Wednesday, May 30, 2012

On Being Sick and Losing Weight

I have a summer cold. It's been brewing for a week and is now in full blown snot status. And I have my kids to thank for it. But they seemed to have the lite version because they haven't slowed down a bit. (Or use the quantity of tissues I do.)  I'm missing the days where I could just hide in bed for a day or two and rest to recover. I feel like one full day of sleep is all it would take. But who has time for that?! I'm missing the days where I could just hide in bed for a day or two and rest to recover. I feel like one full day of sleep is all it would take. But who has time for that?! The worst bit for me is that it's kept us out of the gym. I know I talk about it a lot, but I really love my Crossfit gym.

Since I haven't been to the gym in a week, I've had to really look at my diet. My Whole 30 challenge never turned into more than a Half 30. I'm easily distracted and lazy about cooking. So when someone suggests take-out, I'm not one to turn it down. I have been making better choices. Bunless burgers, naked nuggets, those types of things. But I haven't turned down the french fries. They have no redeeming nutritional value, but man alive, they are tasty.

But I've still lost weight. Why? Because Paleo works, even if you fudge it just a little bit. See, it's about cutting out grains first. I could spew about all the science, but I wont. The fact is, I'm not all that solid on the science of it, except that I've read it. It's all there. It makes perfect sense. But you wont truly understand until you cut them out of your diet.

Things that are true for me just because I've cut out grains:

1. I can eat all the fatty protein I want and still lose weight. Yay for steak and bacon!
2. I eat healthy vitamin filled fruits and still lose weight. No counting carbs for me. I've already cut out the big carbs, grains.
3. When I had gestational diabetes, I could keep my blood sugar in check by not eating grains. It was that simple. (The first time I had to use insulin, because I didn't know better.)
4. I don't get bloated.
5. My bathroom situation is nice and smooth because I get my fiber from soft fruits and veggies, instead of rough grains. (TMI?)

So maybe I should stop there. The point is, I have a lot of good things going because I have cut out grains and the only bad thing is that making a sandwich for lunch is out. Sandwiches are so easy. Want to know what else is easy? Meat with some raw veggies and a handful of nuts, a bowl of premixed salad, an apple and some nutbutter (my usual breakfast), a PaleoKit (oh my goodness, so tasty!), leftover steak (does that exist?). There are so many things you can do besides reach for bread. It's like the creative eating copout.

Sorry, I was trying not to get preachy. It's hard when I know it works and I know it would work for everyone.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Double Unders!

I was good at jumping rope when I was little. I could out jump most kids in my class. I never managed most of the really cool tricks. But I had a few that were impressive to the other 10 year olds at the playground. Fast forward 20+ years... well, let's just say it's been a while. It didn't take long to get the skipping down again. Like a bicycle, I suppose.

But Double Unders are a beast of their own. It's a completely different rhythm that even some of the elite at our gym struggle with. It's a matter of speed and timing. And when you miss, those wire speed ropes are not forgiving! It makes it so that you have to really want it to even try.

So I'm not really sure what I was thinking when during my 90 rep single skips, I decided to try a double under. But I got it!

Woo! I totally shouted to everyone that I got my first double under!

And no one heard me. The music was up too loud and they were all busy.

Photo credit: Reba
So I tried again. And I got another! I was so freaking excited.

And tired. I only managed the two.

I totally told everyone at the gym after the work out. And by everyone, I mean everyone! I was even caught in action bragging about my accomplishment.

After I got home, I felt a bit like a nerd about telling everyone. It didn't stop me from Facebooking about it. ... Or blogging about it.

Sometimes, it's the little things that make Crossfit so great. There wasn't one person I told that wasn't excited for me.

It feels good to accomplish something new and difficult. And it's very validating when you see your hard work pay off.

Next time, I'll get 3. ;)

Sunday, May 20, 2012

I've never been so glad to finish!


Earlier this week, I had a work-out that was designed to kill me. Alright, I'm exaggerating. But it was crazy tough and chalk full of movements I stink at. Run, dumbbell snatches, toes to bar, and more running. I'm, by far, the slowest runner. I've never done a dumbbell snatch. And I can barely hang on a pull-up bar, much less get my toes to touch it. Every one of those skills are ones I need a lot of work in.

Instead of going in a bit defeated, I was open to practice. After all, no one gets better at anything without practice.

I still dreaded the runs.  I'm not a runner. I hate running. I would like to magically be better at running. I have very little desire to work to run better. But there is no way out of it if I want to get better. So I did it. I did not enjoy it. But I managed.

It was my first time doing dumbbell snatches. Like any newbie, I watched a video about it before going to the gym. I like to be prepared. And I killed it, thank you very much. I really like lifting weight above my head. I don't know what it is, but it is really cool. It was the redeeming part of the work-out for me.

The toes to bar scale down to knee raises for me. It's still plenty hard at my level. And I can't do but more than a few at a time. I could probably do more if it didn't hurt my hands so much. I don't have Crossfit calluses, yet. But after that work-out, I started getting closer. To anyone that isn't a Crossfitter this next bit might sound gross, but Crossfitters will get it. ... Someday I hope to have some calluses. I'll be bragging that day!

Then the big finish was another run. I think my coach hates me.

Okay, so it isn't personal. But I really am the slowest person at our gym. And it's hot. And whine/complain some more. Did I mention I hate running?

But I did it. And I finished Dead Last.

But oh, I was so glad to be finished! I worked hard for every second for that time!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Dead Last

I happens to everyone at some point. It happens to me a lot. My goal in a work-out is to not be last. It seems like a reasonable goal. Most of the time I have to scale to make that happen. Sometimes I have to scale and I still finish last.

Finishing last gets old. But at the same time, I don't particularly mind. After all, it isn't a race. I'm not competing with anyone at the gym. My only competition is myself.

I read this article today: Crossfit 101: Don’t cheat on burpees

I could have written that article. I've actually been thinking about that for days. I was amazed at the coincidence  that someone else was at the exact same place as me when considering scaling. I've been doing Crossfit for just over 3 months now. Going from inactive and pregnant to athlete isn't going to happen in just 3 months. So it's perfectly reasonable to scale. Everyone would agree with that logic.

But at what point does scaling become cheating?

I don't have a clear answer. I only know that if I don't leave everything I have at the gym, I feel like I've cheated.

Sometimes after a work-out if I feel like I could keep going, I'm disappointed. Obviously I didn't work hard enough. I've gotten to where I take it in stride. If that's the case, then I know for sure next time I shouldn't scale quite so much.

Sometimes after a work-out if I feel like I could keep going, I feel dumb. Because I knew when I started I wasn't doing as much as I can. Those work-outs always involve a movement (or movements) that I'm not good at. I don't know anyone that likes to do things they aren't good at. And I've wondered lately if I've been using my need to scale as an excuse to slack on those movements.

It wasn't so much wondering, as realizing what I was doing. When I started, I was scaling because I couldn't do the movements in a reasonable time. Three months later, I'm leaps and bounds stronger and more capable, but I'm still scaling the same.

My biggest excuse: I don't want to finish last.

Gave up that excuse at the beginning of the week.

Wow, Crossfit has kicked my ass this week!

And I've finished last Thursday. I fought for every second of that time! I finished pretty damn proud of myself.

Friday, I had my turn to kick some ass. I didn't manage the WOD Rx (work-out of the day as prescribed (without scaling)). But I did it at the higher level. And I managed to do one of the skills unbroken (meaning without rest) at a higher weight than I've used before. Which is a great accomplishment.

From now on, my new rule for myself will be not to scale just to not finish last. If I don't want to finish last, then I just need to work harder. And if I do finish last, I'm going to make sure that I've worked hard enough that I'm proud of finishing last.

Because finishing last is better than not finishing at all.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Don't give up on me

I'm still around. I'm still going to the gym. I'm still working on my diet. I was sick recently and it's thrown my schedule for a loop. But I'll be back soon with more posts. :)

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Hitting the Weigh Loss Wall

Why is it if you indulge over a weekend you can put on 5 or more lbs, but if you eat clean for a whole week you might not even lose 1?

I am proud of where I am right now as far as working towards my goals goes. I love my gym and my coaches. I'm eating pretty clean. I'm not perfect. Sometimes I don't plan. But even then I eat the lesser of the evils option. And I'm pretty happy with the choices I've made.

Still the weight is not melting off like butter, like it has in the past. This whole losing baby weight is a kick in the pants.

I should say I've lost just over 20 lbs since having my baby. Most came off really fast, as having the baby is usually 10-15 lbs of weight right away. Then there was Christmas, where I didn't bother to try to watch what I ate so much. So really, where I'm counting from is January. Since January, I've lost 10 lbs.

I'm not winning the Biggest Loser at this rate. *sigh*

I need a plan.

I'm trying hard to not get too disappointed. After all, I'm trying to get healthy not necessarily skinny. It isn't a race. I'm not actually competing in the Biggest Loser. Plus, I've been overweight for years. It isn't realistic to think I'll just not be after a few months of work.

Man, I wish it worked that way though.

Back to my plan... I don't have one. Anyone have ideas?

I think I'm going to have to give up and start weighing food and counting calories. I'm nursing so that has to be factored in when picking a target range. And I'm going to have to write everything down. Keeping a food journal is the best way to find the flaw in the system.

So if you are like me and have hit a bit of a wall, maybe it's time to start a food journal too. There are a lot of online resources where you can type in your food amounts and it'll count the calories for you. And some will give you carb and fat totals as well. Or you can go the old fashion route and just write it down on paper. Having it there to reference will let you know exactly how many times a week you've been eating fast food, or skipping the veggies. It's very revealing.

I'm a little nervous I'm going to find out that I'm not eating as clean as I think, which I'm guessing is the case.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Open Letter to Athletic Apparel Manufactures

To the people in the design and development department:

I just wanted to let you know, I really like your clothes. They look cute. The new sweat wicking technology sounds awesome. All the 'keep cool' designs seem really impressive. I just have one problem. None of it fits. You see, I'm a bigger girl trying to get fit. I'm not alone. I'm guessing by your lack of product created to fit us, you've forgotten about us. I just want you to know we are out here, wanting to shed our hot, baggy men's sweat pants and t-shirts. We'd like to wear the 'keep cool' tops in bright women's colors, and the compression pants that are made for our body types. We have the money to spend if you'd just help us out. I don't feel like I'm asking a lot with that request.

But while I'm at it, I have another. It'd be great if you'd follow the same vanity sizings that the rest of the clothes making industries use. I say this because it's very defeating when I go to put on the XL shirt and it's more like a medium. All my other shirts say XL, it's something I've come to accept (but only for now). As you see, I've been working hard for months to change that to an L. But when I try on your XL super cute sweat wicking semi-fitted tops, I feel like a giant cow. And I'm pretty sure it creates lumps that I don't have otherwise. Not good. Women have a very emotional tie to their clothing size and having to go up breaks our hearts. And sad girls are less like to work-out. They certainly aren't going to be buying your clothes. And I want to work-out. I like it. It feels good. If you could design some clothes to go with my getting fit spirit, I would appreciate it.

So please, think of the big girls. We are working hard to get into your awesome fit girl apparel, but it'd be nice to have something to wear before we get there besides men's sweat pants.

<3 F'N Strong

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Basketcase

I am about as scattered as a person can get. In fact, if this post makes sense, I deserve an award.

I was never diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. I have family members who were, so I have to wonder if genetically I've got a little of that running in my system. Even so, I'm usually rather functional.

But for the past week, I've almost been lost. Like put my cell phone in the refrigerator lost. Okay, so it hasn't been that bad. It's more of a lose my to-do list, what was I just talking about, who me kind of lost.

Maybe I'm just overwhelmed from something. It could be a side effect of stress. Although I don't feel particularly stressed. At least I didn't before I started feeling scattered.

I could blame my diet. But I've been consistently eating clean. Which I've done before with no weird confusion.

Baby hormones, maybe? I know it takes a while for a woman to get her grove back after a baby. I can't remember if I had this with the last kids. ... Ooo, maybe that's part of it. Yes? No?

It hasn't stopped me from my goals though.

It's made it all a little harder. Getting all the kids ready to go in time to make it to the gym is hard when you can't remember what you were doing a few minutes before. And I missed going on Saturday, which honestly hurt my feelings a little. Threw me in for more of a loop than I was already.

But it wont make me give up.

I had a day where I forgot to eat. And a day where I probably ate too much because I forgot to watch when I was eating. But I continued to eat clean.

It didn't make me give up.

I've had to walk away from this post too many times to count because someone has needed my attention.

But I kept coming back.

The point is, as much as I spout rainbows about getting fit, it isn't always easy. I don't have a cleaning fairy. Lunch isn't always hot. I'm not always perky and ready to take on the world. Most of the time, I'm in my pajamas. My daughter's hair isn't combed. And more than once last week my kids ate gluten-free toaster waffles for breakfast because I didn't have it in me to make anything more nutritious.

But I keep trying. It's not about being perfect. It's about doing the hard work to be better.