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HEALTH & NUTRITION

Nutrition Nightmare Completion

(2 votes)

As many of you already know, last week wrapped up my 30 day Super Paleo Challenge! And as much as I bitched and complained, deep down inside, I really kind of enjoyed it...pretty sick and twisted huh? It brought a unique discipline to my life...the rules gave my lifestyle purpose...and the restrictions gave me motivation. The point of the challenge was as an educational adventure and I will say I learned a ton about myself and how my body interacts with different foods. More importantly I learned that even when I was eating Paleo..my habits and practices were not ideal...YES, YOU CAN EAT PALEO AND STILL EAT LIKE SHIT! In fact, I want to continue many of the habits I have developed over the past 30 days.

Since the end of the challenge I have reintroduced some things back into my diet. Fruit and nuts have been brought back, but slowly and in limited quantities. I found that I was 100% over eating nuts in the past, mostly as a result of their convenience...grab a handful and go. So as I carefully bring them back into the picture, I plan to restrict the quantity and timing of my nut consumption...that sounds, uh, awkward! I battled back-and-forth for days about if and how I should handle the coffee situation. I was incredibly proud of myself for breaking the habit and could hardly believe I made it a full 30 days coffee free...but damn I just love the taste and smell too much to go on with out coffee in my life again! So wouldn't you know, the first thing I put in my body after the challenge was over...was a giant cup of joe! And let me tell you, it was like drinking fucking rocket fuel...ZING!

I did not enter into the challenge expecting to see many changes in body composition, however over the course of 30 days I lost 7 1/2 pounds. Nothing staggering, but I was fairly lean to begin with so I imagine the result could have been far greater depending on my starting weight and body fat. As far as my workouts went, they certainly suffered initially as my energy levels were low and re-adjusting to my new eating habits. But before I knew it, I began to really flourish. I achieved 3 PR's during the 30 day stretch..and well I should partially (or completely) contribute this success to improvements in both form and movement patterns for these lifts...I am gonna go ahead and claim it was 100% a result of my dietary changes. Haha, lets be serious here...I did experience an increase in energy, faster recovery, and improved strength gains.

Thank you to Jen Sinkler who took the plunge with me and was my roll-dog for the past 30 days. It was so important to have that other person there, holding me accountable and keeping me honest. I must say I believe I had the stronger will power of the two of us...but nonetheless I couldn't have done it without her sharing my pain! I also want to thank you all for bearing with my whining and complaining over the past month! I hope that my experience can help me to better advise you all, our athletes, when it comes to nutritional tweaks and over-hauls.

Because I enjoyed the Super Paleo Challenge sooooooooo much, I've decide to partake in another adventure...the ZONE! So stay tuned as a tackle the Zone Diet starting Monday, April 26.

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Nutrition Nightmare

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Day 18 -

I know that the majority of my post here have been...well, lets say full of complaints and misery...but honestly if i can;t complain to you, who can I complain to? And well I have made the past 18 days out to be a living hell, it hasn't been that bad. Don;t get me wrong, it's by no means been peaches n' cream nor would willing accept this challenge again anytime in the near future, but I have learned a shitload about my body and the way it interacts with different foods. And that knowledge has been worth every second of misery!

Day 19-

I decided to head home to Connecticut for the Easter Holiday to get a little R&R and spend some quality time with the fam. I am convinced that my parents listened to nothing I have said about the past 18 days of my life because i am engulfed with temptation. I am being serious when I tell you that my house is filled food that could send me off the deep end in a heartbeat! My Mom was delighted to tell me that she was making one of my favorite dinners...spaghetti..."yea Mom, I don't eat pasta"...and she had baked me her delicious homemade brownies..."yea mom, I can't eat brownies"...and my Dad had bought an entire case of our favorite wine for dinner..."yea Dad, I'm not drinking wine." Fuck me, I am such a buzz kill!

Day 20 -

What can I say, I am completely spoiled by Mom's home cooking. And while some of her best work is "off-the-charts" illegal for my style of eating right now...no matter what she whips up, it is pretty damn good! I've tried to convert my family to Paleo...but they still look at me like I have 10 heads when I talk to them about it. Let's be honest, I feel borderline weird eating around my friends and quite frankly even eating in public...but at home, the safest place in the world, you'd think i'd have the support of my family...NOPE, WRONG ANSWER! Yesterday my sister saw contact solution in my bathroom (it wasn't mine it was left there by a friend of mine). Knowing that I have 20/20 vision and no need for the solution, she reasonably deduced that I must have found some new way to ingest/eat/drink contact solution to help improve upon my diet....SERIOUSLY?? Am I really off my rocker that much....???

Day 21 -

Easter dinner was delightful! Finally by day 3 of being home, my Mom was able to pick up on my quirky and impossible eating habits and prepared an awesome and completely legal Easter dinner. Thanks Mom!

Day 22 -

I am entering into the home stretch boys and girls! I can honestly say that I am feeling rather accomplished for fighting off a weekend long of temptations (including a late night fiending for some ice cream that honestly almost picked my ass up out of bed and drove me to WAWA). Woke up this morning feeling incredibly refreshed and rejuvenated! I am ready to attack the last 8 days of this challenge...watch out meat, eggs, and vegetables...HERE I COME!

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Nutrition Nightmare

(1 vote)

Day 15 - I think I have found my rhythm slightly with this challenge. It just feels boring! As much as I try to keep my food selections fresh and different I am beginning to feel like I am living out my own version of Groundhog Day...fuck me!

Day 16 - "$25 All You Can Eat Sushi" every Tuesday night from 9-11 pm at POD in University City...take advantage of this awesome deal to gorge yourself on some of the freshest fish in the city. I did...and now I feel like I have an aquarium in my stomach...DELICIOUS!

Day 17 - That mid-morning hunger is still driving me nuts! I have forced myself to get a quick workout in, even when it completely inconvenient to do so, just so I can have a protein shake after the fact (...and yes that is legal provided that it IMMEDIATELY follows my workout). I've been drinking this new after-workout supplement by Progenex (one of the many sponsors of the 2010 CrossFit Games) called Recovery. I'm not a huge supplement person, in fact I ingest very little aside from my daily food intake. However, one of our athletes was sent a free sample by Progenex so I thought I'd give it a go. Pretty good...tastes a little funky...nothing a little coconut milk and an extreme need for dietary variety couldn't fix.

13 days to go...PRAY FOR ME!

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Nutrition Nightmare

(1 vote)

Day 12 -

I cracked...AGAIN...and well I'd like to blame it on my friends who relentlessly tempted and teased me by putting there deliciously filled glasses of whiskey under my nose, I know I have no one to blame but myself...but damn Jack Daniels you taste delightful. I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I had just done FRAN and quickly remembered why I decided to take that hiatus from drinking to begin with. Have no fear, your boy is back on track...18 more days of the challenge left, I got this!

Day 13 -

My goal for grocery shopping today was to buy one vegetable that I had never had before. To be honest I get caught (as I imagine many of you do) eating the same damn things...what can I say, I am a creature of habit. So I aimlessly wondered through the aisles looking for my new food love...and thats when it happened...out of the corner of my eye I caught her looking at me. I couldn't help but to shyly look back as I slowly crept closer unable to resist her undeniable glow. As I we stood face-to-face I realized I had never seen anything like her before...her brilliant mahogany complexion captured me and I stood enamored by her beauty. I'll be honest she was I bit rounder than my usual type but this could be overlooked for just one night. I gently reached out and touched her skin...it was rough...I felt like I was rubbing my hand against a splintered piece of wood...AMAZING! I embraced her curves and held her close to me as I whispered to her " Sweet rutabaga...How I yearn to know your taste."

No but on the real tip...what the hell is a rutabaga and how do I even eat it? Only one way to find out...Miss Rutabaga, you are coming home with me tonight!

Day 14 -

When I was a little kid I used to love those little "baby corn"...you know what I'm talking about. Something about those mini little fuckers really hooked me. Overtime I lost my interest, maybe it had something to do with the fact that I felt real men shouldn't eat mini vegetables! But recently guess what has made a reappearance in my life...yup, you guessed it...MINI CORN. Srew my manhood, I'm eating those little vegetables...anything to get me through the last 16 days of this nightmare!

 

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Nutrition Nightmare

(2 votes)

So I'm back on the grind! Below will catch you up on my 30-day challenge...

 

Day 5 -

I actually feel like a normal person today! My energy levels are great and finally i am thinking clear as day! This challenge might not be so bad after all...

Day 6 -

Today was my biggest test yet...75 degrees and beautiful and a Happy Hour invitation on the table. All I wanted to do was sip on a tasty cocktail, maybe even a couple of tasty cocktails...at the same time...double fist?? But staying true to my goal and to many people disbelief I was sober as could be Saturday night. It actually wasn't half bad...5 hours at Kildares, 9 pints of water, and some good times laughing at some incredibly DRUNK people. I had a weird moment of clarity...maybe I should do this more often!

Day 7 -

I quickly realized how soon I can crash if I'm not eating CONSTANTLY! I moved today (I hate moving, it is quite possibly my least favorite activity in the world...everytime after I move i swear I am going to hire movers the next time...nope, just my stupid ass and the help of a awesome friend)...any-who, with the all day distraction and headache that was moving I kind of forgot to eat. BAD IDEA...come 9pm I had had no food in my stomach since breakfast and was a sorry soul. Note to self..EAT ALL THE TIME OR YOU WILL DIE!

Day 8 -

 

I realized that a kick-ass morning workout functions like a piping hot cup of coffee for me. Adrenaline pumping and endorphins flowing...I got get on this A.M. workout more often. Only problem is I felt like my performance suffered slightly from only being awake for only 20 minutes before I tried to launch 155lbs over my head 20-something times.

Day 9 -

Still feeling on top of the world, but finding it challenging to get in enough calories. Not to mention, I think if I eat another bite of spinach I may rival Popeye for the most spinach consumption in a single day.

Day 10 -

I will be honest, I'm bored! I feel like I am eating the same thing every meal...NO MORE SQUASH PLEASE!

Day 11 -

I wonder whats going on with my cholesterol levels?? I am eating about 6 or so eggs a day and gorging my self with meat...could be interesting to get some blood work done.

 

Gonna be better about the daily updates, stay tuned...

 

 

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Nutrition Nightmare

(0 votes)

Day 4 -

I LOVE SWEET POTATOES! Period. Yea, I know...sweet potatoes aren't a vegetable. However the challenge allows sweet potatoes directly following a workout because of their nutrient density. Looks like I just have to workout a little more often in the day to get one of the only foods thats still keeping me alive in this challenge...3-a-days, here I come!

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