Day 23

Good morning! I can't believe its day 23, and I have just 1 week left of the Paleo challenge. I'm procrastinating a bit this morning because I have a bunch to do around the house, so of course I'm checking in here instead. Chad and I rolled out of bed reluctantly this morning, as we didn't go to sleep til midnight and had to get up at 5:30 to make it to CrossFit. We ended up being the only ones who showed, so we got a private session. Today's WOD didn't look too bad, but then we got started... Here it is:
WARM UP- DYNAMIC
HIGH KNEES – 30 YARDS
LUNGE ROTATES – LUNGE OVER LEG THAT IS FORWARD 15 YARDS
REVERSE LUNGE REACH OVER TOP REACHING BACK OVER LEG THAT IS FORWARD – 15 YARDS
SIDE LUNGE – LUNGE, LUNGE, SKIP 30 YARDS
FRANKENSTEIN SKIPS- 30 YARDS
ARM SWINGS- 30 SECONDS
ARM REACHES SUPINATED TO PRONATED- 45 SECONDS
STRENGTH: CLEAN AND JERK
5.5.5.5.5
REMEMBER THE JERK POSITION WE WENT OVER IN CLASS. PLEASE WORK ON TECHNIQUE BEFORE GOING TO HEAVY.
THE CLEAN AND JERK ARE TWO SEPARATE MOVEMENTS.
WOD- THE NUMBER SIX IS YOUR FRIEND: 6′S
6 ROUNDS FOR TIME
6 PULL UPS
6 HANDSTAND PUSH UPS
6 KNEE TO ELBOWS
6 BURPEES TO BOX
6 KB THRUSTERS (M 80LBS) (W 50LBS)
6 BACK SQUATS (M 185 LBS) (W 125)
STRETCH COOL DOWN- GREAT JOB!!

My time was 18:25 and I was absolutely gassed at the end of this! I think what has been the biggest surprise this month is the noticeable tightness of my pants in the thigh area. In college I became quite familiar with this experience during season, because our lifting would pick up substantially. Now, after years of trying to shrink my thighs, I'm attempting to cope with the fact that they are definitely getting bigger. I'm looking forward to doing my measurements, which I promise to post next week.

I know you're probably shocked but of course I had my breakfast cake this morning with chicken sausage and blueberries. I did stick to one cup of coffee but had 2 tbsp of cashew butter. I feel like I've been hungrier than usual this week, but I've also been getting my butt kicked at CrossFit. I just have to make it through tomorrow, and that will be 5 days this week!

I know I haven't tried out any new recipes in a while, but I'm loving everything I've been making. Both Chad are craving some meatloaf so that's my plan for dinner. I always change up the spices I add, depending on what I'm craving that day so my recipe is constantly changing. I'm thinking I'm gonna stick to a pretty standard meatloaf tonight with lots of fresh garlic. I'll post pictures and the exact recipe tonight. I also want to make carrot-sweet potato cakes.

Day 22

Well I'm happy to report that we made it through the crazy weather that hit middle Tennessee last night. Nothing like waking up to tornado sirens and camping out in the bathroom at 3 am! I am proud to say that even despite getting minimal sleep, Chad and I both made it to CrossFit this morning. Here's today's WOD:

Warm up: Dynamic

Mobility: Hip, Ankle, Knee

2 min feet of wall squat

2 min independent ankle stretch soleus

2 min thoracic spine stretch

2 min hip flexor stretch with band

WOD: Triplet

 10 min AMRAP

Floor Bench Press  10 reps( Parnter Spot) Men Rx 135 Women 95

Roll Outs 10 reps

Thruster to Bar hop over 10 reps

conditioning: Bear Crawl 30 yard/ Broad Jump 30 yard/ Shuffles 30 yards

5 rounds

I am exhausted and so happy that Wednesday is finally coming to an end. I spent most of the day running errands, then I headed to clinic, and finally to do a prenatal appointment with our doula client.

I had my usual for breakfast and packed 2 paleo stix and leftover stir fry from last night, for the day. Of course I was running late this evening and HAD to stop for groceries before heading home. I was so hungry while shopping (a huge DON'T) that I definitely bought more than I expected but the damage wasn't too bad. I rushed home and pulled out leftover turkey-sweet potato hash and a few eggs.

Luckily this was quick to throw together and I made a small romaine salad to go along. I made Chad beef and zucchini sauteed and topped with balsamic dijon dressing.  Again, quick and easy!

Alright ladies, lets get real... What is the one thing that can derail a diet like no other? Anyone else experience ridiculous cravings around that time of the month?! I can honestly say that until today, I had not craved chocolate since starting Paleo. My craving was so bad that I almost couldn't concentrate! Because I always want to know the how and why behind everything, I did some digging regarding this ultra annoying phenomenon. Turns out that our crazy chocolate cravings are usually due to a deficiency in magnesium, which tends to get worse around the time of your period. You may notice a change in bowel habits around this time, which can also result from low magnesium. Chocolate is fairly rich in magnesium plus is stimulates all those feel good neurotransmitters in the brain. I've written about this before but I thought it was important to repost. Foods high in magnesium are nuts and seeds, like sunflowers seeds and almonds, and of course chocolate. Because I really wanted chocolate cake I ended up using my breakfast cake recipe with a twist:

3in piece banana mashed

3 egg whites

1 tbsp coconut flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of cinnamon

I mixed the ingredients in a small ramekin and cooked the mixture in the microwave for 2 minutes. I then topped the cake with a tbsp of cashew butter. I also indulged in a cup of coffee with coconut creamer. I would say I'm over my 100g carb goal for the day, but I am TOTALLY at peace with that. Now time to relax and gear up for another early morning of CrossFit. 

Day 21

Well the week is in full swing and its been a busy day. I guess I'm subconsciously sabotaging my husband because yesterday we overslept and missed Crossfit, and today I set the wrong time on the alarm. The truth is, I love going to the 5:30pm sesh so maybe I am sabotaging him! I've gone the last two days, and the more I go, the more I love it. Here is today's WOD:

Warm up: Dynamic

Mobility: Hip, Ankle, Knee

2 min feet of wall squat

2 min independent ankle stretch soleus

2 min thoracic spine stretch

2 min hip flexor stretch with band

WOD: Triplet

 10 min AMRAP

Floor Bench Press  10 reps( Parnter Spot) Men Rx 135 Women 95

Roll Outs 10 reps

Thruster to Bar hop over 10 reps

conditioning: Bear Crawl 30 yard/ Broad Jump 30 yard/ Shuffles 30 yards

5 rounds

The upside of waking up early today was getting to enjoy breakfast in bed. Almost makes me wanna wake up early everyday... almost. I was super busy with various meetings and signing paperwork for my new job :)  Unfortunately, I mismanaged my time so I ended up eating 4 paleo stix for lunch.

I got home around 4:30 and was starving, but with just an hour till Crossfit, I didn't want to eat too much. I had a couple hot carrots, a scoop of almond butter, and a paleo bar (homemade). I was so hungry by the time I got home that I heated up some broccoli and had the leftover bison burger from last night, with tons of avocado.

I went ahead and made a stir fry with chicken breast, onions, and bell peppers for Chad. I used my Cashew Sauce minus the honey.

 Carb total for today is 92. I had two cups of coffee this morning and I've had 1 serving of Cashew butter... not too shabby!

Day 20 meals

I wanted to share a few of the items I made today. As of right now, Mondays are my day to hang around the house and prepare things for the rest of the week. For lunch I cooked up a chicken breast, along with a cup of kale. I piled everything onto a plate along with salsa, avocado, sliced bell pepper, and a fried egg. YUM!

 Later on I decided I needed to come up with something that Chad could easily have for breakfast on days when he heads to work straight from CrossFit. So I decided that a hash would be good, and I just so happened to have ground turkey and lots of sweet potatoes. Here's what I used:

1 lb ground turkey
3 slices uncured bacon chopped
1/4 cup onions diced
3 cups sweet potatoes cubed
1/4 chicken stock
2 sage leaves chopped
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
S&P

I started by heating a skillet and adding the bacon and onions. Once the bacon was pretty well cooked, I deglazed the pan with chicken stock and added the sweet potatoes and spices. I ended up cooking the ground turkey in a separate pan because I wanted to use some of the sweet potatoes for tonight's dinner. Once the turkey was fully cooked I added it to the sweet potatoes and allowed everything to cook together for about 8 minutes.

I think this will be a great option for mornings, either to eat on its own or with a couple eggs.

For dinner I pulled out the big guns. I made bacon wrapped bison burgers with fresh jalepenos. I was so excited to get home from CrossFit tonight so that I could eat!!! I had mine on a bed on romaine with a half cup serving of sweet potatoes and diced cucumbers dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Carb count for the day is just under 90g :)

Day 20

Good morning! It's day 20 and I am feeling great! With just 10 days left in this challenge I think it's a great time to revisit my goals and reevaluate, as I buckle down for the home stretch. I must confess that I had a couple slip ups over the weekend, they involved A LOT of cashew butter. Nothing major, but enough to prompt me to want to make some changes. So here are the goals I set on day 1:

1. eliminate processed crap from my diet while increasing protein intake
2. test out the Paleo lifestyle and see how it makes me feel and perform athletically
3. loose the excess weight gained since October 5th (my wedding day)
4. attend Crossfit no less than 4 times a week
5. sleep no less than 7 hrs/night preferably 8

Looking back at these objectives reminds me how important it is to write down goals, and periodically review them. I'm happy to say that I've been able to meet each of these. I've not eaten any processed foods, I've felt great eating paleo and working out, I've lost a couple lbs, I've been to CrossFit 4-5 times a week, and I've been getting more sleep. Additionally, I haven't had a drop of alcohol (though I've wanted to), and I've had chocolate only once in the form of sweet Aubrey's amazing Paleo cookies. So, I think I should be proud of myself thus far.

As I begin my last 10 days I really want to "buckle down" and see what this way of eating can really do. So my additional goals are:

1. no more than 1 serving of cashew butter/day (2 tbsp)
2. no more than 1 cup of coffee/day
3. eat less than 100g of carbs/day

Today I'll be studying up on hormones and the endocrine system, once again. I've just savored my one and only cup of coffee for the day, and am about to make breakfast. I wish everyone a wonderful Monday!

Day 19

Well its Sunday again and I'm trying to soak up every last second before the new week begins. It was a great weekend, and I'm so grateful for the quality time that I got to spend with Chad. I cannot believe January is nearly over! About 3 days in, I just kept thinking, lord let me just get through this month. As if February's arrival was going to bring the answers to all life's problems. I guess there was something to that though, because February already looks like its shaping up to be a good month. I finally get to work as an NP, my doula business is launching, and we get to celebrate Chad's birthday, Valentine's day, and the anniversary of our first date, all in the same week! I've learned so much this month, and I feel myself growing and changing. I've been so touched by the response that I've gotten from writing this blog. It's an incredible feeling to know people are following along on my journey, and even learning with me.

I just can't help but eat the same breakfast everyday, its what I crave, so I'm sticking with my breakfast cake until I finally get sick of it. This morning I did add some fresh grated ginger to it for a bit of flavor variation, and topped it with cashew butter. I didn't have lunch till around 3:15 because I had my women's group from 1-2:30. I had a bowl of leftover chili along with half an avocado. Dinner was about 2 cups of chopped green cabbage sauteed in olive oil and garlic, topped with leftover roasted chicken, salsa, and avocado. It was quick and easy to throw together. Chad grilled himself a rib eye, so I didn't need to fix him anything.

As of right now and I'm at 87 carbs, but I'm seriously contemplating making a mug cake. I'm really interested to see if I notice any changes in my weight or measurements, since I started monitoring my carbs. I feel like I'm conducting a science experiment, but at least I'm a willing subject.

Day 18

Good morning and happy Saturday! I am happily writing from the comfort of my cozy bed, snuggled up with my hubby and sweet pups. I'm enjoying a glorious cup of coffee and my belly is full from the yummy breakfast that I just made. I love mornings like this! I seriously contemplated going to CrossFit. I woke up at 5am, 8am, and 9am, but decided that staying in bed was what I really needed.

Here's the thing, in the past I would have guilted myself into going even when my body was screaming NO. I'd justify it by reviewing everything I'd eaten for the week, along with calling myself a slew of names: lazy, lame, etc. Part of becoming a healthier version of myself is exercising compassion and truly listening to my body. There is actually something to this. In studying up on the endocrine system and hormones I read an interesting tid bit on adrenal fatigue. Our adrenal glands are responsible for  secreting DHEAS and cortisol both of which affect our sex hormone production: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone. Cortisol, as you may know, is our stress hormone. Anyway, it all gets very complicated but when we experience stress for extended periods of time, as most of us do, our adrenals get a bit worn out. When this happens we feel tired, may have trouble getting up in the morning, and rely on caffeine and sugar to raise our energy levels. It is estimated that 80% of people have some level of adrenal fatigue, because lets face it, we are all stressed! Long story short, allowing yourself to sleep in once in a while, and not overexercising, are important for adrenal health. Thats not to say you should never work out, but listen to your body!

 I have a confession to make... last night after finishing my post, I ended up having a cup of coffee along with 2 more biscuits slathered in cashew butter. Scandalous I know! That brought my carb count up to 102. Yes, I am allowed a minor slip up here and there!

later on....

For lunch Chad and I headed to PF Changs where I had the gluten free version of what I normally order, Moo Goo Gai Pan. It's a stir fry of veggies, shrimp, and chicken. I subbed steamed spinach for rice. I gotta say, I was disappointed. No only was my dish lacking in flavor, but I also ended up with a tummy ache.

Chad and I decided to go to a movie tonight and ended up stopping by Wholefoods for dinner. I had about a half cup of chicken ratatouille and about the same amount of roasted veggies and sweet potatoes. My stomach still wasn't feeling great. We each had an almond milk latte after dinner, and then went to see Les Miserables. I have a great hubby! I'm not 100% sure what my carb count was for the day but it shouldn't be more than 115g, and it may even be under 100g. BTW I finished "Wheat Belly" today and the author basically recommends a Paleo diet, without calling it that. He argues that 50-100g of carbs is sufficient for most people... I'm beginning to see a theme!

Day 17

Hello day 17 and TGIF!!! What a week it has been! I'm looking forward to a restful weekend before it all starts again. When I began this blog I was really struggling to find work as a nurse practitioner. Starting next week I'll be working as an NP 4 days a week, one day volunteering in a community clinic and 3 working at an office just 10 minutes from home. On top of that I'm launching a new doula business in February. I am so grateful!

This morning Chad and I headed to CrossFit at 7 and got our butts kicked. We started off with sumo deadlifts and then got into our BRUTAL WOD:

PARTNER SPRINTS – 7 MINUTES
100 PULL UPS
200 KETTLEBELL SWINGS (RUSSIAN STYLE)
300 SQUATS
40 JINGLE JANGLES 10 YDS (DOWN AND BACK IS 1)

Chad had to leave straight from the gym to get to work, and of course, forgot the food I packed for him.  I headed home to eat breakfast and shower, before heading to clinic. In between patients I ran to Wholefoods and made Chad a salad and took it, along with his snacks, to his office. Then it was back to clinic for me, to see another patient. I was lucky to have a short day so I left the clinic around 1 and did some grocery shopping before going home. I had some roasted chicken breast wrapped in romaine for lunch, and snacked on Paleo stix. Since the weather is pretty cruddy I decided a big bowl of chili sounded really great. Chad hates beans so its convenient that they aren't Paleo approved. Here's today's recipe:

1 lb grassfed ground beef
2 cups sweet potatoes cubed
1 cups carrots cubed
1 cup onions diced
1 small jalepeno diced
1 large can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock (because its all that I had)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 tsp garlic powder
S&P

I started by heating some olive oil in a large soup pot and adding the onions. I then added the beef and cooked it thoroughly. I transferred the beef to a bowl and added the sweet potatoes and carrots to the pot, and cooked til just slightly tender. I then added the beef back into the pot along with all the other ingredients. I let the chili to simmer for about 25 minutes.

Top this with some avocado and you have one yummy meal!

I thought it would be nice to eat the chilli along with some paleo friendly biscuits so I looked around for a simple recipe and stumbled upon this blog:

Biscuits

My attempt didn't turn out anything like hers. Granted I did use almond meal rather than flour, so these ended up being more like cookies than biscuits. I still liked them, but they were not really what I was going for. I had a big bowl of chili, 2 biscuits, and a small romaine salad for dinner. Carb total for today is 88. I'm already feeling sore so heading to CrossFit tomorrow will be a last minute decision.  For now I'm going to continue hanging by the fire and waiting for my sweet hubby to get home.

Day 16

I'm doing a little catch up today because Chad and I got in bed a 9 last night! This is highly unusual for us but we're both exhausted this week. Yesterday we went to CrossFit at 6am and then came home to have breakfast. We had our usual and I didn't have to pack Chad much, because he had leftovers from earlier this week, in the fridge at work. It was freezing yesterday so I spent the entire day at home, studying and cleaning. I'm starting a new job next week so I've been studying up in preparation.

For lunch I made a scramble with broccoli slaw, an egg, and egg whites. Served over romaine, with a left over carrot-sweet potato cake and salsa.

Chad was looking for some new paleo friendly snacks the other night, and ended up ordering Steve's Orginal Paleo Stix. They were delivered yesterday and omg they are delicious!

For dinner I decided to make coconut crusted chicken nuggets. I cut a pound and a half of chicken breast into 1-2 inch cubes. I set up 3 stations, one with coconut flour, one with egg/coconut milk, and one with unsweetened shredded coconut.

I heated the oven to 400 and ended up cooking the chicken for about 25 minutes. I would have liked the crust to be more golden brown, but I was afraid to over cook the chicken. Next time I may try cooking them in coconut oil on the stove, but they did turn out well. I served them with my ketchup and a side of broccoli sauteed with garlic and olive oil. My total carb intake 94.

Debunk your cravings

One of the best results of following paleo has been a reduction in food cravings. In fact, the only craving I've had since starting has been for a glass of wine. Prior to this challenge I had gotten back on the sweets roller coaster, almost needing to have something sweet every night. My biggest weakness is chocolate cake, and of course, indulging once in a while is fine, but this should not be a daily treat. I've learned a great deal about what causes these cravings, and most of the time, they result from something your body is lacking.

One of the best examples is the extreme chocolate craving the women experience around their periods. Turns out that a magnesium deficiency, which is exacerbated during menses, is the likely culprit. Chocolate is relatively high in magnesium so we women experience some intense cravings. Upping your magnesium intake can help keep these cravings in check. Almonds and cashews are a great source, and I've definitely been eating a significant amount of both.

Another example is carb cravings.  This results from blood sugar swings, caused by eating too many carbs relative to protein and fat. Carbs are a quick source of energy that your body can easily breakdown and use, so when blood sugar levels dip you crave more carbs to quickly bring them back up. A great way to break this cycle is to increase your protein intake. Again, because paleo focuses heavily on protein and good fat, carb cravings are minimized.

Take the time to track your cravings and do some investigating to figure out what it is your body might be lacking. It is also important to consider your stress level. When we're stressed we tend to reach for "comfort foods" because they stimulate endorphin and serotonin release in the brain. These have a calming, soothing, and anti-depressant effect, so its no wonder that people crave theses foods when they are stressed.

Day 15

As promised I got up this morning and immediately jumped on the scale and snapped a couple pictures. I attempted to do my measurements but decided that to keep them consistent, I need to have them done at the gym before CrossFit tomorrow. I weighed in at 144.8lbs, which is down from 148. This is great, but I'm really curious about measurements because I think they are a more accurate gauge of change.

 Above pic is from this morning, below is from 1/9/13.

I don't notice a significant difference between these two photos so I'm interested to see the measurements.

I had every intention of changing up my breakfast this morning, but I just wasn't craving eggs and veggies. I had breakfast cake and turkey bacon, and only 1 cup of coffee. I'm attempting to cut back on my coffee intake because I normally have 2 huge cups in the morning. After breakfast I headed to the clinic where I'm volunteering. I packed some cashew butter and carrots, as well as my new favorite snack: bacon wrapped in romaine lettuce. Yum! Unfortunately, these were not enough to hold me over til dinner, so I was absolutely starving by 7pm.  Lucky for me Chadwick saved the day and stopped to get us Chipotle. I had a burrito bowl with double chicken, fajita veggies, romaine, guacamole, and lots of salsa. No, I definitely did not need to eat the whole thing, but it was delicious and I couldn't help myself.

 My total carb intake for today is 83g so I did well. I need to not let myself get soo hungry, which means making sure I have a substantial lunch. Now time to relax with my sweetie because we're heading to CrossFit at 6am!

Day 14

Woohoo! Halfway through the challenge and feeling great! I forgot to do my measurements this morning so in the interest of consistency, I will do them tomorrow morning along with taking some pics. Though I don't see any real difference in my body composition, and don't expect to see any real weight loss, I feel good and I've learned a lot. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I think I've been overdoing my carb intake, which is keeping me from losing this stubborn belly fat. So, my plan is to monitor my carbs and shoot for <100g/day for the next 2 weeks. I still think paleo is a great lifestyle, but it is so important to tailor it to your specific dietary needs. Yes, it would be lovely to not have to track everything I eat, but that may not be realistic for me right now.  In order to loose fat, I have to stay light on carbs, even when I'm working out 5 days/wk. Its just the way I'm made.

I had my usual for breakfast but was careful to measure exactly 1/2 cup of blueberries, and use a 4inch piece of banana in my breakfast cake. My carbs for this meal came out to 42g. Yes, this is almost half of my daily allowance, but I generally eat most of my carbs in the morning anyway. I was super hungry after CrossFit this morning, as our WOD was pretty taxing. Here it is:

DYNAMIC WARM UP-
SAMSON STRETCH – 30 SECONDS
KARAOKE- 45 SECONDS
WALKING HIGH KNEE PULLS – 45 SECONDS
WALKING QUAD PULL – 45 SECONDS
SHOULDER CIRCLES- 45 SECONDS
20 PRESSES 10LB. BALL
SKILL- SPLIT JERK DELIVERED BY THE CLEAN
WOD- “3 BARS OF DEATH” OR “LINDA”  - FOR TIME
10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1
POWER CLEAN- RX 75% BODY WEIGHT
BENCH PRESS OR PUSH UP-RX BODY WEIGHT
DEADLIFTS- 1.5 X BODYWEIGHT

For lunch I had leftovers from last night: grilled chicken (5oz), grilled veggies (zucchini, peppers, onions), romaine, salsa, and 1/4 of an avocado. This brought my carb count up to 70g. If I would have cut out the onions, the carb load would have been less, but I thought about this after the fact.

I snacked on leftover grilled chicken and had two scoops of my "almond butter" heated with two tbsp of coconut milk.  Last night I attempted to make almond butter but alas, my blender was not gonna hack it, so I ended up with a very loose interpretation. The good news is that I should be able to use it to make Paleo "oatmeal" tomorrow.

Tonight I made sweet-potato carrot cakes, grassfed beef burgers and kale chips. I was skeptical about the cakes but they turned out delicious! Here is the recipe:

1 cup sweet potato grated
1 cup carrots grated
1 tbsp coconut flour
3 egg
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt

I formed 8 patties out of this mixture and stuck them in the fridge to firm up. This step probably wasn't necessary but since the mixture was so wet, I was worried they would fall apart. After about 30 minutes I removed them from the fridge and heated a skillet to medium low. I melted about 2 tsp of coconut oil in the pan and then added the patties, allowing them to brown on both side (about 4 minutes/side).

 I coated the kale with olive oil and salt and allowed it to cook for 20 minutes at 275. The chips turned out great but I elected to save them for snack tomorrow.

 Dinner was awesome! I used the carrot-sweet potato cakes almost in place of a burger bun. I also topped mine with a fried egg, and finished everything off with homemade ketchup and fresh jalepenos.

My goal was to stay under 100g of carbs today and once I added dinner into my diet log (I use My Fitness Pal on my iphone) I was at 90g. I don't love that I'm having to track meals again, but I'm really curious to see what reducing my carb load does to my body.

Day 13

Happy Monday and happy MLK Day! When my alarm went off at 6:15 this morning, I reluctantly rolled over and attempted to wake Chad. He started complaining of a stomach ache last night, so I wasn't sure how he'd feel this morning. He still wasn't feeling well so we skipped CrossFit and slept int til around 7:30. I'm really getting used to this whole sleeping in thing... and I'm also starting to like evening workouts. Never thought I'd say that! I rolled out of bed and packed Chads lunch while cooking breakfast. I had my usual, as did Chad. After breakfast I turned on coverage of the inauguration and started to do a little research regarding the macronutrient breakdown of the paleo diet. Prior to my wedding in October I was meticulously counting calories (my target was 1500) and shooting for 35-40% carbs, 30-35% protein, and 25-30% fat. I was drawn to paleo because you aren't meant to track these things, however, I was really curious to see what my macros were amounting with paleo. I knew I was consuming a much higher amount of fat, but I was unsure about my carb and protein intake. So today I went ahead and tracked my meals. The breakdown was 25% carbs, 30% protein, and 45% fat. Originally, I was thinking that I should cut back on nuts/nut butter intake, to cut weight. However, carbs are responsible for insulin release and insulin is what makes the body store, or hold on to, fat. I ended up finding a really great blog: Primal, and it reminded me how essential carb intake is in relation to fat loss. Here is a great table further demonstrating this point.
 

• 0-50 grams per day: Ketosis and I.F. (Intermittent Fasting) zone. Excellent catalyst for rapid fat loss through I.F. Not recommended for prolonged periods (except in medically supervised programs for obese or Type 2 diabetics) due to unnecessary deprivation of plant foods.
• 50-100 grams per day: Sweet Spot for Weight Loss. Steadily drop excess body fat by minimizing insulin production. Enables 1-2 pounds per week of fat loss with satisfying, minimally restrictive meals.
• 100-150 grams per day: Primal Maintenance zone. Once you’ve arrived at your goal or ideal body composition, you can maintain it quite easily here while enjoying abundant vegetables, fruits and other Primal foods.
• 150-300 grams a day: Insidious Weight Gain zone. Most health conscious eaters and unsuccessful dieters end up here, due to frequent intake of sugar and grain products (breads, pastas, cereals, rice, potatoes – even whole grains). Despite trying to “do the right thing” (minimize fat, cut calories), people can still gain an average of 1.5 pounds of fat every year for decades.
• 300+ grams a day: Danger Zone of average American diet. All but the most extreme exercisers will tend to produce excessive insulin and store excessive fat over the years at this intake level. Increases risk for obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

So my takeaway is that if I want to see significant fat loss (for me that means getting my six pack abs) I need to stay below 100g of carbs/day. I'm certainly not piling on the carbs now but between blueberries and a banana for breakfast, plantain chips for snack, and sweet potatoes for dinner I'm at about 150g. The good news, this is an EASY fix! So for the remainder of the challenge I'm going to be monitoring my carb intake diligently to see if it makes a difference.

For lunch I sauteed broccoli slaw and leftover ground turkey in coconut oil and then made a scramble with 1 egg and 3 egg whites. I also had a mixed green salad and topped it with avocado and salsa. After that I made two different marinades for chicken, to use for dinner and lunch tomorrow. I made one "Mexican" inspired and one "Asian" inspired marinade.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning like a mad woman. I left the house around 4 to head to the grocery store (I'm totally over budget for the month btw) and then to CrossFit. Here is Today's WOD:

DYNAMIC WARM UP- 5 TO 10 MINUTES
STRENGTH: COMBO OLYMPIC LIFT
POWER SNATCH + OVERHEAD SQUAT 3-3-3-3-3x @ 65% snatch 1RM
WOD- TABATTA WORK
TABATTA – 20 SECONDS ON / 10 SECONDS OFF (8 CYCLES)
TABATTA #1:
WALL BALL + PUSH UPS PLUS + SQUAT JUMPS + BATTLE ROPES
TABATTA # 2:
RKB SWING + AIR SQUATS + MED BALL SIT UPS + LUNGE CURLS
STRETCH/COOL DOWN

When I got home I pulled the chicken out of the fridge and chopped up 2 bell peppers, half an onion, and two zucchinis. I coated the veggies with olive oil and S&P and threw everything on the grill.

While I waited, I decided to attempt to make some "paleo bars." Chad and I were looking to order some online a few nights back and they were crazy expensive so I figured I'd try to make my own first. I'm reluctant to post the recipe because I didn't measure anything, I just kept playing with the ingredients and hoping they'd come together. So here's what I used:

pumpkin seeds
ground almonds
sunflower seeds
chia seed
raw honey
shredded coconut (unsweetened)
coconut oil
egg whites

I mixed all these ingredients together and pressed them into a baking pan lined with parchment. I baked them until golden brown, which was about 20 minutes and immediately cut them into bars, this yielded 10 good sized bars. I allowed them to cool before removing them from the pan and wrapping them individually with plastic wrap. I stored them in an airtight container for use this week.

 Dinner ended up being chicken and grilled veggies, along with roasted purple cabbage. Yummy!

Sorry for the long post, I just had a lot to say :)