Okay. It's been a while. I have to admit my excitement and exuberance for all things "Zone" has dwindled (I hear that happens when you starve to death :)
But when I realized that today really is day 22 (that means only 8 more to go!!!!), I also realized that though few of us have not had the occasional cheat (mostly due to poor planning), we are almost there!!! And I think that most of us have learned A LOT! We may not measure our food perfectly after this challenge is over, but I think most of us have learned quite a bit about portion size, eating the right ratios, and how food effects they way we feel and perform.
I for one am looking forward to getting together and binging. We can talk about what worked and what didn't and what we are going to do moving forward...and we can also eat a hell of a lot of brownies.
You in?
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Zone Dinner (kind of)
Last night, Russell and I went to 801 Franklin with some fellow CrossFitters and I attempted to follow my Zone diet. I found that it is fairly difficult to eat in the correct proportions when eating at a "nice" restaurant. I say this because I can pretty much find something to eat at Panera, Jason's Deli, places like that...(turkey, fruit cups, avocados)...but getting enough of the right carbohydrates at a "fancy" restaurant was harder than I thought.
Here are some examples of carbs featured on the menu:
potatoes (new potatoes, mashed potatoes)
pommes frites (french fries)
rice pilaf
grits
tortillas
I was surprised to find that there were no sweet potatoes...and the portions of vegetables included in the entrees would probably amount to 1/4 of a block.
So, after about fifteen minutes of staring at the menu and consulting with Russell, I ordered salmon and found it to be about the right amount for my 4 block meal. I added two glasses of wine and a couple bites of pommes frites (pretty unfavorable but I DID need some carbs)...then added the grapes off of a cheese platter. For fat, I snuck some almonds from my purse and assumed that the salmon was cooked in butter.
All in all, this was not my best Zone meal but relaxing a little made the evening more fun and I think that is just as important as having a "perfect" meal.
You may be asking yourself, "Did she cheat?" and the answer is "probably". But I didn't set out to blow it out of the water. I didn't save all 4 carb blocks for wine. I didn't touch the bread basket, and after joking with the waiter about ordering the chocolate torte, I found that they were out (probably a good thing!). So all in all, I still feel pretty good about night 14 of the Zone Challenge.
For those of you who have had a similar experience, you are still doing well! Hang in there!
Here are some examples of carbs featured on the menu:
potatoes (new potatoes, mashed potatoes)
pommes frites (french fries)
rice pilaf
grits
tortillas
I was surprised to find that there were no sweet potatoes...and the portions of vegetables included in the entrees would probably amount to 1/4 of a block.
So, after about fifteen minutes of staring at the menu and consulting with Russell, I ordered salmon and found it to be about the right amount for my 4 block meal. I added two glasses of wine and a couple bites of pommes frites (pretty unfavorable but I DID need some carbs)...then added the grapes off of a cheese platter. For fat, I snuck some almonds from my purse and assumed that the salmon was cooked in butter.
All in all, this was not my best Zone meal but relaxing a little made the evening more fun and I think that is just as important as having a "perfect" meal.
You may be asking yourself, "Did she cheat?" and the answer is "probably". But I didn't set out to blow it out of the water. I didn't save all 4 carb blocks for wine. I didn't touch the bread basket, and after joking with the waiter about ordering the chocolate torte, I found that they were out (probably a good thing!). So all in all, I still feel pretty good about night 14 of the Zone Challenge.
For those of you who have had a similar experience, you are still doing well! Hang in there!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Zone Diet + Fight Gone Bad
So today is a rest day but I needed to make up Fight Gone Bad...ugh. I went ahead and had my usual 2-block breakfast and then headed in to teach the 8:30 women's class. After they were through, I began FGB. This was my first time to do it as Rx'ed since before I had Campbell (and I don't even know what I did before that). In January, I did the scaled version of almost every exercise and ended up with 241. Nice score, but it hardly counts since I scaled everything so much. Today I was determined to keep things as rx'ed even if it killed me.
The workout:
I began with the 16# WB shot (which is one of my least favorite things) and managed to get 25 in the first minute. From there, I kept a pretty quick pace and scored 93 for the first round. If I could have sustained this, or even sustained something near this, I would have kicked ass. But, I could not. Instead, I fell to 69 for round 2 and 64 for round 3. My final score was 226. I was resting like crazy during the workout and having serious mental "I can't" issues.
What I learned:
I really think I was performing better when I was hungry. I know it sounds crazy, but I somehow felt lighter and more energized when I was eating 10 blocks. Now that I have been doing double fat for about 5 days, I feel sluggish and winded. It could be something else and it may be purely coincedental, but it is certainly something to consider. I think I may scale back to 1.5 times fat for a couple days and see if this helps.
Just thought I would let you guys know in case this happens to you!
The workout:
I began with the 16# WB shot (which is one of my least favorite things) and managed to get 25 in the first minute. From there, I kept a pretty quick pace and scored 93 for the first round. If I could have sustained this, or even sustained something near this, I would have kicked ass. But, I could not. Instead, I fell to 69 for round 2 and 64 for round 3. My final score was 226. I was resting like crazy during the workout and having serious mental "I can't" issues.
What I learned:
I really think I was performing better when I was hungry. I know it sounds crazy, but I somehow felt lighter and more energized when I was eating 10 blocks. Now that I have been doing double fat for about 5 days, I feel sluggish and winded. It could be something else and it may be purely coincedental, but it is certainly something to consider. I think I may scale back to 1.5 times fat for a couple days and see if this helps.
Just thought I would let you guys know in case this happens to you!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Costco anyone?
One more thing I wanted to add today...
Costco is an amazing place. You can buy like 18 avocadoes for about half the price as the typical grocery chain. In addition, they have Lindsay Natural Olives (with a touch of sea salt) in big 6 can packs (5 olives is one block). You can buy large bags of almonds as well for about $9.99.
I also recently heard that they have frozen "wild-caught" salmon in big bags. I am going to check it out today but that sounds pretty darn good to me. I have been eating more fish lately simply because its 1.5oz per block rather than 1oz of other meats.
just thought I would share :)
Costco is an amazing place. You can buy like 18 avocadoes for about half the price as the typical grocery chain. In addition, they have Lindsay Natural Olives (with a touch of sea salt) in big 6 can packs (5 olives is one block). You can buy large bags of almonds as well for about $9.99.
I also recently heard that they have frozen "wild-caught" salmon in big bags. I am going to check it out today but that sounds pretty darn good to me. I have been eating more fish lately simply because its 1.5oz per block rather than 1oz of other meats.
just thought I would share :)
DAY 12: Almost Halfway There!
It is day 12 of our 30-day challenge and I am wondering how many of you are still with me. Post to comments and let us know how you are doing! I myself am spending this morning fantasizing about the epic binge night that is now just 18 days a way...
But the funny thing is...my epic binge dream is slowly changing. I no longer want to gorge myself on everything in the world that is "bad" for me...I think I would just settle for one meal where I don't measure my food! My new binge fantasy is simply going out to dinner and eating a reasonably healthy meal without worrying about how many blocks it is and whether it is in the correct proportions. All that being said...I still want dessert :)
But the funny thing is...my epic binge dream is slowly changing. I no longer want to gorge myself on everything in the world that is "bad" for me...I think I would just settle for one meal where I don't measure my food! My new binge fantasy is simply going out to dinner and eating a reasonably healthy meal without worrying about how many blocks it is and whether it is in the correct proportions. All that being said...I still want dessert :)
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Does cheating count if the intent is there?
So I had a rough day. Weekend really. Russell being out of town, me covering CrossFit, huge turnouts at both weekend classes, Campbell and Pup-Pup's adventures into the fireplace, and some cute but smelly new chicks all added to the stress. Plus, (I think I may have mentioned this previously) but I am still hungry. So after class tonight, I came home and had a sleepy baby and a very, very excited puppy. Not a good combination. I finally got one asleep and one calm(ish) and was going to make my oh-so-healthy and zone-a-licious dinner when the puppy woke the baby and it all started again.
I picked up the phone. I found the number for Terry's Pizza (did I mention that not only am I on the Zone Diet but I am allergic to wheat???) and I called it.
I did!
It rang. Someone answered.
I hung up the phone.
And here is the worst part! I called back!!! And did the same thing again! I totally prank called Terry's Pizza two times.
Then I went into the kitchen and pulled out the scale and measured some turkey and tomato, some avocado, and some fruit and sat down and ate my zone-friendly dinner.
Crisis averted.
I picked up the phone. I found the number for Terry's Pizza (did I mention that not only am I on the Zone Diet but I am allergic to wheat???) and I called it.
I did!
It rang. Someone answered.
I hung up the phone.
And here is the worst part! I called back!!! And did the same thing again! I totally prank called Terry's Pizza two times.
Then I went into the kitchen and pulled out the scale and measured some turkey and tomato, some avocado, and some fruit and sat down and ate my zone-friendly dinner.
Crisis averted.
Is it a bad thing...?
When your 10 month old gets to eat more blocks than you do?
I just watched Campbell suck down about 12 olives while I counted out a measly 5 for a 1-block snack. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I am still hungry.
I actually woke up at 4am STARVING and had to force myself back to sleep. I ended up getting up at 545am and eating breakfast and now its only 1245 and I have only 4 more blocks for the rest of the day!!!! Seriously considering going up to 11 blocks.
I just watched Campbell suck down about 12 olives while I counted out a measly 5 for a 1-block snack. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I am still hungry.
I actually woke up at 4am STARVING and had to force myself back to sleep. I ended up getting up at 545am and eating breakfast and now its only 1245 and I have only 4 more blocks for the rest of the day!!!! Seriously considering going up to 11 blocks.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Zone Weekend
Hi Everyone,
It's Saturday, I just got home from the pool and the back squat workout and I am (as always), hungry. Russell is out of town. I am taking care of CF classes, the baby, the puppy, and a bunch of new baby chicks (plus, did I mention that I still have a "real" job?). If there was a good time to cheat, it would be now. But I'm not.
The reason I mention this is that from what I can gather, almost all of you have "cheated" at least once. I have heard various reasons...mostly ending in "but, this is really hard for me!" I just wanted to point out that it's really hard for EVERYONE. If it weren't, Burger King would be out of business, vending machines would stock Paleo Kits, and no one in America would be obese. It IS hard. All the time. But, it's also only 30 days. In the grand scheme of the rest of your life, 30 days ain't that long...so hang in there, don't cheat. After 30-days, most of you will be leaner, faster, and healthier. Then you can throw in cheat days or cheat meals or whatever.
On a side note, if you have cheated, maybe once, maybe twice, maybe even more, it's okay(ish)...IF you get back in the game and start following the diet as soon as possible. Don't use one cheat as an excuse to throw in the towel. Even with a couple of "mistakes", your diet is healthier than 9 out of 10 people's. Get back in there, suck it up and finish out this 30 day period!
And to those of you (the few, the proud) who HAVE NOT cheated, you know who you are and you know you kick ass. At the end of this challenge, not only will your binge be that much sweeter, but you will be looking at a pretty nice prize as well.
It's Saturday, I just got home from the pool and the back squat workout and I am (as always), hungry. Russell is out of town. I am taking care of CF classes, the baby, the puppy, and a bunch of new baby chicks (plus, did I mention that I still have a "real" job?). If there was a good time to cheat, it would be now. But I'm not.
The reason I mention this is that from what I can gather, almost all of you have "cheated" at least once. I have heard various reasons...mostly ending in "but, this is really hard for me!" I just wanted to point out that it's really hard for EVERYONE. If it weren't, Burger King would be out of business, vending machines would stock Paleo Kits, and no one in America would be obese. It IS hard. All the time. But, it's also only 30 days. In the grand scheme of the rest of your life, 30 days ain't that long...so hang in there, don't cheat. After 30-days, most of you will be leaner, faster, and healthier. Then you can throw in cheat days or cheat meals or whatever.
On a side note, if you have cheated, maybe once, maybe twice, maybe even more, it's okay(ish)...IF you get back in the game and start following the diet as soon as possible. Don't use one cheat as an excuse to throw in the towel. Even with a couple of "mistakes", your diet is healthier than 9 out of 10 people's. Get back in there, suck it up and finish out this 30 day period!
And to those of you (the few, the proud) who HAVE NOT cheated, you know who you are and you know you kick ass. At the end of this challenge, not only will your binge be that much sweeter, but you will be looking at a pretty nice prize as well.
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