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!!