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.

Want to Quit Sugar?

I have been trying to kick the sugar addiction for a while now. I just ran across this link that I think will be helpful. Mostly I am sad that it busted me on my coffee crutch. It says that caffeine disrupts blood sugar levels and is not a good substitute for sugar cravings. Then it lists two supplements to take to help with moods swings during the adjustment. I found that my mood was quit different and lacking that "good" feeling all week as I stayed away from sweets. I read in "Sugar Shock" that our bodies will have stronger sugar/bad carb cravings when we don't have enough healthy fats in our system (Omega 3's and 6's). So, this is incentive to take my fish oil on a regular basis. As far as giving up my coffee, I am going to have to gear up for that one. I think I will make sure I am in a good routine with the fish oil, then have the natural supplements on hand, all the while staying away from sugar, and then I will drop the coffee last. I was fed a wonderful meal tonight, that I couldn't turn down. Does anyone else suffer from not wanting to hurt someone's feelings when they hand you a bowl of homemade goodness? So for almost 7 days, I went with mostly no sugar (had some honey on Sunday, though) and began to feel a bit gloomy, all the while knowing that a good sugar fix would help. Now I will start again and hope that I can go for two weeks. If your like me, you have to learn to say no in a way you feel comfortable and confident about. Today, it was not even a mind struggle, it was the people pleaser in me. So, I will be interested to see how I feel tomorrow. I did notice that after my good southern meal tonight, I felt a pick me up like I had not felt all week. Earlier today, I felt lightheaded and then felt much better after I ate my lunch. Who going to argue that food is not a drug of sort?

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a common problem that many people are unaware of and doctors tend to overlook. It's symptoms range from anxiety to hunger to seizures. Hypo means low and glycemia means blood glucose (blood sugar). So, hypoglycemia, which was once labeled a disease is now labeled a 'condition' because it can be managed through dietary and lifestyle changes. This is good news as far as fixing the problem, but bad news as far as the doctors having an incentive to diagnose it- meaning that the doctors can't prescribe medication, therefore can't make $ off of this diagnosis. This is the point that Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C and Stephen Sinatra, M.D. make in their book "Sugar Shock". It seems like a pretty valid point to me. If you'll notice on the link above for hypoglycemia, the MayoClinic refers to treatment as lifestyle changes PLUS medications.

"...Reactive hypoglycemia is one of the most common and most misunderstood disorders in America today. For starters, many physicians assume that ailments such as mood swings, fatigue, and anxiety are manifestations of psychological problems. Moreover, hypoglycemia has been called the "Great Imitator" because its strange, startling symptoms-some experts list as many as 125 of them-can mimic a frightening array of diseases and conditions, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, neurosis, migraines, Parkinson's syndrome, chronic bronchial asthma, rapid heartbeat, rheumatoid arthritis, cerebral arteriosclerosis (hardening of the brain's arteries), menopause, mental retardation, alcoholism, hyperactive disorder, and senility." says Connie Bennett in "Sugar Shock".

If this raises your eyebrows, I strongly suggest reading this book and doing some more research. It has certainly caught my attention. I am becoming more and more convinced that refined sugar has no place in our diets.

Something Must Be Wrong

Either I have reached a new level of hormonal balance, or something is very wrong! I went to a wedding shower tonight and was completely ok with not eating any of the wonderful deserts! Ok, a little will power was involved, but I did not fight a mental battle the whole time I was there. I had water and some decaf coffee. Honestly, I was afraid that if I even had one bit, it would trigger the need for a binge, and I did not want to risk my recent 2 day streak of ABSOLUTELY NO SUGAR. I mean, no added sugars, no honey, no stevia, nothing to give me an abrupt insulin spike.

I have not been in a bad mood, but I have not been in a good mood either. This shows me that when I eat certain foods, I definitely get more of an endorphin release in the brain. I posted this morning that I felt a little out of sorts. I did have an afternoon slump, which I do not experience when I am sticking to the Zone. I contribute this to missing breakfast. But, this reminds me, that Robb Wolf, Paleo expert, believes in intermitant fasting. I will have to look into this subject more.
Oh, and I did not get a nap today like I had hoped, so....it's bedtime!

I highly recommend reading "SUGAR SHOCK!"

Morning Trail Run on an Empty Stomach

Today I went on a trail run before breakfast. I had enough energy, but I did not feel sharp, I felt foggy. You know when your eyelids just feel heavy, like you need to take your hands and smear your eyes just to wake up? I have felt like that, except my energy level was fine. I do need more sleep, though. It is funny how some days I can go on less sleep, and then all of a sudden it catches up to me. Less sleep for me is 6 or 7 hours. I really need 8 to 9 to feel my best.

So, right now, after having gone to the grocery store and put everything away, I am finally eating at 12:11. I haven't even felt hungry until now, but obviously my body did not wake up as well without food. I am having a bison burger on "sandwich thins" bread, with mayo and avacado. With unsweet tea (but it is sweet because of the sugar plum spice tea bag I put with the regular family size tea bags during steeping). And two fish oils. I am feeling better already and I think I will take a short snooze while Sam is taking his nap. My house is a wreck! But maybe I will have more energy to attack it after I rest.