Let's remix this business...

I've said in more than one post that 365 part two is too restrictive, and I've decided once and for all that it is.  Let's remix this business -- extra points to the person or people who know what movie that's from.

Here's the plan. I am going to kick it old school with The Zone.  For those of you who don't know what The Zone is I suggest you check out Dr. Barry Sears' website. In a nutshell, The Zone advocates consuming calories from carbohydrates, protein, and fat in a balanced ratio of 40:30:30 -- 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat.  The Zone is Dr. Sears' term for proper hormone balance.  I could geek out on your here, but I suggest you check out his website instead.

My husband and I ate on The Zone from 2006 through 2008 with great results.  I am not going to lie, this nutrition program is tedious.  You have to weigh and measure all of your food; I am literally counting the number of almonds I consume.  The Zone forces me to measure accurate portions of food for my activity level and current body fat, which is perfect for me since I have an issue with portion control.  If you CrossFit, this is the diet most often prescribed by trainers.  The other awesome thing about The Zone is I can eat gluten, dairy, and sugar if I want, I just get smaller portions.  I think The Zone will help keep me on track with my goals, and it is FAR more sustainable for the long term.

A friend recently asked me, "Why can't you just eat in moderation like the rest of the population does?"  Good question.  The easy answer is that I've tried that and it doesn't work for me.  Far too often I slip down the rabbit hole and make terrible food choices that result in bad habits and body fat gain.  The hard answer is that I don't know why that doesn't work for me. I wish it did work, it would certainly be easier.  That being said, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition programming.  While moderation may work for my friend, it doesn't work for me.  And while The Zone may work for me, if may be far too structured and tedious for someone else.  My advice is to keep trying until you find something that works for you, in life and in nutrition.  

August cheat...

I broke down last Friday and used my August cheat.  I ate a York peppermint patty, a few gluten free / dairy free Oreo-type cookies, fried okra, and a drank full strength sweet tea.  I ate and drank these delicious things throughout the course of an entire day, not in one sitting.  Oreo's and okra don't really go well together.  The only thing I ate that I would have considered a cheat during 365 part one was the fried okra. Otherwise, I would have eaten everything else happily and gone along my merry way. You can see by what is listed above that I have a teensy tiny problem with sugar.  This is obviously something I have to work on... still.

I've decided that my new program is too restrictive.  I'm not sure if I am just being a whiner who wants a constant flow of chocolate entering her system, or if it really is too restrictive.  I am leaning toward the too restrictive side, although I do love chocolate.  I am not really sure how to remedy this.  I could add dark chocolate back to the mix, but I am not sure if that is the solution.  What's funny is my "food is fuel" husband thinks it is too restrictive, and if he thinks it's too restrictive, it probably is.  For now, I am going to try to keep pushing forward -- although images of ice cream are currently dancing in my head.  Maybe 365 part two will get easier with time or maybe I will have to figure something else out.  Only time will tell.

Seven days in...

I'm seven days into my new program (365 part two), and I feel pretty good. When I was eating off of the plan, I was tired, lethargic, bloated, and always hungry.  Those symptoms have gone away for the most part.  It hasn't been the easiest seven days though.  I am seriously craving chocolate... I mean really, really craving chocolate.  And on day one of my challenge, I helped a good friend celebrate her 30th birthday at one of my favorite restaurants.  It wasn't easy watching everyone eat bread, pasta, and bread pudding.  To be more specific, it was pure torture.

I am allowed one cheat day each calendar month, and I almost used it yesterday.  Since I am still hanging onto a couple of pounds of water weight from my ten day free-for-all, I figured I should probably wait until that has left my system to enjoy my cheat.

One day at a time.  That's my recommendation for just about everything challenging in life.  Take it one day at a time.  Eventually, you'll look up and things will be easier.

Day one of my challenge was Rebecca's birthday (middle).  Please excuse our scary eyes and my strange pose.  I apparently think I am some sort of supermodel.

The new plan...

What happens when I eat what I want for ten days, you ask?  I gain six pounds!  WHAT?!  I realize most of that is water weight, but it is good reminder that I need to properly fuel my body.  Last year's 365 challenge was not just a fun challenge to do, it was a lifestyle change that I want to continue.  That being said, read below for what the next 365 days have in store for me.

Beginning on August 1, I am going to restart my 365 day challenge from last year.  We will call that 365 part one (I realize I am a nerd, there is no need to point it out).  365 part one is going to be coupled with a new, more restrictive plan.  365 part two is going to consist of the following:

• No gluten
• No dairy
• No sugar - this is where I am going to get more restrictive.  I've said many times that I have an issue with sugar.  During 365 part one, I allowed myself to eat dark chocolate, gluten free / dairy free baked goods, soy ice cream, vegan treats, and half sweet / half un-sweet iced tea.  Those items will not be allowed during 365 part two.  They were not supposed to be allowed during part one either, but I am weak.  
• No processed foods - I am not going to get crazy on this and say I won't eat anything that's processed.  I'm not a complete nut.  I am going to eat salsa and jarred tomato sauce.  Throw me off the island if you must.  I just don't want to eat products that have ingredients I cannot pronounce or recognize. 
• Portion size counts - I am going to be very conscience of portion size.  I don't need to eat as much as my husband, although that sounds like fun.  He outweighs me by forty pounds and trains like an athlete.  He needs to eat 4,000 calories a day (this may be a slight exaggeration), but I don't.      

I know what you're thinking, "What the heck are you going to eat?!" Whole foods.  No, not the store.  Fruits, vegetables, meat / protein, nuts, seeds, etc.  I will allow myself to keep my iced tea k-cups, because I am not a robot and let's be honest, I'm addicted.  I am also going to allow myself one cheat day per calendar month.  I think having one cheat day per calendar month will help me stay on track -- and somewhat sane.  Here we go again!

The aftermath...

In the aftermath of my 365 day challenge, I have eaten the following things:

An entire box of Kraft macaroni and cheese
A pint of Ben & Jerry's Red Velvet Cake ice cream
A blueberry muffin
Several homemade chocolate chip cookies
A pepperoni, mozzarella, and ricotta calzone
A Kit Kat bar
A large sweet tea
A Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich

I need to eat a Firehouse sub and some Five Guys and then I'm tapping out.   I may die if I continue eating this way for too long.  I feel terrible. Eating has turned into a horrible job that I dread.  Food doesn't even sound good; I'm just eating junk because I can.  My stomach is in a big knot, I'm exhausted, sleeping poorly, and foggy headed.  I did PR on a couple of workouts this week, but that's because I was blowing off some steam.  Today's workout was awful and left me nauseous for hours.

The bottom line is I need to go back on some type of program soon -- like in the next couple days.  I also may start a new challenge.  As soon as I decide exactly what I am going to do, you will be the first to know.  In the meantime, I will be eating myself sick.  I'm obviously a glutton for punishment (pun intended).

365 days down...

... zero to go!  It's been 365 days since I began this crazy challenge.  Can you believe it's been a year?  Can you believe that I made it a year?  My answers to those questions are no and no, just in case you were curious. When I started this challenge, my bity baby was seven months old.  He's now a 19-month old toddler.  Oh how time flies... excuse me while I wipe my tears.  

Anyway, here we are a year later.  Let's recap... I was not supposed to eat gluten, dairy, or large amounts of sugar during the past year.  I think I did quite well, only cheating eight times.  Eight times in 12 months is quite respectable as far as I am concerned.  I am shocked that my number of cheats was not higher.  I will admit that I ate more sugar on a day to day basis than I originally intended.  As I have admitted in the past, I have a small addiction to sugar.  This is something I am going to address in the next year, possibly in a new challenge.

As a reminder, this was me a year ago:

Height – 5’8”

Weight – 160 pounds

Body Fat Percentage – 27% *

Drumroll please....

These are my current stats:

Height – 5’8”

Weight – 145 pounds

Body Fat Percentage – 22% *

* As a reference point, 25% body fat is considered overweight and 30% body fat is considered obese.  The average woman's body fat is 33%, while the average man's is 22%.  

I am quite pleased with where I ended up!  I would have liked my body fat to be 20% or below, but I will take a 5% body fat loss and a 15 pound weight loss any day.  At the beginning of this challenge when I visualized myself on this day, I saw a lean, muscular woman.  I am not quite as lean or muscular as I had hoped, but I am getting there slowly.  I have learned throughout this process that body fat does not melt off quickly.  There are no tricks or magic pills.  Hard work and dedication are the only ways to get there.  I am patiently trying to reach my goals, and hope that one day I will be that lean and muscular woman.  In the meantime, does anyone know the phone number for Papa John's?

My unhealthy obsession with the scale...

I weigh myself obsessively every morning, letting the number the reads across the digital scale dictate my mood for the day.  I know it's just a number.  I know it's unhealthy and stupid and self-destructive, but I cannot stop myself.  However, over 4th of July weekend, something wonderful happened.  I didn't weigh myself... not one time.  This is mostly attributed to the fact that we were in Tennessee spending time with our wonderful family, but it is also because I made a conscience decision not to.  I sat around my mother-in-laws kitchen table and ate and laughed and felt loved.  I didn't count calories or enter my food consumption into the LoseIt program on my phone.  I just lived.  And had fun.  And cheated by eating cookies, brownies, rice crispy treats, and chips.  And when I weighed myself when I got home, I'd lost two pounds.  Lesson learned.