. The rest of the weekend is really up in the air for us. This weekend I drove to Austin to visit my mom and step-dad. One of my best friends from high school is moving to Seattle this week so we all got together tonight at my mom's for a good bye dinner if you will. Change is hard for me I think. As much as I would love to say that I love spontaneity and adventure, I think I'm really just comfortable being settled. So as fun as it is I know for my friends to embark on this new journey, I think I'll just keep my Saturdays. Here's to being happy where you are...

TGIF

Well it's friday! Made it through another week. I'm happy to report that this little experiment really seems to be working in a lot of aspects. I feel so much better during my workouts. I have motivation and persistence again. I know that seems kind of strange because those are all things that I think people really look at as mental issues. They simply berate themselves for not trying harder at least that's what I used to say. I pretty much thought the reason my workouts and performance were suffering was because I just wasn't trying hard enough, that I just didn't care enough about it anymore and that made me kind of sad. But now I realize just how important nutrient and micronutrient status an be as far as CrossFit is concerned. We tell our bodies to do so much for us and if we don't give it what it needs, how can we expect it to do well. The brain I think has this kind of protection system. It knows that you are not at your peak nutrient-wise so instead of allowing you to barrel through, it tells you to slow down. Anyway, that's the good news. The bad news is I am still a bit heavy. Haven't really budged in the weight department and that's because I am still not being as strict as I need to be I think to see results. I am having to toughest time giving up sugars. Today I had a larabar and an apple and some chocolate milk in my coffee at work and this was all before noon. Those sugars are going to be the death of me. I thought I could really do this whole nutrition challenge thing without having to do a strict Whole 30 but that may not work. It's too late to cut back too much now since Oktoberfest is around the corner. You never want to mess with things too much right before a big competition. We'll see! I'm pretty excited to see what Munson throws at us this year. The WODs come out Monday! I'll be sure and keep y'all posted! Goodnight for now.

Shoulder Post Rope Climbs

Sorry guys, forgot to get this up last night....



After having probably the most awesome day possible as far as my shoulder pain is concerned (on weds), I was really anxious to see how it would hold up after all those rope climbs we did last night. Good news is that it really is not that sore! No aching in the morning when I woke up and I hardly noticed it all day. I did test it out by trying to hold the top of a ring dip and that still hurts :( but it's progress! Today is definitely a rest day for me! I love Thursdays because I get up early and knock out coaching the 4 morning classes at CrossFit Katy and then I come home, walk the dogs and eat lunch, then I head out to my other job up at Specialty Healthcare and Wellness for the afternoon. After work, I have the night off! I love it because I get to come home, usually walk my dogs again (I know, they're spoiled but it's good for me too) then I have the whole evening to relax and make dinner. Thursday nights are usually the nights that I get to be a little more creative with dinner because I've actually got the time. Tonight the menu was Paleo chicken fried steak and okra. I know, I know, how do you make Paleo chicken fried steak??? It's actually really easy. I buy the tenderized round steak from Yonder Way Farms. It's actually one of the cheaper cuts of meat that they sell which is a bonus cause Neal loves this dish. So you heat up some coconut oil in a pan. You really have to use coconut oil because you're frying and it has the highest smoke point. Anyway, so you heat it up in pan then you cut your steak into personal sized pieces (it comes in a long strip) dip them in egg and then almond flour. If you want to get fancy, you can season the almond flour however you like. I just do it plain. You fry the now-breaded steaks in the coconut oil for about 4-5 minutes a side. I don't really use a timer. They cook up pretty fast. Ta da! Paleo Chicken Fried Steak! Like I said, Neal loves this dish which is good because there's nothing that will kill your motivation to stay Paleo like boredom! Got to keep mixing it up or you'll be tempted to cheat.

Day Ten

Holy cow, I think I'm having a breakthrough! So it's day ten of this little experiment of mine. I really can't say that my nutrition has been perfect because it hasn't. I mean I am being really conscious of what I'm eating but I still have dairy and I still have small amounts of sugar. Probably why I have had no weight loss since I started. That and I may have to reevaluate my portions. Anyway, on to the breakthrough. Today is the first day that I have woken up, gone all day, done a tough WOD and have had NO shoulder pain at all!! I mean none. It wasn't even sore to the touch this morning. That is a breakthrough. Honestly, the only thing that I have been religious about in these past ten days has been my supplementation routine. I am not ready to post about it yet because I am still figuring out the perfect combination for myself but things are looking really good. Today in class we had another nasty WOD concocted by Mike that went something like this:

10 minute cap:

5-4-3-2-1
10-8-6-4-2

Rope Climbs
Squat Snatch (increasing weight each round)

Now, we only have 3 ropes in the gym so we did it in 3 heats (hence the time cap or we'd be there all night) I was in heat two and I got through the first two rounds no problem. Ran out of time during the third round but I really wasn't upset at all. I didn't think I'd get past the round of 4 rope climbs without being wrecked and I did fine. If I had had 5 more minutes, I think I actually could have finished that WOD. That's pretty big for me oh and did I mention my shoulder didn't hurt! :)

My nutrition today was a little off. I had a bowl of paleo chili for breakfast because I was too lazy to cook and some coffee. The coffee had a little dairy in it and by the middle of the morning classes, I had some serious indigestion/burps. Something definitely didn't agree with me and that kind of set up my whole day to feel bloated. Anyway, lunch was light. Steamed crab and shrimp from Fish City Grill (yummy!) topped it off with a cappuchino which is again more dairy. I really think I need to cut it out for a while looking back at my bloated feeling throughout the day. I had a little hot tea and almond butter for a snack and a pre-workout concoction of some supplements in a little coconut water. After the WOD, I had a post-workout protein shake and then came home and had a few scrambled eggs and an apple with almond butter because I just wasn't that hungry. Tomorrow I am aiming to do no dairy and see if that helps this heavy/bloated feeling. I also think I need to check my portion sizes so a little food journaling might be happening over here. Anyway, it's off to bed before starting another early morning at CF Katy. Hopefully this shoulder continues to behave. I'll be anxious to see how it feels tomorrow after all those rope climbs.

My favorite Paleo Pick Ups

Confession, I am not as good as you may think I am. I think people are always amazed at how consistently Paleo I am and they read my posts about grass-fed beef and pastured and wild meats and while I really do have my fridge stocked with these items, I definitely get help to stay on track. I think we all try to do it all. We have jobs or raise kids, take care of the house, grocery shop, workout and we're expected to have perfectly healthy, organic, Paleo meals ready for us and our family 24/7. Well, that's just not reality. So a lot of us decide that its just easier to get "convenience food" and give up on our healthy eating habits because we can't be perfect. I think that's just an excuse. That's taking the easy way out. I mean you can't eat out breakfast, lunch and dinner and really expect to be healthy. You are going to have to do some cooking and you are going to have to put in some effort BUT there are definitely some "go-to" for quick Paleo pick ups for those nights or days when you just can't do it all. These are my favorites:

Rotisserie Chicken from Super Pollo Rico on Mason. Neal and I like to pick up a whole chicken with four sides to eat after class sometimes when we're too tired to cook and don't have any steak thawed. We always get salad and plantains for our sides. That way we're getting some veggies, protein and a starchy carb in the Paleo-friendly plantains. Plus they're delicious.

Fajitas from El Jarrito or Las Mananitas. We tend to get the big order where you get some shrimp and stuff too. Just tell them that you don't want the chips, tortillas, beans and rice and ask for extra guac.

War Wonton Soup from Orient Cafe. This is not perfectly Paleo but it's one of the freshest and lightest soups around. We always get two orders even though one is supposed to be enough for two people. It is a clear brothed soup with tons of fresh veggies in it and chicken, beef, pork and shrimp. They usually put 2 or 3 wontons in it which really isn't that much considering the size. I usually finish about 3/4 of mine and save the rest for a snack.

Barbecue from Rudy's or Red River BBQ. We get the brisket and sausage. Sometimes we get ribs but you're going to want to stay away from them if you're doing a nutrition challenge or are aiming for weight loss because they tend to have a lot of sugars in the rub. At Red River BBQ you can even get a plain, dry baked sweet potato to go with your meat. Sides at BBQ joints are tricky so we tend to stick with green beans and maybe a little coleslaw.

Lamb and Chicken Gyro Meat from Shishkebob Cafe on Fry. We order it by the pound and it is soooo amazingly delicious. We also get sides of shirazi salad which is chopped cucumber, tomato, and onion with parsley and spices. It is so good and different.

Those are really our "go-tos". If I'm not cooking up grilled steak or some kind of crock-pot concoction, this is generally what we're eating.

Side Note: I made a big pot of Paleo chili today with grassfed beef and venison. This is another tip. Make big batches of stuff so you can eat off of it for days.

Suck It Fran!

Well it's day eight of this little nutrition challenge/experiment. I may not have really gone into much detail before, but the real reason I am doing this is because I think my performance in the gym (and really in life) has been lacking. I have low energy, I am heavier, more body fat, have felt very little motivation or drive in most of my workouts. My nutrition was poor by my standards, sleep was less and stress was/is higher. And my dang AC joint that I injured at Regionals is STILL bugging me! Ugg, that was 5 months ago!
Along with my job at CrossFit Katy, I work part-time at a Wellness clinic in Bellaire (and Sienna Plantation) doing Paleo Nutrition, Athletic Performance, Hormone Balancing, etc. We're a pretty cutting edge facility really. One of the coolest things we do for our Athletes (and people in general) is Micronutrient Testing and Inflammation Assessments. Then we recommend appropriate nutrition and supplementation protocols. Back when I started in February, I had my blood work tested and got on a concoction of supplements. After about 7 weeks, I was feeling amazing! I was lean, had tons of energy and was kicking ass in my workouts (mostly) Regionals was coming up and I was pumped! But after Regionals was over and my "season" ended, I really slipped into some pretty lax eating habits, stopped working out as much and ran out of my supplements and stopped taking them. I know, I am a bad patient. And while I definitely feel that there is a serious need for "seasons" and periodization (I'll cover that in another post) I let myself slip pretty far. Well, a few weeks ago I went to a Sports Medicine Conference in Chicago and wow my head literally exploded with information. That's when it really hit me. How was I supposed to properly treat athletes to make them the best that they can be if I was so off-base with my own performance?? That's when I really decided to do this thing. I have so far had my blood re-tested (the results are pending) and I have started a new supplement protocol. I have only been doing this for 8 days now, but I am already feeling better.
Today at the gym we did Fran! Infamous Fran! I haven't done Fran in literally months...maybe even a year and I wasn't very optimistic about it because I still haven't had that pop back in my workouts yet and I am still heavier than I want to be. But I sucked it up and pushed through and guess what....I got a HUGE PR! 3:42! That's the fastest Fran time of any girl in our gym so far! So right now, I am feeling pretty optimistic about my new routine. I am still hoping to drop a few pounds and lean out and I am still hoping for some more energy and go in my workouts, but if this is any indication of where I could be going...watch out South Central!