Paleo Challenge: The Last Week

So, the Paleo Challenge ended today. I didn't slip up even once during the four week trial, though my blogging efforts were not as diligent towards the end.

So, here are my thoughts on the Paleo diet. It was more expensive. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables (or even frozen for that matter) and meat and nuts is much more costly than eating macaroni and cheese or pb&j. It just is. I used to brag that Brig and I could live on $100 a month for food when we were first married. Not only was that a million years ago and food prices (and the size of our family) have gone up, but we eat better food now. So, if we continue with this diet, which we plan to do (with a few cheats each week), we will just need to increase the grocery portion of our budget accordingly.

Secondly, I have had more energy. I haven't had the dramatic bursts of energy that one has after a ice cream shake, but I have had more consistent energy. I do appreciate not having to deal with the lows that come after a carbohydrate induced high.

Thirdly, I did lose a little weight. Unlike my husband who lost a lot of weight and doesn't need to lose any at all, I only dropped a few pounds. Technically, I was at a completely normal weight to start with, so that wasn't the real goal of this, but, as a self-conscious female, I didn't mind this as a side-effect.

Fourthly, my gym performance did improve. I have never been an athlete and I will probably never be one no matter how many life adjustments I make, but I feel like I am doing the best that I can with what I have to work with.

Some other notes:

1. I really, really like sweet stuff and I don't think I could continue this diet indefinitely without cheats built in. Life is just too short.

2. The Chipotle we had today as an "it's over" celebration was absolutely heavenly. Unfortunately, my stomach was not used to being filled in such a matter and there was a little gastrointestinal rebellion to deal with later.

3. My boys are not that hip on the idea of mom and dad continuing the Paleo diet.

Anyway, that's it about the Paleo for now, though I may mention it in other blog posts further down the road. I now return you to your regular programming of boy stories and math follies.

Paleo Challenge: Days #20 & #21

Well the challenge ends on Saturday. So, this was really the last full weekend that I had to make it through. On Saturday morning, I had an apple and some nuts and headed out the door to the gym. The WOD was:

With a Team of 4

As Many Reps As Possible in 20 Minutes:

Deadlift, for reps

Burpees, for reps

*RULES*

1. Only 2 persons working at one time

2. Score = combined total of reps for DL/Burpees

Our team managed a respectable 570 reps in 20 minutes. I wasn't as helpful as I would have liked to have been on the Burpees, but I did a respectable number of deadlifts at 95 lbs.

I went straight to the grocery store after that and found what are becoming the usual foods at our house. Lots of fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, and nuts. Then I headed home and had a peach, some carrots, and some turkey for lunch.

About 3:00, I had a banana and some pecans and then Brig and I went out for dinner last night. We decided that the safest option was a steakhouse. I had an 8 oz. Filet Mignon with steamed broccoli and a side salad, though I had to pick off the croutons. We spent the remainder of the night in my most favorite of places - a book store. And now, I have all new reading material to distract me through this last week of deprivation.

Sunday morning was busy as usual. I grabbed a banana and some pecans before heading off to church. Lunch was a little turkey, two peaches, some nuts and some fresh veges. Dinner was steak (again - don't tell), spaghetti squash and grilled sweet red onions. I also had a little apple cider with which I figure is okay since the only ingredient on the label was apples.

My evening snack was a pear and some pecans.

The kids have school off tomorrow which will make the day a little harder, but I am amazingly busy the rest of the week and I hope it flies by. I am really craving a Chipotle burrito with that lime-cilantro rice in it about now.

Paleo Challenge: Days #18 & 19

Yesterday night I taught an evening class, which also meant that I took a day off from the gym. I had some roast beef and a banana for breakfast. Lunch was a salad with turkey, the last of the pecans, mushrooms, green pepper and a few tomatoes. I ate an apple at about two and then made a quick dinner of poached eggs and carrots before running off to teach. When I came home last night, I was ravenous. I ate two more poached eggs, an apple, some grapes, some almonds and a little more turkey. I'll let you decide what was a meal and what was a snack in there.

Today has been a little more calm, but unfortunately we are running low on food. I managed to grab an apple and some almonds before heading out the door to the gym. The WOD today was:

21-15-9 reps for time:

Pull-ups

Thrusters

Ring Dips

I did every single pull-up without any assistance. This is huge for me as I usually resort to some sort of rubber band. I was also the only girl in the gym at the time that was doing the pull-ups without assistance, so that felt pretty good. Of course, the rest of the workout made up for it. We were suppose to use 65 lbs on our thrusters. I started with 65 lbs and about 3 thrusters in, I realized that was not going to happen - especially since the first round had 21 reps. I took off the ten pound weights on each end and just ended up on using the 45 # bar. I also had to use a rubber band (albeit a small one) to get through all of my ring dips. I think that I made the workout hard enough for me though, because I came home exhausted. It also took me 22 minutes to do which was one of the slower times posted today.

I came home and by the time I showered and went through Speech Therapy with Mike, it was time for lunch. His peanut butter and honey sandwich looked so good, especially since I had no idea what I was going to eat. I finally found a bag of vegetables in the freezer that I could steam in the microwave and a frozen chicken breast. I ate all 4 servings of the carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower while I waited for my chicken to cook. I have been so ravenous lately that serving size no longer applies as far as I'm concerned.

My afternoon snack was a few almonds on the way out the door to a primary function. Dinner was strawberries, almonds, and two poached eggs. My evening snack was some carrots.

Paleo Challenge: Day #17

Once again, I am running a day behind on blogging about my Paleo Challenge efforts. Yesterday morning was a rough morning in class and I think it wore me out for the whole day. I got up early and made a wonderful breakfast of poached eggs, carrots and an apple. I know it sounds like an interesting combination, but really, it was quite tasty.

Lunch was a salad with baby greens, mushrooms, carrots, and turkey. I also had about a fourth of a cup of almonds and some grapes on the side. I had a few more almonds and a banana as a snack before I headed out the door to the gym. The WOD for yesterday was:

Warm-up

500m Row

15 Pull-ups (work on kip)

Press PVC Skill work

WOD

Press

1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1, find 1RM

*1 RM = 1 Rep Max

I was only able to get to 65 pounds before maxing out on my press. It is amazing to me how much more weight I can press when I am allowed the small dip before which constitutes a push-press. During the warm-up, I was able to do my pull-ups unassisted (no bands) in sets of 3.

I actually ate my second snack of almonds and some carrots right after the gym so that I could shower and take my son to a scout night at a bookstore. Then I came home to a late dinner of stuffed green peppers. My husband had put everything from mushrooms to eggs to carrots in with the ground beef, but no rice or breadcrumbs. They were very delicious. He did a great job.

I've only got just over a week more of this challenge. I will post all of my thoughts about how it went at the end, but as a quick interlude, I wanted to note that while I don't love the deprivation, I have loved the fact that my blood sugar isn't all over the place.

Paleo Challenge: Day #15 & 16

Mondays are my especially long days. I teach until past 10:00 p.m., and when I made it home last night, I went straight to bed.

So, the last two days I have made peace with this diet. Instead of trying to fit it into my normalcy, I have just given up and gone with what feels right. So, instead of 3 meals and two snacks each day, I feel like I am eating constantly. Yesterday, I had a several pieces of fruit, some steamed vegetables, some turkey, plenty of nuts and two poached eggs. They were pretty much spread out and nothing was really a "meal". But, I wasn't hungry and I felt fine through my marathon four hour math class.

Today was pretty much the same, except we did have a sit down dinner of crock pot roast, sliced pears, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. It was very tasty and I am full.

I didn't make it to the gym yesterday and I usually don't on Mondays, but I did make it this afternoon. The WOD was:

5 Rounds for time:

400m Run

15 KTE’s

20 Wall Balls

25 Push-ups

I finished in 32:15, which was about in the middle of where most people finished. I wasn't using quite as heavy of a medicine ball on the wall balls as I should have, but I think it was right for me today. Wall balls have always been a weakness of mine - along with anything that requires coordination.

Paleo Challenge: Day #14

I am writing this on Monday. I've been pretty good to post on the day of so far for this challenge, but I was not feeling well last night and ended up on opting for an early bed time.

Breakfast yesterday was a banana and some walnuts. I spoke in church and had to hurry out the door fast to make sure I was there with time to spare. Lunch was some turkey, a salad, a peach and some orange juice. I had a snack of a pear and some almonds before dinner.

Dinner was an interesting mix of experimental food. We had a salad with tomatoes, carrots and sweet habanero peppers. We also ate grilled portabella mushrooms, asparagus, sauted baby eggplant, and grapes.

I had an evening snack of a peach and some almonds.

Paleo Challenge: Day #13

Well, the challenge ends two weeks from today. I will make it.

Breakfast this morning was a pear, some nuts and two eggs. There wasn't much in the house, so I just scraped together what I could. Then I headed off to the gym for the 9:30 WOD. The WOD today was:

2 Person team will complete:

800m Relay Run

80 Wall Balls

80 SDLHP

80 Box Jumps

800m Relay Run

80 Push-Press

80 Burpees

80 Sit-ups

800m Relay Run

The girl I was paired up with is a Sargent in the ROTC and was a lot better than I was. We ended up on having to take some of the weight off for the SDLHP and Push-Presses, so that I could complete my part. We finished up in 43:15.

I made it to the store before lunch and so I had a bunch of fresh fruit and veges along with some turkey for lunch.

My afternoon snack was some nuts and a peach.

We had dinner out with the rest of the crossfit people at BD's Mongolian Grill. It was quite a feast and good times with our fellow gym friends, though some were almost unrecognizable in their made-up non-gym state.

I was stuffed after dinner, but in the spirit of the challenge, I am currently eating an evening snack - a single golden delicious apple.