Day 28- Completing the Clean Living Challenge

Today is the final day of Crossfit Southwest's Clean Living Challenge!! I am proud to say I made it through without cheating the program or myself. I ate clean, worked hard, and focused efforts on rehabbing injuries and recovery.

So what are the benefits I have noticed? 

• I have loads of energy in the afternoon
• I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go
• Finally sleeping better (Thanks Danielle!)
• Lost about 5lbs and 3.5" from my hips/abdomen
• My um...digestion is more regular than normal
• I have increased my mobility and range of motion in my shoulders and hips
• I reconnected with some great friends and made new bonds with fellow challengers
• My culinary prowess has increased...hello kohlrabi and bacon!

What were some of my challenges?

• The first week I had nightmares about baked goods. I can't even eat pie without it messing me up but for some reason I was craving cake, cookies, and pie
• Finding healthy snacks...too often I turned to nuts or fruits which either put me over my carb goal or left me hungry later on
• Explaining my diet to everyone at work and getting crap for it
• Planning all my meals ahead can be exhausting
• Being sober for the Super Bowl. Lame.
• Missing my Dutch Bro's skinny latte

What happens now?

• I'm going to enjoy some little cheats (skinny Margarita from Ajo Al's, some Valentine's chocolate)
• I'll slowly bring back some "forbidden foods" like yogurt and protein shakes
• I plan to keep my carb intake around 100g for now...allowing for some movement depending on my activity level
• Continue taking time to recover...AM sun salutation, yoga few times a week, going to bed early
• Keep pressing forward

Thank you everyone for supporting me through this. It has been a great learning experience.

Day 14- 2 weeks down 2 more to go!

Just a quick update...today marks the halfway point in the Crossfit Southwest Clean Living Challenge!!

Here are a few positives I've noted:

• more energy in the AM
• down some lbs
• runs feel easier
• yoga has become part of my morning routine (the sun salutation is like my 1st cup of java now!)
• the support has been amazing and motivating
• my skin feels softer/smoother
• my cravings have greatly diminished (but still there...grr)
• my recipe repertoire has vastly increased

A few kinks to straighten out:

• still not sleeping all that well (not sure if it's over training, work, or eating later)
• finding snacks that are not carb-rich, made with soy, or processed
• energy wanes in the PM
• getting  more protein and healthier fats

Oh, and did I mention I'm still 100% paleo?! This is the first "challenge" I've successfully been entirely strict. I credit that to all the amazing support from family and friends. Thanks everyone!

Day 12- Experimenting in the kitchen

So after a conversation at the gym yesterday about the difficulties of baking primal...I decided to rework one of my favorite gluten-free biscuit recipes into one that is also primal friendly.


The original recipe is for Pão de queijo, which is a very popular Brazilian cheese roll made with tapioca flour. The biscuits when done right are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Because they are made with tapioca flour (from the cassava root), this recipe is naturally gluten free. They are, however, NOT primal due to the cup of milk and two cups of cheese!


So this morning I decided to switch up the recipe a little to see if I couldn't render something savory and primal! 

The original non-Primal Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups tapioca flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 beaten eggs

My attempt at Primal: 

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup organic butter
• 1 cup unsweetened original flavor Almond milk
• 2 cups tapioca flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup spinach
• 1 Aidells All Natural Andouille pork sausage (diced)

Baking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Pour olive oil, water, almond milk, and butter into a large saucepan, and place over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat immediately, and stir in tapioca flour until smooth. 
3. Stir egg into the tapioca mixture, one at a time, until well combined, the mixture will be chunky like cottage cheese. Add sausage and spinach. 
4. Drop rounded, 1/4 cup-sized balls of the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake until the tops are lightly browned, approx. 20 minutes

What to try next time:

• So the biscuits came out with the right texture (a major concern I had cooking with almond milk) but they lacked a little flavor. The sausage and spinach were a nice touch but the dough itself was a little bland. I omitted the teaspoon of salt thinking the sausage would add enough, but I was wrong. Perhaps a teaspoon or two of minced garlic or other spice will perk the dough up next time.
• I know those of you on a strict "Paleo" diet cannot eat butter. So I'll try subbing that 1/4 cup butter with either 1/4 cup olive oil or maybe some other paleo oil like flaxseed oil or pumpkin oil. Ghee is also an option.
• The protein count was a little lower than I wanted (only 2g per biscuit) so I might sub the water for low-sodium organic chicken or beef broth. That will bring it up to 3g of protein per biscuit. 

If anyone has any suggestions on how to further tweak this recipe....please please let me know.

Challenge Over--ish

So the 30 day challenge was officially over on Sunday, but I was working a 48 so I'm just now getting around to writing about it. It's funny...things have not really changed all that much since it finished. I'm still eating pretty much paleo--with a few minor adjustments. I missed you oatmeal! My body seems to crave mostly protein, healthy fats (mmm...avocados), and veggies now. I feel like I am more in-tune with my body, I eat when I'm hungry and have given up the "eat every 2-3 hours, even if you're not hungry" mantra. It's almost as if the challenge hit the reset button on my body.

So let's look back on a few of my reasons for doing the low-carb paleo challenge and see if it accomplished what I was hoping:
1) Lean up. 
I may not have made the unrealistic drastic changes I was secretly hoping for, but this is the beginning to lasting changes. A few wise friends pointed out that the scale only gives us an arbitrary number and that what we see in the mirror and how we feel are the real gauges to health. So how do I feel? I still struggle with what I see in the mirror but I do appreciate my clothes fitting better and my legs and butt look especially fantastic :p I have noticed I'm getting more vascular...even the veins in my feet are starting to pop out. A fun little sign that I'm heading in the right direction.  
2) Dominate fitness/competition. 
This one for sure is improving.  My run times are slowly improving...here I come sub 25min 5K! My strength is improving...I did 7 legit strict pullups the other day!! 10 is just around the corner.  Oh, and I can still throw over 140 feet in hammer even after a year off of coaching and four years since competing.  I am less than 12 weeks away from the police and fire games and feel like I am right on track. 
3) Shake things up & tear down the mental barriers.
This is probably the most difficult for me.  I've struggled my whole life with bouts of self-doubt and low self-esteem.  Only those closest to me have really seen this side, until now that is. It is embarrassing yet therapeutic to publicize my fears and struggles. It's kind of like AA (or so I assume)...the first step of any problem is to admit you have one. The next step is to conquer my self-doubt and see myself for all the wonder that is me.  So I'd say things are shook and those barriers are slowly getting chipped away.


So what does the future hold? Guess you'll just have to check back for updates...

Day 27- Making strides

Just a quick blurb since I'm at work.

It was brought to my attention that the last few posts were somewhat negative or at least made it seem like I was struggling. Well I am happy to report that yesterday & today (as well as many of the other days) have been a success!

Yesterday, for example, was a day full of great workouts & tons of energy! Even better was that yesterday was an IF (intermittent fast) day! I used one of the many methods of IF and skipped a meal.

It seems like all you hear is "eat 5-6 meals a day." Well pretty sure our cavemen ancestors and even our grandparents/parents did just fine with 3 or less. Our bodies are able to adapt to stesss and change so why would we keep our eating habits on a strict timeline? Eat every two hours??! Personally I've found that this schedule has made me a food addict. I no longer eat when I'm hungry...I eat because that's what all the diet books are telling me. Well not anymore. The occassional IF is the perfect way to reset my hunger gauge and help me take back control.

Yesterday reset my clock and today I felt strong and not stressed about food. What a concept! Rather than stress about food, I could just enjoy it. Even better is that my natural appetite kept me well within my paleo guidelines. Winning!

Day 26- Passing the buck

I get a daily email from "Mark's Daily Apple" and read it religiously. Today, especially, his blog hit home. It was about blaming others, our situations, basically everybody and everything but ourselves for our own problems. Here's a blurb:

"Blame admittedly allows us to languish in the presumed comfort of bad habits. It allows us to wallow in laziness, to accept inertia for the sake of ongoing bitterness."

Wow! I don't tend to blame others but I can't tell you the amount of times I've blamed a situation for my shortcomings. Too exhausted from work to take the dogs out. Too broke to find a gym to swim at. Too busy to cook a healthy meal. Too hot to go for a run. Or my personal favorite: I can eat this (fill-in-the blank fatty/sugary food) because I worked hard today. All lame, no super lame excuses. All are ways for me to pass the buck onto something else since I'm not seeing the results I want in the mirror. All force me back a step (or two) and shake my self-confidence.

So what should I do? The answer is simple though difficult to put into practice. Accept that I am not perfect and that I will hit roadblocks along the way. Some will be self-created and some will be thrown at me by chance. How I recover from these setbacks will be the true measure of my progress.

Mark summed it up well:
"Life, as we will eventually come to understand (hopefully before it’s too late), will never be perfect. It will never be easy. There will always be obstacles, annoyances, and limitations to contend with on the path to health and well-being. Regardless of what our lives look like next to someone else’s, ours is still the one we go home with at the end of the day. Ours is the one we get to live – for all its possibility as well as challenge. What will you make of it today?"

Day 24- Hits and misses

I cannot believe the 30 day paleo challenge is almost over. The time has flown by.  I thought with only six days left that I would reflect back a little on some of the highs and lows of this challenge.

HIGHS:

• Lost an inch on my waist so far!
• Learned to read labels not just for calories
• Realized that most of the time I'm craving sweets it's because I haven't had enough "healthy fat"
• Learned how crappy some of my favorite foods are (talking about you mango!)
• My running is finally getting back to where it needs to be
• Learning that dairy is not my friend (or at least not my stomach's friend)
• Support from my family & friends

LOWS:

• The first two weeks my energy was non-existent
• Recovery from hard workouts has taken longer than normal
• My cheat meals (couldn't pass up a few along the way)
• Missing oatmeal, sweet potatoes, & black beans
• My bank account took a hit (nuts are expensive snacks!)
• Didn't lose as much weight as I was hoping (about 5lbs was it)
• I didn't post as often as I wanted to

With six days left, I'm going to really do my damnedest to finish strong and see if I can't turn some of those lows into positives.  I have learned a lot so far and could use at least another 30 days to really figure out how to incorporate paleo into my life for the long term.  Any suggestions?

Day 17-The Aftermath

Note to self--- 48hrs of work plus first time attempting 100g carb paleo diet DOES NOT equal a successful situation.  It amazes me how my body, or maybe it's my mind telling my body, craves carb-rich "no-no" food when I haven't gotten enough sleep.  My willpower is a super-powered maniac on a full-night's sleep, but wave some tasty carb-morsel in front of my face when I've been up all night, and my willpower does an amazing vanishing act.  

So I have a confession to make: I went over 100g of carbs and anti-paleo yesterday! Ugh...I ate some oh-so-salty yet oh-so delicious corn tortilla chips. The worst part was not going over (I ended up at 127g of carbs for the day so not that far off) but the guilt!  Yes I know the goal is to eat clean 85% of the time, but I am an over-achiever. I expect 100% effort of myself at all times and am my worst critic when I falter.  

The rest of the day and even this morning, I struggled with the feeling that I let myself down and sabotaged my goals.  Somehow one slip up meant that everything was for naught.  Then after a "forced" two-hour+ nap, I woke up with the realization that one setback does not define me or this challenge.  Challenge being the key word here.  I am a carb-addict and breaking the cycle will be difficult, but not impossible.  

Today was about recovering and finding my inner-strength.  Tomorrow I will hit the ground running with renewed energy and commitment.  

This was one of my favorite quotes in college and always helped me bounce back from a rough practice or meet:

"Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down. It's staying down that's wrong." 

— Muhammad Ali

Day 8-I love Luci's

There is an amazing restaurant and marketplace near my house called Luci's Healthy Marketplace.  My brother introduced me to their amazing healthy lunches and fresh brewed green tea. Plus they cater to gluten-free freaks like me! They have a super wide variety of gluten free protein bars and other goodies.  Luci's is a weekly staple in my life, that is until I started this paleo challenge.  I have been trying to avoid  eating out because it's a lot easier to keep track of what I eat and where it came from when I know every single ingredient.

Tonight, however, I was tired and way too sun-beaten to cook after spending all afternoon swimming. So I hit up one of my favorite spots and discovered there's more than meets the eye to this place.  Little did I know that my favorite lunch spot is also a hipster jazz bar on Saturday night with live music and dinner specials that the chef whips up in the "teaching" kitchen where Luci's offers a weekly cooking class.  I ordered pan-seared chilean sea bass with asparagus and sauteed peppers and zucchini. The best part was I could sit at one of the little tables and keep a hawk eye on the guy to make sure no forbidden foods were slipped in.  None were.  The meal was paleo and cooked to perfection! Oh and the band playing "Fly Me to the Moon" in the background sent the experience over the top.

So if you end up in central Phoenix with a jonesing for healthy meals...head over to Luci's Health Marketplace on 16th St and Bethany Home.  If it's for lunch...I'd recommend the Dirty Doctor or the Zeus Burger! Oh, and order me a large iced tea and drop it off at the house will ya...It's Goodness for Goodness Sake.

Day 6&7-

Week 1 is coming to a close. The past two days have been so busy I haven't truly had time to reflect. I'll leave that for tomorrow when I'm off shift and had a nap!

Yesterday was day 6. Most of it was spent driving back to Phoenix. I learned from my drive down that going four hours without snacks leads to a very grumpy cavegirl. This time I was better prepared. Thanks to some tips from the Guru of Gorgeous, Danielle, the car was stalked with healthy almonds and other low carb, high fat nuts and the drive was much more enjoyable.

It still seems counter-intuitive to eat "high fat" but the Susan Powter death grip of "stop the insanity" is starting to loosen up. It's not the fat that's killing us...it's the added sugar lurking in our favorite foods. Hmm...more on that when I'm rested.

Here's to week 1 down!

Day 5- Family fit

Quick blurb because it's late and it's been a long and fun day. Played tourist in Tombstone and got called out to a duel with the street re-enactors. It was super fun! I even got to fire a real gun! Would definitely recommend the Helldorado guys over the "OK Coral" actors.

When we got home, my dad treated us to a paleo-friendly home cooked meal: top sirloin, broccoli, cauliflower, and a yummy salad full of mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions, and zucchini.

After dinner, my nephew challenged me to Wii Fit. He even busted out a real hula-hoop to use during super-hoop. I kicked his butt in everything but skateboard. That kid is a freakin skateboarding ninja.

I've hit a few lows mentally during the first week of the challenge, craving carbs, getting irritable, and not getting adequate calories. Today those lows were almost none existent thanks to the support of my family and the distraction of wandering through Tombstone. Think having such a strong support group and staying busy will make this strict carb-restricted paleo challenge very doable. The results are already starting to show...the gunslingers called me "svelte!" winning!!

Day 4- Brotherly advice

Yesterday was a busy day so my entry is 12hrs late. Oops. Got up at 4:30 to row, packed, then drove to Bisbee for belated mother's day. We went to Santiago's for dinner. Had a delicious 8oz lean cut of carne asada (prime rib) and a salad that I drenched with fresh pico de gallo.

While at dinner, I talked with my brother Erik about my paleo challenge. He's dabbled in Paleo a bit, although he can't give up his once a week addiction to the Dbl Whopper plain with cheese. He was surprisingly encouraging but lectured me for not eating enough that day. With my go-go-go schedule I only had one real meal before dinner at 8:30. A few paleo snack throughout the day weren't enough to stave off the grumpiness and general lethargy. My bro made the point, which I already knew but chose to ignore, that if you workout hard you have to make time to refuel your body. Otherwise you'll end up losing muscle and be too tired to hit the gym, track, or lake hard the next day.

The other important advice my brother gave me was about guacamole. During his Level 1 Crossfit Cert training, a nutritionist spoke of the amazing benefits of avocados. In her words, "it's like green butter, put the stuff on everything!".

A little lesson on avocados: Avocado is a fruit, one of the only fatty fruits. It contains loads of vitamin E, B vitamins, potassium and fiber. Its fat content is mostly monounsaturated, so it's a healthier option than eating a ton of nuts or nut butters, which are higher in omega 6.

Dinner and a movie

Day 3-

Saw "Thor" today.  Loved it! Was definitely feeling inspired to kick ass afterwards.  That and look for an awesome set of armor.  There is just something about comic book movies that get me pumped up to workout.  Maybe it's the skimpy costumes or six-pack abs of the heros, but I watch those movies and think, "if only I pushed myself a little harder, ate a little cleaner, I could totally pull off that costume for Halloween!"

Today I am happy to report I did push myself.  Physically, I hiked all over Dreamy Draw and wore the pup out.  Eva, my pit-bull, was down for the count all afternoon!  Diet-wise, I pushed my luck at a new restaurant (new to me...not new to this earth) and stuck to my new paleo regime.  The place is called The Phoenix City Grille.  It's right down the street from me and might be a new favorite spot.  They had a ton of wine (sadly it'll have to wait for now) and lots of paleo options.  Lots of different proteins to chose from and most importantly, lots of paleo-approved sides.  I ordered the cedar plank salmon and swapped out horseradish potatoes (which my friend reports are amazing!) for grilled asparagus and beets.  Normally I'm not a beet person, but these were pretty damn good. Plus they only had 9g of carbs along with 2g of fiber and 2g of protein.

Paleo at the firehouse?

Day 2-
I started the day with some serious trepidation...how I could possibly keep eating Paleo while on shift. Typical firehouse food is loaded with carbs, cheese, and salt. I'm used to having to pick around meals...hard to make seven other hungry firefighters avoid gluten, but ask them to eat Paleo? That's crazy talk!

Luckily for me I have an awesome and somewhat understanding crew. I talked with them while PT'ing this morning and told them about my challenge. First they laughed, then they teased me about being a cavegirl, followed by a few serious questions about making sure this challenge wouldn't negatively affect my health. After explaining myself, my Captain said he's behind me 100% (as long as I still pay in to the chow fund).

I am happy to say that all my worries were unfounded. It was my truck's turn to cook, and my Captain suggested grilled chicken fajitas with a ton of sauteed veggies. The guys ate black beans and rice, and I had a side of extra peppers and some diced avocados! Who knows...maybe I'll even convince them to say no to rice & beans next time too! For now though, I'm just happy to have the support of my crew (even with the teasing).