Power Clean
Warm up to slightly above work weight.
Post loads to comments.
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“Hollyman”
30 Rounds for Time:
5 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
3 Handstand Push-Ups
1 Power Clean 225/155
Today’s hero WOD is a long one and a doozy. Our Comp team did it recently and average times were 25-35 minutes. The low rep scheme makes these movements and weights attainable but don’t let that fool you. The full WOD equals: 150 Wall Ball shots, 90 Handstand Push-Ups, and 30 Power Cleans at a heavy weight. You can scale height and/or weight on the wall ball so that they don’t eat you up too much. 1 or 2 AbMats is ok, or the sub for Handstand Push-Ups today is Push-Ups. The barbell should be heavy, up to about 85% of your best power clean.
Post time and Rx to comments.
Who loves rowing during Crush Week? Dan, Chris, Eleanor, and Rich do!
- Don’t miss CFSBK’s Star Wars movie marathon this Saturday, starting at 3pm. Come dressed as your favorite character and bring along Star Wars snacks to share. We’ll be showing movies 4, 5, and 6
- The new Training Cycle begins Monday, and the upcoming template is live! You can always access this information in the left-hand tab under Member Resources.
The 2016 Look Feel Perform Better Challenge Info Session and Q&A Meeting
It’s that time of year again… New Year’s Resolution time. While we believe it’s best to make choices in accordance with your goals and values all of (or at least most of) the time, we recognize that many of us use markers like the beginning of the year to kick-start positive changes. This year’s Challenge will follow a similar model to last year. There are two levels that you can choose to participate from.
- With Level 1, you’ll focus primarily on food quality and eating from a large spectrum of whole foods (lean proteins, veggies and fruits, whole grains, and legumes). This is a perfect place to start if you’re new to healthy eating or are having to re-learn what that means for you.
- With Level 2, you’ll be tracking macronutrients and focusing on eating particular quantities of them, adjusting along the way as necessary.
This year is a longer Challenge than we’ve done in a while—12 weeks instead of just 6. The reason behind this is that while extreme actions can bring rapid results, we’ve seen this often result in a “crash” where the individual rebels against the limiting factors of extreme dietary challenge. We’d rather you have more inclusive food options and change a few manageable things over a longer period than change many things for six weeks only to get lost in a haze of bagels, beer, and chocolate cake once the Challenge ends.
Who? The entire CrossFit South Brooklyn Community.
What? A 12-week challenge meant as a collective kick-start toward healthier nutrition and recovery habits.
Where? Right where you are. You’re encouraged to organize “rest day dinners” either in your homes or out at restaurants with fellow participants. There will be twice monthly (non-mandatory, but helpful) LFPB Challenge Meet-Ups at the gym in addition to the online forums that you can look to for daily support. The key to success is not sweeping immediate change but rather consistent practice each day.
When? There is an Info Session and Q&A on Wednesday 12/16 at 6:30pm in the Annex, where Kettlebell Kitchen will be serving free food! Here we’ll further outline the Challenge and answer any questions you have. The dates of the Challenge are from Saturday 1/2/16 through Saturday 3/26/16. We’ll also be hosting a Community Potluck Dinner on 1/23/16 where you can meet and greet with fellow SBKers and sample some delicious ways they keep on track with their food choices.
What will I need? For Level 1, only a desire to begin to make better food choices. For Level 2, you’ll need a food scale and a set of measuring cups and measuring spoons since you’ll be measuring out servings of lean protein, clean carbs, veggies, and fats. Whichever level you choose you should plan to do a bit of food shopping and prep beginning the first week to make good food choices easy.
Why? To look, feel, and perform better! And, for some sweet prizes!
Wait, did you say prizes? Yes. The grand prize for both the men’s and women’s category is two months of FREE unlimited training at CFSBK, a $530+ value! There are also 2nd and 3rd place prizes for the men’s and women’s categories. Last year there was more than $2000 total value in cash prizes and gifts including a free month of dinners from Kettlebell Kitchen, gift cards to Lululemon, grass-fed steaks from Herondale, and lots of other great stuff too. This year looks to have more of the same awesomeness.
Additionally, Kettlebell Kitchen is extending a 15% discount throughout the Challenge to all CFSBK members who are participating!
Alright, you’re in? Great!
How To Participate:
Complete the following steps by January 5th in order to participate and be eligible for prizes:
- Sign your name on the big list in the community area of the gym.
- Buy-in of $30 cash, given to Front Desk staff.
- Answer a few brief questions and submit your “before” photos according to the guidelines on the Look, Feel, Perform Better website (coming soon). These entries are private will not be published or seen by anyone other than us without your consent.
- Perform the Test WOD and record your results.
- Track points earned daily on the spreadsheet based on how well you’re complying with the guidelines and submit 4 and 8 week check-in submissions.
- Complete your Post Challenge submission by 3/28/16 at the end of the Challenge.
See you at The Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge Info Session on December 16th at 6:30pm in the Upstairs Annex!
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How Harry Trained Harvard Rowing Magazine (this piece is about Coach Nick’s rowing coach at Harvard!)
Did you participate in last year’s Challenge, or a Challenge from years past? If so, how did it go?
hold on to your butts, folks. this workout is something else.
6am w/ Jess & JB
30:11 @ 165#. Frustrated. Started out with 185 on the bar, but drop down to 165 after the 8th round. Early arm pull and rushing the clean was my demise. 165 was too light since I was able to grip and rip, almost a muscle clean. Maybe 175 would've been more appropriate. Wall balls were quick and never a problem. First 29 rounds of HSPU unbroken with rounds 1-12 strict followed by kipping. Last round all singles, not sure what happened there.
6am w/ Jess & JB
24:43 @ 199# with pushups. All unbroken, no misses, pretty consistent throughout. I potentially should have tried a bit heavier, but I think Rx'd would have been too much. Amusingly, I was so jacked after each clean that the first wall ball often went to 12 feet.
Snuck into the 7am class to do this one. Thanks, Jess! Definitely a doozy.
30:30-something. Power cleans at 135#. All wall-balls and hspus unbroken, with a pretty quick turnaround. Marked off my rounds on the whiteboard and got chalk on before each clean to build enough rest to make sure I hit each one. Only one weird fail around the 7th round, but I was definitely starfishing more than I was getting underneath the bar. Kept a very consistent pace; kind of wanted to cry around round 22.
Images that will haunt me as I fall asleep tonight:
-The wall-ball repeatedly hitting the 9 foot target
-The "Rogue" logo on the Go-Mat on which I did my hspus
-The 10 foot target market across the gym that I looked at as I did my hspus
-The endless tick marks on the whiteboard on which I counted my rounds
-The chalky barbell I looked down at every time I set up my clean and prayed that somehow I could get it up to my shoulders.
Hollyman Rx'd – 33:01
This was mostly a mental one for me. I never felt like I was going to fail anything, but at the same time I felt like if I pushed my pace too much, I would get to failure. So it was kind of a delicate balance.
Lower back was lit up by the end (probably from over-extending on the HSPU and then pulling on the PC). Did a little release with the lax ball before I went home and fixed that up.
6am
Finished this in 32:08.
Wall Balls – actually the easiest part of this for me. All smooth and unbroken.
HSPU – Lately I have been feeling a sharp pain at the bottom of the movement between my scapula so with all of this volume I wanted to be smart. First round was three strict and I felt a slight twinge. Second round was three kipping and it hurt worse. So I just decided to swallow my pride and do 1 HSPU thereafter. This might be a hand positioning thing.
PC – at 185# this was the right weight. It was heavy and commanded a proper set up but I was never in any danger of failing.
Two more Crush Week workouts to go!
I have done the LFPB Challenge three or four times. I always see a huge difference in body composition. Great way to start off the new year.
So happy to see this challenge is 12-weeks instead of 6 and more focus on clean eating over "paleo"!
Gunna be honest about my experience to offer some advice for anyone competitive like me!
I'd never been on a "diet" before, but I really wanted to "win" the paleo challenge so I could get two months of free gym! I combined level 1 (being paleo) with the internet ("how many calories should I eat a day to lose weight? 1200.) and ended up losing a significant amount of weight (for me) and lots of body fat. I was counting calories of vegetables, lean protein, and *some* fruit. Basically no carbs (like, not even sweet potato), very little fat or sugar, and no alcohol for 6 weeks.
Sounds good, technically, but when the challenge was over I had definite body dysmorphia. I still thought I was "fat" when I was the thinnest I'd ever been. The day the challenge was done I ate about 6 scones at the paleo potluck (exactly what you're talking about up in the blog!) and then I really struggled reincorporating normal eating habits. ("Do I ever in my life get to eat a carb again if that's what it takes to be thin?") If I did eat carbs or sugar, I'd exercise super hard the next day in addition to crossfit in order to "make up for it" for the next couple of months following the challenge. Honestly, I still can't logically assess what I look like and I still struggle with feeling guilty about eating!
That's why I am very excited to try level 2 and think about macros (NOT counting calories or cutting out clean carbs!!) If you're someone who eats pretty healthy already (oatmeal for breakfast, grilled chicken wrap for lunch, sushi for dinner) then be VERY cautious if you choose level 1. You might lose weight, but develop a whole bunch of neurosis in the process. Now, if you're eating a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich/popeyes meal/fettucini alfredo for your daily meals…level 1 might be a good place to start!
It didn't even start as me wanting to lose weight (I just wanted free gym!) but definitely morphed into some messed up mental stuff that is STILL a part of my psyche! It's really not worth it… what kind of a life is that!? A 12 week challenge to focus on macros and developing logical responses to food and my body image are definite goals for this year's challenge!
Allie–if the attention paid to food and calories in level 1 messed with you, I would probably think carefully about whether the macro tracking in level 2 will be the healthiest thing for you. Issues with food and control don't just go away, and you'll probably have to be careful about triggers for a while. I think this is a great challenge and I don't want to dissuade you from participating if you think it would be good for you–but I do think that you've mentioned a certain relationship to food that might not be the most conducive to a challenge like this. I struggled with eating issues as a teenager (10 years ago), and I still would never do any program in which I had to track what I ate too carefully. If you ever want to talk to me about what works for me (not saying it would work for you, but it might be helpful), you know I'd be happy to chat. 🙂
6am with Jess and JB
Finished in 33:54, scaling to push-ups and 123#.
WB: I had to no rep myself a few times on the wall balls, with one that didn't touch the wall and two others that just hit the line, but otherwise they were easy.
Push-ups: I was pleasantly surprised that I only failed one push-up and it was the last rep. I had grabbed an ab mat thinking that I wouldn't be able to do strict the whole way, but that volume is much easier when it's 3 at a time.
Cleans: I wasn't sure how heavy I could go doing 30. 123# is 75% and as Jess noted, I could've gone heavier. All of these felt pretty dialed in.
I'm looking forward to the challenge this year. I was sick for the month of January last year with a cold and sinus infection, so hopefully I can avoid that this year.
6am with Jess and JB
22 rounds at the time cap with 165#. This all came down to the HSPU for me.
HSPU were all strict and next cycle I will be learning how to do these kipping. I decided to start off with no ab mats to see how far I could get. After two rounds I said F that and grabbed the abmat I set aside for the next 13 rounds. Round 15 I failed twice on the first HSPU so did the walk of shame to grab another abmat. Finished the remaining rounds unbroken after that.
Power cleans were pretty easy and should have tried 175#
Wall balls were very easy and unbroken
Allie — I had a very similar experience, and emphatically agree with JB that adding MORE restrictions is EXTREMELY unlikely to be beneficial.
7am with Jess & JB
27:12 @ 135# with regular pushups. Gave myself a few no-reps on the WBs but otherwise felt pretty good. I think it's finally time I learn how to do HSPU. Goal for 2016.
Rando question for past LFPB Challenge participants: I'm interested in trying out Level 2 (I'm already pretty good about my choices)…but I have a mini fridge at home. Like a dorm-size fridge. So it doesn't fit much / kinda forces me to grocery shop on a meal-to-meal basis, or get market-prepared foods for lunch or whatever. Am I going to go crazy grocery shopping on a nightly basis, or are things not as bad as "food scale" makes it seem?
I'll also be totally honest and I hate to be negative in any way about this because the LFPB challenge is a great thing for many people and it is developing and getting better every year.
I too developed a similar obsessive relationship with food and body dysmorphia from eating strict Paleo and when I did the Zone challenge, I was certainly the leanest I have ever been, but I was pretty miserable and I gained back the 10lb I had lost in about two weeks.
Now that I have been consistently tracking macros since April and there are no 'naughty' foods, I no longer deprive myself of anything and no longer go on starvation/ binge cycles. In my experience tracking macros, though it sounds constrictive, is actually extremely liberating and I can finally say at this point in my life that I have a healthy relationship with food and I kinda love my body too.
Looking forward to the challenge again this year, both running it and participating in it.
—
Haven't done any CrossFit for a few months since shoulder injury followed by back and knee issues. Been lifting and rowing only, but when a hero WOD comes around…
10am class
Hollyman
Rx'd
47:59
This was pretty tough, thanks to Jess who let me gut it out and finish. WB were all unbroken (plus about 10 extra reps due to a few missed targets) and kept my HR up. HSPU all strict and unbroken as well, no misses. Power cleans were, heavy. I knew going in that the Rx weight was going to be really tough for me, I think my best power clean is 235. My plan was to move smoothly through the first two movements and get set for each power clean like it was a 1RM attempt. This held up even if it did slow down (I was done with 15 rounds around the 20 minute mark). Unless it's entirely out of my realm of capability I won't scale a hero WOD. Something about them allows me to mentally settle in for a suck fest and almost treat them as NFTs.
QOD (from class)
May be oversharing here so consider this a warning…but it's at the front of my mind so here goes.
In addition to the few funny times I mentioned during DROMs today where I'd cried during physical activity, there have been others. I will sometimes get emotional and tear up thinking about my step-dad, Michael, who I loved very much and really shaped me as a man, in particular during a really hard workout like today. He loved to engage in physical activity, both solo and with my mother (exercising, skiing, hiking, diving, parachute jumping, body surfing, and just plain acting a fool with his two German Shepherds) and died not being able to do all that stuff he/they loved. Cancer and it's mostly horrific treatment took those joys from him, as they have from so many people. So, when I begin to feel like I might quit or scale simply to make things easier, I remember him and I push on in his honor. I can still use my body. Hero WODs make this even easier for me.
Matt held me tight. #bromance #twohandtouch #canadianham
Well, someone has to be the guy who follows up Fox's really lovely post with a pedestrian description of his workout. I'm willing to be that guy. (But really–thanks for sharing, Fox.)
Hollyman
Power cleans: 105 (73% of my max squat clean)
Regular push ups
Wall ball: 14 lbs to 10 foot target
Time: 26:40something
Honestly, this wasn't that terrible, which means I scaled too much.
Looking forward to the LFPB challenge. But I don't want to give up wine. Please tell me that wine is clean.
Charlie, Ariel, Allie, JB, *thank you* for talking about this.
I've been tracking macros now for maybe a month and a half and trying not to let it make me insane that neither my weight nor my measurements has changed one iota. (I have noticed I have a lot more energy in the gym, so there is that.) I bounce back and forth from being annoyed that I don't fit into any of my clothes from last summer/impatient to start a "cut" cycle, and trying to embrace that hey, maybe my body wants to be 150 instead of 140 and is that so terrible, especially given how good my performance has been on the slow lifts lately?
But as someone who used to be *significantly* overweight (think 50 or so pounds more than I'm at now), I get neurotic about small weight gains, because I always worry I'm on the slippery slope back to being borderline obese.
I'm not sure whether I will do the challenge this year. I have a feeling that adding on one more place to track my intake is just going to be crazy-making. But I'm hoping I can make it to the info session, so that I can ask some questions about how Level 2 will work this year and decide from there.
PS: Fox, amazing.
I think I will do the challenge. My lunch today was mystery dark meat with rice, a cliff bar and a big bag of Cheeze doodles. Had to hit the $10 bodega minimum. Going to go to Costco and buy as much garbage food as possible so I am looking loose for that first picture. Strategy.
Hollyman with pushups and 123# PC – finished in 27:30ish. I haven't tested by power clean in a while. Last time my max was 133, so I originally loaded the bar to 113#, but then self/peer pressured myself into 123#. As soon as I finished, Jess said I should have gone ten pounds heavier. Maybe next time. All I was thinking was "Don't fail" for each clean. Was pleased to do all push ups unbroken. It seems 3 is my lucky number – maybe try to work this into my Murph strategy.
I'm curious about the new challenge this year. I never participated in the past because paleo and pescetarian/vegetarian don't mix well. But maybe with this new focus on whole foods, I could jump in with this challenge. I can't make the meeting, so pretty pretty please make the info available electronically.
it might be worth noting that coming into the LBFB challenge with the hope that it will be THE THING that finally allows you to love the body you're in is likely a recipe for failure. No amount of creative accounting is going to get all those macros to add up to that. Probably gonna have to do a little more max-effort soul searching for that.
Or, when that fails, there's always Plan B: Getting The Body You've Always Wanted
12:00pm Group Class with coach Lady Fox
"Hollyman"
Completed 21 Rounds in the 35:00 cap
Wall balls as Rx'd
HSPUs all strict, did almost all of them as 2/1
Power Cleans scaled to (90kg/198lbs)
Im not sure how I could have gone much faster in this workout. It felt like I never really stopped moving except for the HSPUs which were the hardest part. In retrospect, I should have tried the cleans at 215. I dont think 225 would have been in the cards yet. Would like another crack at this one in the future.
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re: Challenge
It's important to know yourself and why you're engaging with a challenge as well as how you choose to incorporate it. I'll be doing the level 2 version because, and I know this may come off as a shocker to you all but I don't eat enough. I started counting my macros earlier this year and was surprised at how much more carbs and protein I should have been eating. After a couple months I noticed I was leaner even though I was about 70% compliant and felt like I was eating all the time. I sort of fell off with holidays and life, so I'm excited to get back on track. Putting in my macros into my fitness pal made me much more mindful of the decisions I was making and I felt much better doing it.
Both versions of the challenge this year leave much more wiggle room for interpretation and level 1 is less strict than years past with a focus on whole foods, including some grains etc. The bias is more towards whole foods, than paleo which makes it much easier to eat out, have more options and make better decisions.
PS. I'm excited to finally learn how to count macros.
I've participated in one or two past challenges, but that was a while ago now. Last year, I followed along with my own challenge to eat more vegetables and cook more meals for myself. I am a little curious about macros though…
I also tend to fall into the controlling, religious-rule-follower camp. For example: when I first started at CFSBK, I was basically a full-time Whole 30 person. But, of course, I took it a step further, just to be that much *better*. I didn't eat any fruit, starchy carbs, or anything off the "less desirable" vegetable list as defined by the Whole 30 people (yeah). Margie (Margie! <3) finally snapped me out of it by reminding me that eating a freaking apple wouldn't kill me. The Whole 30 people posted Carrot Train to Crazytown shortly thereafter.
Fox – thank you for sharing that story. I can hear the mindfulness bell ringing somewhere.
Makeup post from Weds
6am with Nick and McD
Thrusters
95
115
135
Hit them all and probably could have managed 145.
WOD
24KG, 20" box – 5? Maybe 6? rounds
Loved this. Seriously. It was my type of WOD. Just a long time of solo focus. The key here was rowing discipline in my opinion. Had to go russian on the KBs because of mobility issues in my left shoulder blade.
Finished in 29:24 with cleans @115lbs.
I worked out on Tuesday and Wednesday so I was a little nervous and probably scaled down too much today. Still, I didn't fly through the workout, which shows that I was right in scaling as I did. My back was too sore and my shoulders too fried to be a hero.
Much respect to Fox for gutting it out.
Moving post Fox – thank you. As I told the 6am-ers, last time I cried during exercise was running the NYC marathon to raise money for the Leukemia Society in the name of my mom, who died of the disease in 1980. That post brought it all back home.
6am: I'm going to see a PT about my shoulder so I bailed on HSPUs and did push ups, which felt kind of lame, because it's a whole different (read: much easier) workout. Still, it took me 34:40 to finish @ 175# for the power cleans. Props to Dan L for doing it Rx.
Hollyman in 23:45
12# WB to 9" target
Push ups
93# Clean
Been dealing with a very sore back since "Diane", so.. I played a safe hand today. In hindsight, I could have gone with 14# ball and 10 more lbs. on the clean. Overall, I am just happy to be pain free.. and set myself up to take on Sat/Sun workouts.
5:30 with Whit and Noah.
'Hollyman'
Scaled to 115# cleans and HSPUs to two abmats. It was a big fat DNF for me (womp womp) but I made the decision halfway through to stick with HSPUs even if it meant not finishing within the time cap. I managed 25 rounds and 1 wallball. I failed quite a few HSPUs but it was more of a coordination thing really as I was able to kick back up and get one straight after failing. I'm glad I pushed through as I really want to get better at these and I got plenty of practice in today.
7:30 with Ro and Noah
33:38 with 98# power cleans, 14/9 wall ball and 1-2 hspu with two ab mats per round.
One round I got zero hspu and just walked away. This was tough on the wrists !
even though it took a lifetime and I spent a long time staring at the wall, I'm glad I tried it with the hspu.
11am crash b's row:
2x20min, 5 min rest
-was supposed to keep splits between 2:20-2:28. Averaged about 2:24 for both.
6:30pm group class:
Hollyman: rx'd in 35:51
-holy cow was that hard! Wanted to stop after 10 rounds and every 5 rounds thereafter. Was secretly hoping I'd be further away from finishing before the cap but I was so close that Noah and Whit let me finish.
-that's definitely the most amount of reps I've ever done at 155# (either squat or power) and they weren't pretty. Had a really hard time dropping under them.
-wallball unbroken and every round of hspu's were also unbroken except for the very last round where I came away from the wall after 2.
-I always used to say that Morrison is the hardest workout I've ever done but I think this one takes the cake. Don't want to see this one again anytime soon. Thanks to all who helped me get through that last round!
8:30 w/ Ro aka Tall Dudes Class
Thanks for sharing the post Fox. All day I was thinking about scaling the HSPU's to 2 per round and doing PC @ 205-215…reading your post before pushed me to go for it.
26 rds – 36:30 Rx
Lower back is flaming hot cheetos right now and my sternum feels like I took a meat hammer to it for the last hour. Set aside the whining and I felt I kept solid form on the PC's throughout….Ro told me the same thing Noah told me in Diane on Monday which my brain didn't process, which was to push my head through on my way up on the HSPU's and I was able to move at a consistent pace tonight through the HSPU's.
Fun workout. Need to keep working on my HSPU form in prep for the open.
Lots of great posts today! Thanks for oversharing, Fox!!
WOD: 26:58
Wall Balls: No repped myself a bunch of times
Pushups- Started off with HSPUs but couldn't organize them after the first round. Made many attempts on rounds 2-4, then more attempts later on. Whit said my core wasn't tight which made sense bc my lower back lit up after the first round. Guess I'm still tired from Diane.
Cleans @103#. These were a mess, too. Didn't feel heavy, but my elbows were super slow and I was arching my back a lot.
My left shoulder seized up on the third or fourth round- I think from all the HSPU attempts. That's all I could focus on throughout the entire WOD which made it suck. Needed a lot of breaks to shake it out. Was worried I injured it, but felt fine as soon as I stopped using it. Rest day tomorrow.
Ellie, Charlie, and Asha killed the HSPUs!!
I did the LFPB challenge last year and had a great experience. I lost a few pounds and my clothes were looser afterwards. One major change that I have sustained is reducing my dairy intake. I used to put cheese on everything and eat yogurt every day. I love sour cream, ice cream, pudding….you get the idea. These foods in moderation are obviously ok, but I ate them daily. After the challenge, I now rarely eat cheese, never eat yogurt, and only eat ice cream in the summer. I do drink a post-WOD chocolate milk once or twice a week though, but will cut that out during this year's challenge. I sustained good eating habits all the way until I went on summer vacation (I'm a teacher). Then I had a little too much fun drinking cocktails and going out to eat with friends. Gained the weight back, but then lost it plus more when school started and I got on track again.
The reason I was able to maintain good habits after the challenge is because I didn't go to the extreme and eat 100% strict Paleo. It wasn't realistic for me. I had trouble getting enough carbs when I ate strict. How many sweet potatoes could I possibly eat? And with CF, well, I needed carbs. So on days with longer metcons, I would eat rice with my morning eggs when I got bored of eggs with sweet potato (BTW, both are really good if you add a homemade salsa or chimichurri on top and are super easy to prep for the week). The tracking system allowed me to "cheat" and still get points. I didn't have to feel guilty about rice or tortilla chips and homemade guac (I can live off of this). I don't remember the exact point values, but an example is you get 5 points for eating clean all day, 4 points for eating one item off and 2 points for eating an entire off meal. This was especially important over the holidays, birthday's, etc. Despite the ability to cheat and still earn some points, 90% of the time I made good choices when I "cheated" (i.e. rice or chips and guac vs. ice cream). I also blogged daily about what I was eating to keep myself honest and motivated.
I tried tracking my macros over the summer but used it as an excuse to fit ice cream in my diet, so I stopped. I also didn't measure my food which is really important when tracking macros. I have no desire to measure my food. This year, I will do level 1 because it worked for me last year…unless, of course, my mind is changed during the informational meeting. Happy the challenge is starting before Christmas bc my mom is an amazing cook and baker so I will make better choices over the holidays.
My advice to Allie, Charlie, etc. is to not make it an all or nothing food challenge because that's not realistic. If you keep that in mind, you will not deprive yourself, you will make mostly good food choices, and make progress that is sustainable.
Sorry in advance for poor writing and grammar. Need to finish grading exams so don't have time to proofread! 🙂
Thanks Kelly for this- in my case I want to reiterate that I have found the perfect balance and for me, that's tracking macros. If I hadn't successfully completed two challenges and Whole 30 (which was the thing that made me kinda crazy) several times in the past I would never have come to where I am today, which is much happier in a bigger, stronger body and eating lots of food I love 🙂
Oops, sorry Charlie. Will have to reread your post. Read it hours ago before I posted. Maybe you will be the one to convince me to count macros then. 🙂
Snatch 80%x1x3
253
CJ 80%x1x3
308
FSQ 70%x2x4
308