Rest Day

We’ve all been here.

Tonight is the Final Rest Day Dinner of the Paleo Challenge! Thanks Dan and Asta for hosting!

Are You Competing in the NYC Open Competition?

If you’ve registered to participate or interested in spectacting at the NYC Open being held tomorrow at CF Queens please contact Coach Jess Fox to coordinate rides.Jessica(AT)crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com

Final Paleo Potluck is Almost Here

Come one, come all, calling all cavewomen, cavemen, cavedogs, and cavebabies!  The 2012 Crossfit South Brooklyn Paleo Challenge is officially winding down, and now its time for everyone to put on their big white chefs hats again, because on Saturday, March 10th, at 6:00 PM we will be holding our final Paleo Potluck!

Keep your eyes peeled for the Post Challenge Paleo Template, which will be sent out soon.  Completion of this template is an ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENT for, and is probably the aspect of your challenge that will be relied upon most heavily to decide our winners. Even if you don’t think you’ll “win” this is an important tool to review you learned, how you feel, what worked and what didn’t, and your plans for the future are.  As you’ll come to see, the Paleo Challenge is all about self experimentation with both physiologic and behavioral considerations.

See you there!

Paleo Challenge Wrap Up!

The Paleo Challenge is almost over! It’s time to start thinking about your Post Challenge Write-Up and what you’re going to do moving forward.  We’ll be emailing everyone the full details for your write-up today but for the mean time check out David’s submission so you can get an idea of what we’re looking for.

Post Challenge Questions:

1. Briefly describe the beginning, middle and end of your Paleo Challenge.  (We’re looking for 3-8 sentences per section)

Beginning: The beginning of my challenge started off with a bang. I spent the first month cooking about 3/4 of all the meals I ate, had no fruit, took my fish oil religiously and was getting good sleep. My training was also very good and I was squatting consistently.
Middle: I came into the middle of the challenge pretty strong but started making some exceptions in order to placate my desire for emotionally comforting eating and sweet cravings.  I ate a little more fruit, lara bars and potatoes.  I cooked a little less but stayed gluten free, took my fish oil and avoided any processed/refined sugar.  I also started drinking a little more wine and espresso. Training remained good. I also began to eat out more often, but kept it fully paleo. 
End:  The middle to end were very similar in terms of application. I never cheated, was cooking about 1/3 of my meals and even finished drinking less wine and  fruit than I had been mid challenge. I fell off a bit on fish oil consumption but still felt really really good in terms of mood and energy.  I also really felt that I “owned” this diet more and became something I just did on auto pilot.  I spent a lot of the last third of the challenge thinking about what I would do when this was over based on what aspects of the challenge seemed to be giving me the most positive returns and what kind of momentum I didn’t want to lose.

2. Based on your previously stated goals, In what ways did you succeed with your paleo Challenge? Were there any other positive adaptations you experienced?

Here are some of my stated goals from the original write-up that I did well on:

NO: Grains/Sugar/Dairy
I did pretty great on this.  I had ZERO grains/Gluten and Refined Sugar.  I didn’t eat anything that wasn’t at least in the spectrum of paleo/primal.  I think I had dairy products maybe 3x of the 2 months which I was okay with.  I really wanted to stop my latte habit and not make dairy a staple of my diet which I accomplished.
1-1.5 grams Protein per day and Squatting 2x per week
I ate sufficient protein while on Paleo. I did this by making the protein my priority every meal and eating it with reckless abandon.  Originally I wanted to squat 2xW but I shifted that to just hitting all my Wendler Squat exposures which was only 1xW so I was pleased with that but still think I need to squat 2xW.  I definitely feel stronger than I did January.
Eat a minimum of 3 meals per day 
I did this pretty consistently too.  I used to eat only 2 meals a day really regularly.  I was worried I’d lose muscle mass while on Paleo so I made sure to eat 3 squares a day. 
Keep Alcohol intake about the same, gluten free beer only
The only alcohol I drank throughout the challenge was 3 bottles of wine (split with my girlfriend, one of which we only drank 3/4 of) and 2 shots of tequila.  I’m usually not crazy about wine and really enjoy beer but I found that I had no desire for it as the challenge progressed.
Take a multivitamin 1-2xDay (as recommended by packaging)
After doing a little research, I decided to take a vitamin D capsule instead which I did daily.

Positive Adaptations were:
– leaner torso
– Increased energy, mood, confidence
– better strength on lifts and gas on metcons
– Decreased feelings of chronic inflammation
– Increased ablity to buffer poor sleep
– Better tissue integrity. Never felt stiff or achy

3. Based on your previously stated goals Where did you fall short on your challenge? What were the Negative adaptations you experienced?

Take 3 Fish oil Capsules 2-3x per day with meals
I started this really well but the last 3 weeks I’ve fallen off on it and ended up taking 4 capsules every other day.
Total training is 4 days per week
Although I hit all my squats and did a good amount of Group classes I didn’t train as frequently as I could have. I didn’t prioritize scheduling workouts as much as I prioritize scheduling other work related duties. 
Don’t use fruit or juice as an excuse to eat lots of sweet carbs
I didn’t do this at all the first month but did so a lot more in the middle and end of the challenge.  I think this really blunted the fat loss I experienced at the end of the first month but made the challenge feel more sustainable on a craving/emotional level. I felt like I was able to “cut loose” without leaving the reservation.  Orange juice, potatoes and berries were my go to sweet treats.

Thinking about it, I don’t think there were Any negative adaptations to this.  Psychologically I felt really pleased with myself and saw good progress despite not being as strict as I had planned.

4. What did you get out of this experience and what are your plans moving forward? On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that you can follow through with your plan moving forward for the next 8 months?

I really learned that not only could I do this stricter and longer than I’d ever done before, but I really learned what aspects of paleo were most important to me.  I think that avoiding gluten/grain is something I want to stay 100% with for the foreseeable future.  I suspect that taking it out of my diet contributed most to me feeling really energetic and healthy. Outside of my one exception (see below) I’m also going to do 100%  no refined sugar. I’ve got a sweet tooth and I felt really happy about the balance I found the last few months. I’ve found that fruit is a really good substitute for pastries and sweets.  When I keep things open, I end up eating unhealthy food more often than I’d like.  For me, I work better with specific, quantifiable parameters than I do with general guidelines and an assumption about my will power.

Ice cream (1xW)
Occasional Dairy (Lattes limited to 2xW)
Occasional French Fries, Corn Tortillas, Rice when I feel like I want to splurge (all gluten free)
Other than Ice Cream, avoid refined sugar 100%
Gluten Free 100%
Take Fish Oil Daily
Eat 3 meals a day, bias protein

I feel about 8.5 confidence that I can do this for the next 8 months.  I think it would only get easier the longer I do it. 

5. Please post any metrics that you’ve got out of this challenge (BW, clothes, inches, performance metrics)

January: Squatted 230x5x1, barely
February: Squatted 225×11

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