The Turning Point

So, I've now been ETPing (eating to perform) for approximately 8 weeks and I am loving the way I feel. I've improved in my lifts, and I feel so much better during WODs. There has been a dramatic change in my perspective since beginning this latest dietary experiment. For one thing I'm much more focused on improving my fitness than my body. Don't get me wrong, I still want to look good, but I gain so much confidence from killing a WOD that my focus has really shifted. I'm also far less paranoid about avoiding certain foods. Yes, I do try to stay away from gluten and anything processed but I don't restrict myself the way I used to. I still wholehearted believe in putting quality food in your body, but I'm open to exploring the benefits of a wider variety of foods.

I wanted to check in today for one specific reason: before and after photos. I've mentioned in previous posts that since starting CrossFit, I've put on a good 15lbs, and about half of that has been just since starting ETP. I starting digging through old posts from my paleo challenge because I really wanted to see what the extra pounds looked like.

This is me January 9th at 148lbs:

 This is me July 25th at 158lbs:

This is a side by side of me half way through the paleo challenge at 144lbs vs. this week at 158

I don't know about you guys but to me the pictures look almost identical. It absolutely blows my mind that I could be 14lbs heavier in the pic on the right! The truth is, yes my pants fit tighter in the thigh area and yes, I'm once again having to deal with "chub rub" when I walk.  BUT let me just tell you, those are some powerful thighs and I can't wait to see how much my squat PR improves over the next year!

According to the lovely BMI (which I am forced to use with patients) I'm now considered "overweight" and by conventional standards, a 5'6" female weighing 158 lbs is "heavy." It is unfortunate that we don't have a better way of measuring fitness in clinical practice because this is perfect example of why weight is not reliable. More importantly, this has been a huge wake up call for me. I know that I am capable of getting my body down to about 140lbs (the lowest its ever been) but at what cost? I like having muscle and I enjoy eating, neither of which are super conducive to me dropping weight. Whats the ultimate goals? Honestly I think working towards becoming competitive in CrossFit would be amazing, so that is where I want to put my focus. I want to keep getting stronger and fueling my body with what it needs to perform to its fullest potential.