The Workout:
I was feeling a little hungry today (who...me?) and felt a bit nervous about attempting a long run in a lot of heat after a measly 5 blocks (throughout the day). On top of that, I honestly have been feeling a little sick from all the fruit! Anyway, I decided that if I waited till the 430 class to run, I would have made it mentally impossible so I pulled the car over at 130 and decided to just do it (and then shower and return to work). I have to say that as much as it sucked (and it alllllways sucks), I did feel lighter and faster. I beat my old PR for the 5K by 22 seconds (not a ton but not bad) and ended up at 28:05. I would have liked to have beaten 28 minutes and I would like to think that maybe one more block of food could have helped :) but really I have to say that the Zone might actually be working. My Clean and Jerk workout last night also felt terrible but went pretty fast. I still think I am going to add a block and at least go up to 11 but maybe this caloric restriction is helping me!
To Weigh or Not to Weigh....
One thing I failed to mention at the info session is whether or not we should be weighing. I go back and forth on this...weighing in itself is not so terrible, as long as its not your only measuring stick. You could technically gain weight on this diet because you are still actively participating in CrossFit and building muscle...but you might LOOK leaner, better, "skinnier". So...if you want to weigh occassionally, go ahead...just don't make losing weight your primary goal. Let's try to be stronger and faster...and if our pants end up fitting better too...well, that is just an added bonus :)
Hang in there! If anyone is starving and feeling weak or losing performance, let me know and we will go ahead and adjust you tomorrow!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A few tips...
Okay, so I thought I would do a quick refresher due to some frequently asked questions:
First, when you eat a 2-block meal, that means 2-blocks of EACH of the three food types: protein, fat, and carbs. You are not eating the Zone if you eat 2-blocks of fat, 1-block of carbs, and 3-blocks of protein. Each meal MUST be in ratio (2-2-2 or 3-3-3 or 4-4-4).
Secondly, the unfavorable carbs are to be avoided whenever possible (with the exception of sweet potatoes which should be used sparingly and hopefully after a workout). If you see "toast" coming up on your journal pretty much every day, try to get away from that and eat some yogurt or eggs with fruit and veggies. Your carbohydrate intake should come almost exclusively, if not exclusively, from fruits and vegetables. Also, please remember to avoid "fake" sugars like diet drinks.
Finally, if you have the nutrition label for a food, you can use that to determine how many blocks it is worth rather than relying on the "cheat sheet". This can make a big difference as it did when I ate 1/3 of the Laughing Cow Cheese that I should have eaten (resulting in me being even hungrier than normal). Read over page one of your packet for more info on how to figure things based on nutrition labels. It basically says this:
7 grams of protein=1 block
9 grams of carbs= 1 block
1.5 grams of fat = 1 block
Don't get all worried about counting one food as three different things (obviously cheese has protein and fat). If your cheat sheet says cheese is a protein (which it does), just look at the protein portion of the nutrition label. In the case of Laughing Cow Cheese, it says that one triangle has 2g of protein, thus three triangles would be 6g of protein (closest to 1-block). Again, you are welcome to use the cheat sheet alone but its nice to know that sometimes the label can be used.
Let me know if you guys have more questions!
First, when you eat a 2-block meal, that means 2-blocks of EACH of the three food types: protein, fat, and carbs. You are not eating the Zone if you eat 2-blocks of fat, 1-block of carbs, and 3-blocks of protein. Each meal MUST be in ratio (2-2-2 or 3-3-3 or 4-4-4).
Secondly, the unfavorable carbs are to be avoided whenever possible (with the exception of sweet potatoes which should be used sparingly and hopefully after a workout). If you see "toast" coming up on your journal pretty much every day, try to get away from that and eat some yogurt or eggs with fruit and veggies. Your carbohydrate intake should come almost exclusively, if not exclusively, from fruits and vegetables. Also, please remember to avoid "fake" sugars like diet drinks.
Finally, if you have the nutrition label for a food, you can use that to determine how many blocks it is worth rather than relying on the "cheat sheet". This can make a big difference as it did when I ate 1/3 of the Laughing Cow Cheese that I should have eaten (resulting in me being even hungrier than normal). Read over page one of your packet for more info on how to figure things based on nutrition labels. It basically says this:
7 grams of protein=1 block
9 grams of carbs= 1 block
1.5 grams of fat = 1 block
Don't get all worried about counting one food as three different things (obviously cheese has protein and fat). If your cheat sheet says cheese is a protein (which it does), just look at the protein portion of the nutrition label. In the case of Laughing Cow Cheese, it says that one triangle has 2g of protein, thus three triangles would be 6g of protein (closest to 1-block). Again, you are welcome to use the cheat sheet alone but its nice to know that sometimes the label can be used.
Let me know if you guys have more questions!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sooooo Hungry!!!
Day two is coming to a close and I am getting hungrier and hungrier! I was hoping that my body would quickly adjust to the 10-block day but now I am having second thoughts...
I started the day much like yesterday but had more fruit rather than veggies (mistake???) Anyone have any thoughts on whether veggies make you feel full longer???
After that I had a 1-block snack, then a 2-block lunch, followed by another 1-block snack, saving 4-blocks for dinner since that is when I was hungriest yesterday. Not sure this is working though since I have pretty much been continuously hungry since I woke up.
I stopped by my mom's to pick up Campbell and saw a bowl of M & Ms and had to RUN in the opposite direction to avoid cramming them into my mouth.
Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day....or I will have to add some blocks!!!!!
Also wanted to add a link to a paleo/zone blog! This one has some delicious looking recipes!
http://stevepaleo.blogspot.com/
I started the day much like yesterday but had more fruit rather than veggies (mistake???) Anyone have any thoughts on whether veggies make you feel full longer???
After that I had a 1-block snack, then a 2-block lunch, followed by another 1-block snack, saving 4-blocks for dinner since that is when I was hungriest yesterday. Not sure this is working though since I have pretty much been continuously hungry since I woke up.
I stopped by my mom's to pick up Campbell and saw a bowl of M & Ms and had to RUN in the opposite direction to avoid cramming them into my mouth.
Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day....or I will have to add some blocks!!!!!
Also wanted to add a link to a paleo/zone blog! This one has some delicious looking recipes!
http://stevepaleo.blogspot.com/
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Day One: Mistakes Already
So I was doing alright till pre-workout snack time...
I was in a bit of a hurry so I threw some things into a baggie to eat in the car on the way to the gym. Somehow I got confused (not really alllll that surprising).
I got to the gym and my stomach was growling. I felt fairly hungry and really not all that great. This got me to thinking that maybe I was one of those gals who needed more than 10 blocks. I went ahead with the workout and headed home thinking, "Oh my god, I only have 4 more blocks and I want to eat my own arm...and Russell's!"
Once home, I set about feeding Campbell and desperately trying not to eat her. I decided a 1-block snack was needed, ASAP. I ate it; it was like air.
Then suddenly I realized that I had misjudged my earlier snack...for some reason, I had grabbed 3 cherries...(thinking of 3 almonds I suppose)....and I terribly misjudged some cheese. I used that Laughing Cow Cheese and thought one triangle was a block. Turns out 3 triangles are a block. Well, that explains a lot.
So now I am typing away while Russell whips up some dinner...3.5 blocks here I come!!!
I was in a bit of a hurry so I threw some things into a baggie to eat in the car on the way to the gym. Somehow I got confused (not really alllll that surprising).
I got to the gym and my stomach was growling. I felt fairly hungry and really not all that great. This got me to thinking that maybe I was one of those gals who needed more than 10 blocks. I went ahead with the workout and headed home thinking, "Oh my god, I only have 4 more blocks and I want to eat my own arm...and Russell's!"
Once home, I set about feeding Campbell and desperately trying not to eat her. I decided a 1-block snack was needed, ASAP. I ate it; it was like air.
Then suddenly I realized that I had misjudged my earlier snack...for some reason, I had grabbed 3 cherries...(thinking of 3 almonds I suppose)....and I terribly misjudged some cheese. I used that Laughing Cow Cheese and thought one triangle was a block. Turns out 3 triangles are a block. Well, that explains a lot.
So now I am typing away while Russell whips up some dinner...3.5 blocks here I come!!!
Half-Way Through Day 1
Breakfast:
I started the day with a 2-block meal and found it to be pretty darn filling. I had two eggs, 6 almonds, and then came the tricky part...carbs. In order to get two blocks of carbs, I had to eat...and eat...and eat. We were a little low on fruit so I had half a peach and then ate a TON of okra to make up the rest. I think I was eating for like 30 minutes. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to find that a 2-block meal was more substantial than I thought.
Snack:
At about 10:30am, I decided it was snack time. Really, I wanted it to be lunch time, but we still had not gone grocery shopping and I was pretty much out of carbs. I made this one a 1-block meal and had 1oz turkey, a block's worth of safflower mayonaise, and a tomato.
Three seconds later:
Okay, so maybe it was an hour...but fairly soon after my 1-block snack, I was starving. I was feeding Campbell and wanted sooo badly to steal her food! (note to self, either have a 2-block snack or eat lunch about an hour after snack).
Lunch:
We went grocery shopping and I stocked up on about 18 varities of fruit (mmmm....!) For lunch I went with another 2-block meal and helped myself to 2 oz of turkey, some spinach, olive oil, and tomatoes. I still had some more carb eating to do so I added some cherries and blackberries and was once again surprisingly full! I was also happy to say that, with the scale sitting on the counter, it really was not too difficult to create a mixture of carbs to make up the 2-blocks. I also heavily used www.nutritiondata.com to make sure I was measuring things accurately.
So far, so good!
I started the day with a 2-block meal and found it to be pretty darn filling. I had two eggs, 6 almonds, and then came the tricky part...carbs. In order to get two blocks of carbs, I had to eat...and eat...and eat. We were a little low on fruit so I had half a peach and then ate a TON of okra to make up the rest. I think I was eating for like 30 minutes. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to find that a 2-block meal was more substantial than I thought.
Snack:
At about 10:30am, I decided it was snack time. Really, I wanted it to be lunch time, but we still had not gone grocery shopping and I was pretty much out of carbs. I made this one a 1-block meal and had 1oz turkey, a block's worth of safflower mayonaise, and a tomato.
Three seconds later:
Okay, so maybe it was an hour...but fairly soon after my 1-block snack, I was starving. I was feeding Campbell and wanted sooo badly to steal her food! (note to self, either have a 2-block snack or eat lunch about an hour after snack).
Lunch:
We went grocery shopping and I stocked up on about 18 varities of fruit (mmmm....!) For lunch I went with another 2-block meal and helped myself to 2 oz of turkey, some spinach, olive oil, and tomatoes. I still had some more carb eating to do so I added some cherries and blackberries and was once again surprisingly full! I was also happy to say that, with the scale sitting on the counter, it really was not too difficult to create a mixture of carbs to make up the 2-blocks. I also heavily used www.nutritiondata.com to make sure I was measuring things accurately.
So far, so good!
Zone Diet Challenge
So...after months of basically doing the "Paleo" Diet but realizing that I was often "cheating" with tiny bags of Haribo gummy bears at the Target checkout line, I have decided to go full blown into the Zone Diet. I am hoping that this will help me to improve my workout times/weights and to generally feel better.
And because misery loves company, I have asked the women from our gym to accompany me on this 30-day Zone Diet Challenge. We have about 16 brave women who, beginning today, July 26, 2009, will be measuring, weighing, and carefully proportioning their food 24- hours a day, 7-days a week!
At the end of the 30-day period, we will be joining together in one massive binge night and then hopefully resuming our Zone Diets at least 80% of the time. As with all things CrossFit, the Zone Diet is more than a diet, it is a way of life that enables us to live longer and to live healthier.
Here are some helpful websites that are Zone/Paleo friendly!
http://www.paleokits.org/
---Great for ordering quick snacks that come vacuum-sealed and in the correct "block" proportions. Try a few, then make your own!
http://www.nutritiondata.com/
---really like eating some weird-ass vegetable that no one else has heard of, you can probably find its nutritional information on this site.
http://robbwolf.com/?cat=13
---paleo/CF guru.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/Story?id=4271246&page=1
---article briefly explaining why "diet" drinks and artificial sweeteners make you fat.
And because misery loves company, I have asked the women from our gym to accompany me on this 30-day Zone Diet Challenge. We have about 16 brave women who, beginning today, July 26, 2009, will be measuring, weighing, and carefully proportioning their food 24- hours a day, 7-days a week!
At the end of the 30-day period, we will be joining together in one massive binge night and then hopefully resuming our Zone Diets at least 80% of the time. As with all things CrossFit, the Zone Diet is more than a diet, it is a way of life that enables us to live longer and to live healthier.
Here are some helpful websites that are Zone/Paleo friendly!
http://www.paleokits.org/
---Great for ordering quick snacks that come vacuum-sealed and in the correct "block" proportions. Try a few, then make your own!
http://www.nutritiondata.com/
---really like eating some weird-ass vegetable that no one else has heard of, you can probably find its nutritional information on this site.
http://robbwolf.com/?cat=13
---paleo/CF guru.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/
---article briefly explaining why "diet" drinks and artificial sweeteners make you fat.
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