BACKGROUND INFO: For those of you who did not know already, I recently completed a 6 week Paleo/Performance Challenge at my Crossfit gym. The goals were to eat clean (meats, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds) and increase athletic performance levels by the end of the 6 weeks. If you want to see the original post about the beginning of the challenge, click here.
SO...there it is.
Changes? Yes, small, but significant enough to show improvement.
I wasn't expecting to see dramatic changes over the course of the contest. I'm happy with the results, because the fact that there were changes is something to take pride in.
The TRUTH!
So, did I stay true to Paleo the whole time? No, but I stuck with it to the best of my ability (God forbid I have cream in my Starbiz coffee when traveling with 20 college aged girls...I'm not a bad ass who can drink black coffee). I traveled close to every weekend during this challenge and consumed more than the appropriate amount of Larabars, and dried fruit/nut mixes. So, technically these foods count as paleo; it just wasn't the best representation of a super clean paleo diet. When I ate out, all food I ate was appropriate to the best of my knowledge, although I'm sure it wasn't 100% due to oils, and other shit used at restaurants.
CONCLUSION!
I really love the philosophy of eating within the Paleo diet. For me, choosing natural, whole foods that God put on this planet for us to all enjoy sits well with me. I like how aware I have become of the foods I consume and how the food makes my body feel; especially because I am already very sensitive to gluten. Will ice cream every now and then kill me? No. Would eating ice cream every night create havoc within the precious machine I call my body? YES. Our bodies are amazing machines; they are designed to produce strength, power, fuel, and all things that keep the body functioning at idealistic levels. My body functions well off eating clean, real food and that was demonstrated in my workouts and in the pictures. However, that doesn't mean my body will stop working for me and go into full on sabotage mode if I choose to indulge in a treat every so often. I stress to my clients to eat clean foods 80-90% of the time, and plan out their "cheats" in moderation. Eating like this is actually really easy. It makes dieting "black and white." You either can have it, or you can't. If it isn't real food, don't eat it. Will I stick to the paleo kind of lifestyle? Yes, but I will not limit myself from my mom's delicious cookies, or from a couple drinks with friends every so often. Life is too precious. Period.
Oh, and for all the people obsessed with weighing themselves and using BMI charts to see their progress...
There was NO change in my weight or in my body fat percentage. Hey numbers...screw you.
If you feel good in your sexy jeans, you have succeeded. If you post pictures of your half naked self on the internet, and don't want to die of embarrassment (well, maybe a little)...you have succeeded.
Changes? Yes, small, but significant enough to show improvement.
I wasn't expecting to see dramatic changes over the course of the contest. I'm happy with the results, because the fact that there were changes is something to take pride in.
The TRUTH!
So, did I stay true to Paleo the whole time? No, but I stuck with it to the best of my ability (God forbid I have cream in my Starbiz coffee when traveling with 20 college aged girls...I'm not a bad ass who can drink black coffee). I traveled close to every weekend during this challenge and consumed more than the appropriate amount of Larabars, and dried fruit/nut mixes. So, technically these foods count as paleo; it just wasn't the best representation of a super clean paleo diet. When I ate out, all food I ate was appropriate to the best of my knowledge, although I'm sure it wasn't 100% due to oils, and other shit used at restaurants.
CONCLUSION!
I really love the philosophy of eating within the Paleo diet. For me, choosing natural, whole foods that God put on this planet for us to all enjoy sits well with me. I like how aware I have become of the foods I consume and how the food makes my body feel; especially because I am already very sensitive to gluten. Will ice cream every now and then kill me? No. Would eating ice cream every night create havoc within the precious machine I call my body? YES. Our bodies are amazing machines; they are designed to produce strength, power, fuel, and all things that keep the body functioning at idealistic levels. My body functions well off eating clean, real food and that was demonstrated in my workouts and in the pictures. However, that doesn't mean my body will stop working for me and go into full on sabotage mode if I choose to indulge in a treat every so often. I stress to my clients to eat clean foods 80-90% of the time, and plan out their "cheats" in moderation. Eating like this is actually really easy. It makes dieting "black and white." You either can have it, or you can't. If it isn't real food, don't eat it. Will I stick to the paleo kind of lifestyle? Yes, but I will not limit myself from my mom's delicious cookies, or from a couple drinks with friends every so often. Life is too precious. Period.
Oh, and for all the people obsessed with weighing themselves and using BMI charts to see their progress...
There was NO change in my weight or in my body fat percentage. Hey numbers...screw you.
If you feel good in your sexy jeans, you have succeeded. If you post pictures of your half naked self on the internet, and don't want to die of embarrassment (well, maybe a little)...you have succeeded.
Congrats Bri! I especially love "Hey numbers...screw you. If you feel good in your sexy jeans, you have succeeded" It is SO TRUE!
ReplyDeleteI can totally see a difference! Great job!! I have been participating in a biggest loser challenge these last 10 weeks and as of now I have lost 19 pound (I still have a long way to go but it's a start). I think it is great that even though you are in such great shape you continue to challenge yourself! I absolutely know without a shadow of a doubt food is my biggest problem. I love working out but I lack a lot of discipline when it comes to what I eat and I also know that it is so important to eat right. Thanks for the blog :)
ReplyDeleteGREAT JOB, KATIE! Wow! 19lbs is AMAZING! Making the right choices when it comes to food is definitely the hardest part...temptation will always exist. Eat right most of the time, and give yourself a meal or a day where you can indulge a little. Plan out your indulgences...that way YOU stay in control of your health. :) Don't let the food control you!
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