Eating Zone – Week One Recap

Hey guys! Rebecca The Red checking in with you and sharing progress. My first week of eating Zone went pretty well, all things considered. I stopped weighing myself a long time ago, so I don’t know what kind of progress I’ve made in terms of pounds, but there’s a noticeable difference. Besides, I’m not really doing this for weight loss. Regardless of intent, my work slacks are loose again, which means change is happening! The meals I ate for the week were as follows (3 block):

Breakfast:
1 cup almond milk 
1 large scoop protein powder 
7-9 cashews 
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries

1st Snack:
1 tomato (sliced), 
1/2 Tbs guacamole, 
1 (oz) string cheese

Lunch:
1 3 oz can tuna, 
3 tsp light mayo, 
1 slice of wheat bread, 
1/2  green apple

2nd Snack:
1 cup fresh strawberries, 
1/4 cup cottage cheese, 
1 macadamia nut

Dinner:
3 oz chicken breast (sautéed in tsp olive oil, garlic & crushed red peppers), 
2 1/2 cups kale  
1 peach

On Monday, I substituted a 4 oz glass of red wine for the peach (rough day). Tuesday & Wednesday I have night class, so I got two chicken tacos (fresco style) from Taco Bell. Friday I was running late and didn’t have time to make a breakfast shake, so I got a bacon/gouda sandwich from Starbucks and removed one slice of the artisan bread. Then Friday night, I went to the CrossFit 310 anniversary party, where I had one piece of chicken (about the size of my palm), a hand-size portion of greens with cheese, strawberries, nuts, and a small amount of balsamic dressing. The weekend rolled around, and as usual, I had a lot of trouble keeping up with my weekly routine, which means I didn’t get all my meals in on time. Then I went to a Roger Waters concert where I consumed many beers & a pretzel (because I was starving from lack of food). And in my boozy state, I also had some chips after the concert (because we all know about post-boozin’ munchies)….and yeah. Sunday was even worse, but we won’t go into that. I’m really trying to make it work though, which has proven somewhat difficult because I’m at the end of the semester (two weeks left).

Eating Zone – Week One (with Before Photos)

And so it begins, again. As some of you know, I participated in my CrossFit gym’s Live Fit challenge back in January, and won 3rd place! Winning cash was great (which bought me some sweet new CrossFit kicks), but the physical results I achieved were far more rewarding. I’d love to say I sustained those eating habits after I won – the eating / sleeping / hydration habits that contributed to 10+ Personal Records – but the truth is, when I injured my hand during the 12.3 Open WOD, I (sort of) gave up on eating that way. The thing is, I had never dealt with an injury before, and certainly not one that would drastically limit how I spent my time at the box. No amount of reading material can prepare you for the psychological response to your first injury. And so, I ate.

But isn’t that life? CrossFit athletes will tell you, nutrition can be a rollercoaster ride. Life happens, and sometimes your best intentions get derailed. It just so happens I’m on an up right now, so I thought I would give strict nutrition another spin. This time though, I wanted to try Zone because my coach says it’s optimal for CrossFit athletes.

So this post marks week one. I will be updating weekly to track progress, note any changes, difficulties, and give a breakdown of what I’m eating. The very top photo is a collage of my before photos which were taken on Monday (May 14th). Let’s see where I end up in four weeks!

30 Day Live Fit Challenge: Before & After Photos

Chocolate Paleo Snack Cake

{Recipe from: Paleo Spirit}

Paleo Chocolate Snack Cake:

Ingredients:
. 10 medjool dates, pitted
. 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
(or one ripe banana)
. 3 eggs
. 1/2 cup coconut oil
. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
. 1/2 cup coconut flower
. 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
powder (Found at Sprouts Market)
. 1 teaspoon baking soda
. 1/2 teaspoon fine celtic sea salt
. 1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee

Instructions:
1. Place the medjool dates in a food processor and pulse until completely pureed.
(I found pitting them first, putting the dates in the microwave for 30 seconds,
and then putting in the food processor was the easiest way to puree them)

2. Add applesauce (or banana) and continue to pulse until pureed and combine
with dates.

3. Add the fruit puree to the bowl of a stand mixer (or just use a handmixer), add
the eggs, vanilla, coconut oil and coffee and mix on low-medium speed until well combined.

4. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. (We add a little extra coconut
for fluffiness)

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed,
scraping down the sides, until you have a smooth batter.

6. Grease an 8×8 glass/aluminum pan with coconut oil, pour in the batter and
smooth it with the back of a spatula (or pastry spatula)

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle
comes out clean.

***Note: For extra sweetness, add a small amount
of honey, however, this makes it not paleo.

Live Fit Challenge: Week 1

We’ve started a “Live Fit” challenge at our box (CrossFit 310) yesterday, which I’m really pumped about! And in my overwhelming excitement, I’ve become sort of an ambassador for the challenge, partially due to the fact that I started a week early and have gone 99% strict, with the exception of my protein shake in the morning. The challenge previous to this one mainly just involved nutrition, which is still a huge part of it because of the 80/20 rule. But what I like about this particular challenge, is how all-encompassing it is. It involves not only nutrition and CrossFit, but hydration and sleep as well, which are obviously equally as important.

The challenge is based on a point system for a total of 30 days. For example: If you get 7.5 hours of sleep or more a night, you gain points per week. As you lose hours of sleep, you lose points. The same applies to nutrition – You lose points for consuming grains, wheat, gluten, refined sugar and alcohol. The fitness and hydration portion is my favorite though because it’s pass or fail for the week. You accumulate points, but if you fall short of your fitness goal or hydration (half of your body weight in ounces per day, minimum), you lose all possible hydration / fitness points for that week, which is a pretty huge incentive to keep up with the committment – especially because there was an option to “buy in” for some awesome prizes at the end, one of which is rumoured to be Lululemon related. Squeeeeeeeeee!!!

I’ve created an album on Facebook documenting in photos some of the foods I’ve been preparing / eating each week (week 1 pictured below) to help inspire others who are feeling a bit lost or unmotivated, as well as holding myself accountable publically. Up until I began this challenge last week, I had never (not one. single. time. in my life) followed through with a nutrition committment. Just like a WOD, the challenge is scalable, because the idea is to make changes (big or small) that work for you. I happen to be going big because I’ve seen huge progress in my CrossFit performance lately and I know to get where I intend to go, I have to go for the more drastic side of this challenge. That’s what works for me.

I have to say though….I really miss the red wine. Stay tuned.