My apologies for not writing the last few days! Its been nuts I have been preparing myself for the Whole 30 Paleo challenge at Alamo Crossfit. What I meant by ‘preparing’ myself for the challenge, was the fact that I indulged on all my favorite foods, that are also SUPER bad for you….
I had some Pad Thai and Beef Brisket Pho’ (twice), I had pizza and wings and breakfast tacos! BAD Sophie, I know….. but it tasted soooo good LOL!So good in fact, that it turned me into a lazy bum that did not go to the gym…
On Saturday I attended the Nutrition seminar and learned all about the challenge rules. I made a $75 side bet that I would not cheat (no wine or patron). So I better not mess this up!!
While it doesn’t look too appetizing in this photo, I must say that my lunch was delicious today!!! I had ground Turkey (lean) (seasoned with Mrs Dash no salt and Cayenne Pepper), one hard boiled egg, and steamed chopped spinach. For my snack I had strawberries and pecans which you will see listed below What do you think?
When I first started this challenge I was skeptical about whether or not I could last 7 weeks with out my favorite foods such as sushi, orange cup desserts, and chocolate brownies dunked in milk. People would ask me, “what is paleo? and why do you need to do it? you don’t need to lose weight!” Well true- I don’t need to lose weight. And I did not sign up for this challenge for that. I wanted to learn why I always felt bloated after I ate and why certain foods made me sleepy, and why sometimes I was just too tired to go to the gym. THAT’s why I decided to try Paleo. My end goal was to lean out, get definition in my stomach, and get stronger and faster… and the ultimate goal—– to graduate away from the pull up assistance band and be able to do pull ups on my own. Even for a petite girl like me, I wanted to see myself in better shape. To never settle. Because one day my metabolism will slow down, and my genetics will kick in. I would rather start preventing some of those possible future hardships now by continuing to challenge myself now rather than later.
The first 2 weeks of Paleo were eye opening. I took my first step into Whole Foods and saw all of the new available options to me rather than a list of things I couldn’t eat. I learned that I prefer coconut milk to regular milk, that I enjoy having a multitude of fruit options to snack on, that I love not feeling bloated after I eat a meal. I began to look forward to going to the grocery store and seeing what new paleo recipes I could try. I made paleo spaghetti squash, paleo brownies, cauliflower rice, beef stew, paleo chicken curry…. all delicious! and what else?? the meals are good for me too! Sure it was rough seeing my boyfriend eat chocolate cake, macaroni and a bunch of other things I couldn’t. But in the end, I was the one seeing results every day. I noticed that my face got leaner and that my arms started to have some definition, and my stomach!!! what I have abs??
During the 7 week process, I began to crave an almond butter banana shake before a chocolate bar. Whenever someone spoke of burger and fries all i thought of was grease… and how I would feel afterward. I lost 5 lbs during the challenge, totaling 10 lbs in 2 months. I graduated from box steps to box jumps. I graduated from modified pushups to CF pushups. I have increased my weight in almost every area! 135 lb deadlifts, 65lb SDHP- which may not be a big deal to some, but it is to ME! and my opinion is the only one that matters. As long as I am happy with how I look and feel, no one can bring me down. Even though the Paleo challenge is done, I will continue to incorporate it in my lifestyle along with my Crossfit workouts. This challenge has opened up my eyes in regards to what I was eating before EEEEK…. no more of that for me!
We broke the barrier to finally make it to the play-offs only to choke in the first round. WHY???? Short Passes, Bad decisions, Turnovers and Horrible coverage. Oh well, we should be used to it right? Doesn’t this picture just give you deja-vu?
Time to move on to Basketball….. Go Spurs Go!
Paleo update coming shortly! I am headed to Whole Food Market with my grocery list from The Paleo Plan website. I am excited =) Today marks the first week of completion.
I made it to Crossfit bright and early at 9 am today. The workout was killer and I practically forced myself to go… once I got there and say how many people had shown up it proved that getting out of bed that morning was the right thing to do. Now I am going to be completely honest with you… i struggled today. My body ached and I felt weak. I am not sure if its the change in my diet, or the fact that i crawled out of bed with no breakfast and hit up a HARD ASS work out. But you know what??? I still went… and I still completed the task that was given to me.
I have stuck for Paleo all week and today is day 6! I went to dinner and a movie with the boyfriend last night and I kept it simple and paleo: grilled Mahi Mahi, Steamed Vegetables and a side salad. At the movies, I did not indulge in my usual popcorn, pickle and cheese frenzy which was absolutely difficult for me!!! The guy next to me had lathered butter on his most wonderful smelling popcorn ever, but I stuck to the goal ahead. I sat and enjoyed ‘The Book of Eli’ with Denzel. Man he’s a good actor!
This morning I went to Alamo Crossfit. We had a warm up of Jumping Jacks, Shuffle Splits, Squats, Planks and stretching exercises. Then we had a 400 meter sprint + 20 burpee challenge so they could pair you up with your Team for the upcoming WOD.
The WOD: 30 Kettle Bell swings, 30 Slam Balls, 30 squats (w/45lb bar), and 10 burpees- 3 rounds for time for the team. I felt great afterward…. well after I caught my breath that is! I ate a Paleo kit after and indulged in a protein berry shake for breakfast. That was about two hours ago….. and guess what? I’m hungry again =P
So let my start of by saying, that NO I did not have any cookies today…. I have stuck to my Paleo Challenge today. This morning I had 5 Hard Boiled Eggs for Breakfast and if you are thinking overkill, you are probably right. I probably could have stopped at 3, but the truth is tha it suppressed my hunger for a good 3 1/2 hours which is good. I snacked on berries and for lunch I had Baked Turkey slices, a tomato and carrots.
All was good in my hood. While work has been stressful the last few days, and the move hasn’t been stress free, my personal life is quite peaceful. So…. I am at work doing what I do best, and I am getting out of a meeting when I walk to my desk see a package, I get excited and think Flowers/ Stuffed animal???? But no, the box was too small for any of those. So I open it and see a letter from a customer thanking me and my team for the outstanding job we do everyday. It was a really heartfelt thank you which made my day!!!! That is…… until I opened the box! Inside it were Milk Chocolate Chunk, Double Fudge, Milk Chocolate Macaroon and White Chunk Macadamia COOKIES!!!!!!! Shoot me please!
They looks so delicious! I wanted nothing more than to break my challenge and indulge in one of the White Macadamia but I held strong. I ate an avocado and my left over turkey. INNER STRENGTH!!!! I can do this… I can do this…. Anyways, despite that hiccup, I am going to try and make it to Crossfit today and hopefully get some unpacking done. For dinner I plan on having some salmon, not sure on the sides yet but I will figure it out!
I’ll keep you posted =)
Yours Truly,
Sophie Cruz
Update: I went to Alamo Crossfit today- Challenge: 40 seconds of Single Jump Rope and 20 seconds of rest 4 rounds= I completed 207 jump ropes in this time.
WOD: Deadlifts- 1 rep during 30 second time, 30 seconds to rest then repeat 10 times: I maxed at 125 lbs for the 20 reps for a conclusion we did 8 x 50m sprints.
Today the movers are coming at 1pm. I will be getting rid of a ton of old furniture that I truly don’t need anymore. I’m liking this whole ‘out with the old and in with the new attitude’! My goal is to simplify. I will be going with the bare minimum of furniture until i can save up enough money to buy a new bedroom set.
As far as the Paleo Challenge goes, I am still on track. I woke up very hungry this morning! So far I ate half a Texas sized Grapefruit. For the rest of the day I have the following planned:
Turkey Milanesa (2 filets)- no seasoning
Salad- Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, mushrooms (oil and vinegar)
Avocado and Banana as my snacks for the day
added snack- walnuts
For Dinner I plan on having some chicken baked turkey seasoned with chili powder and zucchini/squash…. I will keep you posted on any changes. I have been hungry all day today and I don’t like it!
Yesterday I completed my weekly food schedule. I listed what I would be having for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This way I was able to compile my groceries list from what I would be eating and nothing more. As I walked down the grocery aisles with my boyfriend, I saw all of my favorite snacks and foods that I would be giving up for this challenge. No more milk and fudge cookies, no more bagels with cream cheese, etc…
In the end, my groceries looked like this:
Pretty right!!! =)So last night I prepared my breakfast and lunch for today. I seasoned my chicken breast with parsley and garlic and herb spices and baked it in the oven for 20 minutes. While that was working I boiled to eggs, and portioned out my strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. I also chopped some celery and carrots as a side or my chicken that will be accompanied with a portion of pecans. My snacks for the day are an apple for the mid morning and an avocado for the break between lunch and dinner. For dinner I will be having Salmon with Broccoli and corn cucumber slices. I marinated the Salmon with Honey, Parsley and Lime. DELISH!!!
I am still not sure what I will be marinating the salmon with, but I will find a paleo friendly recipe online.
Anywho, life is good. I am in the midst of moving to my new apartment which is a huge pain! I hope to never pack another box for at least another 3 years! I’m going to try and make it to Crossfit today, but I still have a whole lot more left to pack so that may have to wait until tomorrow.
I have been preparing myself for the Whole 30 Paleo challenge at Alamo Crossfit. What I meant by ‘preparing’ myself for the challenge, was the fact that I indulged on all my favorite foods, that are also SUPER bad for you….
