Day 4

Well, I made it to Granny's and back and stuck to my prepacked meals! I just drank coffee at Wendy's. Now the challenge awaits to not eat the 100 calorie snacks that she sent home to the kids! I could throw them away, but it's not in my DNA to do so (ask Evan!). When I got home with the kids this afternoon, I ate my 4 o'clock meal 30 minutes early to help with the temptation. I like free food when it stretches out the budget, and I don't want my kids to feel deprived when they look around at other kids, so I inform them of whether something is a treat or not and I make sure they eat what is good for them before they have the treat, unless it is after school.

Anyway, this week is going very well for me so far. How to keep my head in game, motivated to make good choices and not feel deprived... this is the challenge soon approaching and I hope we can all give each other some insight this Saturday on that topic. Week one always goes well for me. I walk around saying, "Why don't I eat this way all the time! I feel so great!" Then week two, I overcome temptations, but by week three I am tired of self control and I find a reason to indulge. This is what I want to avoid this time. And thanks to an article that Bethany Willis, a family friend and fellow crossfitter from KY, posted, I see that I really have to address the heart issue that comes along with wanting to indulge. This is kind of scary for me because I'm not sure what I am going to find. I hope that I can make a mental breakthrough, but at the same time, I don't. You know what I mean? But, this article put me in that direction. It talks about the definition of "indulge", that it an unrestrained action. Unrestrained eating. Hmmm. I don't like that. That sounds yucky. Not very attractive. I don't want to be that. So then the question lies, is there ever a time that unrestrained eating is ok? Celebrations? What do you think?

If I cannot have restrain, then I probably don't need to reward myself with food... But I love brownies, cookies, icecream, and chess squares! I love chocolate. But here is the other concept that hit me hard this week: I am not simply a chocolate lover, I am addicted to sugar in the chocolate! I am simply a sugar addict! BUT, I have gone 4 days and not felt tremors or anything! I am not craving it right now. So what is the deal? Is the female cycle something that is really responsible for certain cravings? Or does my mental discipline only last so long? I know that when I am thoroughly stressed from the daily grind of raising children, I want to eat sugar. So, this article, taken from a book, that Bethany posted, really attacks the war within our hearts and minds. I hope to get the book in the near future.

Here are meals that I have eaten this week: 2 blocks every time
Breakfasts: always two eggs with toast and butter or fruit and then coffee with cream
Dinners: Mahi fish (meaty and bland, so it takes on flavor well) sauteed squash and zuccinni, or cooked spinach, and/or with sauteed nectarine, yum!; ham and sweet potatoes with nutmeg, maybe butter
Lunches or inbetween meals: Egg repeat (I cook enough in the morning to have later in the day. I just warm them up in the microwave- it doesn't bother me.) Fruits. Today I had a 2 oz. packet of tuna mixed with mayo, salt, pepper, and curry and then chopped up a nectarine and ate it with my tuna. It was good! I had a pear, ham, and coffee with cream. I also like to buy the precooked Tyson meat strips. Definitely not organic, but easy. Sometimes I have to pick my battles!

Hope to see you Saturday! Email me at satterfieldstudio@comcast.net or send me a message on facebook if you need directions to our home.

February 14th: To Cheat or Not to Cheat?

For some reason, Xanna and I picked today, of all days, to recommit to the Zone! So, I got my chocolate fix today! I just have to remember that it is not my tummy that wants the sugar, it is my tastebuds! Although I cannot explain it well, I have read enough to know that sugar effects how we think and feel and I am ready to feel better and think effectively (I enjoyed the pleasures of Christmas treats for way too long and now I have created a monster that must be tamed!) As much as I hate to use the term, I had an "ah ha" moment while watching "How it's Made" on the History Channel about chocolate: I am not really addicted to chocolate, I am addicted to the sugar that is added to chocolate! I anticipate that I will go through some withdrawals such as crankiness and tiredness in the first two days. So, here is my plan, using what I have in the kitchen right now. What's yours?

Eat 2 block meals every 3 hours: everything will be measured or weighed exactly
7am 2 scrambled eggs, 1 orange, coffee w/ half and half
10am 2oz. ham, orange, coffee with half and half
1pm 2oz. ham, celery and carrots with ranch dip
4pm 2 eggs, 1/2 english muffin, coffee with half and half
7pm 2oz. chicken in a salad with vinegrette

I love scambled eggs any time of day! They are a healthy comfort food for me! So, I have strategically planned to eat them in the afternoon, with coffee, when I would normally want something sweet to eat out of stress or boredom.

Here are my goals that I want to accomplish over the next 4 weeks:
-Get rid of the fog- Ever feel like you are not thinking fast enough or clear enough? I want sharpness of mind!
-Get rid of feeling bloated. I ate pizza tonight. Need I say more? Which goes hand in hand with...
-Decrease inflammation. There is a lot of inflammation in our bodies that we cannot see or feel. But when I quit the sugar, I actually feel less inflamed, and my tummy feels flat (as possible). :)
-Loose 6-8 pounds
-clear up my skin

So, if you are following this along, and/or even challenging yourself, not good luck, but good choices to you, too!

The What and When

7am Breakfast: 2 eggs, a piece of toast with 1/3 tsp.butter, and coffee with 1 tbs. half and half (sometimes I have fruit instead of toast)
10am Brunch: 2 oz. lunch meat with laughing cow cheese (1/2 fat) rolled up in the middle, more coffee and cream or almonds for fat, and a piece of fruit (apple or pear usually)
1pm Lunch: Same as brunch or maybe same as breakfast
4pm: same as brunch
7pm: some sort of meat that I have cooked, like chicken or ground beef or roast, with 2 blocks of veggies with 2/3 tsp. butter

I always overeat on fats, so I have measured the 2/3 tsp of butter every time!
Eating every 3 hours has kept my energy up!
Eating a balanced meal (protein, carbs, fats) keeps me from getting hungry between meals. If I didn't have my protein every time, then I wouldn't be able to make it 3 hours. The indicator that I need to eat is that I start to get tired before I actually feel hungry.
On day 6 now, and I've already lost 4 pounds!

Tuesday, November 9th: Starting Back on the Zone

I took a break from the tedious measuring involved with the Zone diet. For the most part, I ate "Zone portions" from what I learned when following the guidlines strictly. But many times, I decided that I didn't care, and so I didn't worry about it so much. Recently, I decided that I'd like to get off the extra pounds that haunt me. Exercise is no longer enough to burn the extra flab that I had hoped would just take care of itself. Don't get me wrong, exercise alone has tightened me up a lot and created more muscle and less fat. But something has recently clicked and I have decided that I want to reach that next step of fitness. I want to see better times and loads in my wods (Crossfit lingo for "workout of the day"). I want to not have to readjust my pants every time I sit down because of a mere 2 or 3 pounds that is comfortable around my mindline. I do not want to be a slave to my sweet tooth. So, I have buckled down and committed. There is no maybe. If it gets hard, I will just have to suffer through it! But I have gone strict for 2 weeks at a time, multiple times. This time, I will be committed for a month. I can't complain about the extra pounds or slower times in wods if I'm not willing to put in the time and really see what diet can do for me. Am I right?! I am reading a great book that encourages us to think about truth. What is true and what is not? It is true that I can be dedicated for a month. And then I hope to go another, and then another. But my goal is a month. If I give in, it is because I choose to give in, it is not that I can't do it. The mind is a tricky thing. I hope to fight this battle of determination vs temptation. Most of all, I have decided that I can do it, I will do it, and that is that! I have a plan, and I'm stickin' to it! (Check back with me and I'll let you know how it's going.) :)
Angela

Just when you think there is "no sugar added"...

A few weeks ago, I decided I would drink the highly recommended recovery drink of chocolate milk after my workouts. So, I bought Nesquick, "No Sugar Added" to mix with my milk as an alternative to the more expensive whey protein that can be mixed with milk or water. So it dawned on me today: what IS Nesquick sweetened with if there is no sugar added? The ingredients do not list any sort of sweetener that I am familiar with, so if it had not said so in parenthesis, then I would not have know that ACESULFAME POTASSIUM was a non-nutritive sweetener.

Here's what stood out to me when I read about it on Wikipedia, read more about it: "Acesulfame K has been shown to stimulate dose-dependent insulin secretion in rats, though no hyperglycemia was observed.[8]"

Basically, ACE K is like sugar, in that it leaves you feeling like you want or need more: it makes you dependent. It is not the sugar that you are dependent on, it is the insulin that your body produces when you eat sugar that your body wants. So, is "No Sugar Added" any better for you? You skip those calories, but not the domino effect of eating more than you need to eat, or eventually eating the sugar laden foods that you have tried to avoid. When it comes down to it, we have to accept the side effects of what we choose to eat. Chocolate milk every day was causing me to gain weight. I can't have chocolate milk without having the effects of sugar. Darn it.

Food as Fuel

Yesterday, I made granola and had to have some! So, for the first time in a long time, I did not have a Zone proportioned breakfast. My norm is eggs and fruit and some half and half in my coffee. And, I don't measure it every morning, I just know know out of habit. So, I ate granola with skim milk, which contain carbohydrates and protein. Fats were provided by the half and half in my coffee. Not Zone balanced, but not terrible. The granola was made with whole oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, and agave (cactus honey- a bit lower on the glycemic index than honey). I felt pretty good and was able to go a long time without eating. I had a bowl of tuna late in the day (mostly because I stayed out running errands all afternoon). I normally try to eat 5 smaller meals during the day.

Although I did not eat balanced Zone meals yesterday, I still had adequate energy. I think this may be because I did not exercise. On days when I work out, I need more fuel. I need to eat 1-2 hours prior to the workout so that I can not only have energy when I start my workout, but also persevere to the end and be able to have explosive movements when necessary. Then, I need to eat a post workout snack or meal in order to help my body recover and build muscle. I know this to be true, not just from what I have read or been told, but also because I feel it and see it. It is a subject I intend to learn more about.

I am enjoying "training" for the Memphis Faction Games. I think the journey is more of the point than the actual games will be. It is interesting to experiment with food in relation to what I need it to do for me. Food is taking on a new role for me. Instead of eating for fun or because I feel hungry, I have a game plan to eat what I know I need and not what I feel like having. Our bodies are really amazing and can be trained according to how we fuel it.

Today, I completed 30 kipping pullups! I can not do more than 3 in a row. When I started out today (after having rowed 1000m and completed 50 thrusters), I could do 2 at a time. Then only one at a time. As my arms fatigued and my hands got worn, I found that to swing out more allowed me to complete 2 at a time instead of one. I became more efficient. This was very exciting for me! To be so tired, but to be able to figure out how to do something better at the same time is a great feeling!



So what did I eat today?
Eggs and strawberries and coffee + half and half for breakfast,
tuna with mayo and a half of a tomato cup up in it and sauteed squash for lunch, and 2 sugar covered pecans,
1/2 a peanut butter and strawberry fruit spread sandwich and coffee with half and half,
WORKED OUT WITH "JACKIE" (the name of the workout that included 1000m row, 50 thrusters with 45#, and 30 pull ups),
and grilled chicken wrap with lettuce. mayo, mustard, and mozzarella cheese for dinner.

Some days I eat Paleo (meat, fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds), other days I eat Zone (portioned amounts of food), other days I eat Paleo Zone (portioned amounts of Paleo foods), and then days like today, I just try to be reasonable. Pick one and stick to it, you say? That is easier said than done- for me anyway. I find that they are all helpful and all have their place. In an ideal world with no temptations, I think Paleo Zone is the way to go.

Today is my third day to work out. Tomorrow will be a day of rest. Crossfit says that 3 days on and one day off of working out is ideal. This is how I am training for the Faction Games. And then, once a week, I am working out twice in one day since this will be the case in Memphis.

I love nothing more than to enjoy food for fun, but it is also fun to see how food can help me achieve my goals. I can easily become a slave to my favorite foods and not exhibit portion control. Anticipating how a food will make me feel physically, mentally, and hormonally has helped me to make better choices as I continue to exercise and train.

Summer CSA

Community Supported Agriculture



I have had fun with this so far and would recommend trying it at least once. When you sign up with a farm (I am with Rocky Glade Farm), you get a box of their veggies once a week for about 2 and 1/2 months. It comes to about $25 a box. You do not get to choose what you are getting, and this is the major drawback, especially when you mostly eat broccoli and spinach, as we do. But, this has been fun because I have had fresh garlic and onion to cook with all the time (I don't bother on a regular basis). I've had great big red tomatoes with basil! Fresh squash and zucchini. Yesterday, I had two types of cabbage and made slaw for the first time. Sometimes, I get stuff that I don't care for so much, like turnips or beets. BUT, if forces me to revisit some veggies that I started ignoring because I can't stand to waste anything! CSA. Try it sometime. Split one with a friend. I am. It will help our local economy and get quality food into your kitchen. You may decide it is not worth your investment, OR you may love a different way of shopping!

Also, the Stones River Market is a great way to buy local farm food via internet and pick it up at the same location every week.