The Zoners

Xanna, Myself, Jennifer, Nicole, Lacey, and Jennifer Barham had already left.


This is a sort of Zone support group, but I don't really want to call it that because it's not like we sit around and cry. It is not a pathetic sob story gathering. It is a fantastically fun and encouraging group of Crossfit athletes that are learning to eat smart and want to share and learn with others along the way! So we will be the "Zoners!" We watched Nicole Carroll's video from the Crossfit mainsite, "Nutrition: The Teeter Totter"

We talked about how we individually tweek the Zone to fit our schedules; the Zone and diabetes; foods we like to eat on the go; and a lot more. Whether you want to know more, have wisdom to share, or are just up for some good company with fellow Crossfitters, come join us again this Saturday at 11am (BYOL= Bring your own lunch). :)

Post:
- any topics you would like to see discussed next week.
- how the weekend went with the Zone
- any favorite recipes or zone foods

We'll also watch another video next week. This one will be with Dr. Barry Sears of the Zone and Tony Budding of Crossfit.

Hunger Strikes

Last night I went to bed hungry. Today I woke up hungry, ate breakfast, still felt hungry, and feel hungry now! I think that on days I don't exercise, 10 blocks a day works for me. But on days that I do, it is not enough. This is the conclusion I have made for now, so I have added that block in today. We'll see how the day pans out. It is quite a contrast to be hungry! Last week I couldn't remember what that felt like!

Ok, Let's Be Honest- on Motivation

Here's another thought I had today as I reread my goals for this redo Zone excursion: I don't have any performance goals, I mean as far as what I do in the gym, and honestly, those are not my priority. I want to feel good in my clothes dad gum it! (sp?) This drives me. Maybe my goals SHOULD be about performing better on WOD times and loads. But really, I think that my motivation to do well in the gym comes from my motivation to feel good in my clothes, in my skin. I know that muscle burns fat faster and is healthy to carry, a healthy look. I want to be healthy. I want to be fit. I want to feel good. I want to be the best that I can be. So if anyone wonders why I didn't put performance goals down, it is because I know that it is part of the whole process, it is fun, but it is honestly not at the top of my list when I think about why I Zone. It is a natural consequence that I enjoy. This is a journey and maybe my motivation will shift. I don't know if it the healthiest frame of mind, but I am just being honest. Motivation. What's yours?

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