2knuckleheads.net » Health

Whole 30 Wrap-up

becki — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 04:27:20 +0000

OK, I made it and it wasn’t so bad. In fact, I rather enjoyed it except for the occasional cravings. I had cravings for sugary drinks on and off for the first 2-3 weeks, but they are completely gone now. The worst part was missing a margarita or beer on the weekend, but that wasn’t too bad either.

So I weighed in this morning 6 pounds less than I weighed 30 days ago. Not bad considering all I did was take out sugar, grains, beans, and dairy out of my diet.

I had a celebratory meal tonight and enjoyed the margarita, but didn’t like the tacos and ate very few chips. I found the tacos to be heavy and overbearing. These are the same kind of tacos that I’ve eaten and enjoyed dozens of times. I guess my tastes have changed.

This experience has shown me that once you get cleaned up, you’ll find that you just don’t want the stuff that made you sick in the first place. It’s my job to make sure that I don’t get hooked again.

Whole 30 One Week to Go

becki — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:38:07 +0000

I’ve got 4 days to go on my Whole 30 challenge and I’m wondering what’s next. I’m ambivalent about the end because I’m looking forward to having some of the things that I couldn’t over the past month, such as a margarita. On the other hand, I know that I need to eat this way the rest of my life. Letting things back into my diet on a special basis can quickly lead me back to old habits. That’s going to be the tough part, and what’s been the tough part in getting healthy.

What I’ve learned so far:

What I thought was “once in awhile”, or “a little bit”, were neither.
I’ve learned that it’s a lot easier to be compliant than it is to balance eating what’s good for me with what isn’t good for me.
The sugar cravings are less frequent, but still come if I don’t eat promptly
I really don’t miss dairy or grains
I’ve noticed the U.S. really favors sandwiches for lunch.
I have a long way to go before I get healthy, and I’ve just started.
It’s worth the effort.

How I’m Succeeding on the Whole 30 Program

becki — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 19:07:19 +0000

This is my second go ’round on the Whole 30 program and I’m 13 days into it. This is about as far as I made it the first time before I decided that I wanted to eat some forbidden carbs. This time it’s different and I thought I’d share what I’ve learned.

How to Succeed on the Whole 30 Program

Stay fed. As long as I stay fed, I’m nearly impervious to cravings or temptations.
It all starts with breakfast. I found that if I miss or have a lousy breakfast, the rest of my day is off and it’s tougher for me to make good food choices.
Eat enough fat. In addition to eating promptly, I found it very important to eat enough fat. For me, avocados and olives are a good source of fat.
I prefer skinless, boneless sardines. I was unfamiliar with sardines so I’ve tried a few varieties and found that I really enjoy them skinless, boneless in olive oil. I often eat them straight from the tin with a few olives in the mid afternoon, especially if I’ve had a salad for lunch.
I need to have good choices easily available. I’m not great at preparing my meals ahead of time. In fact, I suck at it. Fortunately, my new office is near a cafe and a small grocery store that offer excellent Paleo choices for lunch and for snacks.
Eat starchy vegetables if you exercise. I need more calories when I exercise, so eating a sweet potato after exercise helps me get more calories and feel full.
Stress makes this more difficult. Last time I tried this program, I was in a miserable work environment and one of my reactions was to seek sugary carbs for comfort.

There are a couple of things that I’m still finding tough this time.

I still occasionally want to drink sugary drinks. I still want a Chai Latte or a sweetened tea drink. I’m finding that annoying, but not debilitating.
I really want to weigh myself, but I think it’s really smart to wait until the 30 days are complete. Not seeing the results on the scale can be discouraging and can cause us to decide this really isn’t worth the effort.

Is it Worth It

Yes.

Why

My goals are to be healthier as measured by my blood test results and my fitness results. Avoiding the foods that have been slowly poisoning me seems like a great place to start.

Learn More

Rested and Ready to Get on with It

becki — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:04:55 +0000

This was one of the most relaxing holiday seasons I’ve had in as long as I can remember. I didn’t have to open a new hotel or two and prepare to support the visitors to the CES show. I just went to work and came home to do what I wanted / need to here. I used the time to do my Crossfit workouts and managed to practice my Wing Chun too. On top of that, I got to see some movies, have lunch with friends, and went to Titus Canyon with Maria, Geff and his wife, Lisa.

A funny thing happened on our Titus Canyon trip. We planned to meet Geff and Lisa for lunch at KC’s in Beatty. We bumped into (literally) Stits in Beatty at the gas station. He was doing some photography work in Death Valley and was gassing up before heading back to Vegas. We invited him to join us for lunch. Geff hadn’t seen him in about 4 years since we all worked in the same place, so it was mini-reunion of sorts.

I really enjoyed the rest and am ready to get on with what’s coming up. Work will keep me busy of course, but I also have the last 8 weeks of coursework remaining for my MSIA degree, and my teaching duties at ITT. My biggest challenge will be staying focused on my revised diet (veggies, meat, fruit, nuts, little starches and no sugar) and my Crossfit workouts. It requires me to keep up with my obligations – including those to myself – and to avoid procrastination. One of the quotes I’m using to help me with this is:

The poor, the unsuccessful, the unhappy, the unhealthy are the ones who use the word tomorrow the most – Robert Kiyosaki

Here’s hoping that all of you have time with you families, friends and passions. And don’t forget to take care of yourself so you can be around to take care of each other!

Now I’ve got to run to Trader Joes to stock up for the upcoming week.

Knee Verdict: Plica Syndrome

becki — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:16:36 +0000

I got good news from the doctor: Plica Syndrome and not something worse. The treatment is physical therapy.

Now a bum knee

becki — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:29:01 +0000

My shoulder finally healed well enough to start doing Crossfit again, but it had been almost two months of little to no exercise, so we decided to do a week of the official Crossfit warm-up, which is a pretty good workout in its own right.

Samson Stretch (do the Samson Stretch once each round for 15-30 seconds)
Overhead Squat with broomstick
Sit-up
Back-extension
Pull-up
Dip

That went well and I was looking forward to starting the crazy workouts again. Last week I played in a golf charity event and found that my knee stiffened, swelled and began to hurt. I’m sure this is just a rest of my youth catching up to me, but it’s clicking and locking and I can’t ignore it, so it’s a visit to the doctor tomorrow. I’m looking to get a go no-go call on knee involved exercise.

In the meantime, I’ve continued doing the official warm up, but avoiding or reducing the number of squat reps depending on how my knee feels.

We’ll see what the doctor says tomorrow.

On Crossfit Sidelines

becki — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:31:14 +0000

A bit of whining.

It’s been about 3 weeks since my last crossfit WOD. My shoulder is hurt and I don’t want to aggravate it. I’m not sure what is wrong or if rest will be the answer, but I’m giving rest a shot. If it continues to hurt, I’ll have to have it looked it.

The really frustrating thing is how I hurt it. I was trying to do a kipping pull up and about pulled my arms from their sockets. Stupid, and if I need surgery to fix it… Oh well, no sense worrying about things until I have to, and I made it through the day without pain. Yesterday I almost passed out due to the pain, so the jury is still out.

400m run, Kettlebell Swings, HSPU 090622

becki — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:59:23 +0000

3 rounds for time
400m, Kettle bells, HSPU
Puppies:
3 rounds for time of
run 400 m
15 kettle bell/dumbbell swings, 15-25# (20#)
9 HSPU (or progressions)

Severely regretted today’s meal choices…

12:05

Crossfit: Why No, I Don’t Need My Shoulders, Why Do You Ask? 090619

becki — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:17:49 +0000

HSPU, Bench Press, Push Press, Bench Dips

Holy crap! Started this as a Puppy, but had to downscale to Buttercup after 2 rounds:

Buttercups:
Complete as many rounds in 12 minutes as you can of:
Handstand push-up Progression 3 reps (progression)
Bench press 15-25 pounds, 6 reps (15# dumbbells, then 8#)
Push press pvc-15 pounds, 9 reps (15# dumbbells, then 8#)
Bench Dips 12 reps

6 rounds even

1 Mile Run & Allergies

becki — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:42:36 +0000

Ran 1 mile this morning then spent the rest of the day sneezing. I don’t know if it’s the cats or something else, but it was a rough day for breathing.

Ran the mile in 11:04, about 30 seconds slower than Friday. I felt slower too, but my legs were more rested then they were on Friday. Kinda weird.

Crossfit is Hang Power Snatches, and I practiced those, as I did them poorly the other day.