Day 32: Reflections from a friend

Hi World!

In a few days (post visit by the fat tank) I'll be writing my reflections and summaries about this Paleo Challenge but I wanted to share something that was written by a good, small friend of mine I like to call Nugget =)

I especially think her last paragraph is BRILLIANT. . .Who ARE we really competing against?

Overall Metric Results- Down 5 pounds (a lot more tone in the belly area and a skinnier face and arms), my original body fat percentage 23.1%. I can't do the dunk tank this week but I was at 119 pounds October 2nd.

 

What that 5 pounds doesn't tell you, Pull ups are so much better, I was able to do 13 minutes in a pull up ladder without a hitch and the WOD last week with HDPU and Pullups was my favorite in a while. I hit my clean and jerk PR at 100 Pounds, hoping to be at 105 very soon, I got my Deadlift max at 175 (up 30 pounds from June), I don't want to puke nearly as much which I feel like is a huge step, and even though I hate running with a passion, I did a big race I didn't train for and actually kind of enjoyed it and did great speed wise.

 

HOWEVER, I spent most of the paleo challenge back and forth between feeling awesome and feeling shitty. I'd have about 2-3 days of awesome no set backs and 1-2 days of feeling like a dumpster rolled over my head (and the rest of my body) - My outside of the gym goal- sleep 6 hours a night. I did pretty well on this except for the last week (which I bombed like every other part of the challenge for the last week but I'll explain more later). It was amazing how much more energy you have with 1 hour extra sleep. I was a lot less sore, my WODs improved, and I continued to gain muscle AND lose weight... who knew... everyone besides me but still you get the drift.

 

Where I failed - I was pretty strict for the first 3 1/2 weeks (Except the occational tablespoon of ranch and/or buffalo sauce to help me actually eat my long lost nemesis, vegetables) the last week though I failed... I started the race determined to stay strict paleo, water, bananas, and almonds for me (beef jerky to help too) but as the race went on I started adding things back to compensate for the cramping- Gatorade was first, then peanut butter on my banana, then one piece of bread with Peanut butter and Jelly, then all down hill from there concluding the weekend with beer and bourbon. After that it was hard to get back on track- the last week I was at 70% good 30% bad until Halloween when again the shit hit the fan.

 

I think the hardest thing for me was realizing that one diet won't work for everyone. That first week, we had an email chain going on (Katy, Jaclyn, Lindsey, John, Chelsey etc.) and everyone else was doing awesome, everyone felt great and I felt like crap! I honestly did cry 2 or 3 times that first week, the detox was miserable and having caffine headaches turned me into kind of a bitch (I apologize for any bistanders to that). I missed dairy a lot and although I ate a ton of fruit, I still missed some of the "sugary" style food. I think from now on, a combination of primal and zone will be the best fit for me. I'm happy with my body (happier than I've been in a long long time) and energetic for the most part.

 

As for the main lesson: CROSSFIT IS NOT A COMPETITION! It's a lifestyle. I wanted paleo to be a competition to help kick my ass into shape, but hey guess what, its not, its a revolution, it's a way to rock your world and at the end of the day, you're the only person who you're competing against... you're the person you have to look at in the mirror, you're the person who gets in the dunk tank, you're the person who has to push yourself, no one else can do it for you. Its nice to have people for encouragement but at the end of the day, it's you and only you... NO ONE and I mean NO ONE else cares if I do extra weight besides me, no one cares if you do extra burpees in the back or push through an extra strength WOD, NO ONE should care... except you. Hold yourself to a higher standard, be your own encouragement, but don't be too hard on yourself when you mess up... find that balance and really make yourself happy (and if that involves a beer or a bowl of pasta every once in a while, enjoy)!