You want me to eat what?

I have to say, this whole nutrition/diet thing is a fascinating beast. It is so interesting to research different perspectives on what and how we "should" be eating for health and fitness. If you would have told me 10 years ago, or even 4 years ago that I'd be eating this much FAT, I'd have laughed in your face and called you crazy. When you grow up... I'll just say it... fat, you are always searching for something to make you not fat. Needless to say I began dietary experimentation at an early age. Fast forward to today, and the quest for dietary perfection continues. Now, I don't believe that there is one specific method that works for everyone, there is just too much genetic variability. However, as I've stated before, eating processed crap is clearly a threat to health because its not real food! Additionally, many of us have food intolerances that cause inflammation in our bodies, contributing to everything from arthritis to diabetes. Therefore, you have to find what works for YOU. I used to pride myself "not having any allergies" come to find out, I actually have a few sensitivities with gluten definitely being one of them. The other night I decided to indulge in some pizza (it literally took me 20 minutes to figure out which one I wanted since it such a rare treat) and it wasn't long before I was regretting that call. About 30 minutes later, my stomach was churning and I thought I was gonna puke. Good news/bad news: I never want to eat "regular" pizza again! It's just not worth the pain!

So as my last few posts have reflected, I've been drinking bulletproof coffee every morning for the last 2 weeks. This has been in conjunction with a pretty low carb diet, which has been interesting, but I think I'm finally starting to adapt. I started out by having the BPC with breakfast, but that proved to be too much. For the last week or so I've been skipping breakfast, and just having the coffee. Breakfast is my most favorite meal so I thought this would be a big challenge, but its actually been ok. Drinking the coffee has staved off hunger until lunch time, and has really kept me from having much of an appetite. It has been a really interesting experiment. Ok but here's the deal, after initially loosing a couple lbs, I'm now up 2 lbs and feeling a bit pudgy. Normally, when I cut carbs, my stomach is noticeable flatter after just a couple days. The last two mornings however, I've woken up to belly bloat. What gives?! Honestly, the only explanation I can really think of is that the carb deprivation has sent my body into starvation mode? As in, its now holding on to all the fat because it needs that energy source to keep up with the intense WODs. I'm not really sure, but I'm definitely interested in making a change ASAP.

Enter carb backloading (CBL). I have been pouring over articles and a lengthy e-book by John Kiefer, the expert on the topic, and am really interested in the science behind it. He explains a very complex hormonal cascade and basically asserts that carbs should be avoided until after one's evening workout. Post workout and up until bedtime, simple carbs should be "slammed" in order maintain fat burning hormones. Again, I think using this concept and tweaking it to fit one's individual needs is appropriate. I've seen a lot of conflicting info regarding using this type of eating for CrossFit athletes, as well as for women. What I've been able to piece together is that ketogenic diets are not great for CrossFitters, so implementing the first phase of CBL (eating 30g of carbs/day) would not be ideal. Also, because of estrogen and several others factors, women do not require the same amount of carbs as men and can more efficiently burn fat for energy. So all this has left me a little confused/fascinated by the idea of cycling my carbs. I realize that once again, this is going to take some experimentation on my part, but thats nothing new for me. One thing I did notice after last week's painful pizza indulgence, when I woke up  the next day, I actually felt really lean. Coincidence? Maybe not. I am still really determined to have six pack abs, and hopefully in the near future.

I found a pretty awesome blog that talks a lot about CBL and has a great calculator for determining BMR and caloric needs. I am however, ever so skeptical of the numbers it produced for me. Here they are:

BMR Calorie Calculator

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Mifflin-St Jeor Formula: 1,282 caloriesKatch-McCardle Formula: requires bodyfat % caloriesHarris-Benedict Formula: 1,451 caloriesAverage BMR: 1,367 calories

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE): 2,358 calories

Protein
Grams: 152
Calories: 608
Percentage: 26%

Carbs
Grams: 100
Calories: 400
Percentage: 17%

Fat
Grams: 150
Calories: 1,350
Percentage: 57%

The author does not necessarily advocate counting calories but it is interesting to see it all broken down. One things for sure, I have got to add some carbs back in. I don't think I'll be eating pizza or turnovers, as some CBLers suggest, but I'm definitely down with the sweet potatoes, smoothies, and white rice. 

Stay tuned for more!