Faction or Failure?

Learning tends to happen out of necessity. For example, I have 3 kids who have to eat, so I MUST learn how to cook for them. From here, I learn how to manage my time in order to cook faster and healthier. I started out making chicken pot pies and waffles every week for Evan and I when we were first married, and now 12 years and 3 kids later, I have cleaned up my act to bit a bit healthier! I thought that I just had the "genes" to cook well, but soon discovered that it took practice. I will always be practicing...

So on that note, I have signed up for a Crossfit competition called "The Faction Games" in Memphis that will take place in 2 months. Will I be diligent with healthy eating in order to perform better then? I hope so. I have made it necessary to eat well if I want to perform well. This is a bit like buying the dress before you can wear it. That never really seems to be a good idea, so this may not either, but I do have a bit more on the line- my pride!

My plan is to eat 5X 2 block meals a day, drink water, take my fish oil (2 at each meal), and focus on increasing my strength at the Box. I may need to change my blocks to 3-1-3-1-3 . We will see... I want to get some body weight off, but eat at the same time! I think that push ups would be more feasible if I were carrying less body weight.

I really don't like to lock myself in to weight loss goals because it can become consuming. However, I think that with a short term goal (The Faction Games), it is necessary and will be gratifying when all is said and done. As with learning an instrument, or anything that involves technique to perform well, if you perfect each part, the whole will fall in to place. This is my concept as I train for the games...I can't fail if I try my best, right?

Fish Oil

While Evan takes his fish oil religiously, I am off and on with it just as I am the Zone! I have decided that the reason behind my fickleness must be because I don't really understand why it is good for me and what it is doing in my body. So, I have done a little research to send you in the right direction if you are in the same boat as I. Please add to the understanding of this topic if you can!

If you are interested in
1.loosing body fat
2.increasing good HDL cholesterol
3.lower triglycerides (bad cholestrol)
4.lower blood pressure- reducing risk of blood clots
5.reducing silent inflammation
6.reducing the risk of Alheimers or Parkinsons disease
7.reducing carbohydrate cravings

then read on about Fish Oil and the benefits of Omega 3's! (the following articles are taken from the Official Zone Website)

Fish oil Plus Exercise May Banish Body Fat

Anti-Aging in a Bottle

Understanding and Rating Fish Oil


Another motivating reason to be consistent is that your cravings for carbs will diminish when you have the right level of good fats. This means that if I take my fish oil, then my sugar, and specifically, chocolate cravings will subside!

Fish oil reduces carb cravings

Just in case you read the above article about reducing carb cravings and have wondered about the Atkins diet, I have done the it before, and found that it was a good way to loose weight initially, and then it actually adds back in healthy carbs (ie fruits and veggies). I personally believe that it gained undue criticism when actually it is a great way to kick start weightloss and teach people how to eat well. It promotes protein, fats, and heathy carbs. I do not recall how it differs from the Zone except that the Zone does not work in stages and the Zone measures portion sizes.

The following link is a great tool to figure out how much fish oil you need to take:

Fish Oil Calculator

With GNC's Triple Strength brand, I need 12 capsules a day. With the grocery store's Sundown brand, I need 36 a day! Quality does matter! They now have fish oil that is bottled so that you pour it in a spoon. It is even lemon flavored! This seems ideal- less processed.

So, start taking fish oil everyday. It sounds like your body will thank you!

Oatmeal: "Fast" Food Breakfast made at Home!

Oatmeal is a great food in that it is healthful and comforting. At times, I try to stay away from all grains because I feel better when I do, i.e. no bloating, better energy. So, with oatmeal, you don't need much for fuel. You'll get full fast. However, it serves as a base for a fast breakfast. And since in order to be faster (regular oats really aren't that much longer to cook), I have used instant oats rather than cooking regular or steel cut oats on the stovetop. This is a compromise in nutrition, but it still beats eating cereal! Try this recipe:

One package of instant oats cooked with less water than you'd prefer, for one minute.
Add 1/4ish cup vanilla Greek yogurt (high in protein)
dash of salt
bit of butter
pecans to your desire

Now you've got protein (if you can eat dairy), fat from pecans and butter, and carbs from oats. It would be easy to go over on fats, so watch out when you add the butter and pecans. The "Vanilla" yogurt gives just enough sweetness without adding honey or sugar or being too bland. Pecans add wonderful flavor and tecture. The butter adds to the creaminess and flavor, but could be eliminated. This can easily be a 2 block breakfast when using the prepackaged oatmeal.