Eat To Win!

Do you care about how much you weigh and what your measurements are??

I hope the answer was "yes" for everyone.  The reason we all Crossfit is because we all care about our health.  Being obsessed with the number on the scale is one thing, but caring about how much you weight is well just being healthy and present in time with your health.  

This brings me to why when you "zone" it is SOOOO important to weigh and measure your food.  Why? Because if you care about the size of your body...well...then...it's is a good idea to care about the "size/amount" of fuel you give yourself.  Make sense?  Good.  If you choose to not weight and measure your food you are wasting your time.  Yes, there will come a time when you can "eyeball" your measurements, but don't jump on that wagon too soon.  Give yourself a good two weeks and get used to seeing what you should eat.  Then, after that, if you want to give "eyeballing" a go, then go for it.  Most likely you are going to be seeing awesome results with your body and you aren't going to want to risk "eyeballing" it, which is fine, keep with the food scale then...it's now just part of your routine and not much of pain at all;-)

GOOD LUCK to all the Zone Challenge teams out there!! Everyone can do this.  The hard part is sticking with it and not throwing the towel in after one bad moment.  Stick with it and talk to your teammates and check out the Crossfit Rochester Facebook page and post questions, meals, struggles and achievements;-) 3..2..1..GO!

 

 

Holidays;-)

 

Ahhhh.....just starting to get settled into a normal routine and......it's time to start holiday shopping;-) and eating and drinking and eating and drinking.  All of these thing I enjoy to do...spend money..eat..and drink.  All of these thing get me into trouble though.....with my husband...with my clothes....and mostly on Saturday and Sunday mornings;-) If your with me on any of these...then here are a few tips that may help;-)....us both...

1. Get your workout in before you hit up a party.

2. If you have to bring a dish to pass, bring a healthy one with protein (these parties are usually carb heavy!).

3. Don't graze by the table....get a plate fill it up and then be done with the food.

4. Drink a water between your drinks....I know having one isn't possible so lets not try and think it is;-)

5. Make yourself workout the next morning...and make a date with a friend to do so...this way it is harder to bail.

6. Re-gift pre-packaged holiday food gifts from the office. If it has a shelf-life longer than a cut flower...then we don't need to eat it.  Bring it to the in-laws;-)

OK, so I am sure there are more tips out there, but let's not forgot that since we are reading this blog we must care about what we eat and probably do a good amount of working out too.  So, have fun this holiday season and don't try to deprive yourself of all the bad things;-) You deserve to have a little fun...just don't forget about how hard "cindy" is now...you wouldn't want to do her with an extra 5lbs;-/

Commitment.

That's right, I said it.....commitment.  oooooo, I know boys settle down, it's just a word.  But, this word means A LOT if you really mean it. 

When you first found out about Crossfit and then made the call and walked in the door.....well.....at this point in time I think you knew you where doomed into making a.....yep....that's it..... a commitment.  You engaged yourself in the involvement of bettering your health.  Enough said. 

So, now when it comes to nutrition.....why is it so hard to make a commitment here to better your health???  My answer to this may not be scientific...(I'm an art teacher;-) but this is my best conclusion.....because it is just not fun to not eat candy and sweets and cup cakes and cookies and donuts and ice cream and bread and pizza and beer and wine and crackers and....well.....I could go on for awhile, but I think you get the point;-)  IN THE BEGINNING it is so hard to say goodbye to these things and well, once you do....your body will thank you and punish you when you do end up putting these things back into your body. 

When I say "in the beginning" ....(stop swearing and shaking your head)....what do I mean??  How long did it take you to learn how to eat? Yea, I mean like chew and swallow and use a fork and knife and all that stuff.  Did it take just 2-3 weeks?? Really....I didn't think so.  So, stop beating yourself up if this is hard for you!!! Really!!! STOP IT!!! It takes time....and yes....you will have those times that you "need to eat highly processed heavy cream and sugar packed into a sugary waffly looking cone thing;-)" <---this happens...trust me....ask my husband;-) 

If you are committing yourself into improving your health, then that means you need to commit yourself to your nutrition as well.  If you want to see results in the gym, you NEED to make the commitment to your nutrition. 

For all the "zone challengers" out there, we are only just beginning our 3 week.  That means we are really only 1 day into half way done;-)  So, you made the commitment and that is the BIGGEST step.  Keep on it...and ask questions when you have them.

I LOVE comments too...so humor me please;-)

FUEL....what you choose is your choice.

MegN here - taking over the Eat to Win blog;-) hope you enjoy my post and the many more to come.

So, I was getting gas the other day and as I chose my 91 premium....these are all the wonderful images that came to mind.....

 

 

  

 

After I thought of all these things, then I started to think about all the words of wisdom I could blog about and then I came to realize that all I really needed were the images and I could let YOU come to own conclusions about them;-) I am eagerly awaiting comments;-)

Two Birthdays and a Graduation...

As my two-week challenge comes to an end, I am looking back and trying to figure out what I did well (my successes) and what was not so good (in other words I am assessing the damage :-)).

The weekend in between contained birthday celebrations for two of my daughters, Robbie’s graduation party AND the CrossFit Rochester baby shower/happy hour. LOTS of opportunity to cheat. I have to say my choices weren’t 100% ‘good’, but they weren’t all bad either. I tried to choose between one of two things: If I chose a food that isn’t favorable – I limited quantity. If I chose favorable foods – I didn’t focus on how much (within reasonJ). Honestly, after the weekend was over I was READY to eat healthier and feel better. It’s amazing how a little too much of the items we don’t normally indulge in – sugar, starch, alcohol - can contribute to a decline in energy level. Yes, it’s always a lot of work to plan celebrations, but I really was moving much slower this week and a lot of the reason was my diet.

The good news is I have been much more focused this 2^nd week and feel like I am back on track. The few pounds that I went up (ugh!!) are gone and I feel a whole lot better.  I do need to be more diligent in writing in my food diary. That is one area I can improve upon a whole lot. So that’s my goal for next week. This week I made better food choices, next week I will write it down and focus on quantity/blocks.

There’s a book titled “Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels”. I like the idea but I still try not to focus on “thin” or the number on the scale. I like this a lot better: “Nothing Tastes as Good as FIT Feels”.

A big congratulations to Alli and to Tracey – during our 6-week zone session not only did Alli lose 8 pounds and 1 inch she also met one (possibly 2?) of her goals and Tracey reduced her body-fat percentage. Nice job girls! J

'Tis the Season?

Maybe the month of July isn’t your typical season of over-indulgence, but from what I have been hearing it runs a close 2^nd to the Christmas holiday season.

With Graduation parties, Independence day festivities and all of the other sun-worshiping celebrations it has been super tough to stick to a healthy eating plan. I mean the warm weather season just doesn’t last that long around here, so we HAVE to enjoy it while we can, right? But there is payment to be made for that enjoyment and it’s all about damage control.

I really have been struggling with making the right choices and have heard others going through the same. One person has noted a few too many peanut M&Ms, another seems to be hitting the ice cream a bit too often. Well, I feel like someone else who once said to me “not only has the train derailed, it is now going in the opposite direction of where I need to be”! Yeah, my diet right now is a train-wreck! In my quest to lose a few pounds, somehow I managed to gain a few.

I’m a firm believer that complete deprivation leads to over-indulgence. So if I go to a party and snack only on the celery and carrot sticks, while I sip on lemon-flavored ice water, chances are I’m going to go home and just eat the entire quart of chocolate ice cream, right out of the container. But I also don’t think I have to eat or drink in excess to enjoy myself.

So here is my plan for celebrations:

• Enjoy the people first of all. That’s why I’m there.
• THINK before I put anything in my mouth.
• Drink water. Well, MORE water. Like in between the glass of wine or the margarita I might want to have. J
• Ask myself if I really, really want that piece of ________ (fill in the blank – cake, cookie, ice cream, brownie) before I accept it. I find that I eat things to keep people from thinking I’m a fitness fanatic. If it’s something I really love, then maybe I’ll have a small serving and just enjoy it. Otherwise, I’ll pass. Who cares what everyone else thinks.

Now here is my plan for getting this train back on the tracks. I heard that Meghan Norsen is doing a 30 day Paleo challenge. Paleo is a great plan and I would encourage anyone interested to research it a bit and go along with that. However, I’m going to start out small this time. Starting today, I’m doing a 2 week challenge. All Zone, 11 blocks, writing EVERY SINGLE thing I eat or drink in my journal. I’m going to plan ahead (I really can’t go 6 hours without eating anymore….), shop regularly, and try some new recipes. Here’s a great one from Alli that she shared with our zone group. I like the shortcuts she noted in the suggestion. J

 

Egg Scramble with Brussels Sprouts, Olives & Ham (3 BLOCK zone meal)

1/2 c Egg Substitute (or 2 egg whites & 1 whole egg)

1 oz Ham luncheon meat or dices

2/3 c Brussels Sprouts

1/2 tsp Olive Oil

8 Olives, slices work best

Mrs. Dash Garlic & Onion seasoning to taste

 

In a frying pan, sauté brussels sprouts, olives and ham in olive oil and Mrs. Dash seasoning

Add eggs and scramble all together

Serve with a 2-block side of fruit OR a whole slice of toast

 

Suggestion: Birds Eye Steamfresh Singles come in brussels sprouts and the packages are exactly 2/3 of a cup, the suggested block size. They microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, and are all fairly small in size. I cook them in the microwave first, then sauté them. (no cleaning or chopping required and they are nice & tender after steaming).

Two Weeks 'til Game Time!

The upcoming CrossFit Rochester Games event is a great reason to give yourself a two week challenge. Clean eating! That means eating lots of lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and a small amount of “good” fats (olive oil, nuts, avocado...).

There’s a good chance that the winners of the events will be the people that follow a good nutrition plan at least 90% of the time.

If your interested in some new, zone-friendly, recipes we had a recipe exchange at our last zone support group meeting. Here’s one from Janel:

 

Salsa Chicken Soup (for Crockpot)

4 chicken breasts

2 16oz. Garden Fresh Gourmet Salsa – has to be a good, flavorful, fresh salsa.

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

Add ¼ cup of water.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

 

The chicken will shred easily so I carefully take out my portion of protein (3 blocks) then 1 cup of salsa (2 blocks) and black beans (1 block), add 3 blocks of guacamole on top. The salsa will turn into a soup consistency, so it’s not like you are eating chunky salsa by the spoonful.

 

Organic anyone?

Have you wondered about whether or not you should be buying organic foods? I bought organic strawberries by mistake once and oh boy, sticker shock at the register! I did recently read a CNN article about organic foods. It’s interesting and the Zone diet facebook blog had an entry about it. You can read that here: http://www.zonediet.com/Community/Zone123LifestyleBlogs/tabid/290/EntryId/29/Go-organic-or-not.aspx

Setting an Example

Joe recently blogged about a statistic that notes “42% of Americans born after year 2000 will develop type II diabetes”.  That’s pretty scary and one would hope that number is inflated. But when you see a report like this one, you begin to understand how that can be true. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37155126/ns/business-cnbc_tv/

 

How can it be that schools are so intent on making money they send out carts of sugar to high-schoolers? What kind of message is that to our kids? And I’m not saying that kids aren’t going to have the occasional treat, but 2-3 times per day??? Come on…..

 

Bringing good nutrition to kids and making physical activity fun is one of my ‘dream’ jobs. I would love to get out there and introduce CrossFit to schools – first of all, ANYONE can do it (believe me, if I can, ANYONE can J). Not all of us are made to play sports. Ugh – I HATED softball season (just don’t have the eye-hand coordination). Ok, so basically I’m just uncoordinated but that’s beside the point. Physical education would have been much more enticing to me if I could have done something fun and less intimidating. Don’t get me wrong – sports are great, but again – a variety of activities would be nice.

 

Good nutrition (just like good, effective physical activity) of course should start in the home. You’re setting a great example for your family by CrossFitting, and doing the other sports that so many of you are active in. You can have that same impact with nutrition. If you are making good food choices every day and limiting the unhealthy foods you have available your kids will learn to adjust to that lifestyle.

 

Here’s a challenge to you: Next time you shop for groceries don’t buy any cookies, cakes, ice cream, or chips, basically no junk food. Instead have lots of fresh fruit on hand. Try carrots and celery. Use hummus or salsa or (sparingly) some peanut butter for dips. See if your kids complain.

Next time you are assigned to bring ‘treats’ to school or any other event, bring fruit with cheese, or a vegetable tray. Get one of those cool apple-slicers that makes neat little spirals (kids love that) and serve up the apples with some cheese.

I would love to hear what the reaction was. Because honestly – it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. And what you introduce to them now, will stay with them long-term. Then maybe when that food cart comes around in the high-school, well, they’ll just say no.

 

 

 

The Ball Is Rolling

We started a new zone group last week and so far the sessions have been really helpful and I think everyone is enjoying them. It gives us an opportunity to talk about the plan, help out newbies as they come on board, and share lots of hints and tips that we are learning along the way. Next week we are planning a recipe exchange. I’m always looking for new, zone-friendly recipes to try (I like the easy and quick ones!) J  If you are interested, come on out – we meet on Wednesdays at 6pm, at the gym.

At our last meeting we talked about goals.  We know that nutrition plays a key role in our performance.  In addition to the goals some of us have for weight loss and body fat reduction we also talked about performance goals. like graduating to the next level band for pull-ups, or getting a 100# 1RM Clean and Jerk, or running a half-marathon. Two of my goals are getting handstand pushups and C2B pull-ups. The latter has been a huge challenge (and great source of frustration) for me. My pull-ups are not always consistent and while I would love to get chest-to-bar, I have to admit that I don’t always get chin over bar!  Properly fueling your body will go a long ways towards helping you overcome your hurdles.

Fail!

Ok – so lots to catch up on. First off – the Coconut Curry recipe? Delicious.

Pictured here. I cooked it with ground turkey over cauliflower and broccoli slaw. Really good – and really spicy (just a warning). 

So my 13 day ‘eat clean’ streak came to an end when I enjoyed a glass of wine at dinner. My dinner was ‘clean’, however from what I understand if you fail (even once) that’s it you are out. So technically, I’m out. But that’s ok because I got right back on. Well…for a day.

I’m still convinced that eating this way (lean meats, fruits, vegetables, good fats, no processed foods) will optimize your health. I’m also convinced that I felt like I was depriving myself. Oh I know, depriving myself of what? Good health? Sugar? Maybe I didn’t try hard enough, or maybe the timing just wasn’t right for me to make such a drastic change. I do know that I was really, really tired. And VERY cranky. I recognize that if I had pushed on, perhaps those ‘side-effects’ would have subsided. I just wasn’t very patient.

At the moment I’m feeling that if I can eat this way 95% of the time, then I’m doing pretty well. I still think its an improvement.

Part of my downfall was reading Confections of a Closet Master Baker by Gesine Bullock-Prado. I’m not sure exactly why I selected that book to read – it’s the author’s true story of her move from a prestigious Hollywood career to life as a baker / bakery-owner. I would love to own and run a foodery some day. I hope I could create delicious, healthy foods. I love the idea of making food for people – I just struggle with the high-sugar, high-fat delivery (as delicious as it all sounds – the book comes complete with recipes).

But for now I’m going back to a zone diet, although I am not allowing any grains, starchy carbs, or dairy. I am looking to lose about 6 lbs. so I’ll keep you posted on how I am doing. Yes, running Helen yesterday left me feeling heavy and tired! Since it was my first WOD in about 2 weeks, I’m trying not to be too hard on myself. Focusing on good nutrition, proper rest, and consistent workouts will keep me on track!

Zone Support Group

For those of you who may be interested we are starting a zone support group. We will meet once a week, Wednesdays at 6pm, at the gym, to share ideas and monitor one another. On the first day we’ll do a weigh-in and take measurements, and I want everyone to have a goal in mind(zoning for weight loss, zoning for performance, etc.) It’s a great way to stay accountable and make it a lifestyle change. The first meeting is Wednesday, May 26.