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.

Self Care

I realize the majority of my posts over the last several months have revolved around diet and exercise so I'd like to change that. After all there is so much more to health. Over the past couple weeks I've really started to take a hard look at the things I do to promote both physical and emotional well-being. Yes, eating well and going to CrossFit are important components, but what about things like going to church, taking baths, reading for pleasure, going out with friends? These are all examples of actions that promote well-being. When I attended the integrative health coaching program at Duke there was an emphasis on working with 6 different facets of wellness. They are illustrated below:

As a health coach, I asked clients to use this wheel as a guide for initiating changes that promote optimal wellness. With all the crazy changes going on in my life right now I think its time to do some personal reassessment, so that I can implement changes as needed.

I am very excited to be starting a new job and possibly furthering my degree, but I'm highly prone to spreading myself too thin so it is imperative that I have stress management strategies in place.When I look at the wheel I am pleased to say that my physical movement and nutrition are where I want them to be, and our new house is a beautiful, evolving space. So, going forward I'm really feeling called to developing/nurturing physical relationships and my spirituality. I think that both these areas are key to coping with stress. I'm becoming more accepting of the fact that Nashville will be home for  the next several years and I find myself open to putting down roots. After all Nashville is where I started my nursing career, met the love of my life, bought my first home, attended graduate school, got married, and built a house. I'd say the roots are pretty established! I've had difficulty letting go of the idea that we'd be moving back to California in the near future, so for a long time I reasoned that it'd be best not to form attachments. This has only served to isolate us and has prevented us from really establishing deep relationships.

My goals over the next 3 months are:

1. Attend Church on a consistent basis
2. Set a time to pray with Chad every day
3. Make plans with friends at least twice a month
4. Take time to connect with friends and family by phone, email, or card

I feel a renewed sense of excitement about our home and I'm looking forward to what the future brings.

TOTALLY INSPIRING

Well apparently the post I typed up, whilst sitting in San Diego on vacation mind you, didn't save. Oh well, not to worry cause I think this amazing post from GoKaleo pretty much sums up my thoughts. It's time we women stop hating ourselves, stop comparing ourselves the images in magazines, and stop feeling like we have to be something we're not in order to be accepted. Being healthy is about loving yourself, and when you love yourself you take care of yourself! It's not easy, but imagine shifting  your focus from looking good in a bikini to achieving a fitness or health goal. Chances are, you'll be way less hard on yourself about the way you look (super liberating!!!) and by reaching your goal, you'll consequently end up looking and feeling awesome. As for me, I want to legitimately be able to compete in the CrossFit games. What's your goal?

Update on supplements

In my quest to expand my knowledge of supplements for clinical application I've progressively added to my personal intake. It is so easy to get carried away with supplements when you spend a lot of time researching their benefits. I've gotten really good about taking various pills each day, but I've decided its time to begin streamlining things. This is both for the sake of convenience and cost. So what are the essentials? Here is the list of what I  believe everyone should consider taking daily:

Omega 3's EPA/DHA 1000-2000mg
Probiotics with at least 20 billion live bacteria
Vitamin D 5,000 IUs
Multi-V

Here is what I am currently taking:

Phytomulti daily multi-v
Ultraflora probiotic
Astaxathin 8mg
Omega 3 EPA/DHA 1000mg
Gaia adrenal support
Vit C 3,000mg 
Vitamin D 10,000 IUs
Creatine (concrete) 5g
Whey isolate

Actually looking at the list, it's difficult to decide where to make cuts, but I've made a pretty remarkable discovery over the last 3 weeks. Turns out, when I'm properly fed, I feel pretty darn good! DUH! I'm convinced that I'm feeling better because of changing my diet rather than using so many supplements, but I am slightly hesitant to drop any of them. However I know that by eating the amount that my body needs, it is able to properly synthesize hormones, which means I may not require so much supplementation. Plus, I'm spending upwards of $150/month on all this stuff. Time to prioritize! All that being said I plan to drop the adrenal support and the astaxathin when I run out. I'm struggling with whether to look for a less expensive probiotic, but in truth I am really impressed with the quality of Metagenics products. I love their multivitamin and I plan to use their fish oil when I run out of my giant Costco bottle.

I'm trying out a new whey protein from Musclefeast, which should save me some $$$ since its just about $62.00 for 5lbs. There is really no way for me to meet my protein requirements without using a good whey supplement, but it can definitely get pricey.
 
Making some changes should bring the monthly cost down to around $100/month, which is still higher than I'd like it to be, so I'll be looking to make more cuts over the next couple months.

If you are interested in purchasing from Metagenics you can use my provider code BAnderson. Shipping is free which is awesome! I also recommend iherb.com for a wide variety of supplements, complete with reviews.

BodPod

So this morning I rolled outta bed at 6:30 and headed about 15 minutes down the road to have my very first BodPod measurement done. This is supposed to be one of the most accurate methods for determining body composition, so I was really excited to have it done. In preparation you aren't supposed to eat or drink anything for at least 2 hours prior, and you have to wear either a swim suit or sports bra and compression shorts. The actual BodPod is just that, a little pod that your sit in while it magically calculates your numbers. But first you get to step on the scale to get a baseline weight. So here are my numbers:

Height: 66"
Weight: 157
Body fat: 19%
Lean mass: 130lbs
Fat mass: 27lbs

First of all I will go ahead and address the weight because GOOD LORD, that is roughly 17lbs more than what I weighed on my wedding day in October! Ok, so some of that was my body just repalcing what it needed, because my weight probably should have been about 145. Realistically I've gained about 12lbs since starting CrossFit in January, which I have to assume is muscle. I'm trying not to freak out about the weight and focus on the awesomeness of my current bf%. Also, my clothes still fit! Yes, my pants are a bit tighter in the thigh area, but I haven't had to buy new clothes to accommodate them :)

Now that I have these accurate numbers, I can really tweak my TDEE, so with the help of the Eat to Perform team, I've come up with a few changes that will hopefully help me continue to build muscle and lean out. Again, this is a work in progress, but here is the latest:

Loading days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
TDEE: 2400-2600 calories
Protein:175g
Carbs: 175-200g
Fat: 135g

Control days:Wednesday, Sunday
TDEE 2000-2300 calories
Protein: 175g
Carbs: 100-125g
Fat: 135g

I'll plan to eat nearly all my carbs after my 5:30p WOD which means I'll be sticking to protein, fat, and veggies for most of the day. This also means no more  pre workout banana and shake, which is actually really convenient with my new work schedule. However, this means I will be absolutely slamming the carbs at night. THIS COULD GET FUN! 

Sorry for the delay!

I can't believe I haven't checked in, in so long! Things have been a little crazy in the Anderson household, which seems to have become pretty standard around here. I am continuing on with ETP (eat to perform) and I'm really loving the way I feel! It is absolutely terrifying to be consuming so many calories (2,300-2,500) when you've been operating under the impression that you should keep calories low, in order to loose weight. At this point I've experimented with just about every diet out there with the latest being paleo. I gotta say though, I was disappointed in the results I had from the 30 day paleo challenge and I was left searching for answers. Stumbling upon ETP has been extremely informative, and it just makes so much sense. If you are working out and expending the energy that CrossFit requires, you need to feed your body!

I'm not gonna lie, it's been tough to increase my caloric intake by nearly 1,000, but it's also pretty liberating to come home and eat bananas and dare I say it, white rice! This routine works really well with my busy schedule because I get to consume the majority of my calories in the evening. This is super convenient since its much easier to eat what I want, when I'm at home. I've been sticking to "fasting" in the morning, so I have about 10g of whey protein along with bullet proof coffee. I've been waiting until my body tells me its time to eat (usually between 10:30 and 1). I'm focusing on meat, veggies, and fat for most of the day and then having a banana and a protein shake before CrossFit. Afterwards I usually have a banana while cooking dinner, which usually consists of meat and sweet potatoes and /or white rice. Before bed I usually have another protein shake, depending on what I need to hit my numbers. I have been tracking my intake, just to see where my numbers fall. It will be nice to get to a point where I don't need to track, but for now its been really informative.

Friday morning I'm scheduled to have a BodPod done, so I'll get a really accurate measurement of my body composition. This will also allow me to adjust my TDEE accordingly. I'd like to work on making sure I'm getting enough veggies in during the day, so I can focus on simple carbs at night. I've tweaked my numbers this week to see how I feel during WODs and I recently starting taking creatine to help build and repair muscles. Today is a rest day and I'm taking full advantage. I'm gonna keep the carbs to around 150g and see how I feel during tomorrow's workout.

I promise to check in again soon, right now I need a snack :)

Feeding your body

Wow, what an interesting week its been for this girl. It is such an odd experience to be searching for ways to hit my macro and calorie requirements, rather than freaking out because I'm about to go over them. It's been rather liberating to be able to enjoy foods that I'd normally stay away from, and I even feel better eating them. Say what?! To honest I'm sticking to mainly paleo but I've definitely made the shift to about 80/20. I'm avoiding gluten for the most part, as it does tend to hurt my stomach, but I'm eating WHITE rice and using whey protein throughout the day. I'm also eating bananas like crazy, something I've been avoiding because of the their sugar content.

My biggest concern when I decided to try ETP was the weight gain, which I know is NOT what matters, but it is so difficult to get out of that mentality. Reading through the FB posts and ETP forum, I can tell a lot of women are having the same issue. When your muscles are properly fed, you're going to go up in scale weight. This is terrifying for those of us who've worked to so hard to loose weight.

Since starting CrossFit in January, I've put on a good 8lbs. My clothes still fit, I haven't had to go up in sizes, and my measurements are about the same. As far as I'm concerned that weight gain has to be muscle, so unless someone has another explanation, that's what I'm going with. Since starting ETP I've put on about 3, so total weight gain has been significant. Again, my clothes fit, I feel great, and even after just one week of ETP, people are making comments about me looking leaner. More importantly, I don't feel so damn lethargic! I've been running myself into the ground trying to kill the WODs and go to CrossFit even when I'm exhausted. Duh Britt! Maybe you should listen to your bod?! If I want to become a better athlete, I should probably give my body what it needs!

Getting started with ETP can be a little confusing, but essentially you eat your carbs around your workouts. Here is a typical week for me, and what I plan to follow at least until I get my BodPod measurement done:

2,558 calories

Monday- WOD: 200g carbs/155g protein/126g fat

Tuesday- WOD control day: 150g carbs/160g protein/145g fat

Wednesday-Rest  control day: 150g carbs/160g protein/145g fat

Thursday-WOD:200g carbs/155g protein/126g fat

Friday-WOD 200g carbs/155g protein/126g fat

Saturday-WOD control day:150g carbs/160g protein/145g fat

Sunday- Rest control day:150g carbs/160g protein/145g fat

In the mornings I have 1 serving of whey protein mixed in water, and some BPC, which puts my calories at about 470. I don't have my first solid meal until around noon, at which time I stick to protein, fat, and veggies. If I workout I have a banana and another serving of whey 30minutes to an hour beforehand. After I workout, I have a banana, whey, and a serving of creatine while I'm cooking dinner. On days that I'm resting but working out the following day, I have the majority of my carbs at night.

So I eat carbs around my workouts, when my body is able to utilize glucose most effectively to stimulate muscle growth and fat loss. This works out great, since I can sorta be like a normal human again. If I want to go have pizza with friends, I can do it! A piece of cake? Sure! This is known as "eating for joy" rather than cheat meals, which I totally love. They key is to not eat for joy at every meal!