8-2-09 Keepin' It Real- Day 3 on the Zone

What am I going to be real about, you wonder? Hormones and flavor. Don't run guys, this is for you just as much as me. Evan has spoken to many of you about how the Zone is creating a balance of hormones in the body. I don't know the details, but I know we all have hormones and they can be in balance and we feel great or they can be out of balance and we feel irritable and cranky and tired. In the car this morning, I apologized to my son, Jack, for be a bit cranky yesterday and this morning. He said, "Yeah, you have been, haven't you?" That made me smile. He picked up on it, too. It is not my womanly time of the month, I simply am coming off of my sugar highs. Sunday I had 2 of those chocolate chip cookies they give away free behind the deli door at Sam's Club (terrible to take more than one, I know). Recognize that my normal train of thought is: "Two cookies for the entire day- that's all the sugar I am having- good for me!" "THE ENTIRE DAY" Herein lies a major problem! I eat sugar every day, probably! So, day 1 I had headaches, day 2 I got moody, and today I've had a good cry. By moody, on day 2, I mean that I felt good energy wise and I could think clearly, however, at the end of the day nothing was funny- none of my kids' goofing off. And I had less patience with them as well. This morning I did not have much patience. And I had a good cry just by thinking about something that I don't always cry about (but I am talking about serious kinds of family stuff here). I am not saying that everyone will experience this at Day 3 of Zoning, but I am saying that if you do, that is pretty normal, too. I am keepin' it real for you! I tried to explain to my kids in the car this morning that my body is used to having sugar and I am not giving it any- none! I passed up a dark chocolate covered breath mint today! Who does that?! She thought I was crazy. I said, "I'm just being real strict right now." And I am, I don't want to mess up the precision of reading my body's reactions to the foods and portion sizes I am eating.

Today is also a day that didn't start out just right. I had to compensate for waking up too late. I didn't have time to cook my usual breakfast. Minutes were of most importance. So here's how it went:

Kids' breakfast: Smoothies: Greek vanilla yogurt with strawberries and a banana and milk. They loved it, wanted more, but didn't get it because we needed to get dressed and get out the door. Sam ate honey greek yogurt and half of a banana.

My breakfast: 1 cup of milk= 1 block. Coffee with 1 block of fat (1/2 and 1/2). I am a bit confused whether or not I doubled up on fats since I drank 2% and not skim. I need to figure this one out since milk is a good on the goer.

Post WOD: Felt fine, had energy for the workout, no sick tummy. :) I ate a 2 block meal on the go of lunch meat and 1/2 cup blueberries and a small apple that I packed for the road. This finishes off 3 blocks for the morning. (I eat 11 blocks: 3,3,1,3,1)

Lunch @ 1:30 at home: I cooked boiled eggs (10 minutes) and mixed 2 with 1 block (1 oz.) of leftover tuna. I added 1 tsp. of real mayo (=3 blocks of fat), salt, pepper, and cumin- yum! I microwaved 1 block of broccoli (2 cups raw=1 and 1/4 cup cooked) in a steamer bag and only ate it with salt and pepper! Real food actually has good flavor! I was glad to find out I could enjoy it without covering it up in butter! And this is only because I really wanted to add the mayo to my tuna/egg salad. Also, I cut up a cantaloupe, which I will also need for dinner or tomorrow's breakfast. One fourth of a cantaloupe= one block! If you haven't tried the microwaveable steamer bags, you must! They make eating healthy quick and easy! (I should do a commercial, right?) I love them so much that I am afraid they must be bad for me somehow. Combine a plastic bag and the microwave and I am surely getting cancer, right?!

There are advantages to being able to eat at home. I realize this. So if you can't, notice that boiled eggs are something you can take on the go, as well as lunch meat and fruits. Veggies with individual packs of dip. You definitely need an ice pack to put in your lunch bag. Although, the men of our family like beef jerky. And we are never without our jar of whole almonds!

Kids' Lunch: roast beef rollup (lunch meat version), a banana, a mix of raisins, almonds, and dried apricots, milk. Sophie (age 5) prefers cashews, but I don't have any right now. I kept staring at it wondering if it was enough. Evan thought it was, so I wll find out today when they get home. They always have a snack at school. I often send Sophie with a Clif Kid Organic Z Bar. I buy a box of 24 at Sam's Club for $10.

Dinner tonight will be Meat and 3. I get why that is the magic number. If you have a meat and 3 veggies, then you are pretty much having a balanced meal. The older generations had it right all along and here we are having to reteach ourselves! If you are lucky, you grew up being taught this. But it seems to me that many people have lost sight of a good simple meal these days. It is too easy to not have a garden and eat from it. I am thinking about my great grandmother who lived in West TN and fixed her family of 8 meals straight from the garden and hen house. That was her job- to grow and prepare food for her family. That's hard work and that's what we simulate at Crossfit! Are you with me!!!!!!

ok, I must go do chores now...