3...2...1...GO!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

2011-04-14T05:46:00.004-05:00

Weight (5:45am) - 189#

5:20 am - wake, large glass of water
5:45 am - SFH Fortified, (19P), 4g fish oil, cup decaf coffee

Notes:
Little brother is in town and we went out for Mexican food last night. That's why the weight is up this morning.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

2011-04-12T05:55:00.003-05:00

5:20 AM - wake
5:40 AM - 1 scoop whey (19P), 2g fish oil
6:00 AM - 1 cup decaf coffee
7:45 AM - 5 HB eggs, 3 cups raw spinach, 1 cup cooked turnip greens, bite of pulled pork
9:15 AM - 1 cup coffee, black

Notes:
Morning Weight, post shake = 187#
Weekend was garbage and yesterday was good for food quality. I'm a little puffy from the weekend shenanigans, so that would explain the overall gain in weight. Should be back down to 180-183 by Friday. Will make notes.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

2011-04-09T08:10:00.003-05:00

7:15 AM - Wake
7:50 AM - 2 scoops SFH Fortified (39P), 4g fish oil, 2g MSM, tall coffee with dash of heavy cream
10:00 AM - 1.5oz. clean beef jerky
Rest of day:
mostly crap

Notes:
This week was a little lax. I will get back after a full clean weeks next week. no "re-feed" day today due to the cheat meals/drinks during the week.

Friday, April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T09:21:00.003-05:00

8:00 AM - wake, large glass of water
8:15 AM - 20:00 walk
8:45 AM - 4 eggs scrambled in ghee, 2 cups spinach, 1 airborne tablet
9:15 AM - tall coffee, black
10:15 AM - PWO: SFHPWO 1 scoop, 2g MSM
12:30 PM - 6-7oz. grassfed beef cooked in ghee, turnip greens
Afternoon & dinner:
4 beers, 1 jim beam and diet 7 up (big)
Pulled pork in a molasses reduction with steamed zucchini.
10:00 PM - 7:15 AM - Lights out

Thursday, April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T05:47:00.004-05:00

5:15 AM - wake, large glass of water
5:45 AM - breakfast - 1 tin of sardines in EVOO (275cals, 16F, 25P), 1 cup decaf green tea
8:45 AM - 1 cup detox tea
9:15 AM - ham and egg from a sandwich, 4g fish oil
9:35 AM - iced green tea
12:00 PM - sausage and egg, passion tea
1:30 PM - BBQ, chopped beef, sausage, cole slaw, potato salad
6:45 PM - mexican food - chips and salsa, 3 beers, trout, shrimp, sopapillas in honey

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

2011-04-06T14:56:00.005-05:00

8:00 AM - wake, large glass of water
8:30 AM - 3 eggs, and 1/2lb of shrimp
12:00 PM - dark and white meat chicken ~8-9oz. with steamed veggies and juices from chicken in crock.
5:15 PM - PWO, 1 scoop SFHPWO, 5g BCAAs, 1g Glutamine, 2g MSM
6:15PM - 1/2 Chicken breast from whole chicken, steamed veggies, sauce
8:45 PM - 5:15 AM - lights out

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

2011-04-05T05:49:00.004-05:00

5:20 AM - wake, large glass of water
5:45 AM - 4oz. chicken tenders, 3 cups raw spinach, sun dried tomatoes
***traveling today so I will do the best I can.
8:30 AM - 1.5oz. macadamia nuts, grande coffee w/ heavy cream*
11:30 AM - ~8oz. grilled chicken, 2 cups raw spinach, black olives, sunflower seeds (~1/4 cup)
2:00 PM - tall decaf coffee with heavy cream*
4:00 PM - light workout
4:30 PM - 5g BCAAs, 2g Glutamine, 2g MSM, 2g fish oil
7:00 PM - chicken and veggies with sun dried tomatoes, couple glasses of wine.
9:45 PM - 8:00 AM - Lights out

Notes:
*Coffee and heavy cream doesn't seem to agree with me. For a short while after both coffees I had some indigestion. Not good.

Monday, April 4, 2011

2011-04-04T12:34:00.004-05:00

8:30 AM - wake, large glass of water
9:00 AM - ground venison ~3oz., 2 over easy eggs cooked in coconut oil, 2 small heads of broccoli, steamed.
11:15 AM - small cup decaf coffee
12:00 PM - venison steak (6-7oz.), steamed cauliflower and carrots, couple sun dried tomatoes, 1 pickle
3:00 PM - PreWO - 5g BCAAs, 1g Glutamine - workout
5:00 PM - PWO - venison steak (6-7oz.) steamed veggies, 2g fish oil, 5g BCAAs, 3g glutamine, 2g MSM
8:00 PM - 4oz. chicken tenders, 3 cups raw spinach, sun dried tomatoes, 1 glass of wine
9:30 PM - 5:30 AM - lights out

Notes:
Friday recap: good breakfast and lunch then Rangers game. Lots of beer at game, 2 small packages of pistachios and a small package of sunflower seeds. No dinner...
Saturday recap: Awesome binge day. In order of apperance:
Grande coffee w/ heavy cream, homemade almond joy, 1 small cupcake, Nate's Special at Coppell Deli (2 fried eggs, bacon, sausage patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, texas toast), split an order of chili cheese fries, 1 sleeve Do Si Do Girl Scout cookies, 4 Samoa's, 1/2 package of cocoa pumpkin seeds, 1 Kombucha, 1 beer, small glass of champagne, dinner at Kenny's Wood Fire grill: pop over bread, brie fondue, steak crustina, 16 oz. pork chop, mac and cheese, more beer, 2 pieces of bday cake, more beer and then bed.
Sunday recap: Clean eating day. Small meals, overall caloric load was meager.

Challenge Results....

2011-04-02T08:21:00.007-05:00

February 28th weight = 189.5
March 31st weight = 179.5
Starting belly measurement = 35"
Ending belly measurement = 32.5" (2.5" decrease)
Starting hip measurement = 40.5"
Ending hip measurement = 38.5" (2" decrease)

Pictures: (Before/After)

Recap on 30 days:
No fruit, caffeine, minimal booze in the form of wine, no additives (that I know of), no dairy, no legumes. Can it be done? I think the results speak for themselves. I tweaked this plan as I went along and I will continue to follow it with some differences. Main idea: Eat protein and veggies Sunday through Friday and have a "refeed" day once a week (Saturdays). This is adapted from the Anabolic Diet, Ketogenic Diet, and Tim Ferris. For the month I stayed clean on the refeed days focusing on quality ingredients with lots of fat and sweet potatoes as the carb source. From now on my "cheats" will be on Saturday with a little leway during the week because we all know that it happens. I will allow anything I want to eat on these cheat days. Main focus during the week will still be protein and veggies. I'm going to try another approach this month in terms of food quantity. The amount will stay the same but I will eat more meals that are smaller. I think to trim the last bit of fat off the waistline really minimizing insulin spikes in any form is the key: smaller meals more frequently instead of the 3 large meals I have daily. I'm still going to keep track over the next 30 days to see any difference, it just may not be as detailed. Looking forward to this next month!

Day 32: Thursday, March 31, 2011

2011-03-31T09:19:00.003-05:00

Last Day of Challenge - Will Post pics and measurements tomorrow.

5:25 AM - wake, glass of water
5:45 AM - 1 tin of sardines in olive oil (16F, 25P)
7:30 AM - 8:40 AM - laid in bed
8:55 AM - 2 chicken tenders, spoonful of coconut oil
12:00 PM - Chicken and steamed veggies in mustard sauce
2:00 PM - Kombucha
4:45 PM - 1 med. chicken thigh, 2g fish oil

Notes:
Slept like garbage last night. Something in the Chinese food I had for dinner bloated me up and caused me to get congested. I was overly full so that didn't help either. Mid section this morning is noticeably bigger due to this as well. Frustrating.

Day 31: Wednesday, March 30, 2011

2011-03-30T12:29:00.004-05:00

8:00 AM - wake, large glass of water
8:10 - 8:25 AM - walk
8:30 AM - pork roast (2-3oz.) 2 eggs, medium head broccoli steamed
10:30 AM - PreWO: Guayaki shot, 5g BCAAs, 1g glutamine
11:00 AM - CF Sectionals WOD #2
11:30 AM - PWO: 1 scoop SFHPWO, 5g BCAAs, 3g glutamine, 2g MSM, 1g fish oil
12:30 PM - shrimp and chicken sauteed with olives, onions and tomato sauce
5:00 PM - Shrimp and chicken suateed w/ olives, onions, and tomato sauce (snack)
7:00 PM - Chinese food and sake (big mistake)
9:00 PM - 5:25 AM - lights out

Day 30: Tuesday, March 29, 2011

2011-03-29T05:55:00.005-05:00

5:20 AM - wake, large glass of water
5:45 AM - 2 scoops SFH fortified, 5g BCAAs, 2g Glutamine, 2g MSM, 2g fish oil (Had a big dinner late last night and wasn't up to eating solid food so early today)
8:45 AM - pork roast ~4oz. w/ steamed broccoli and cauliflower
12:30 PM - chicken and turkey (~3/4lb.) ground sauteed in coconut oil with veggies
6:45 PM - 3 chicken legs, 1 package steamed cauliflower and broccoli
8:30 PM - NuSoma
9:00 PM - 8:00 AM - Lights out

Day 29: Monday, March 28, 2011

2011-03-28T09:00:00.008-05:00

7:30 AM - wake, large glass ice water
7:40 AM - 8:00 AM - 20:00 fast walk
8:00 AM - breakfast pork roast (~.5-.75lbs) 3 cups spring mix, 4g Vit. C
9:00 AM - 1.5g fish oil
12:00 PM - lunch - ~1lb. ground venison, steamed broccoli and caulifower
3:00 PM - workout - PreWO: 5g BCAAs, 1g glutamine
4:30 PM - Post workout - 1 tin sardines, 5g BCAAs, 3g glutamine, 2g MSM, 2g fish oil
5:30 PM - 1 scoop SFH fortified (19P)
7:45 PM - dinner - Sushi and lots of it, no rice, hot & sour soup, small sake
8:30 PM - NuSoma + ZMA
9:00 PM - 5:15 AM - Lights out

Day 28: Sunday, March 27, 2011

2011-03-27T10:25:00.006-05:00

9:00 AM - wake
9:15 AM - breakfast - 4 large meatballs, and cabbage, 3g Vit. C
11:25 AM - handful of almonds
1:00 PM - 4g fish oil, 5g BCAAs, 1g glutamine
1:30 PM - lunch - Steak, sauteed squash, few small handfuls of nuts, side salad
4:00 PM - 1/2 Kombucha
4:30 PM - Workout - PWO, 1 scoop SFH, 1 cup sp 5g BCAAs
7:00 PM - Dinner - pork roast and cauliflower
8:00 PM - NuSoma/shower
9:00 PM - 7:30 AM - lights out

Day 27: Saturday, March 26, 2011

2011-03-27T10:21:00.003-05:00

Re-feed Day

Lots of meat, sweet potatoes, some wine

Workout around 11AM - CF Sectionals WOD #1, attempt 3
-PreWO - Guayaki Yerba Mate energy shot
-PWO: 1 scoop SFHPWO, 5g BCAAs, 3g Glutamine, Just under 1 cup sweet potato puree

11:30PM - 9:00 AM - Lights out

Day 26: Friday, March 25, 2011

2011-03-25T16:50:00.004-05:00

7:00 AM - wake, large glass of water
7:10 AM - 7:50 AM - 40:00 walk
8:00 AM - breakfast - shrimp and 3 egg scramble in coconut oil, spring mix salad with vinegar
12:30 PM - lunch - ~1/2-3/4 lb pork (meatballs) with sauteed cabbage and mushrooms
4:30 PM - 1 oz. almonds, 4g fish oil, 5g BCAA's 1g glutamine, 2g MSM, 1tsp spirulina
7:30 PM - dinner - J Macklin's - chicken breast, broccoli, 2 glasses wine
9:00 PM - 7:00 AM - Lights out

Day 25: Thursday, March 24, 2011

2011-03-24T05:46:00.007-05:00

5:15 AM - wake, big glass of water
5:35 AM - breakfast - turkey and boiled cabbage, 3g Vit. C, 1 cup herbal tea
7:45 AM - herbal tea
9:30 AM - workout
10:30 AM - PWO: 1 can tuna w/ mustard (26P), 5g BCAA, 3g Glutamine, 2g MSM, 2g Fish oil, 1 tsp. spirulina
11:45 AM - lunch - 1/2lb ground chicken, onions, celery, in coconut oil, roasted brussels sprouts with coconut oil
4:00 PM - 1 oz. almonds
6:00 PM - dinner - 2 drumsticks, roasted brussels in coconut oil, 2g fish oil
8:00 PM - Contrast shower
8:15 PM - NuSoma
9:00 PM - 7:00 AM - lights out

Day 24: Wednesday, March 23, 2011

2011-03-23T14:49:00.005-05:00

8:00 AM - wake
8:30 AM - breakfast - 8 med shrimp, 3 eggs, coconut oil, ~4 cups spring mix, 3g Vit. C
10:30 AM - 1 cup Yerba Mate
11:00 AM - WOD, CF Sectionals attempt 2
11:20 AM - PWO, 1 scoop SFH Post Workout, 5g BCAAs, 2g glutamine, 2g MSM, 2g Fish oil
12:30 PM - lunch - free range chicken breast with braised onions and cucumbers in coconut oil
4:30 PM - 1 tin of sardines (23P), 2g fish oil, 1 tsp. spirulina
7:30 PM - dinner - bunch of shrimp with tomato sauce, onions, and black olives, 1 pickle, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 chicken leg
8:15 PM - herbal tea + NuSoma
8:30 PM - cold shower
9:15 PM - 5:15 AM - Lights out

Notes:
Slept pretty good last night. Had to get up around 11pm but that has been pretty regular lately.
Total Supplementation:
1 scoop SFHPWO, 5g BCAAs, 2g glutamine, 2g MSM, 4g Fish oil, 1 tsp. spirulina, Yerba Mate, 2g Vit. C, NuSoma

Day 23: Tuesday, March 22, 2011

2011-03-22T05:49:00.009-05:00

5:10 AM - wake, big glass of water
5:25 AM - 10:00 easy row - 2193m
5:40 AM - breakfast - venison and 2 eggs with onion and broccoli, cooked in coconut oil
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM - nap
9:45 AM - package of Blue Diamond almonds (250cals, 22F, 9P)
12:00 PM - lunch - 1/2lb ground grass-fed beef, onion, garlic, roasted asparagus and mushrooms
5:30 PM - few small bites of egg salad (homemade), 2g MSM
6:00 PM - dinner - My Fit Foods, country dinner - chicken breast with almond and flax meal, spinach and kale, cauliflower mashed potatoes (450Cals, 18F, 49P, 18C), 4g fish oil
8:00 PM - Cold Shower
8:45 PM - 8:00 AM - lights out*Probably 10 total hrs of sleep

Notes:
I slept like complete garbage last night. Going to try to get a 1.5-2 hour nap after morning class. Was supposed to redo the CF Sectionals workout today but will push it to tomorrow in hopes of better sleep tonight. Will try 100% cold shower tonight before bed to see if that makes any difference.

Day 22: Monday, March 21, 2011

2011-03-21T10:59:00.005-05:00

7:00 AM - wake, large glass of water
7:45 AM - breakfast - spring mix with olive oil and red wine vinegar, 1 HB egg, 1 tin sardines, 2g fish oil, 3g Vit. C, adrenal complex
12:00 PM - lunch - ~3/4lb venison w/ boiled cabbage, small handful of carrots, ~1/4 cup coconut milk
12:50 PM - 1 cup detox tea
5:15 PM - 1/2lb venison, boiled cabbage
7:30 PM - 1 can of tuna, horseradish mustard, 1 pickle, 4 olives, handful of spring mix
8:00 PM - Contrast shower*
8:30 PM - in bed reading, ZMA
9:00 PM - 5:10 AM - lights out

Notes:
*I'm going to attempt to do some form of cold/contrast shower every night. Back when I was doing those pretty consistently my recovery and sleep were great.

Day 21: Sunday, March 20, 2011

2011-03-20T11:07:00.005-05:00

8:30 AM - wake, 30:00 walk
9:15 AM - breakfast - salmon and broccoli cooked in coconut oil, small grass-fed beef cube steak
10:00 AM - 1/2 ginger kombucha
11:30 PM - workout - PreWO: 5g BCAAs, 1g glutamine
12:30 PM - PWO: 5g BCAAs, 3g gluamine, 500mg acetyl carnitine, 3g MSM
2:00 PM - lunch - 1/2lb. shrimp, roasted asparagus, adrenal complex
4:15 PM - 1 HB egg
6:00 PM - dinner - 1/2lb grass-fed ground beef, coconut milk, curry, onions, bell pepper, garlic, small handful of carrots
9:00 PM - 7:00 AM - Lights out

Day 20: Saturday, March 19, 2011

2011-03-19T08:20:00.005-05:00

Re-feed Day

7:15 AM - wake
8:00 AM - breakfast - 2 free range chicken legs, 2 cups of raw spinach, 5g BCAAs, 1g glutamine, 3g Vit. C, adrenal complex, 2g MSM, 4g fish oil
10:00 AM - Blue Diamond raw almonds, small package
12:00 PM - lunch - sweet potato cake from last week w/ black strap molasses, grassfed beef and sweet potato hash with 2 fried eggs, adrenal complex
3:00 PM - greens kombucha
6:00 PM - Dinner party - lots of meat and nuts and some wine
11:00 PM - Sleep

Day 19: Friday, March 18, 2011

2011-03-18T09:26:00.005-05:00

8:00 AM - wake, 10:00 run
8:30 AM - breakfast - 3 med. chicken legs, 3 cups chopped broccoli, 3g Vit. C, adrenal complex
11:45 AM - 5g BCAAs, 1g Glutamine, 2g MSM
12:45 PM - Lunch - ~1lb. brisket, 2 shrimp poppers, green salad, ACV sauce
7:45 PM - Dinner - 1/2lb brisket, 1/4 chicken both white and dark meat, roasted asparagus
9:30 PM - 7:15 AM - Lights out

Day 18: Thursday, March 17, 2011

2011-03-17T12:52:00.004-05:00

5:20 AM - wake, big glass of water
5:50 AM - breakfast - egg casserole with shrimp and spinach a little salsa, 3g Vit. C, adrenal complex, 2g fish oil
9:45 AM - a coupe bites of breakfast leftovers
12:00 PM - lunch - 3 medium chicken legs (free range), 2 cups brussel sprouts, 1 tbsp of almond butter, adrenal complex, detox tea.
3:00 PM - PreWO: 5g BCAAs, 1g Glutamine
4:30 PM - PWO - 5g BCAAs 2g glutamine, 2g MSM, 500mg Acetyl Carnitine, 1 tsp. spirulina, 1 med size chicken leg, 1 cup brussel sprouts
8:00 PM - Carne Asada with veggies, 1/2 bottle wine (2 glasses)

Day 17: Wednesday, March 16, 2011

2011-03-16T10:57:00.004-05:00

8:00 AM - wake
8:30 AM - breakfast ~6-7oz. venison, sauteed spinach (used the fat from the venison), 3g Vit. C, adrenal complex, 1 cup detox tea
9:30 AM - 2g MSM, 1g Glutamine
12:00 PM - lunch - Grass Fed steak ~4oz., 1 free range chicken leg, steamed veggies, adrenal complex, detox tea
6:30 PM - dinner - 1 can sardines (23P), venison~3oz. with steamed veggies, ~2 tsp. coconut oil
8:30 PM - 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses with a dash of cinammon + ice pack on traps for 20:00
9:00 - 5:20 AM - lights out*

Notes:
*Slept like shit. Had to get up 3 times. I guess I drink too much water in the evening. I tried the molasses thing as a way to maybe keep sleep constant through blood sugar levels, but it might have kept me awake.

Day 16: Tuesday, March 15, 2011

2011-03-15T09:24:00.005-05:00

5:15 AM - wake, large glass of water
5:40 AM - breakfast ~6 oz. venison, 3-4 cups raw spinach, 3g Vit. C, adrenal complex, 2g MSM
9:00 AM - 2g fish oil, 1 cup detox tea
12:00 PM - lunch - broiled red fish with horseradish mustard, steamed cauliflower. had some olives and tomato sauce leftover from Bev's lunch as well, and a few carrots.
1:00 PM - detox tea
5:00 PM - dinner - broiled red fish with horseradish mustard, steamed cauliflower, 1g glutamine, adrenal complex
7:45 PM - 2 tbsp. almond butter
8:15 PM - 1 cup detox tea*, 12mg melatonin**
8:45 PM - 8:00 AM - Lights out

Notes:
*Gotta stop drinking this detox tea before I go to bed. I had to get up 3x throughout the night which was tough given the melatonin I took. I tried a higher dose (per Robb Wolf) as the normal 1 tablet dose of 3g doesn't seem to do anything. I was in and out of sleep all night so I think it doesn't help all that much for myself.

Day 15: Monday, March 14, 2011

2011-03-14T09:29:00.007-05:00

7:30 AM, wake, 2 cups water
8:00 AM - breakfast - ground venison ~6oz., 4 cups raw spinach, 1/3 cup coconut milk, 2g fish oil, adrenal complex, 3g Vit. C
12:30 PM - lunch - 6-7oz. chicken breast w/ sun dried tomatoes, broiled asparagus and onions in duck fat, 1/4 cup coconut milk, adrenal complex
3:30 PM - workout: PreWO, 3g glutamine, 5g BCAA's
5:20 PM - dinner - PWO: 3g glutamine, 5g BCAAs, 2g MSM, 500mg Acetyl Carnitine, 8oz. chicken breast w/ sun dried tomatoes, ~ 3 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots
7:45 PM - 1 can tuna(32P), 6 olives, 1 pickle, handful chopped spinach, horseradish mustard, tbsp almond butter, adrenal complex
8:30 PM - 2 serv. ZMA
9:00 - 5:15 AM - lights out

Day 14: Sunday, March 13, 2011

2011-03-13T10:50:00.002-05:00

8:30 AM - wake, 2 smal chicken thighs, 3 cups raw spinach, 1 tbsp almond butter, 4g fish oil, 3g Vit. C, 10,000 I.U. Vit. D, adrenal complex
11:30 AM - light workout: 500m row TT
2:30 PM - lunch - ground beef and chicken with veggies, beef jerky, pecans, pickle
7:00 PM - dinner - ground beef/chicken & veggies, adrenal complex
9:00 PM - 7:30 AM - Lights out

Day 13: Saturday, March 12, 2011

2011-03-12T08:44:00.006-06:00

RE-FEED DAY
7:00 AM - wake
7:15 AM - breakfast - 5 eggs cooked in duck fat, 1 cup sweet potato puree w/ coconut oil, 2g fish oil, adrenal complex, 3g Vit. C
8:00 AM - tall decaf coffee*
10:15 AM - Light workout (10x100m sprints)
11:00 AM - PWO - 5g glutamine, 1 tsp. spirulina
11:30 AM - few handfuls of pumpkin seeds, couple pieces of jerky, kombucha
12:30 PM - lunch - chicken fried pork cutlet ~8oz. (cooked in coconut oil, egg batter w/ coconut flour), sweet potato fries baked in duck fat, handful of pecans, coconut milk gravy
2:30-7:30PM - sweet potato bread (sweet potatoes, almond butter, almond flour), lots of it, beef jerky, pecans, chicken thigh, 1/2 sweet potato
9:00 PM - 8:30 AM - lights out

Notes:
I was really full when I went to bed from all that I ate today. Good caloric spike for the day.

Day 12: Friday, March 11, 2011

2011-03-11T15:26:00.004-06:00

7:30 AM - out of bed (Laid there for about 3o min. before I got up), 2 cups water
7:35 AM - 20:00 walk
8:20 AM - breakfast - 3-4 eggs, ~2oz. ground pork, bell pepper, 1 whole quail, 3g vit. C, adrenal complex, 2g fish oil
11:30 AM - bite of chicken thigh and a bite of jerky
12:30 PM - Lunch - 3 wings, small salad no dressing, chicken breast, asparagus
2:30 PM - ~2-3oz. beef jerky (homemade)
4:00 PM - 5g glutamine, 500mg aceytl L-carnitine, 2oz. chicken leg meat
7:00 PM - dinner - 2 chicken thighs with coconut flour on top, steamed broccoli and carrots, 2g fish oil, adrenal complex, couple bites of jerky
8:30 PM - lights out
8:30PM - 7:00 AM - lights out

Day 11: Thursday, March 10, 2011

2011-03-10T05:47:00.004-06:00

5:15 AM - wake, 2 cups water
5:45 AM - breakfast - 2 egg/sausage muffins w/ zucchini, bell pepper, onions, 3g Vit. C, adrenal complex
6:00 AM - 1 cup detox tea
8:45 AM - snack - 1 tin of sardines in water (5F, 23P), small handful of carrots, 1/4 avocado
12:00 PM - lunch - 1lb. shrimp in marinara, onions, garlic, 1 whole quail small handful carrots, 1.5 tbsp. coconut butter
3:30 PM - workout - 5g glutamine
4:30 PM - PWO - 5g glutamine, 1 tsp spirulina
5:20 PM - dinner - 3 free range chicken legs, steamed broccoli and carrots, 2-3g fish oil
8:30 PM - Lights out
8:30 PM - 7:30 AM - lights out

Notes:
Didn't sleep too well last night. Totaled probably 7 hrs of sleep or so. I think I sleep best if I don't eat by the time I get home. I will get in all my calories today by 5:30PM. I was only at about 1500 cals by 5:30 yesterday so thats why I had a fairly big dinner when I got home. Side note: the bigger the dinner the worse off. Maybe the key is to limit intake to about 30g protein and limit fats and carbs.

Day 10: Wednesday, March 9, 2011

2011-03-09T08:55:00.007-06:00

7:20 AM - wake, 2 cups ice water
7:30 AM - Walk, 20:00 (10:00 out and back)
8:00 AM - breakfast - egg casserole (4-5 eggs), 3 cups raw spinach, salsa, 1/4 avocado, 3g Vit. C, 10,000 I.U. Vit. D, adrenal complex
9:00 AM - Herbal tea
10:45 AM - Blue Diamond raw almonds (250 cals, 22F, 9P)
11:30 AM - lunch -~6oz. grass fed beef roast, 4 cups cooked broccoli
12:15 PM - 1 cup detox tea
4:00 PM - quick workout (4x: 25 pushups/6 pullups)
4:20 PM - 5g glutamine, 1 tsp. spirulina, 1 can tuna (32P), .5 cup salsa, 3 cups raw spinach
7:30 PM - dinner - 8oz or so of a GF London broil, coconut cream sauce(coconut milk, onions, garlic, coconut flour, s&p), small handful of carrots, 2 pickles, 4 olives, adrenal complex
8:30 PM - in bed, reading
9:00 PM - lights out
9:00 PM - 5:15 AM - lights out

Notes:
Sleep was a little off, especially towards the morning. I woke up thinking Bev was late and it was only 4:30 but I jumped and that woke me up. Slept light the rest of the morning.

Day 9: Tuesday, March 8, 2011

2011-03-08T05:44:00.009-06:00

5:15 AM - wake, 2 cups ice water
5:45 AM - breakfast - 4oz chicken, 1 HB egg, 2 cups raw spinach, 3g Vit. C, 10,000 I.U. Vit.D, adrenal complex
7:15 AM - 7:45 AM - walk, ~1.5 miles
8:40 AM - 1 can sardines in water (140kcals, 5F, 23P)
10:00 AM - workout - PreWO: 5g glutamine, PeriWO: 5g glutamine
11:15 AM - PWO, 5g Glutamine, 1 tsp. spirulina
12:15 PM - lunch - Paleo pizza - 2 portabella mushrooms with marinara, pork sausage, onions, bell pepper, handful of carrots, adrenal complex.
1:30 pm - 1 tbsp coconut butter, 1/4 cucumber, couple olives
5:15 PM - dinner - Chicken salad w/ bell pepper, onion, pickle, cucumber, 1 HB egg, dijon mustard, 4 olives, 2 cups steamed broccoli, 4g fish oil
7:45 PM - egg casserole and a couple cups of raw spinach
8:30 PM - Cold shower, then 1 cup detox tea
9:00 PM - ZMA (It think the earlier i take this before the bed the better I sleep)
9:15 PM - in bed lights out
9:15 PM - 7:20 AM - Lights out

Day 8: Monday, March 7, 2011

2011-03-07T15:04:00.007-06:00

Start of week 2 Photos:

7:15 AM - wake, 2 cups ice water
7:35 AM - breakfast - 2 eggs scrambled, ~2oz. lean pork, salsa, 3/4 cup sauerkraut, 2g fish oil, 3g vit. C, 10,000 I.U. vit. D, adrenal complex, herbal tea
12:15 PM - lunch - chicken salad w/ pickles, cucumbers, bell pepper, egg, mustard, 1g fish oil
3:30 PM - workout - light (30:00)
4:10 PM - PWO, 5g glutamine, 1 tsp. spirulina
5:15 PM - small handful of cashews
6:30 PM - dinner - ~7-8oz. blue marlin steak w/ coconut cream sauce (coconut milk, coconut flour, lemon, onion, seasoning), roasted broccoli, adrenal complex
7:45 PM - herbal detox tea
8:15 PM - ice pack on traps, 15:00, ZMA
8:35 PM - in bed
8:45 PM - lights out
8:45 PM - 5:15 AM - Lights out (8.5 hrs)

Day 7: Sunday, March 6, 2011

2011-03-06T10:44:00.005-06:00

7:30 AM - wake, 2 cups ice water
8:00 AM - breakfast - 4 egg open faced omelet, cooked in duck fat, with broccoli and tomatoes, 3g Vit. C, 10,000 I.U. Vit. D.
10:20 AM - 2 tbsp. coconut butter
1:30 PM - lunch - chicken soup (~.5lb meat), homemade stock, broccoli, pearl onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, 2g fish oil
5:30 PM - 1 cup of detox tea, bites of shrimp and chicken while making dinner
7:00 PM - dinner - .5lb shrimp, asparagus, onion, tomatoes in olive oil and S&P. Adrenal supp.
8:00 PM - ZMA
9:00 PM - Lights out
9 PM - 7:00 AM - Lights out

Notes:
Slept decent last night. Had to get up around 10:45pm but did not wake up again until around 7. Got out of bed at 7:30am. Energy levels are good. Only after a week there is some noticeable leaning happening around my stomach. Will take pictures to post tomorrow. My back is still tender from DL's on Friday. These usually wipe me out for 3-4 days so I should be better by tomorrow.

Day 6: Saturday, March 5, 2011

2011-03-05T07:54:00.006-06:00

7:15 AM - wake, 2 cups ice water
7:45 AM - breakfast - 1 can tuna (25P), 1 cup sauerkraut, 1 slice chicken breast, 2g fish oil, delicious...
10:45 AM - 2 eggs scrambled, cooked in duck fat, 2 small pickles, 1/2 bell pepper, 3g Vit. C, 10,000 I.U. Vit. D.
1:45 PM - lunch - 10oz. sirloin, 3 grilled shrimp, steamed broccoli, squash, carrots, snow peas, 2.5g fish oil (Outback)
6:30 PM - dinner - Grass fed roast, ~8-9oz. w/ onions, and steamed broccoli
8:30 PM - ZMA, ice pack on traps
9:00 PM - in bed, lights out
9:00 PM - 7:30 AM - Lights out

Notes:
Woke up pretty hungry this morning. I was hungry throughout the night as well. Energy is pretty good so far, but its early (8am). No workout today or tomorrow. Working on reducing stresses (caffeine namely, alcohol, exertion, etc) so I have been keeping workouts limited, short, and intense. Next week I will only work out twice (Tuesday & Thursday) and then once the CF sectionals start I will alternate Back Squat and Deadlift every Monday and do the posted workout for the week (twice a week total) for the next 6 weeks.

Day 5: Friday, March 4, 2011

2011-03-04T08:52:00.004-06:00

7:00 AM - wake, 2 cups ice water
7:30 AM - breakfast - 4 eggs scrambled, 1 cup raw spinach, 1 cup sauerkraut, 3g Vit. C, 10,000 I.U. Vit. D, 2g fish oil
10:45 AM - few bites of pork curry with cabbage
12:30 PM - lunch - 1/2 lb. pulled pork
2:30 PM - ~1oz. pork loin
4:00 PM - workout - PreWO 5g glutamine
5:00 PM - PWO, 5g glutamine, 1 tsp spirulina, 1g fish oil
7:30 PM - Dinner - Pork Loin (~10oz.) with cauliflower and diced tomatoes
9:30 PM - In bed, ZMA, lights out
9:30 PM - 7:15 AM - lights out (7-8 hrs)

Notes:
Slept pretty decent and only woke up once. Was pretty hungry when I got up this morning.

Day 4: Thursday, March 3, 2011

2011-03-03T15:02:00.003-06:00

5:15 AM - wake, 2 cups ice water
5:45 AM - breakfast - 3 HB eggs, 1/2 cup sauerkraut, 2g fish oil
8:45 AM - 2.5oz. tuna from a pouch* and a few cashews
9:45-11:30 AM - 1 small handful pecans, 3 small handfuls pistachios*
11:45 AM - lunch - 2 chicken breasts, salad with iceburg, tomatoes, carrots, no dressing*
2:30 PM - 2g fish oil
4:45 - 5:15 PM - 1.5 mile walk
5:20 PM - 1 tin of sardines (20F, 25P), 2g fish oil, celery sticks, 1 tsp. spirulina, 2g glutamine
7:45 PM - 1 can of tuna (26P) 2 pickles, 1/4 bell pepper, horseradish mustard. Was hungry
8:15 PM - In bed, Ice pack on traps and neck, ZMA
9:00 PM - 7:00 AM - Lights out

Notes:
*Traveled to visit mom and step dad in East Texas today and got hungry so I grabbed some tuna and Bev got some cashews from a Shell station. Ate the pecans and pistachios at moms house while we were hangin out. Lunch was at a cafe in town and this was the best I could do, which is actually very decent. Took some fish oil when I got home from the trip. Felt like walking to take advantage of the sun. I was hungry when we got home so I had some extra food.

Day 3: Wednesday, March 2, 2011

2011-03-02T10:56:00.007-06:00

6:45 AM - wake - 2 cups ice water
7:15 AM - Breakfast - 4 eggs scrambled in chicken fat, 2 cups raw spinach, ~1/4 salsa, 2g fish oil, 10,000 I.U. Vit. D
9:00 AM - Slice of chicken breast, 2 carrots
12:00 PM - Lunch - Ground Chicken (1/2 lb.) curry with cabbage, onions, garlic, coconut milk, curry paste. 1 HB egg, 2 pickles, couple bites of kraut, ~1tsp coconut butter.
-(FULL afterward)
3:00 PM - Workout - PreWO = 5g glutamine
4:30 PM - PWO - 5g glutamine, 1 tsp. spirulina
5:10 PM - Dinner - ~4oz. chicken thigh, 1 can of sardines in olive oil (20gF, 25gP), cucumbers and tomatoes in red wine vinegar, 2g fish oil.
7:45 PM - ZMA
8:00 PM - In bed, lights out
8:00 PM - 5:00 AM - Lights out

Notes:
Woke up a couple times during the night. Day went good, other than feeling tired on the workout.

Day 2: Tuesday, March 1, 2011

2011-03-01T05:44:00.004-06:00

5:15 AM - (wake); 2 cups of ice water
5:45 AM - Breakfast - 2 eggs scrambled w/ 2-2.5oz. chicken, onions and spinach, 10,000 I.U. Vit. D, 2g fish oil
10:45 AM - 2g fish oil
11:45 AM - Lunch - chicken thigh, mushrooms, onions, diced tomatoes, sauteed in olive oil, small handful of baby carrots, 1 HB egg, 2g fish oil
2:00 PM - ~1oz. chicken thigh, couple slivers of bell pepper
4:00 PM - workout - PreWO: 5g glutamine, 1 tsp. spirulina
4:45 PM - PWO: 5g glutamine, 1 tsp. spirulina
5:15 PM - Dinner - Chicken thigh ~ 8 oz., 1 cucumber, 1 bell pepper, 2 g fish oil
8:00 PM - Cold Shower
8:30 PM - ZMA, in bed
9:00 PM - 7:00 AM; Lights out (10 HRS)

Notes:
Was pretty tired all day long today. Took a small nap from 7:15-8:00am and another one after lunch for about 45 min. Had a small caffeine headache prior to working out but that went away after a bit and gone completely after exertion.

Total Supp: 10g glutamine, 2 tsp. spirulina, 8g fish oil, 10,000 I.U. Vit. D, ZMA

Day 1: Monday, February 28, 2011

2011-02-28T11:14:00.000-06:00

Day 1 weigh-in: 189.5

Measurements:
Right Bicep -12.5" / Left Bicep - 13"
Belly - 35"
Hips - 40.5"
Right Thigh - 24" / Left Thigh - 23.5"

Total = 148.5"

Week 1 Pics:

8:00 AM (wake) - 2 cups ice water
8:30 AM - breakfast - 2 eggs scrambled, 2oz. chicken breast, cooked in chicken fat w/ 3 cups spinach, 2g Fish oil, 10,000 I.U. Vit. D
9:30 AM - Workout
A. Back Squat 275x5x5
10:45 AM - PWO grass fed whey protein, 25g
12:00 PM - lunch - chicken breast, onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, seasoning, sauteed in chicken fat, 2g fish oil.
12:30 PM - 40 Air Squats
5:00 PM - Dinner - pork, spinach, onions, diced tomatoes, garlic, sauteed in chicken fat, 2g fish oil
8:00 PM - Cold Shower
8:30 PM - ZMA, in bed
9:00 PM - 5:15 AM - Lights out

Here's to the 6-pack

2011-02-07T09:13:00.002-06:00

Challenge:

So I have decided that I've become a bit off, shall we say, with my diet and health in general. I'm not saying I'm unhealthy, just that some things are starting to slip up and its time to get back on track yet again. I have some obvious cortisol and insulin issue that I keep putting off and need to take care of. You will see that on the first post of pictures. I have NEVER since I've been doing this stuff taken 30 days to truly find out what will happen if I clean things up 100% Paleo style. Below I will lay out what is involved with this personal challenge. I will keep this blog running daily on the start date with meals, thoughts, musings, and pictures of my success.

Length:
31 days

Start:
March 1 - March 31, 2011

Parameters:
1. No alcohol (wine, beer, liquor), caffeine, fruit, dairy, legumes, gluten, additives, drinks other than water.
2. No eating outside of my own cooking (exceptions will be Jason's Deli and Market Street salad bar options)
3. No eating after 5:30pm
4. No TV after 8pm
5. Best efforts to be in bed by 9pm every night
6. Allowable supplementation: BCAA's, fish oil, ZMA, Vit. D
7. Re-Feeds where I will add extra fat and sweet potatoes/winter squash to every meal after the first twelve days then every seven (Saturdays)

Purpose:
To display the effects of a solid diet, smart training, and plenty of rest and recovery.

**Please feel free to follow along with this challenge. It will be a hard 31 days but on the other side it will be well spent. If there are any questions or concerns please feel free to leave a comment. Start date is set for March due to the fact that Bev and I are taking our honeymoon at the end of Feb to Napa, CA. There will be some drinking involved.

Sprinting as a function of training

2010-11-30T09:20:00.000-06:00

Want to lean out, get faster, build muscle? One word...Sprints! I'm talking short, intense sprints that leave you laid out on the ground gasping for your next breath. Keep the volume low (5-10 sets, depending on distance) and the distances short (20m up to 800m). In addition to a solid S&C program (O-lifting, CrossFit, Power Lifting) sprinting can give you that extra edge you may be looking for. As for a recommendation on the number of times per week, 1 - 2 times depending on your regular training volume. Since programs vary, its really up to the athlete on extra volume they may be able to handle. Always start small and work up if need be. We have seen really good results at just once a week with varied sprints weekly. Monitor recovery and see what works best for you. The following are a few examples of varying sprint types:

First lets start with some rest variations: walk to start, 'X' amount of seconds/minutes, varying seconds/minutes based on pyramid, i.e. sprint rest 1:00, sprint rest 2:00, etc., rest as needed, or fartleks*
*This is typically a longer session with varying intensity and rest. A good example would be sprint 'X' amount of telephone poles, and jog 'X' amount of telephone poles for 'X' amount of time.

Using the above principles develop as varied a program as you'd like to get results. here are a few examples:

10x100m, walk to start
6x200m, rest 2:00 between sets
6x400m, rest as needed, do not deviate more than :02
4x800m, rest 5:00 between sets
(200m, 400m, 600m) x 3, rest amount of each sprint**

Play with these variations and create your own. You'll find some are harder than others. I know that few things leave me as sore as all out 100m sprints. For additional ideas visit **www.crossfitendurance.com
-Happy training

A year + 1/2 off....

2010-11-29T09:57:00.000-06:00

Well it's time to restart. I would have just restarted the entire thing, but there were some posts that I figured I would keep. If you go back through older posts there is some helpful info floating about.

-Why I decided to start this back up:
1. Because I don't have enough to do.... :/
2. Keeping up a blog for the gym is something we have to do on a daily basis but can't always put things on it that we want. This is my chance to get other info and points of view out there from my side and not a business side.

So, we will see how long I can keep this up.

Political Correctness...

2009-04-28T12:25:00.000-05:00

Who needs it? Here is a story about a soccer coach and what happens with all this PC bull shit.
He's got the right idea:

A girls soccer coach who told parents of his 6- and 7-year-old charges that he expected his players to “kick ass” has resigned.
Michael Kinahan says he “meant to give parents a chuckle” but that people took his message on a the team he dubbed “Green Death” the wrong way.
In an e-mail message to parents last week, Kinahan wrote that the girls on his team would “fall, get bumps, bruises and even bleed a little. Big deal, it’s good for them (but I do hope the other team is the one bleeding).
“The political correctness police are not welcome on my sidelines,” he added.
Kinahan resigned after parents protested to league officials. Other parents have said they support his approach, said Chris Park, the registrar for the Scituate Youth Soccer League.
“He’s got a wry, sarcastic sense of humor. I think this whole thing just blew up on him,” Park said.
Kinahan also wrote that he expected “that the ladies be put on a diet of fish, undercooked red meat and lots of veggies ... Protein shakes are encouraged, and while blood doping and HGH use is frowned upon, there is no testing policy.”
Park said a major concern for league officials was Kinahan’s comments about referees.
“My heckling of the refs is actually helping them develop as people,” he wrote.
Park said a 12-year-old referee refused to return this year because of the way Kinahan treated her last year.
“That did lend some truth to what he said in the e-mail,” said Park.
Kinahan said his message was “largely (albeit not completely) meant in jest.”
“It was also meant as a satire of those who take youth sports too seriously for the wrong reasons,” he said.
--
THE COACH’S ORIGINAL E-MAIL
Congratulations on being selected for Team 7 (forest green shirts) of the Scituate Soccer Club! My name is Michael and I have been fortunate enough to be selected to coach what I know will be a wonderful group of young ladies. Chris Mac will also be coaching and I expect the ever popular Terry to return to the sidelines. Our first game will be Saturday April 4 at 10:00AM. There will be a half hour of skills followed by a 1 hour game, so total time will be 1.5 hours. All games will be played on the fields in the front of the High School. Each player will be required to wear shin guards and cleats are recommended but not required. A ball will be provided to each player at the first meeting, and each player should bring the ball to games and practices. There is no set practice time allotted for the U8 teams, but I will convene with the coaches to determine the best time and place. If there are cancellations due to rain, all notices will be posted via the Scituate Soccer Club website, no calls will be made (though I will try to send an email). Attached is the Schedule and Code of Conduct. After listening to the head of the referees drone on for about 30 minutes on the dangers of jewelry (time which I will never get back), no player will be allowed to play with pierced ears, hairclips, etc. We used to tape the earings, but that practice is no longer acceptable. Please let me know if your child has any health issues that I need to be aware of. My home phone is 781 XXX XXXX, my cell number is 781 XXX XXXX, and I check my email frequently. According to my wife, my emails get too wordy, so for those of you read too slowly, are easily offended, or are too busy, you can stop here. For the others……
OK, here’s the real deal: Team 7 will be called Green Death. We will only acknowledge “Team 7” for scheduling and disciplinary purposes. Green Death has had a long and colorful history, and I fully expect every player and parent to be on board with the team. This is not a team, but a family (some say cult), that you belong to forever. We play fair at all times, but we play tough and physical soccer. We have some returning players who know the deal; for the others, I only expect 110% at every game and practice. We do not cater to superstars, but prefer the gritty determination of journeymen who bring their lunch pail to work every week, chase every ball and dig in corners like a Michael Vick pit bull. Unless there is an issue concerning the health of my players or inside info on the opposition, you probably don’t need to talk to me. Coach MacDonald has been designated “good guy” this year.
Some say soccer at this age is about fun and I completely agree. However, I believe winning is fun and losing is for losers. Ergo, we will strive for the “W” in each game. While we may not win every game (excuse me, I just got a little nauseated) I expect us to fight for every loose ball and play every shift as if it were the finals of the World Cup. While I spent a good Saturday morning listening to the legal liability BS, which included a 30 minute dissertation on how we need to baby the kids and especially the refs, I was disgusted. The kids will run, they will fall, get bumps, bruises and even bleed a little. Big deal, it’s good for them (but I do hope the other team is the one bleeding). If the refs can’t handle a little criticism, then they should turn in their whistle. The sooner they figure out how to make a decision and live with the consequences the better. My heckling of the refs is actually helping them develop as people. The political correctness police are not welcome on my sidelines. America’s youth is becoming fat, lazy and non-competitive because competition is viewed as “bad”. I argue that competition is good and is important to the evolution of our species and our survival in what has become an increasingly competitive global economy and dangerous world. Second place trophies are nothing to be proud of as they serve only as a reminder that you missed your goal; their only useful purpose is as an inspiration to do that next set of reps. Do you go to a job interview and not care about winning? Don’t animals eat what they kill (and yes, someone actually kills the meat we eat too – it isn’t grown in plastic wrap)? And speaking of meat, I expect that the ladies be put on a diet of fish, undercooked red meat and lots of veggies. No junk food. Protein shakes are encouraged, and while blood doping and HGH use is frowned upon, there is no testing policy. And at the risk of stating the obvious, blue slushies are for winners.
These are my views and not necessarily the views of the league (but they should be). I recognize that my school of thought may be an ideological shift from conventional norms. But it is imperative that we all fight the good fight, get involved now and resist the urge to become sweat-xedo-wearing yuppies who sit on the sidelines in their LL Bean chairs sipping mocha-latte-half-caf-chinos while discussing reality TV and home decorating with other feeble-minded folks. I want to hear cheering, I want to hear encouragement, I want to get the team pumped up at each and every game and know they are playing for something.
Lastly, we are all cognizant of the soft bigotry that expects women and especially little girls, to be dainty and submissive; I wholeheartedly reject such drivel. My overarching goal is develop ladies who are confident and fearless, who will stand up for their beliefs and challenge the status quo. Girls who will kick ass and take names on the field, off the field and throughout their lives. I want these girls to be winners in the game of life. Who’s with me?
Go Green Death!
--
KINAHAN’S RESIGNATION
Team, After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from all coaching responsibilities related to Team 7 this season. Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that some parents and the Board of Scituate Soccer failed to see the humor in my pre-season email. For the avoidance of doubt, the email was largely (albeit not completely) meant in jest and with the goal of giving the parents a chuckle while enduring yet another round of organized youth sports. It was also meant as a satire of those who take youth sports too seriously for the wrong reasons. My overarching goal is the well-being of my players, and I do not want any player to feel uncomfortable, nor do I want to see the team disbanded because of a lack of active players. Therefore, while I’d prefer to go down swinging, it’s really about the kids and it just makes more sense for me to take the year off.
While I respectfully disagree with the Board's interpretation of my comments, I believe that they should be commended for their immediate actions to address the concerns of the offended parties. The Board’s action proves that the chain of command is functioning as designed. Board members volunteer their valuable time and I do not plan to add to their already significant workload. I also respect those parents who were offended as I am sure they acted in the best interest of their children. While I may question their sense of humor, I have no right to question their judgment regarding their children. Perhaps we may even have beer (I’ll buy) and a couple of laughs at the end of all of this.
And while I am sorry some people failed to see the humor, I do not apologize for my actions; I wrote it, I think it's funny and I do have a distaste for the tediousness of overbearing political correctness. Furthermore, I was serious about parental involvement as I do believe parents should cheer and encourage players (in a positive fashion obviously) so that the kids feel the excitement that comes from team competition. And most importantly, I was completely serious that I want to see each young girl develop a positive self image, self-confidence and the will to succeed in any endeavor that she desires. Lastly, I have added some comments to my initial email (in capitals) to clarify several points that may have been viewed as offensive.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Kinahan
Go Green Death!

Go Coach! May others understand...

Myth: You know how much stress your body can take.

2009-03-20T08:35:00.000-05:00

I came across this today. Pretty good words to live by.

Myth: You know how much stress your body can take.

Mythbuster: Craig Weller

"During Special Operations selection training, you're subjected to a brutal series of physical and mental tests. Depending on the program and the time of year, between 60 and 90 percent of candidates won't finish. Fun stuff.But it taught me something important: Pain does not stop the body. There's nothing that hurts so badly that you can't keep going just a little longer.

Extreme and continuous stress teaches you to break daily life down into short, measurable goals. You make it to breakfast, and then you focus on making it to lunch. Sometimes your mind refuses to project beyond the immediate future: running one more step, swimming one more stroke, grinding out just one more push-up.Everybody hits bottom at some point. You get to a place where you'd do anything to make the pain stop. If your mind breaks first and you stop running, or wave for a support boat on a swim, or raise your hand during a beat-down to say that you're done, you're officially "weeded out." You've quit. You're part of the majority, but you still feel like a loser.

Fortunately, there's a loophole: If your body breaks first, they won't hold it against you. Every guy in my squad had the same perverse thought at some point: "If I can just push myself hard enough to black out, I'll crash in the sand, take a nap, and wait for the medics to revive me. I'll get a nice little break, and then rejoin the pack." So we ran harder. We pushed. But we hardly ever got those naps.

I remember being on a run, soaking wet and covered with sand. We'd just gotten back to our feet after calisthenics in the surf and a series of sprints up and down a sand dune. Then the instructors took off sprinting again. I didn't think I could make it any farther, but I knew I could never live with myself if I stopped running. So I put my head down and sprinted as hard as I could through the soft sand. Pain surged through my body, and the only conscious thought I can remember was that the air I was gasping into my lungs had turned to fire. I focused my eyes on the heels of the instructor. The pain was getting worse, but I kept going. I could hear another member of my class behind me, struggling to keep up with the pack while puking between strides. Guys who went through the training with me had similar experiences. They'd hit bottom one day, and think they could finally reach their breaking point if only they pushed a little bit harder. But it never worked. The agony would only increase. But so would their capacity to keep going. Pain, in other words, never actually broke our bodies.Which isn't to say we weren't incapacitated from time to time by hypothermia, hypoxic blackout, hypoglycemic shock, or some other things you find in the dictionary a few pages past "hell." But passing out was acceptable. Quitting wasn't.

I'm a civilian now, running a facility and training people. Every now and then, I hear someone say, "I can't." Frankly, that's bullshit. Next time you're tempted to say you "can't," remember that what you're really saying is, "I don't want to."

Happy St. Patty's Day

2009-03-18T12:46:00.000-05:00

We had a fun filled day yesterday! Green shirts abound and the anticipation to go have some green beer to end the day is the way it was. To celebrate the day we enjoyed the workout known as "Murph". Here is a link to his amazing story and Operation Red Wing.

"Murph"

For time:
1 mile run
100 pull-ups
200 pushups
300 squats
1 mile run

Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

Not a fun way to try to end a day before enjoying some after workout St. Patty's Day beverages. Everyone did really well and we all retired to Johnny G's afterwards for some green beer and fresh boiled crawfish. I had the salmon of course, with a little bit of crawfish on the side. Sometimes you gotta walk on the wild side.

For the next post, I am going to start recording my workouts and rest days to help give an idea of what kind of "practice" I get in and what I do on "recovery" days

Results....We gotta have results!

2009-03-11T17:09:00.000-05:00

Well, we all made it back from the Fittest Games Challenge at CrossFit Dallas Central this weekend. We had a great time, met some great people, and got in a couple of blistering workouts! Spencer and Sam Nix along with Koy Nichols are great guys with a whole heap of knowledge floating around their box. This is displayed by the many amazing athletes they have at their place. Among other things, they also managed to put on a well organized competition. Of CF Denton County, we had 5 total competitors and threw down a pretty decent showing if I must say so myself.

The competitors and Final Standing were: (Note: there were MENS & WOMENS categories)
1) Bevin, 7th
2) Lindsey, 5th
3) Matt, 4th
4) Dave-o
5) Myself, 11th

Dave had an issue going into the second heat that managed to keep him out of it which was too bad, as he would've killed in it. But, Matt kicked ass and so did the girls, so when you see them give 'em a much earned "Congrats"! They did a helluva job and put up a helluva fight!

On Competition: I believe its a good thing to get out and do something like this every now and then. I know at CFDC we have been throwing around ideas left and right on bringing competitions to our joint. It allows for one to be able to see what kind of progress they have made and what kind of person they are when they get dragged outside their realm of comfort among friends. Not to mention you get to meet some pretty cool like minded people along the way. So, be on the lookout in the future for some local competitions, affiliate comps, and all out fun.

As and aside, Bevin and I went to a restaurant afterwards on Saturday that deserves some attention. Its a locally owned place that lovingly caters to Crossfitters and "health-nuts" alike. It's called The Kozy Kitchen, and I have to say, it was everything that it was said to be. They serve made from scratch foods, grass fed meats, copious amounts of vegetables, assortments of wines, and all at a pretty reasonable price. Also note worthy is the fact that they are willing to cook just about anything the way you want it and/or like it, if they have it in stock. I had a grass-fed beef filet with a mixed veggie sautee and a glass of red wine, while Bevin had an amazing chicken salad sandwich with a side of sweet potato hash. The hash was phenomenal. Few things beat bacon and sweet potato sauteed in olive oil. So, for you Zoners and Paleo followers alike, the next time you are around their area, visit them and try to wear a CrossFit shirt! They will know why you have come!

Update...

2009-03-06T12:58:00.001-06:00

So I have found out about the structure of the competition. It will be the same workouts as described in the previous post, but instead of my assumed 3-4 hour break, there will apparently be only roughly 2 hours. I don't know what to think about that. That seems like a short amount of time to recover, but I digress. I will just have to suck it up and hit it hard (That's what she said).
I had the chance yesterday to see the first workout in action. Mike went ahead and blew through it in 5:29. A remarkable time! This was done with chin over bar kipped pullups, chest-to-ground pushups, and 225# deadlifts. Great effort. Makes me even more nervous, especially if they bring the CrossFit Games pull-up standard into play: Chest-to-bar! That sould tack on some time, though all-in-all it will still be a great time. Mike is going to attempt the second workout today, so I have yet to hear the report on that one.
Other news, there are some ladies joining the fun. Bevin (YAY!), Lindsey, and Coleen are all going to compete as well. My hats off to them in hopes they do great and make it through without injury. That being said, I can only hope that for all of us!

Weekend Plans

2009-03-05T10:46:00.000-06:00

Well we are heading down to Dallas first thing Saturday morning to attend the Fittest Games Competition hosted by CrossFit Dallas Central. This should be an interesting competition and a good warmup for the 2009 CrossFit Games Regional Qualifiers and the 2009 CrossFit Games. I just got an email this morning on the format of the competition and is as follows:
2 workouts starting @ 8am.

Workout #1:
4 rounds for time of:
10 Deadlift, 225#
10 Pushups
15 Pullups

Workout#2:
5 rounds for time of:
7 "Any way Overhead" (i.e. Shoulder Press, Push Press, C&J), 135#
400m Run

These should be pretty good workouts with, I assume, a 3-4 hour break in between. The top 15 finishers of both men and women (30 total) go on to Austin in a few weeks to compete in a second round of competition. The top 2 finishers of both men and women (4 total) will get their regional qualifier fee and accomodations paid for from CrossFit Central in Austin. So, its a worth while attempt to try to get in the top! Wish us luck; Dave, Matt, and myself and I will report back with the results.

Quote of the Day

2009-03-04T16:38:00.001-06:00

"The best measure of quality is not how well or how frequently a medical service is given, but how closely the result approaches the fundamental objective of prolonging life, relieving stress, restoring function, and preventing disability."
-Lembeke, quoted by Jeffery Bland in an article in Functional Medicine Journal

"A Day in the Life of a Hunter-Gatherer" by Loren Cordain

2009-03-03T10:40:00.001-06:00

"Ten thousand years ago sounds like a long time, but in terms of how long the human genus has existed (2.5 million years), 10,000 years is a blink of the eye on an evolutionary time scale. The lifestyle of today's hunter-gatherers still holds invaluable clues to the exercise and dietary patterns that are built into our genes. The idea that cross training has value could have been figured out much earlier had we taken notice of clues from hunter-gatherers. Few modern people have ever experienced what it is like to "run with the hunt". One notable exception is Dr. Kim Hill, an anthropologist at Arizona State, who has spent 30 years living with and studying the Ache hunter-gatherers of Paraguay and the Hiwi foragers of Southwestern Venezuela. His description below represents a rare glimpse into the activity that would have been required of us all, were it not for the Agricultural Revolution."The Ache hunted every day of the year if it didn't rain...GPS data I collected ... suggests that about 10 km per day is probably closer to their average distance covered during search. They might cover another 1-2 km per day in very rapid pursuit. Sometimes pursuits can be extremely strenuous and last more than an hour. Ache hunters often take an easy day after any particularly difficult day, and rainfall forces them to take a day or two a week with only an hour or two of exercise. Basically they do moderate days most of the time, and sometimes really hard days usually followed by a very easy day. The difficulty of the terrain is really what killed me (ducking under low branches and vines about once every 20 seconds all day long, and climbing over fallen trees, moving through tangled thorns etc.) I was often drenched in sweat within an hour of leaving camp, and usually didn't return for 7-9 hours wi th not more than 30 minutes rest during the day.""The Hiwi on the other hand only hunted about 2-3 days a week and often told me they wouldn't go out on a particular day because they were 'tired'. They would stay home and work on tools, etc. Their travel was not as strenuous as among the Ache (they often canoed to the hunt site), and their pursuits were usually shorter. But the Hiwi sometimes did amazing long distance walks that would have really hurt the Ache. They would walk to visit another village maybe 80-100 km away and then stay for only an hour or two before returning. This often included walking all night long as well as during the day. When I hunted with Machiguenga, Yora, Yanomamo Indians in the 1980s, my focal man days were much, much easier than with the Ache. And virtually all these groups take an easy day after a particularly difficult one.""While hunter gatherers are generally in good physical condition if they haven't yet been exposed to modern diseases and diets that come soon after permanent outside contact, I would not want to exaggerate their abilities. They are what you would expect if you took a genetic cross section of humans and put them in lifetime physical training at moderate to hard levels. Most hunting is search time not pursuit, thus a good deal of aerobic long distance travel is often involved (over rough terrain and carrying loads if the hunt is successful). I used to train for marathons as a grad student and could run at a 6:00 per mile pace for 10 miles, but the Ache would run me into the ground following peccary tracks through dense bush for a couple of hours. I did the 100 yd in 10.2 in high school (I was a fast pass catcher on my football team), and some Ache men can sprint as fast as me.""But hunter-gatherers do not generally compare to world class athletes, who are probably genetically very gifted and then undergo even more rigorous and specialized training than any forager. So the bottom lines is foragers are often in good shape and they look it. They sprint, jog, climb, carry, jump, etc all day long but are not specialists and do not compare to Olympic athletes in modern societies." Dr. Hill tells us part of the story, but not everything. Today, women are just as likely as men to be found at the gym lifting weights, or running or riding their bikes. In stark contrast, hunter-gatherer women almost never participated in hunting large animals. Does this mean that women did no hard aerobic work? Absolutely not! Women routinely gathered food every two or three days. The fruits of their labors just didn't include plant foods, but also small animals such as tortoises, small reptiles, shellfish, insects, bird eggs and small mammals. They spent many hours walking to sources of food, water and wood. Sometimes they would help carrying butchered game back to camp. Their foraging often involved strenuous digging, climbing, and then hauling heavy loads back to camp while carrying infants and young children. Other common activities, some physically taxing, included tool making, shelter construction, childcare, butchering, food preparation, and visiting. Dan ces were a major recreation for hunter-gatherers, and could take place several nights a week and often last for hours. So, the overall activity of women, like men, was cyclic with days of intense physical exertion (both aerobic and resistive) alternated with days of rest and light activity.What hunter-gatherers had to do in their day-to-day activities is turning out to be good for modern day athletes. When the famous track coach Bill Bowerman advocated the easy/hard concept back in the 60's, it was thought to be both brilliant and revolutionary. Using his system of easy/hard, athletes recovered more easily from hard workouts, and their chances of getting injured were reduced. Ironically, coach Bowerman's revolutionary training strategy was as old as humanity itself.Similarly, weight training combined with swimming was a stunning innovation at Doc Counsilman's world famous swim program in the 1960's. Now, it is a rare world class endurance coach who doesn't advocate cross training to improve performance, increase strength, and reduce injury incidence.For humans living before the Agricultural Revolution, energy input (food) and energy expenditure (exercise) were directly linked. If Stone Age people wanted to eat, they had to hunt, gather, forage or fish. In the modern world, we have totally obliterated the evolutionary link between exercise and food. When we eat more energy than we expend, we gain weight and our health suffers. Two thirds of all Americans are either overweight or obese. Forty million American have type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S."

Kind of makes sense doesn't it? I especially liked the approach to so called "periodization": If you are beat down from a hard day, rest the next day! Crazy I know, but thats where the recovery comes from, not to mention muscle growth!

Glycemic Overload

2009-02-27T09:26:00.000-06:00

Glycemic Load - a ranking system for carbohydrate content in food portions based on their glycemic index and the portion size.

Why is this important? As a matter of fact it is the absolute in any Nutrition Plan. By eating foods (carbs) that have a low end glycemic load, we can keep our insulin in check. Too much insulin, and our ability to burn fat is nil. Studies have shown that sustained spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels may lead to increased diabetes risk.

Here is a list of some NO-NO high GL/GI foods:

-Rice, Wheat, Pasta, Potatoes, Corn, Bread, Tortillas, Oats, Grains, Beans, Tropical Fruits (Bananas, mangos, papaya, pineapple, etc.)

Now here are some foods that are perfectly fine to eat:

Broccoli, Cauliflower, Squash, Carrots, Turnips, Rutabagas, Green Leafy Vegetables, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic, Peppers, Artichoke, Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Alfalafa sprouts, bamboo shoots, Celery, Cucumbers, Apples, Apricots, Berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries), Cherries, Grapes, Grapefruit, Kiwi, Lemons, Limes, Nectarines, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Cantaloupe.

So, there is a whole bunch of different veggies and fruits that one can eat and still maintain a healthy diet. Get away from that lame excuse of "I just have to have my bread and comfort foods". Get off the Grain Train and enjoy a healthy life with plenty of options to help fuel your everyday needs.

End of January Detox Challenge

2009-02-03T10:48:00.000-06:00

A whole 30 days with no alcohol, grains(not that that was an issue anyway), sugar, tobacco, processed foods, little caffeine in the form of coffee and hot tea, and eating out. What a month! I feel great and have leaned out a bit and put on some muscle in the process. My times keep improving and so do my heavy lifts. So a lot of good came from this. I am going to continue with this system from here on out, minus the alcohol restriction. This will be on a limited basis and limited quantity (as I am now a cheap date) since I enjoy a cold beer or some whiskey every now and again. As a trade off for this, I will still keep sugar and "processed foods" out of my diet for the duration leading to the 2009 CrossFit Games Qualifiers in May at GSX in Ft. Worth. For those that don't know check it out: "2009 CrossFit Games". Hopefully I can keep them out for good as my insulin sensitivity is getting to the point where any amount of sugar just bombs me. This makes a good reason to keep it out of my diet.
I would encourage anyone to give this challenge a go for minimum 30 days and see what kind of results you can get. I promise you they will be positive. You will not only notice a better looking and feeling self, but everything gets better: sleep, workouts, and life in general!

4 Nutritional Challenges for the New Year

2009-01-23T14:46:00.000-06:00

As probably seen in earlier posts, I have thrown down a couple of nutritional challenges to start of the year and potentially help everyone get into that realm of "being fit". Lets remember that we work out for 1 hour of a 24 hour day. That leaves us with 23 hours to complete the cirlce and actually make that 1 hour intense workout worth something! So with that being said, lets recap the first two and bring on the third and forth! As a note, you can tackle these one at a time in order from 1-4, or all together. I would recommend for the nutritional newbie to take things slow though, i.e. one step at a time.

NUTRITION CHALLENGE #1:
Eat protein with every single meal. EVERY meal! What kind of protein? A once living, breathing, roaming, walking, swimming, animal!
To spell it out even more: (in no particular order of relevence)
- Chicken, Beef , Pork, Fish, Shellfish, Eggs, Turkey, Lamb, Venison, Duck

NUTRITION CHALLENGE #2:
Drop sugar from your diet for a minimum of 2 weeks and see how you feel at the end. Once you realize how great you feel continue on with the NO SUGAR challenge. Of course its ok to indulge every now and again, but for the ones that have a soda or ten, a cookie, a doughnut, candy, etc. on a daily basis needs to stop! Try it and see what happens. The benefits will definitely outweigh any kind of negatives your pesky brain will come up with.

NUTRITION CHALLENGE #3:
Now that we have rid our diets of sugar and we are eating protein with EVERY meal, (yes this includes snacks) its time to take away the comfort food of our time: Breads, starches (minus the occasional sweet potato or yam), grains, cereals, wheats, pasta, rice, corn, and the like.
Here is a good article about the evil that are these!
"The Definitive Guide to Grains"
These things have been linked to all types of illness, disease, allergies, and just all around health problems. If anything, drop sugar and grains from your diet to create longevity of life! Once again, try it out for minimum of two weeks. After the two weeks, evaluate how you feel and carry one once you realize the benefit that you have just given your body.

NUTRITION CHALLENGE #4:
Once the first 3 challenges have been completed either one at a time or all together, its time to bring the final piece to finish our Nutrional Puzzle. Eat some GOOD fats with all your meals. By good fats I mean:
Olive oil, coconut oil, coconut meat, avocado, nuts, seeds, some nut oils, REAL butter, lard, EFA's (Omega 3's), Animal fats
Heart healthy fats that will help promote a healthy lifestyle. A plug from the FDA (although they are akin to the Anti-Christ in my opinion). This is now a primary fuel source for our body since we have ditched the grains and sugar, so you want to make the right choices. Not to mention they are more caloricly dense than carbohydrates (sugar and grains) at 9 calories per gram than 4 calories per gram respectively.
Read: "Definitive Guide to Fats"

Bringing it all together......
Once this has come full circle, whether it takes 2 weeks or 2 months, you WILL see a noticeable difference in how you look and feel and I would imagine that you will want to carry on this new lifestyle change from here on out. It will only allow you to live a longer, happier, and healthy life so why not?

Cold Remedies for the "Modern Man"

2009-01-08T14:00:00.000-06:00

There are a couple of articles I would like to link in refernce to this post:

1. "Maintaining Your Immunity During the Holidays"
2. "Make Your Own Flu Shot, Or Just Stay Healthy in the First Place"
3. "What Happens to Your Body When...You Carb Binge?"

There is something that I noticed over the recent holidays. I got sick for a few days. I never get sick! This got me to thinking about what might be the cause of it so I am going to make an assumption on the issue. Around this time of year I tend to get more into sugar than normal, whether it be through pies, cakes, brownies, ice cream, candy, etc. After reading a little about sugar, it can cause an immune suppresion in the body. As can over-indulgence in alcohol, which also tends to happen around this time. Bad news. Especially this time of year when the Flu seems rampant. So, scan or read the accompanying articles and make your own assumptions, but I am going to attribute this recent sickness to too many sweets and too much drinks! Especially the 2 huge pieces of cheesecake that I ate for my brother-in-law's birthday a few days before Christmas. Well, I started "feeling bad", sore throat, congestion, runny nose, on Christmas Eve Eve (the day before Christmas Eve: not a typo). So I took meds and nothing really worked. NyQuil, my once favored drug of choice for a small cold, didn't do a thing but make me sluggish in the morning. Mucinex, which can dry out a 5x5 childrens sand box didn't work either. I had all the symptoms that these medications are supposed to take care of! After all the holiday hub-bub, I got back on track with my diet [lots of protein, good fats, fruits and veggies] and a couple of days later everything went away. So where am i going with all this? Well, it sounds like a good "prescription" for a cold or the flu is to just eat right (read older posts) and stay the hell away from mass quantities of sugar in the form of sweets and high density carbs.

Food for thought.....SUGAR = BAD

NUTRITION CHALLENGE #2:

Drop sugar from your diet for a minimum of 2 weeks and see how you feel at the end. If you say you feel worse I know you're lying!

Bringing in the New Year: 2009

2009-01-02T08:16:00.000-06:00

Well it's time to end the 2008 chapter and start 2009. It's always nice to take some time and reflect on the years past to make some decisions for the upcoming one. So what is on the books for 2009? What, if any are your new goals or resolutions? I have decided to test myself for the month on January and clean up my act a little. I have other goals and resolutions as well but here is the main one that I hope to accomplish over the next month.

January Detox Challenge:
The goal of this challenge is to rid your life of anything that is "harmful". I will use that term loosely as there are many things that could be qualified as harmful to one person and ok to the next. So, things that I will be doing away with for January are as follows:
1. Any food that is processed. By this I mean any thing that comes in a box, jar, or has more than 3 ingredients.
2. Sugar
3. Tobacco
4. Alcohol
5. Eating out at restaurants
--What I will be keeping:
1. Whole natural foods; fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, seeds, good fats, fish oil. little starch in the form of yams/sweet potatoes.
2. A varied workout program to benefit from this "clean" living.
3. A positive frame of mind

I am doing this challenge for 2 reasons: 1) So I can see if I have the mental fortitude to undertake something like this for 30 days. 2) To see what kind of changes can be present without the influence of "harmful" substances such as alcohol and tobacco. So to all I say, give this challenge a try or cheer from the sidelines and wish the followers luck! I will keep an updated log along with this to track my progress.

January 2, 2009 - Start of challenge
January 6, 2009 - 5 days in and so far so good. I have made some amendments to allow for things that are in a container but are not laden with garbage. This would be milk, cottage cheese (not the Shepps kind) and some cocktail sauce I used for Oysters that Bevin and I bought at Sprouts. It was made from a tomato puree and not ketchup which has "HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (HFCS)" in it. I haven't had any cravings for anything in particular. So, all is well for right now!
January 13, 2009 - 12 days in and all is good! No cravings for anything and all we have eaten has been great, wholesome, delicious food. We did eat out once but it will be an exception to the rule because it was Jason's Deli. We had the salad bar and only salad and veggies with a homemade olive oil dressing. For the protein there was eggs, and I just brought a steak from home. So, it was basically like eating at home, we just had to meet my little brother for lunch. Will probably do this again as its nice to eat outside of the house sometimes. NOTEABLE CHANGE: My weight has kept dropping and is now to 177....Don't know if this is good or bad yet as I have not lost any strength, so I figure its fat and water that is leaving. I hope so!
January 26,2009 - Well the month is almost up and I haven't had any issues keeping this challenge going. I am going to extend it 14 more days to Feb 14th to make a total of 44 days of clean living! Set a huge PR the other day on Grace @ 3:14. I can attribute that to this change and my consistant workout scedule.
January 30, 2009 - End of Challenge

Winter Weight Gain

2008-12-24T08:40:00.000-06:00

Here is an interesting article on the effects of winter and our ability to hold on to so much of those holiday calories.

http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/news/cold.htm

Enjoy!

Continued...

2008-12-11T10:11:00.001-06:00

(Credit to www.southernhide.com for the picture)

Here is a nice post about how many carbs one needs to survive during the day and into a workout.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/how-many-carbohdyrates-do-you-need.html/print

Nutrition Challenge #1

Eat protein with every single meal. EVERY meal! What kind of protein? A once living, breathing, roaming, walking, swimming, animal!

To spell it out even more:

- Chicken

- Beef

- Pork

- Fish

- Shellfish

- Eggs

- Turkey

- Lamb

- Venison

- Duck

Good Luck!

On Nutrition:

2008-12-09T15:22:00.000-06:00

Why as humans must we pay so much attention and detail to our diets? Is it to help our training goals, to better ourselves, for longevity, or is it a combination of all of these? Being Crossfitters, most of us understand that a proper diet plays a big role in our day-to-day. A proper diet gives us the energy to get through a given day and still have enough left over for the workout when we get home. Nutrition plays a pivotal role in the effectiveness of our training regimens. It also gives us the proper nutrients we need to survive. So, what do I mean when I say a “proper” diet? Here is the FDA’s Dietary Guidelines version of a healthy diet:

-Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products;
-Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and
-Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Is this correct? Dare I say no and go against 30 years of Government say so? If this is the proper diet, why are 34%1 (though I find this number low but its counting for just obese and not people who are “over-weight”) of Americans obese? Not that this is directly correlated, but there has to be something to it. Bottom line, we eat too many dense carbohydrates in the form of processed grains, breads, cereals, starches, and sugars and not enough protein or fat. In fact, there’s an increasing awareness that excess carbohydrates play a dominant role in chronic diseases like obesity, coronary heart disease, many cancers and diabetes. This understanding comes directly from current medical research.2 Break this diet down and it comes to a caloric split of 70% Carbohydrates, 20% Protein, and 10% Fat. All this needs is a bit of readjusting and some basic understanding. We want to turn this around to 40-50% Fat, 30-40% Protein, and 10-20% Carbohydrate all in the form of whole foods, nothing processed. In doing this, we let our body become a fat burning machine by making it rely on fat for energy and less on carbohydrates and concentrate on the major concern of insulin regulation. (It should be noted that there is also credit that needs to be given to the Zone Diet, created by Dr. Barry Sears. This diet has helped many to achieve amazing results through proper nutrient timing and hormonal regulation. The caloric split of this diet is 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein. A diet that one could say is moderate in every way: Not too much fat, not too much protein, and not too much carbohydrate. I think this diet is good for people who need to learn proper quantities to eat, but unless you want to be a slave to measuring and eating 5 times a day it may not be the right path. It is also more of a maintenance diet in that it gives you just enough of every nutrient to live. One major problem I find is that you can eat anything on this diet as long as it’s in the right quantity to manage and regulate hormones. Not the path we want to go down since it’s these foods we want to get away from. I would argue though that “Paleo” food in “Zone” proportions would be a great way to tackle this diet as you rid it of any processed foods only making it that much better for you. To learn more about the Zone Diet click here . To learn more about the Paleo Diet click here.)
Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas in response to increased levels of sugar in the blood. It causes most of the body's cells to take up glucose from the blood (including liver, muscle, and fat tissue cells), storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle, and stops use of fat as an energy source.3 When insulin is absent (or low), glucose is not taken up by most body cells and the body begins to use fat as an energy source.4 So what causes increased levels of sugar in the blood and what does this mean? Too many carbohydrates, especially in the processed form cause secretion of insulin. By causing repeated insulin spikes and releases our body builds up resistance to this hormone. Once one becomes insulin resistant is when a whole slew of problems can begin to set in. These problems include obesity, hypoglycemia, diabetes, Insulinoma, Metabolic Syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome just to name a few. By keeping this regulated we fuel our energy from dietary fat and fat stores and create a healthy and lasting lifestyle.
There is an ongoing trend that dietary fat is what is causing us to be fat. Simply put, eating fat in turn will make me fat. As we have just seen, this is not the case as long as we control insulin. There are two types of fat: good and bad. The good fats are saturated, polyunsaturated (in small amounts), and monounsaturated. The bad fats are trans and hydrogenated. So, in our newly structured diet of 40-50% Fat, what kind of fats should we be eating? Plain and simple would be good fats: olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, avocado, and real butter. Those that are rich in saturated and monounsaturated fats. Fats to stay away from include vegetable oils, soybean oils, sunflower oils, corn oils, any hydrogenated (partially or the like) and trans fatty acids. The reason being is the polyunsaturated fats outweigh the monounsaturated fats and in the long term can end up causing health issues due to immune system suppression.
Let’s talk about saturated fat for a minute. In the past few years, saturated fat has been given a bad rap. Common misconceptions are that saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, and negatively affect cholesterol profiles. Studies have shown that replacing fat for energy instead of carbohydrates the number of small dense LDL particles decreases.5 This comes from a good article posted by Men’s Health and a study that I have also read about in Gary Taubes’ book – “Good Calories, Bad Calories”. (Check out the link if you would like to know more about Saturated fats and why its good for you.) Our body likes fat. We are able to survive off fat. By this justification, it should be the mass amounts of carbohydrates that we consume to blame for bad cholesterol profiles and heart disease and not fat in our diets.
To complete the 100% of our daily diet, we must consume plenty of protein (30-40%) and an amount of carbohydrates that supports the kind of work we are doing. By protein I mean of the animal variety. “If you are fighting for survival in a 3rd world country then yes, beans and rice count as protein. Here t most assuredly does not. You need chicken, beef, fish, pork lamb, turkey…are you picking up what I’m putting down? If you think beans, nuts or Tofu count as protein then you are sadly mistaken.”6 Protein must also be eaten at every meal, which is especially critical if you are trying to lose weight. Good sources of protein would be: chicken, beef, fish, turkey, pork, eggs, and some milk. If you choose to use milk as a protein source do so in small quantities if your main goal is weight loss. Milk has lactate in it, a natural sugar, but much the same effect as processed sugar. Whole fatty milk should be the milk of choice. Why? Skim milk has no fat and since it has lactate this will create an insulin spike causing the body to store that lactate (sugar) as fat. Point: whole milk = good, skim milk = bad. As for carbohydrates, we must choose whole naturally occurring vegetables and fruits high in fiber: broccoli, cauliflower, onions, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, apples, oranges, berries. You get the idea, things that will keep insulin regulated. I hope I am driving that point home about insulin regulation. As for the comment about eating enough carbs to support the kind of work we are doing, here is what I mean. Majority of us are not marathon runners. Instead, we work behind a computer screen, take care of our kids or do something that is not overly exerting. Since we are now using fat as energy, fewer carbs are the norm. It’s hard for someone to eat an entire plate of broccoli but the good news is that in an entire plate there is only something like 15 net carbs. Point being that if we are getting plenty of fruits and veggies high in fiber, our carb count will be low and it will be hard to over-eat on any of them.
If you don’t get anything else from this writing, here are a few take home points I would like to address that are a must for a healthy diet and lifestyle:

-Eat protein at EVERY meal
-Want 40-50% Fats, 30-40% Protein, 10-20% Carbohydrates
-If you choose to Zone, you want 30% Fat, 30% Protein, 40% Carbohydrates in Paleo foods
-Eat protein at EVERY meal
-Eat whole naturally occurring fruits and vegetables
-Eat 3-6 times a day accordingly
-Eat protein at EVERY meal
-Fat is your friend: your main energy source
-DO NOT eat processed foods, grains, cereals, breads, starches, sugar

If you would like to get geeky on some of this nutrition stuff here are a few links you can check out:

-www.robbwolf.com
-www.modernforager.com
-www.marksdailyapple.com
-www.theiflife.com

Other info:

“Good Calories, Bad Calories” – Gary Taubes
“Mastering the Zone” – Dr. Barry Sears
”The Paleo Diet” – Dr. Loren Cordain

References:

1. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/07newsreleases/obesity.htm
2. “Glycemic Index”, CrossFit Journal November 2002
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin
5. “What if Bad Fat is Actually Good For You?” - http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=health&category=heart.disease&conitem=a03ddd2eaab85110VgnVCM10000013281eac____
6. Robb Wolf

Results are in...

2008-11-19T15:16:00.000-06:00

So the Mud Run was a couple Fridays ago. I finished 42nd which I am a little disappointed at. I think I could have done better. But, on the bright side of things, I haven't done any real running above 2 miles in about 6 months. Respectable finish I guess. I finished last year in 11th place. So, I have another goal to add to the ongoing list:
Compete in the March 2009 Mud Run for at minimum top 5.

We will see how that goes. In the mean time I am going to HIT IT HARD, GET BACK IN THE POOL, RUN HARDER, FASTER, AND LONGER, LIFT HEAVY WEIGHT, SQUAT HEAVY, PULL MY BODY WEIGHT PLUS SOME, AND PT TILL MY MUSCLES FAIL AND LEAVE ME LYING ON THE FLOOR WANTING SOME MORE!

Will report back soon!

100 day Burpee Challenge

2008-10-31T10:16:00.000-05:00

This is a challenge brought forth by a CrossFit affiliate and if I can find the link I will post it. Basically the rules are this:
100 days
Add a burpee for each day
Ex:
Day 1 = 1 burpee
Day 2 = 2 burpees
Day 3 = 3 burpees
and so on...
Miss a day and you have to make up for the ones you missed the next day
If you start after Oct. 20, 2008 you have to buy in for the amount missed
You can count them if they are included in your workout or you can do them after everything is done, or you can do them throughout the day. Just get them done! I am going to be doing them after workouts regardless of how many I do in a normal workout. This may change as the volume gets higher.

Day 01 Oct. 20, 2008 = 1
Day 02 Oct. 21, 2008 = 2
Day 03 Oct. 22, 2008 = 3
Day 04 Oct. 23, 2008 = 4
Day 05 Oct. 24, 2008 = 0
Day 06 Oct. 25, 2008 = 0
Day 07 Oct. 26, 2008 = 18 = 5+6+7
Day 08 Oct. 27, 2008 = 0
Day 09 Oct. 28, 2008 = 0
Day 10 Oct. 29, 2008 = 27 = 8+9+10
Day 11 Oct. 30, 2008 = 11
Day 12 Oct. 31, 2008 = 12
Day 13 Nov. 01, 2008= 0
Day 14 Nov. 02, 2008= 0
Day 15 Nov. 03, 2008= 0
Day 16 Nov. 04, 2008= 0
Day 17 Nov. 05, 2008= 75 = 13+14+15+16+17

To be continued...
Well...I am going to have to restart this one the beginning of the year. I just couldn't keep up with it, whether it be laziness or something else.
Still to be continued...

5 months to 20 Deadhangs

2008-10-31T10:13:00.000-05:00

This one is going to be updated on my max deadhang scores as I do them. I would like to hit 20 by March 1, 2009 so that means a LOT of pull-ups and attempts at muscle ups and handstands. So, without further adue...

Deadhang pull-up MAX:
As of 10/30/2008
7
November, 2008
8
November 19, 2008
10 - Movin' on up!

Road to boot:

2008-10-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

One of two posts today since I have been lazy with all this!

First off lets start with training. I have ramped up the training shedule with mainly two-a-days for 3 weeks leading up to the 10k Mud Run race on Saturday, November 8. A training day will typically entail some form of running/sprinting, weights, and/or swimming. So let me break down this weeks scedule:
Monday
AM:
1.75 mile run with boots and a 10# weight vest
10 rounds of;
100m hill sprints in VFF
10 pushups at top of hill
walk down to rest

This is all the work I did on this day. I went out with Drew to Lake Lewisville to scout for ducks with the season opener coming up this Saturday, Nov. 1st.

Tuesday
Handstand progressions
10 DB squat cleans, 30# DB's
10 Box jumps
10 Squat Clean Thrusters, 45# bar

Squat Clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
135
155
175
185 F missed rack
185
195 F too much weight maybe
175x3

Swim:
5x50m ALL OUT sprints
3:00 rest between rounds

Wednesday
Bear Complex
6 reps of each movement w/out letting go of the bar
Deadlift
Hang Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
75#, 85#, 95#, 105#

pullup work
27 burpees to catch up

Thursday
500m row warmup
25 OHS with bar
Handstand progressions
Back Squat
220x5x3
Press
105x5x3
Deadlift
275x5x5

WOD
5 rounds of:
5 pullups
5 DB squat cleans, 45# DB's
5 Burpees

Time - 6:44

Bevin mad 2 miles today!!! I think thats the farthest she has ever run. Muy Muy props to her and we are going to continue to beat her ass so she can get a sub 20:00 3 mile!!!
Great job Bev. I am proud of you.

Friday
AM:
1.25 mile run in a 10# weight vest to track
4x400m sprint intervals w/ 200m walking rests between rounds
1:17
1:19
1:20
1:20
1.25 mile run in 10# weight vest back to house

PM:

New goals

2008-10-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

It is always important to have a goal, as if that saying hasn't been pounded into your head since you were a child. But, the fact remains that this statement is true. I have a few goals set within certain time frames that I would like to achieve this year and into the next:

Goal #1:
First Muscle-up (getting close to that one)
Goal #2:
Try to make it to Aromas, CA for the 2009 CrossFit games
-In the process of getting stronger and getting ready!
Goal #3:
Get CF gym out of the garage and into a REAL place.
-Soon my pretty....

Those are just to name a few. I will keep a continuing blog on new goals, achieved goals/PR's etc. I have really been focusing on Olympic weight lifting recently. I am doing a "hybrid" CF program consisting of C&J's, Snatch, OHS, BS, DL, and a short metcon 3-4 times a week after heavy lifting. So, hopefully with this I will get that much stronger and ready for next year and the CrossFit games '09.

Other News:
I have been IF'ing (Intermittent Fasting) now for a few weeks. It's going great. I have so much more energy during the day. I normally do it 2-5 times a week. I'm not losing any muscle and the fat from my 5 weeks of SS and GOMAD is slowly coming off. More to come on that.

Workout
warmup
Snatch Drills
Worked up to 115#
WOD
5 rounds for time of:

3 Hang Power Snatch, 95#
6 OHS, 95#
9 Pull-ups (chest to bar)
200m run

Time - 14:38
--That's my "sweat angel" from this workout today.

Other Workouts done in the past few days:

135# C&J

1 reps the 1st minute

2 reps the 2nd minute

3 reps the 3rd minute

...until you can't complete the number of required reps in that minute

-7 rounds +6 reps O U C H

AMRAP in 10 min. (Mind you this is after some heavy C&J's and Back Squats)

12 Deadlift, 95#

9 Hang Power Clean, 95#

6 Front Squat, 95#

3 Push Jerks, 95#

3 rounds + 12 DL's + 9 HPC (first round was done with 135#, the originally prescribed weight)

As Rx'd was:

5 rounds of:

15 Deadlift, 135#

12 HPC, 135#

9 FS, 135#

6 PJ, 135#

So, those were pretty brutal...

Today was a good day to come back after being injured/lazy for the last couple of days. I retaped my pull-up bar with athletic tape and that works out really well. NO pain on the hands this time!
Tonight I am going to the DU banquet in Denton. It should be a good time, as it was last year. Now I am rambling and there is no sense in carrying this any further. Off to compile a list of goals for October 2008 - October 2009........
Late..

Tuesday

2008-09-30T16:36:00.000-05:00

Got up to the gym early this morning. Had a good workout and no fasting today.

Thats me after "Grace"----------->
135# C&J, 30 reps in 5:38
=OUCH

Workout:
500m row 1:57.0
Back lever progressions
Muscle Snatch
Heavy Single
125#
85% x 2 x 3
105#
OHS
Heavy single
115#
85% x 2 x 3
90#
WOD
"Cindy"
5 pull-ups
10 pushups
15 squats
AMRAP in 10 min.
9 rounds + 5 pullups
Planks
Right :30 x 2
Left :30 x 2
Front :30 x 2

I guess tonight I am going to try to take the dogs for a walk. It's too nice outside not too.

Ohhhh Monday...

2008-09-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

Well the weekend is over and its time to get back to reality, somewhat. I had a great weekend. Friday night we went to celebrate a friends promotion. Then Saturday I got out for some last minute teal hunting. We saw a lot of birds so hopefully our spot will pan out for the actual season, just have to get the damn boat running. After the hunt I went to the STX garage gym and got in a little workout.

Workout: (Saturday)
"Grace"
135# C&J, 30 reps
For time
TIME - 5:38

This was my first time to do this one and it was pretty brutal, but wickedly fun. I also got to watch Lindsay set a new PR on Deadlift; 215#. That's pretty bad-a. After that we cleaned out the garage and spent a good 5 hours outdoors. I'm keeping true to my promise! Good times. Saturday night we went out for Morgan's b-day. Sunday we took the dogs on a walk that ended up being around 2 miles or so. Did that barefoot. Feet are starting to toughen up a bit. The dogs had a great time. Then I watched the Boys lose to Washington. Blug.
My diet was crap for the weekend as well. Too much beer. I think thats really the only problem with my diet is that I like beer too much. Gonna have to work on that. other than that, I got in lots of protein and fat and little carbs (besides the beer). This has me wondering though if eating more fat while drinking or in the same day is spilling more into my fat cells, than being used for energy????? I will have to study that further.

Workout
500m row
Back Lever Progressions
Rack Jerk behind the neck
Heavy single; 85% x 1 x 3
Back Squat
85% x 3 x 5
WOD
Sprint Intervals
Load TBD by dice rolls

Quote of the day:
"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34

Get out and have some fun!

2008-09-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

Exactly what the title says. Last night I went on a walk, barefoot, with the dogs. It ended up being over a mile. Not too short, but no too long either. It's nice to get out like that every now and then. It lets one appreciate the outdoors, if you can call a suburban neighborhood the outdoors. So here is a new goal to be implemented:

"I, state your name, do hereby promise to get outside for at least 30 min a day, excluding workouts. In doing so, I will better myself and bring about more appreciation for nature."

That wasn't so hard now was it? As humans, we were made to be outside. Go hike along the unbeaten path. Go run down a unknown trail. Go fish in a local pond. Go bike. Go throw the damn ball for your dog. Play frisbee. Play a pickup basketball or football game. Just get outside!
Thought for the Day:
"Lift heavy, eat right, drink less, live happy." - Brandon Head
Fast = 18.5 hours breaking at 3:00pm till whenever. All day eats tomorrow!
Got in just over 2400 calories yesterday @ 58:34:8 - bison and salmon were main fare.
Workout:

Ahhhhhhh Rest.....

2008-09-25T11:27:00.001-05:00

Quote of the Day:

"You have to take care of your 640 muscles, and the number one thing is exercise. You can eat perfectly but if you don’t exercise, you cannot get by. There are so many health food nuts out there that eat nothing but natural foods but they don’t exercise and they look terrible. Then there are other people who exercise like a son-of-a-gun but eat a lot of junk. They look pretty good because the exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you’ve got a kingdom!" - Jack LaLanne

Well today is a rest day for me. I take a rest day on Thursdays and Sundays. A 3/1/2/1 program. Sometimes I may miss a Saturday bu thats because I am doing something outdoors. I only got in 1800 calories yesterday, but I did go fishing. Should've taken some food with me. But that is the whole point to the IF thing, is to not be a slave to food. I will just eat a little more today. My feeding window yesterday was 7 hours. I am fasting today for 20 hours, with the feeding window starting at 4:30pm and ending by 8:30pm. That means I need to eat a helluva lot. Guess I will just have to throw some ice cream into the mix.
On to fishing...I decided to get old school with it and bought some night crawlers and went to a local pond. Caught 20-25 little bream and some fish I didn't recognize. i'm no greenhorn either. I'm going to have to look that one up. I'm thinking maybe it was just a small sand bass that ended up there. So, it was a great time and a good way to bring back memories of my childhood.
This morning I was supposed to go duck hunting with Justin but got stood up...Whatever. i'm still a little bitter about that.
If I come across something interesting today I will post it.

Here Fishy Fishy...

2008-09-24T08:57:00.000-05:00

Hopefully after work and workout today, I will get to hit the pond for a little relaxation. Nothing beats a couple of hours of solid fishing...well, maybe some things. I am going to try to go Teal hunting in the morning....hurray for guns and hunting.

Ahywho, I am working on a 17 hour fast today. Through Fitday.com I have been getting around 60-65% Fats, 30-35% Protein, & 5-10% Carbs and aywhere between 2900-3500 calories. I have been tracking that for the last couple of weeks or so and belly fat seems to be creeping up. I think I'm going to switch this up a little and go for a 50:40:10 combination and cut down the total number of calories to around 2400-2500. It's a little more manageable in a 5-8 hour feeding window, not that I don't like to feel miserable all the time. So we will see how that goes for a couple weeks. I am still trying to find the right combination. Guess I will just be a little bit warmer come winter.

On to the workout for today:

500m warmup row:

Back lever progressions (This is my hopper movement for now and will be until I can hold a full back lever for 10 secs. - so far I have a tuck b-lever for 5 or so secs after 1.5 weeks of practicing. It's coming along nicely)

Got up to 8 seconds +...maybe 10. It was hard to count accuratley when your head feels like its gonna pop.

Clean & Jerk

90% x 1 x 3

165#

Front Squat

85% x 2 x 3

155#

Deadlift

135 x 5

185 x 5

225 x 3

270 x 2

305 x 5

WOD

5 rounds for time:

8 pullups

4 box jumps

TIME: 3:24

First time for everything

2008-09-23T14:19:00.000-05:00

I have finally done it. Finally broke down and created a site of my own, along with every other person in this world. We will see how it goes. I will be posting random thoughts, ideas, feelings, training logs, basically anything I want to. Maybe a picture every now and again too. This is also a test to see how long it will last, as I may not post everyday but trianing days will always be posted. Let's do it...

Workout:
500m row warmup: 1:50.0
Back Lever Progressions
Muscle Snatch
Heavy Single
65#, 85#, 95#, 100#, 110#, 115#, 125# F, 115#
Snatch
80% x 1 - 115#
70% x 2 - 100#
80% x 1 - 115#
70% x 2 - 100#
80% x 1 - 115#
OHS
Heavy Double
100#, 115#
45# x 10
WOD
"Helen"
400m run
21 KB swings, 53#
12 Pullups
TIME: 12:49

Felt pretty good today. Workout was 9 hours into my fast. I am gonna push the fast to 20 hours today. This will be the longest one thus far. Fasting seems to give me more energy throughout the day, so it's been a definite plus. I haven't seen any body comp. changes yet, but its still new so I will report more on that later.
Update: Broke fast at 19.5 hours. Had good energy levels afterwards.