WOD: 4-21-09
1 pull up minute one
2 pull ups minute two
3 pull ups minute three
etc...
So, I had to leave early yesterday. I totally planned on doing the posted workout, but Koy and I got to talking, and then ran out of time. So, I did this workout until I had to leave. I made it through 7 rounds using the blue band before "crapping out" as Sam put it. After that, I used the green band. Started on 5, and then made it to 7 before I had to go.
Koy and I talked for a long time about diet and whether or not I was eating the correct amount. He thinks that I may not be eating enough. Which to me is a weird concept. For the past few months, I have been doing 3 block meals with a one block snack. I have felt great while being on this. Some days I feel hungrier than others, but you deal with it. According to www.zonediet.com 's calculations, I need to be eating 17 blocks a day. Wow...that is a lot of food. 17? Seriously? I don't know if I can eat that much. I plan on breaking this down into 5 block meals with (2) 1-block snacks.
I am not quite sure I am seeing the reasoning by telling us to eat more. I had been doing a total of about 9-10 blocks of protein/carbs a day. I do know that I have not been getting enough fat. Again, hard time justifying that I need to eat more fat. Yes, I understand that it is healthy fat, but still......
I am running into another problem. I have been getting good advice from all of the trainers. But what do I do when I have conflicting views? First, I don't eat beef. Yes, you read right, I don't eat beef. Never liked it since I was a kid. I realize that this cuts out a huge protein choice for meals. Most of my protein comes from chicken. I eat it about twice a day. One trainer says it's ok to have turkey bacon, and another says no. According to the ZoneDiet website, turkey bacon is okay. So, what do I do?
So, I will try this new meal plan. I still plan on having 1-2 cheat meals a week. We will see how this goes......
Currently Listening to: "Ghostchant" by Poison the Well
Amy, what did you use as your multiplier for the zone blocks?
ReplyDeleteRegarding turkey bacon, its players choice.
If you have to get most of your protein from chicken and fish then so be it. Make sure its free range and wild if you can. Will you eat pork chops?
Stay away from turkey bacon. Real food is always better. Does mechanically separated turkey sound natural and real to you? Eat turkey breast instead. You can still get tons of great protein sources without beef in your diet. Although you won't get the important amino acids contained in beef in other meats. Alpha Lipoic Acid which is huge in reducing oxidative effects and others are integral and are only found in red meat.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend trying different ways of seasoning and different cuts of meat to see if you can find red meat that you find tasty.
Also, I agree that from your diet log it doesn't seem like you are eating enough. You have nothing to lose by trying it. Give it a month or two and see how you feel and what results you get. Variety is the key to good nutrition. Whenever I start to notice a pattern to what I am eating I try very hard to break it for a while.
You are doing AMAZING, don't forget that. Keep up the amazing work. It's time for you to find the next level! You can do it.
Oh yea, one more thing. 17 seems a bit much. I recently calculated my zone blocks and 17 is what it recommended. If I had to give a random guess I would say 12-13 blocks. Try a couple weeks at 12-12-12 for protein, carbs, fat. Then try upping fat if you need higher energy levels. You can also reduce a couple carb blocks and sub 3x fat. So it would look like 12-10-18 if you reduced 2 carb blocks. Protein is SUPER important. You need to make sure you are providing your muscles enough to repair and grow. Muscle burns more calories than fat and will help increase metabolism.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback guys. Yes, Koy, I eat pork chops, I just don't know how to cook them. The only time I've had them has been when someone else cooks them. I just plugged in numbers on the website and that's what it gave me. I didn't have the exact numbers for waist and abdomen measurements, so I guestimated. Maybe that was where my numbers got off.
ReplyDeleteEric, Thank you for thinking that 17 was way too much! I honestly don't think I could have eaten that much. 12 sounds more reasonable.
What are other good fat sources instead of just the nuts? I really do appreciate all of the suggestions. Diet for me is the hardest part. Another question...which would be better for me...follow Zone with their proportions, or Paleo? I think that Zone will work well with my lifestyle, but then again, I also like it because it says I can have bread every now and then and still be okay....
Amy - I realize I'm out of league giving my 2 cents after these guys :) but I do have a couple of ideas for you.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, my initial reaction the very first time I read your blog was that it doesn't seem like you eat enough. I remember telling Tyler that right off, and he agreed. I know it's a weird concept, but if you are not eating enough calories, then you won't lose weight because you're sending your body into starvation and it will just hold on to everything, because it's not getting enough. Another weird thing - eating enough fat - this was a big mental hurdle for me since I was so used to eating a "low fat" diet. I used to aim for 15-20% fat and with Zone I'm at 30%. Seems high, but with the same amount of calories you do feel more full and feel better. Like Eric said, just try it. I struggle for ideas for variety too - what I do for fat other than nuts is olives, olive oil/light butter, guacamole, or almond butter. Also hummus/tahini is really good (but not paleo).
I'm the same way with protein too - basically the only thing I will cook is chicken. I've started doing ground beef (bunless burgers), but you could do this with lamb (more fatty, so less often) or buffalo as well. Like you told me, variety is key. How about veal? or any type of fish or shrimp or tuna steak? Ham? Pork? I'm trying to branch out in what I make. We should share recipes :)
Oh, and lastly, I am on 11 zone blocks, so there's no way you're at 11. I can bring you a tape measure tonight if you want to measure more precisely, but I would say at least bump it up a little. If you're on Zone and you're eating enough of everything, you won't be hungry, you'll be at the right calories, and you'll see more results (or so I've heard :) ).
Sorry, last thing, I promise! If you REALLY want to track it, I can lend you the bodybugg. You can see exactly how many cals you're buring and plug in what you're eating. You shouldn't have more than like a 400-500 cal deficit. I tried this for a couple days to test out the Zone's recommendations and I was eating right around 1300 cals (and I normally burn about 1800).
Good luck! I know you'll do great cause you work so hard!
PS - I'm also going to stricter Zone, not as strict Paleo just b/c it provides more flexibility, fits my life better like you said, and will help me make it a long term change!