Moment of honesty

I'm thrilled to be 20 lbs of pure lard lighter. 5.6% lost my first go around at Paleo. Not bad right?

Two weeks ago several co-workers even remarked on noticeable weight loss. That felt great. Last week I started noticing more definition in my arms and was consistently using a new notch on my belt. Again, felt great.

I should be thrilled. But I'm not.

Why? Because I've been stuck at this weight for the last two weeks. Up a few pounds, down a few pounds, up again. I've been burning up grey matter trying to figure out what in the world I've been doing wrong. I've only had one cheat meal for crying out loud. Was it my not eating enough last week? Didn't have an appetite as I was sick and missed a few workouts. Was it my apple almost every day that I started adding into the rotation? Was it the fish oil I started taking or the colostrum that helps me fight off colds, but has a little soy in it? How have I been screwing this thing up? (Can you smell the smoke from my brain?)

Thankfully had a little chat with Sheena today as I was hitting the rower and determined to move some heavy stuff (you're a life saver woman!). Maybe my body is trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing and if it can survive on this stuff. Maybe I have more cortisol running through my body as I've had a few nights of little to no sleep due to hacking up a lung or two. Maybe it's the stress of trying to make some wise decisions lately.

Bottom line: I like how I feel when I eat Paleo. I like cooking this way. I like this life-style. So even if the next 20lbs don't melt away like the first, I need to keep going. My body will just have to adjust to my will on this one.

I read a great quote this week from a guy I really respect (and share a birthday with): "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will" (Mahatma Gandhi). I haven't reached my goal of cleaning and jerking 125 lbs yet. I still can't do a pull-up. I still need much work on my snatch ... but I'm focusing on what's ahead, and tackling whatever gets thrown at me in the WODs and OLY as best as I possibly can. I trust that this will bring progress, just as I trust eating Paleo is more beneficial than any other way I've eaten over the last few years. (As a side note, a friend doing Weight Watchers just told me that they changed their point system and made it much more beneficial to eat the way that I'm eating. Maybe they are catching on?)

So where does that leave me? Tonight I'm having a cheat meal. In fact, I'm just not gonna care what I put into my body today. Then I'm back on it, because I want to be back on it. For the holiday's I'm going to let my standards be a little looser and not be so strict at every meal. Not planning on going over board, but if a homemade desert is offered me ... I'm giving myself permission to enjoy it. But only if I really want it. If someone offers me something I don't think is worth it ... well, then it's on a different spectrum on the F*** Off scale, and I'm going to remain steady in refusing to be guilted into eating these deadly foods (http://whole9life.com/2010/12/the-healthy-f-off-scale-version-2-0/).

There is one more anchor I'm choosing to hold on to: "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up" (Gal 6:9). This principle of sowing and reaping is one I've seen proven again and again my life and many others'. Living on a farm for a few years I became intimately acquainted with the fact that you don't sow and reap in the same season. Instant gratification rarely is worth it. This is one more reason to keep on keeping on. The harvest will come ... one day, I'll hit those goals. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but surely faster than if I went back to eating crap.



PS: I debated posting some pics, but don't want to cause anyone to hurl. I will say that the side shots actually do show how much belly fat I've lost ... and that makes me excited!

RESULTS

Final Results of the Paleo Challenge:

(In order from biggest loser down, only counting those who came to both measurement dates)

J-Po

Before:

LBM: 117

FM: 44

BF: 27.8%

After:

LBM: 123

FM: 33

BF: 21.4%

Change:

LBM: +6

FM: -11

BF: -6.4%

Yaz

Before:

LBM: 98

FM: 39

BF: 29%

After:

LBM: 97

FM: 33

BF: 25.9%

Change:

LBM: -1

FM: -6

BF: -3.1%

Doogie

Before:

LBM (Lean body mass): 173

FM (Fat mass): 36

BF (Body fat): 17.3%

After:

LBM: 177

FM: 29

BF: 14.4%

Difference:

LBM: +4

FM: -7

BF: -2.9%

Ashley

Before:

LBM: 106

FM: 38

BF: 26.5%

After:

LBM: 105

FM: 33

BF: 24.5%

Change:

LBM: -1

FM: -5

BF: -2.0%

Collin

Before:

LBM: 179

FM: 25

BF: 12.3%

After:

LBM: 180

FM: 22

BF: 11.0%

Change:

LBM: +1

FM: -3

BF: -1.3%

Dangerous

Before:

LBM: 126

FM: 39

BF: 24.1%

After:

LBM: 127

FM: 38

BF: 23.2%

Change:

LBM: +1

FM: -1

BF: -.9%

Laney

Before:

LBM: 105

FM: 28

BF: 21.2%

After:

LBM: 107

FM: 28

BF: 21.0%

Change:

LBM: +2

FM: 0

BF: -.2%

Dingo

Before:

LBM: 225

FM: 35

BF: 13.6%

After:

LBM: 226

FM: 34

BF: 13.4%

Change:

LBM: +1

FM: -1

BF: -.2%

GREAT WORK EVERYBODY! Everyone lost body fat and that is fantastic!

A nerds time to reflect

Congrats to everyone who stuck with this for the 6 weeks. Everyone did very well and lost body fat %. Alright, so I don't remember the correct numbers, but I went down from 17.3 to 14.4, and I gained 6 pounds of lean body mas while losing 8 or 9 pounds of body fat. When my sister and I previously measured our body fat before and after a previous paleo challenge I believe I lost 4%, but I lost lean body mass. I am pumped that I gained lean body mass while still remaining to be an adult mail. **Adult male > 200 pounds**.

I remained silent because I was trying new things during this paleo challenge. I am no stranger to paleo, but this is the first time I remained strict. Other times I would still drink and eat pizza once a week. This time, money talked and bullshit walked. I was stricter than comrade Stalin and his daily vodka regiment. I did not partake in booze accept during the pumpkin carving party at Moe and Drew's and one beer and tequila after Colorado USAW/XFIT event.

So what are my sweeping changes?

1. I cut out the booze. This is a no brainier. Sorry Yaz, you can't dance with the buffalo stance. I have used that song lyric twice in a day! I know what you are thinking, I cannot give up my booze. Why not? You can enjoy booze every now and then, but do not drink booze daily.
   
2. I ate real food. I did not use protein powders or any other synthetic foods.
   
3. I always ate a big breakfast. For those who don't like Breakfast, get over it and eat a large meal every morning.
   
4. I did not count calories or worry about my protein intake. I made sure I ate satisfying meal with protein as the center piece of the meal.
   
5. I left intermittent fasting alone. I had issues with this in the past and do not want to revisit.
   
6. I did not snack. I left the fruit and nuts at home. I ate three meals a day. This was very important as snacking can get out of hand. I would recommend increasing the amount of food eating for every meal.
   
7. I did not eat many fruits or nuts. Both are calorically dense. I would recommend picking up Robb Wolf's paleo solution. It has great chapters on how the body handles different sugars and fats.
8. I did not supplement my meals with paleo treats such as paleo muffins, paleo cakes, paleo pudding, etc. Only one weekend did I enjoy paleo crackers and a paleo pizza, but I would recommend staying away from consuming paleo substitutes to real food sparingly. And when I mean sparingly I don't mean Tiger Woods sparingly. I mean once in a blue moon.
   
9. I worked very hard on sleeping 7 to 9 hours every night. This ties back to the no drinking. Alcohol impedes sleep. On the weekends I would try to sleep in and shoot for 10 hours.
   
10. I worked hard on minimizing stress. I always see this guy on Cuyler Avenue around 8 or 9 pm in a business suit, smoking cigarettes, and looking haggard. He looks like a prime candidate for an early heart attack. While I enjoy my job, I am learning how to say no, and I prioritize my life accordingly.

Every small change I made was not that difficult, sure it took commitment and sacrifice. But, I feel it is important that everyone answer this one question. Why did you join the paleo challenge? My answer is simple. I want to live a healthy and independent life.

My goal is to get to 10% by July 2011. I will post a follow up on my new plan of attack. I am going to make some small tweaks during the next month and track my progress.