Almost Done!

So the paleo challenge is almost done. Do I think I'm going to win the competition? Not a chance. I've completely gone rogue now. Sure I've still be relatively "healthy" but let's just say there have been some very non-paleo things on my plate as of late.
     I'm a little disappointed I couldn't stick to strict paleo for the full 30 days but I'm going to try and not beat myself up about it. I still tried to make better choices and limit my junk which is all I really set out to do in the first place.
     I've also been a total slacker on getting my WOD on. Between the insanity that is school and Kenny's unbelievably annoying long work days niether of us has been particuarly stellar at getting our three days a week in at the box. We are hoping to really recommit for the month of February. I do miss working out, which is something I never thought I would say! It's a ton of fun and truthfully it is driving a little insane that I haven't worked out in so long. We have the family WOD tomorrow so I'm hoping we can use that as a little bit of a springboard to get back in there and really attack February with unparalleled fierceness.
     So the paleo challege really didn't go so well for me and truthfully I wasn't expecting anything less. I knew I would cave. I have terrible self control (have you seen the way I bite my nails?) and I love soda just a little too much. Like I said though, I limit the amount of junk quite a bit. I try to allow only one "cheat" for the day. So maybe that's a latte from Starbucks, a soda or a piece of candy. I've actually been really good about keeping to that rule. I think allowing myself to have that one free pass to have a treat each day makes keeping healthy the rest of the time much easier. I also value my cheat much more and I'm very picky about it. Sure I might really want that cookie but would I rather have the cookie now or maybe a bowl of ice cream after dinner. I only pick one when before I would probably choose both and probably a lot of other junk in between there too.
     A pretty big theme of paleo is doing what works for you. There are all kinds of ideas and opinions on what it truly paleo and what isn't but the thing I found the most was people saying: if it works for you then it's paelo. So I'm going to adopt that slogan and go with it. If eating the occasional bowl of pasta, some rice, cereal or having a sugary treat seems to work alright with my body then I'm going for it. The best I can do is try and so far so good. 

The End Is Near: A close to my paleo challege

It's almost the end of the month and that means it is almost the end of my paleo challenge. It's been really, really, REALLY hard to stick  to this diet but I have to say I'm pretty proud of how closely I did stick to it.

To tell the truth I did cheat, more than once, but for about 95% of the time I kept to the diet. I've noticed little changes in my appearance and I'm hoping it's enough to have won our box's little challenge (we all put in $10 and whoever wins gets the pot!)

I don't really plan on keeping to the strict paleo diet after the challenge is over. However we will still be eating as clean as we can and improving our food choices. Really I think that's what the whole idea is. Rather than a specific diet I try to eat real foods and just leave it at that. The occasional junk will be a part of our diet but hopefully the good choices made the rest of the time will outweigh the not so good choices. My favorite cheat by far has been In'n'out which really isn't a cheat per say. If I was dying for some kind of junk I would go to In'n'Out and order a double-double protein style with no sauce and no cheese. Technically, according to some, it is still paleo since it's just lettuce, beef, and tomato. Granted I'm bending the rules quite a bit to make a double double fit into the term paleo but hey...it was better than McDonalds right?! I've also cheated a bit with the soda, it's a horribly difficult addiction to kick. BUT! I don't get diet soda anymore, I stick to the real stuff without asparatame. There is a plus to this, since it has sugar in it I cannot drink a lot of it since it will wreak havoc with my blood sugar (I'm hypoglycemic). When I did cheat it was usually only one soda for the whole day as opposed to the 5-7 diet sodas I would have before since they didn't spike my sugar.

Of course we will still continue our crossfit journey and keep up with our WODs. My school schedule is pretty much insane. Some days I'm doing back to back 12 hour clinical with an 8 hour lecture after that. It's exhausting to say the least. Not to mention the homework and reading I'm supposed to be doing. Actually that's what I am supposed to be doing right now. You can tell how well that is going. Getting my three weekly WODs in will be tough, and some weeks I may not be able to pull it off but it is just for another 15 weeks. If I can just live through school, that's an achievement right there!

We have a family WOD coming up on the 1st and I'm pretty excited to have fun with my ENTIRE family working out, kiddos included! I'm so proud to say that my whole family is a part of the extended HXF family now. It should be a great time and hopefully I can snap a few fun pictures while we are there.

I'm excited for the measurements to be revealed in just a little more than 2 weeks! Fingers crossed!

Progress!

So tonight I got the opportunity to do a benchmark WOD called Elizabeth. I first did this WOD back in November and I was able to complete it in 4:27 using a 15# bar and doing ring dips with my toes on the ground. (The work out was cleans & ring dips doing sets of 21, then 15, then 9 if you're not familiar with it)

Tonight I finished it in 5:39. Now you might think that's not progress but I was lifting 35lbs and was doing ring dips with a green band! So for doubling my weight and making the ring dips way harder I only added about a minute to my time! The standard for being allowed to do banded ring dips is being able to hold your own weight up with arms locked and feet off the floor. A few weeks ago that was impossible for me. Tonight I held myself up for 10 whole seconds!!!

It may seem like a small thing to achieve but to me it's tangible progress. I can see the changes in my body and I like them! My belly is quickly losing its squish factor and my arms are looking more toned. I can't wait to see what I can do in another few months.

I am also very proud to say my parents are officially part of the crossfit family too! They finished the technique class and I couldn't be more proud. I would love to do a family WOD sometime. I think it would be fun!

Paleo challenge update: well I DID fall off the wagon a few times. However I have been really quite good at staying on track. I would say 90 to 95% of what I'm eating is paleo. I do feel a difference in my guts when I do cave and eat some grain or junk like soda. It just doesn't feel right. I'm also pleasantly surprised that paleo has actually boosted my milk supply! I now eat a lot of good fats as well as protein and carbs, those things contribute to making me less hungry ALL THE TIME which is greatly since I don't want to be cooking every hour. Oy.

So I'm excited for the start of nursing 3 but I'm also stressed over it. The schedule is flat out CRAZY. I am going to be super super super busy. I am super blessed to have amazing family who watches the rug rats while I'm gone learning. Fun things to come this year!

Paleo Challenge- Day 2

So, yesterday I started my 30 day paleo challenge. It is going pretty well for the most part. I drool over the sandwiches I make for Roxas, and longingly stare at the rice I make for Kenny of course.

One of the hardest things for me is finding things to eat at all and then keep me full. I want to eat like ALL. THE. TIME. I can eat what seems like forever and never be really full. Snacking is my main form of eating. Trying to sit down for an actual meal is about as likely as me winning the lottery around here. Sure I love all kinds of paleo snacks like almonds, or fruit, or eggs but I can eat a good $15 worth of almonds in one sitting and still be starving to death. I love fruit but all the sugar from snacking on fruit all the time isn't great. So, I'm trying to just get used to being hungry for now, and I'm hoping my body gets the message that it's not getting more and growling at me will not help. We really don't have the money to support my stomach's demands either. We receive WIC but unfortunately everything they give us, except eggs, is not paleo. I just spent $160 on food that I could go through in a few days really. So I am having to learn how to ration and control when I eat. I guess it's a good exercise in willpower.

Giving up the grains, sugar and (some) dairy has been easier than I thought though. Its only day two so we will see what kind of tune I'm singing in another week or so. I really don't miss my soda...yet. The grains like rice and pasta ate what I'm really missing the most because they are fast and convenient. I'm exhausted right now and there is a huge pile of dishes in my sink from making dinner last night. I really don't feel like making anything to eat because of that. Getting something delivered or popping a pot of pasta on the stove isn't an option anymore. So, one good thing about this is I'm being forced to eat healthy or don't eat at all. Unfortunately I'm just lazy enough that staying hungry is easier than cleaning and cooking. I have just enough energy to fix a grilled cheese for Roxas and Kenny but that's about it. I'm hoping I can get some new energy without grains bogging me down anymore.

I will check in later with another update.

WOD #20!!

Woot Woot! Tonight, for my 20th WOD I lifted 45 pounds from the ground and over my head 30 times in 3 minutes and 4 seconds. Grace was rough but I'm very proud of myself.

Over the past few months I have seen a huge change in me. Physically I am stronger, I was able to deadlift 150 pounds! I have better endurance, 2 minutes of jump rope doesn't leave me feeling like I can't breathe. Mentally I'm evolving, I've been able to test the limits of my mind and find I'm capable of more than I thought. Healthwise I'm improving, my body fat percentage has gone from 33% to 29%. In just 20 workouts. Change is happening and I like it!!

I've decided to participate in our box's paleo challenge. It's 30 days of eating paleo and of course doing crossfit. I'm both excited and scared to try it. We eat about halfway paleo I'd say but there will be a few things I'm going to miss. Top of that list is soda, and refined sugar, aaaaand rice. Oh, and beer! Ypu can pretty much do anything for 30 days so I'm going to try my hardest to stick to the plan. I know there will be some huge challenges to my plan, mainly a party this month and the start of nursing school. It will be tough to resist the allure of the vending machines on campus. I know, great example for our patients!

So, I'm not going to be too strict this weekend but come Monday....it is ON! I enjoy challenges so this should be pretty fun.

In other news my parents are going to be joining the HXF family too! I'm very proud of them and can't wait for them to get addicted just like I did.

I will keep updating a little better now that the holidays are done and I will be sharing all the fun recipes I can find!

Tasty Tuesday- Not so paleo

Ok, my diet for the past 4 years has been well...not the best ever. 80% of our meals came out of a box. We bought a special non stick pan just to make hamburger helper.......yeah. I spent A LOT of time in the frozen meals section of the grocery store to say the least. I would come home and pack the pantry and freezer with very little going to the fridge. I also have a full blown addiction to soda which I am working on. I've gotten off the diet stuff and have a limit of 2 per day on rest days and none on work out days. I was going through a 12 pack a week so this is a huge improvement.

When we started this journey of crossfit I realized our diet was going to have to change. I don't typically like change, but I don't like being squishy and jiggling when I walk either. I know what I'm about to say may go against a lot of the crossfit world's nutritional values but this is specific to our family and our choices. Trust me I do understand a few of our choices are not perfect and sure we could probably force ourselves to go strict paleo but for right now it's not for us. Maybe someday but not right now.

Now a big thing with crossfit members is something called the Paleolithic diet or just paleo for short. Essentially it's eating like a caveman. If ugg couldn't eat it then you won't be either. There are all kinds of versions of paleo that I have seen. Some people say potato is a no go, yet others say it's fine. Some are cool with certain dairy products, others...not so much. At any rate we are about 3/4 paleo in this house. Go ahead and tell me I'm not allowed to have my absolute favorite candy bar (Hershey with almonds) anymore and see what happens. I assure you that it won't be pleasant. There is also a love for rice in the house which will not be obliterated easily, then there is not much hope I will ever completely get off the soda habit. Sorry, I like it too much. So you see paleo is not really my cup of tea.

Instead of some major undertaking like going paleo I've adopted the rough idea and used it to improve our nutrition by leaps and bounds. I strive to make real food...like food that will go bad if you leave it too long. Unlike the box of tuna helper in our pantry that has an expiration date that is up in about 2 years. I shoot for a balance of a protien, veggie and a smidge of starch/carbs in our meals.

I went grocery shopping today and honestly the only time I was in front of frozen cooler cases was to pick out some frozen yogurt. Don't judge, I needed an ice cream fix. Other than that my cart consisted primarily of items from the perimeter of the store. Very few exceptions were in there.

Gone are the days of bright packaging and crinkly freezer bags. Here to stay are the chunks of real meat, whole fruits and veggies and perhaps some whole grains too. Hey, steel cut oatmeal is my best bud for keeping the milk flowin' round here.

Sure, I might still be eating some processed junk here and there but let me tell you it's a completely different diet for us. We might not be at caveman status but it's an honest effort and that's all I can really promise. To me just making an effort to be conscious of your body fuel is what matters. Try to be smart about things you eat and you'll be fine.

For today's tasty Tuesday recipe I give you
Crock Pot Balsalmic Roast with
Cauliflower Mash

I'm making this for our box's Christmas party this weekend so I will let you know how it turns out!

Tasty Tuesday- Running Behind

I'm a little late on my Tuesday post, sorry bout that. Last night's WOD killed me. I was only able to finish 4 rounds out of 5 and that did not make me happy. What really killed me were the jump ropes. If there is one thing I hate more than running it's jumping rope. I just don't have the cardio endurance for it yet. I lack the ability to do double unders so instead of doing 20 doubles I was doing 60 singles. They were brutal and really slowed me down.

On the positive side I set a new personal record for my clean and jerk. I was able to do 55lbs! Monday I also mastered 12in box jumps! Woo!

I've been doing crossfit for a month now and I do notice small differences in ny ability to work harder, longer and recover faster. Its nothing huge but it is an improvement. I'm really proud of myself that I've stuck with it and haven't given up because it's hard. I am looking forward to even more improvements in the months to come.

For today's tasty Tuesday, or Wednesday, I found this yummy sounding almond crusted salmon recipe. I love fish and I actually have made salmon similar to this in the past and it's great. Perfect entree for dinner!

From Paleo Plan
Almond Crusted Salmon