The End of Week 3

Tuesday, Oct. 11

6:00 am

Crossfit Prep

Lots of squatting

Final set of 5 was max effort - weight posted

back squat: 109#

front squat: 99#

overhead squat: 65#

(I may have gone a little crazy with the weights because my back was hurting me after this workout.)

breakfast - 7:30 am: 2 eggs scrambled, peach, and black coffee

lunch - 12:30 pm: hamburger patty, avocado, lettuce, carrots, and asparagus

dinner - 7:30 pm: sirloin steak, grilled squash, grilled red peppers and onions

Wednesday, Oct. 12

breakfast - 6:45 am: grilled chicken thigh, avocado, and tomato

lunch - 12:00 pm: chicken breast, steamed cauliflower and broccoli, strawberries

dinner - 6:45 pm: blackened salmon, salad with olive oil and vinegar, and steamed cauliflower

Thursday, Oct. 13

breakfast - 6:45 am: sirloin steak and avocado

lunch - 12:00 pm: grilled salmon, stir-fried bok choy, onions, and red peppers

dinner - 6:30 pm: pork ribs and roasted broccoli

Friday, Oct. 14

6:00 am: WOD

Four Rounds

200 m run

15 pull ups

200 m run

15 push ups

200 m run

15 sit ups

200 m run

15 squats

26:06

breakfast - 7:15 am: 2 eggs scrambled with bacon

11:00 am: 2K Row

8:46

lunch - 11:45 am: gluten-free spicy chicken from PF Chang's

dinner - 6:45 pm: salad with shrimp, grilled red peppers, onions, avocado, olive oil, and vinegar

Week Three

I can't believe it is officially week 3 of the challenge. 


I also can't believe that I haven't posted since Friday - sorry.


We'll start with the food logs, but stick around to the end for a delicious new recipe!


Saturday, Oct. 8


breakfast - 6:45 am: 2 eggs, 2 slices bacon, grande Americano
8:00 am: 18 holes of golf
lunch - 1:00 pm: hamburger patty with tomatoes and pickles (golf tourney lunch)
snack - 2:30 pm: pumpkin souffle
dinner - 6:30 pm: spinach and sweet potato salad with bacon and grilled chicken thigh


Sunday, Oct. 9


breakfast - 8:30 am: 3 eggs, coffee
10:00 am: 2 mile hike
snack - noon: almond butter
lunch - 2:30 pm: pot roast with carrots and salad with avocado, olive oil, and vinegar
dinner - 7:30 pm: pork ribs


Monday, Oct. 10


5:00 am: WOD
3 rounds
400 m run
10 Toes to Bar
20 Wall Balls 14#
13:31


breakfast - 6:30 am: 2 eggs, peach, and coffee
snack - 9:30 am: raw almonds
lunch - 11:45 am: salad with avocado, grilled chicken, olive oil, and vinegar
dinner - 5:45 pm: pork ribs with roasted red cabbage and cauliflower


Now for the recipe:


When I got home from the tournament on Saturday I was wanting to cook up something delicious for dinner. My new go-to website for Paleo inspiration is everydaypaleo.com. She makes some really good things, and I usually get some good ideas from her posts. 


So I stumbled across her recipe for Warm Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad and modified it a little (because that's how I roll). I'll post the original recipe here and add my changed in red.

Warm Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad

3 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 apple diced (I skipped the apple because I don't like fruit in my salad as a general rule)

8 strips of bacon, diced

2 leeks, thinly sliced (I refuse to cook with leeks because you have to soak them for like 83 hours to get all of the sand out - I substituted one shallot)

6 oz of fresh baby spinach

Handful of sliced almonds for garnish

Dressing

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp spicy brown mustard (from Trader Joe’s) (I used brown mustard from Fry's)

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp of dried basil (I never have dried basil so I frequently substitute dried parsley)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat your oven to 400.  Toss the diced sweet potatoes with the coconut oil and spread evenly on a baking sheet.  Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes.  While the sweet potatoes are baking, cook the diced bacon in a large skillet.  Once the bacon is crispy, add the sliced leeks in with the bacon and saute for another 4-5 minutes.  Put your spinach in a large salad bowl and add the bacon and leek mixture. Toss well, letting the warm bacon wilt the spinach.  Add the apples and sweet potatoes to the salad and toss together.  In a separate bowl whisk together the salad dressing ingredients.  Pour over the salad, mix well and garnish with the sliced almonds.

I also grilled up some chicken thighs with garlic salt on them and cut them up and added them to the salad before the dressing. I like to make my salad a full meal when possible.

Seriously - this salad was DELISH! 

If I were not in the middle of this Paleo Challenge and had blue cheese in the fridge I probably would have added a little of that to this salad as well.

Friday, Oct. 7


6:00 am: WOD


4 rounds
100 ft. dumbbell lunges w/ 25# dumbbell
25 lateral jumps
15 push-ups
10:05


breakfast - 7:00 pm: 2 eggs scrambled with sun dried tomatoes, sausage, and spinach. Coffee
lunch - 11:30 am: Chipotle salad w/ chicken, peppers and onions, avocado, and salsa for dressing
dinner - 6:30 pm: New York steak, roasted red cabbage, and pumpkin souffle (I'm still working on the pumpkin souffle recipe. I'll share it if I get it to a point that I think you would enjoy it.)

Losing Weight

Wednesday, Oct. 5


This was a super tough day! I had a breakfast and lunch for work so I was beholden to someone else's food choice. Definitely the lesson learned that I should plan ahead for those things.


breakfast - 7:45 am: 2 pieces of sausage, some strawberries, black coffee
lunch - 1:30 pm: small salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and grilled chicken - dressed with olive oil and vinegar
dinner - 6:30 pm: pot roast with sauteed red bell peppers


Thursday, Oct. 6


breakfast - 7:15 am: 2 eggs scrambled with red peppers
lunch - 12:00 pm: chicken breast, lettuce, and avocado with olive oil and vinegar
dinner - 6:3o pm: pot roast with kale sauteed with bacon, garlic, and shallot


Also, I weighed myself on Tuesday morning, just under a week from the last time I weighed (I forgot to weight right at the beginning of the competition) and I had lost almost four pounds. 


Woo hoo! 


I think I have more energy during the day and there is a chance that my WODs have been more efficient, but I haven't really been able to tell. 


I'm feeling good though.

Catching Up

Sorry I've been MIA. I have no good reason...


Saturday, Oct. 1


7:30 am - track practice: sprints, shuttles, ultimate frisbee
breakfast - 9:15 am: 2 eggs scrambled with ground lamb and jalapenos and a baked sweet potato
lunch - 1:00 pm: sun dried tomato chicken bake, spaghetti squash, and salad with olive oil, vinegar, and avocado
snack - 3:30 pm: strawberries and almond butter
snack - 6:00 pm: raw veggies with guacamole and salsa
dinner - 7:00 pm: steak with onions and tomatoes


I went to a surprise birthday party for my cousin and they served Mexican food, but I held strong and just had veggies until I arrived at Sissy's house.


Sunday, Oct. 2


breakfast - 7:00 am: 2 eggs and 2 slices of bacon
lunch - 11:30 am: salad with roasted turkey and artichoke hearts and balsamic vinaigrette (at Macaroni Grill and possibly the worst salad I've ever eaten)
snack - 3:00 pm: shrimp with sun dried tomatoes and spaghetti squash
dinner - 7:15 pm: pot roast, onion, and salad with tomatoes, avocados, olive oil and vinegar, strawberries


Monday, Oct. 3


5:00 am: WOD
12 min. AMRAP
5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats
10 + 15


breakfast - 6:15 am: 2 eggs and chicken sausage
snack - 9:45 am: strawberries and almonds
lunch - 1:00 pm: grilled chicken salad with avocado and salsa
dinner - 6:45 pm: pot roast with roasted brussels sprouts and red cabbage


Tuesday, Oct. 4


6:00 am: Prep
Clean and Jerk - 85#


breakfast - 7:30 am: 2 eggs, peach
snack - 10:00 am: almonds
lunch - 12:15 pm: hamburger patty, sauteed bell peppers, tomato and side salad with balsamic vinaigrette
dinner - 6:45 pm: chicken breast, sweet potato, and salad with cauliflower, olive oil, and vinegar

Friday, September 30

breakfast - 8:30 am: 1 egg scrambled with mushrooms, chicken sausage

lunch - 1:00 pm: ground lamb, jalapenos, avocado, lettuce, and tomato with olive oil and vinegar

snack - 3:30 pm: strawberries and almond butter

dinner - 6:30 pm: sun dried tomato chicken bake with spaghetti squash sauteed with butter and onions

Some Thoughts on "Healthy"

 Thursday, September 29


breakfast - 7:00 am: 2 oz. sirloin steak, 2 slices bacon, 1/2 avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno
snack - 9:30 am: strawberries and raw almonds (if you are in Arizona - go to Sprouts and get the strawberries - they are SO good!)
lunch - 12:45 pm: chicken breast smothered with green chile and a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette (At Alice Cooperstown)
dinner - 6:00 pm: macadamia/coconut crusted grouper and paleo "no potato" salad 


I would highly recommend the "no potato" salad - it was VERY good! And it was a hit with the folks at work who tried it.


While at lunch two of the men at my table made comments about diets and eating healthy. And it got me to thinking about what healthy means.


I know that it is crazy to think that everyone would go Paleo like me. I also understand that for a lot of people, food does not have the same immediate negative reactions as it does for others (like me.)


However, I think that there is so much information out there about what is healthy and not healthy and not enough people are researching what they are hearing. 


One of the only things that I remember from college was my statistics professor telling me that you could make statistics tell whatever story you wanted. I believe that is true for scientific studies to a degree.


I'm not going to pretend to understand how the human body works and why it reacts to things the way it does. I'm trying to understand more about it in the Paleo Solution, but I honestly do not process scientific information well. But I do think that there are a lot of people who think they are eating healthy, but they are not understanding what they are eating.


For example, typically when you get a low-fat dressing, one of the things they do to the dressing when they take the fat out is add more sugar. Or fat free half and half - did you know it has high-fructose corn syrup? I'm not saying HFCS is bad - because I don't know. But I'm saying to pay attention to the things in your food. Healthy is a perception for a lot of people.

Wednesday, September 28


5 am: WOD
3 400 meter sprints
1:28
2:00
1:59


I was a little disappointed in my second two runs, but I have to tell you that I honestly thought I was going to die on that second run. Seriously, as I was running I could actually see my legs giving out. Me collapsing onto the ground and hurting myself. It was crazy. Clearly I did not have my mind in the right place for that workout.


breakfast - 6:30 am: 2 eggs, black coffee
lunch - 11:30 am: grilled chicken thigh, lettuce, tomato, and avocado with olive oil and vinegar
snack - 3:00 pm: pistachios
dinner - 7:00 pm: New York strip steak and grilled asparagus


Today was tough. I was really hungry all day. I need to get better at packing snacks so that I am not so hungry in between meals. 

Still Going...

Tuesday:


6:00am - CrossFit Prep (This is basically the precursor to actually being a Crossfitter. We learn different lifts and work on skills like dips, pull ups, and running)
Overhead squat - 77#
Push press - 82#
Front squat - 89#


(Also, I got my pictures taken this morning - basically the winner is chosen by the other members of the gym based on picture and change in body tone. I'm nervous about everyone seeing those pictures, but it is DEFINITELY motivation to stay strong!!)


7:30 am - breakfast: 2 eggs, black coffee (are you noticing a trend? I need to change it up a little)
11:45 am - lunch: @Smashburger: 1/3 lb. Arizona burger with no bun and no cheese, veggie frites with no green beans
6:45 pm - dinner: Lamb shoulder chop, roasted brussels sprouts, raw red bell pepper


It was a super busy day at work with lots of meetings and time out the office so I didn't have a snack and I think I paid for it a little after dinner with a major desire for more food. But I stayed strong. 


Dirty asked me the other day what was the hardest thing to give up and I would have to say, on a daily basis, it is cheese/dairy. I don't mind drinking iced coffee black, but I do like cream in my hot coffee so I'm really going to have to work on that. Additionally, cheese is hard. I wouldn't say that I eat a lot of cheese, but it is a nice addition to salads, especially when you eat a lot of salads. I have not gotten to the part of the book where they discuss dairy products and why they are not included in this diet, but I'll keep you updated as I know.


I have some thoughts on diets that I will most likely share tomorrow/tonight. (I'm really going to try to write this blog post at the end of every day so it makes a little more sense. 

Day 2! What, what?!?!

Ok, I guess that Monday was technically day 3 of the competition, but it was only day 2 of having to report my food, so...


Here is my day at a glance. I will start with my workout - hopefully as we get further along in this journey I won't have to explain every line.


6:00 am - WOD (stands for workout of the day)
(I usually attend the 5 am class, but due to a miscommunication there was no 5 am so I stayed for 6) 
Wall Balls and Kettle Bell Swings 
30-20-10 (this means three rounds, 30 of each in the first, 20 of each in the second, 10 of each in the third)
35# kettle bell, 14# medicine ball (each person gets to choose their weights. typically there is a prescribed weight for men and one for women and you can scale down from there. I don't know what the Rx was for this workout)
6:28 (This is how long it took me to complete the three rounds)


7:30 am - breakfast: 2 eggs, black coffee
11:30 am - lunch: grilled sirloin steak, lettuce, tomato, roasted cauliflower, and avocado with olive oil and vinegar
2:30 pm - snack: handful of raw almonds, 1/2 grapefruit
6:30 pm - dinner: grilled chicken thigh, mushrooms sauteed in butter, grilled onion


Feeling good so far. I will say that I really could have used a piece of dark chocolate after dinner last night, but I stayed strong. I don't want to have a cheat for at least two weeks.


I am slowly making my way through The Paleo Solution - I am enjoying it, but there is a lot of science talk and I do not have a science brain. As I get further into that, you will likely be learning some of what it says. 

Paleo Challenge 4.2

I have officially joined the Paleo Challenge at CrossFit Fury.


Basically this means that I have to do the following:

• Eat only Paleo meals
• Post everything I eat on a Facebook page for the entire group to see each day
• Post a picture of one of those meals on the Facebook page
• Read The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
• Watch Food, Inc.
• Attend track practice every Saturday morning at 7:30 am

In order to keep myself motivated and honest, I will also be posting my meals here each day for all of you to see. In addition, on the days that I have CrossFit, I will post the workouts and my times. 

Realizing that everyone is probably unfamiliar with Paleo eating, I will talk here about what that means, and probably share some information that I find important. 

I may share some recipes with you. I may share some struggles with you. I will (hopefully) share some triumphs with you. (Come on, first pull up!)

Yesterday was the first day for posting our meals, so I'll share with you that information to get started.

9 am: coffee w/ heavy cream (I will be cutting out the cream, but it is soooo hard to give up.)

11 am: 3 slices of bacon, half an avocado and grape tomatoes with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.

1 pm: bell pepper slices with guacamole and salsa

2 pm: shredded beef roast and lettuce with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper

6:45 pm: shrimp, carrots, cauliflower, and red bell pepper with Paleo coconut curry

I look forward to sharing this journey with you! And thank you in advance for your support!!