So I signed up for my next competition, Wodapalooza, which takes place on my birthday weekend in January down in Miami. I’m really excited about this, because it’s supposed to be huge AND it’ll commemorate my one year anniversary of starting CrossFit.
In anticipation of lots of burpees, I decided to get serious on my Paleo Diet and really try to cut out all the shit I’m not supposed to be eating, or at least bringing it way down. (White rice here and there, beans, cheese, Clif bars and dark chocolate, not in that order.. I type this as I just finished a clif bar, sigh, because I was hungry and haven’t had anything since breakfast.)
Anyway, my goal is to lean down a bit, about 20lbs by my birthday. I officially started back on The Whole 30 (Paleo Challenge) this past Monday, which gives me a total of 76 days to lose the weight. I’m not concerned about Thanksgiving or Christmas, because we really don’t do anything crazy anyway.
As of this morning, I’m already down a pound from my starting weight. My starting weight this week was my lowest weight since starting Crossfit and Paleo up until today. Eek! I haven’t been this weight since umm… I dunno, 2007? That’s when I really started gaining weight, when my Dad got sick, when Dave and I started riding our motorcycles everywhere, going out to eat a lot, and just not exercising much anymore.
Seeing that number on the scale is a motivator, and it’s kept me going all day today. 🙂 Makes my workouts seem even more purposeful, every bite of food I consume is eaten with intention, to fuel my body. I make decisions based on how I will function, operate and feel, and then narrow it down from that to what sounds good. (Some celery, a larabar, some prunes, a handful of almonds, or.. if I’m not that hungry, how about a big glass of water instead? Or some of my BCAAs? Maybe I’m feeling sluggish or hungry because my muscles are recovering right now, or because I’m thirsty.)
Tonight we had chicken and some chicken sausage, and I made a spinach salad with bell peppers, tomatoes, balsamic dressing and some slices of mozzarella cheese. It was awesome! I made Dave some white rice which is great on his stomach, and it’s gluten-free, so it won’t agitate any heartburn or acid reflux.
Food is everything.. I’m becoming sooo aware of this, even more so now as time goes on. It’s really amazing. I feel like I’ve been given a secret to great health and longevity, and yet, when I am asked about my diet and how I’ve lost the weight and I try to explain it to others, they sort of shut down because they focus on all the negatives (all the things to avoid, when the question arises). Everyone feels like shit but nobody’s willing to change anything. Talk about frustrating! I see people eating garbage; processed food, refined sugars, starchy, gross foods, and as a result they feel like garbage, all sluggish and whatnot and I want to be like “STOP!!! Don’t you see what you’re doing to yourself!?!” But it’s not my role or place, and people can only help themselves if they truly want to make changes.
Anyway.. didn’t mean for it to go in that direction, but that’s how I feel.. seriously, it’s like a veil has been lifted. I love it. 🙂 This journey has been incredible so far!