So we all know that saying, "Better late than never!"
...Yeah.
I just realized it's been 5 months since I updated this blog. 5 MONTHS!
In the last entry, I promised that I would update once I returned from vacation. Let's all just pretend that I was on a fabulous extended 5-month vacation, and we can all be super jealous of that fantastical getaway. I know I am.
What I've really been doing these last 5 months is continuing my search for the illustrious "big girl" job, keeping up with and maintaining my fitness (more on that below), getting engaged (!), and feeling super guilty for not sharing it all on here.
I'm still doing CrossFit, and I'm still loving it. I participated in my first competition at the end of September, and it was everything I hoped it would be--competitive, fun, difficult resulting in a sense of accomplishment, and a chance to meet more people in the CrossFit community (an aspect of this type of "workout" that I really think sells it--the fact that it is a largely a community-based effort). I hope to continue CrossFit from this point forward with competition goals in mind. I think it would be amazing to qualify for one at a national level.
In terms of nutrition, as some of you may know, CrossFit is all encompassing in the fact that it stresses fitness as a result of diet. The main site (www.crossfit.com) preaches the Zone Diet, while my own box prefers to support the paleo way of eating. Paleo is short for paleolithic and essentially tries to emulate the way man ate pre-agricultural era--meaning no grains (crops), dairy (domesticated animals), or legumes (toxins). Looking back at my 2,000 Calorie Day entry, it amazes me how I've basically done a complete rewire on how my brain (and stomach) views proper nutrition. I probably wouldn't eat the majority of what were once staples in my diet.
Of course that's not to say I was wrong with my previous methods. They worked for me. I lost weight and learned portion control and calorie-counting--opening my eyes to how much I had been eating before. However, I no longer track calories. I don't go for low-calorie, carbohydrate-laden snacks. Instead, I now eat high fat, high protein (carbs only after a workout--at least that's the idea). A snack to me now is a handful of almonds or a cold chicken breast from the fridge--options that wouldn't have fit into my strict calorie calculator of days past.
No longer do I subscribe to the 6 small meals a day, needing carbs for energy, eat whatever you want in moderation newsletter. Instead, I eat when I'm hungry, use healthy fats for fuel, and don't eat things that make me feel like crap. It's enlightening... and so much simpler!
We did a body composition challenge at my box (CrossFit-speak for gym) the month of September. Prior to this challenge I was anti-paleo. It went against everything I'd been taught as woman on how to lose weight. But then I realized I'd also been anti-CrossFit, because I thought it would be too hard, and look how well that was going! A 6-week challenge was nothing. What's 6 weeks of your life?
The day before the challenge began we were all dunked in a tank of water (individually) and tested for our body fat. It's called hydrostatic body testing, and you can read all of the science, etc. behind it here. My beginning results were:
Dry Weight: 183.4 lbs
Wet Weight: 5.61 lbs
Body Fat %: 19.7 (which I was very surprised by!)
Weight of Body Fat: 36.1 lbs
Lean Body Mass %: 80.3
Weight of Lean Body Mass: 147.3 lbs
After 6 weeks of solely changing my diet (exercise and sleep levels were the same), my ending results were:
Dry Weight: 182.2 lbs
Wet Weight: 6.16 lbs (I became denser)
Body Fat %: 18.2
Weight of Body Fat: 33.25 lbs (I lost 2.85 lbs of fat)
Lean Body Mass %: 81.75
Weight of Lean Body Mass: 148.95 lbs (I gained 1.65 lbs of muscle)
This may not seem like that dramatic of a change, but I also noticed it in the things you can't measure. I had more energy, especially during my workouts. I was less winded, less sore, and less icky feeling in general. It's amazing how crappy you can feel all the time and never realize it because you think it's the norm. I calculated my calories one day and was surprised to find that I was actually eating MORE--by about 400-500 calories a day, but they were calories my body could actually use.
Seriously, I'm a believer now. Diet is everything.
And not to mention, I now strongly believe that the scale is detrimental to your weight-loss efforts. Prior to all of this, I was so caught up in getting back to my high school weight--170 lbs. I was also very hestitant to post concrete numbers on this blog of how much I weighed. 180 lbs. seems like so much (especially when doing body-weight deadlifts during a WOD)! But now I realize the number has virtually nothing to do with it. I'm back at a size 10 and wearing medium shirts (my size in high school)--and even some of those things are a little loose. But more than any of that, I feel better than I ever did and have much more confidence to boot.
Besides, if I were to make it to 170 lbs. (not saying I won't!), my body fat would be 12-13% relative to my composition now. In high school, at that weight, that's definitely not what I was working with, so why stress about the number?
I have more important things to stress about--like planning a wedding. :) Thank goodness losing weight isn't one of them!
