Nutrition

This is the end....

Think I'll sign off after this blog entry...end of the line, nothing new to add and general malaise being the prime reasons.  Without going into the individual morsels going into my mouth, I'll say that the last 2 days and the next 2 will be largely like the previous 26.  I'm killing everything in the refrigerator and trying the intermittent fast thing about every day now and generally winding down.  

So, I believe I told you I'd reflect on this effort and try to come up with an ongoing diet plan which dovetails with my training and life.  Here goes:

The Whole 30 is pretty extreme.  It's really a cleanse more than an eating plan, even though many of the elements taught during the 30 are valid for an ongoing diet.  For me, no dairy is not an option.  I don't seem to have any adverse reactions to dairy and 1) really enjoy it 2) find the protein and calories hard to replace and 3) don't believe the evidence presented by Melissa and Dallas as to the evil of dairy to be anything more than anecdotal.  Dairy returns.  No legumes is really no issue for me...peanuts and peanut butter are really the only items I regularly eat anyway, so they may pop up from time to  time, but still will be a minor force in my diet.  No alcohol is just stupid :) I realize that it's no good and should be limited....noted....next item.  No sugar is, of course, a noble goal.  I will continue to strive to limit any food with sugar added; for the most part this is no more of an issue than legumes.  But if I want a piece of chocolate, I'll eat it.  Perhaps my goal will be to never crack out on anything.  The final, and most complex, issue is no grains.  I grew up in a bread-centric family and it is fairly ingrained (no pun intended) in me.  I can feel the difference when I eliminate grain...although it's relatively minor.  Limit and attempt to avoid seems reasonable.  Making choices that avoid pasta, extra bread and rice/rice-style products is probably gonna be my takeaway there.  I'll have some occasionally, but not incorporate into every meal, as I was raised.

I know I feel lighter on my feet, my body size gets smaller and I probably lose weight when I stick close to the standard CrossFit philosophy of food:

    Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.

As simple as that is, if you build meals and make choices with that in mind, you've solved most of your food issues.  When you have something important and need to break the routine...fine.  Do it.  Don't apologize and don't make it your new lifestyle.  After a sub-standard meal, return to the good food and move on.  I think as your body adjusts to a new homeostasis, you'll feel like eating the food that meets your goals.  Simple.  

See you at CrossFit.

Wednesday

Wednesday 26 October 2011 – Large breakfast…check.  3 eggs, shitload of veggies, leftover beef tenderloin.  Stuffed.  Waddled through the WOD and spent the day grazing leftovers afterwards.  Leftover chicken salad, carrots and celery.  Primal Pac.  Apple.  Leftover chicken and broccoli.  More leftover beef tenderloin.  Another Primal Pac.  Can’t eat any more…..refrigerator nearly empty of leftovers.  4 days to go

 

Tuesday

Tuesday 25 October 2011 – Gotta be efficient this am as I need to workout and get on a 1038 flight to Chicago….and I am NOT gonna workout at 0530, so it’s the 8:00am class for me.  Anyway, only ate a banana before workout, then back squatted.  Great squat day, as I took my time and got my hamstrings thoroughly loose and ready.  However, I left myself with no time for the WOD.  Guess it’s a back squat day, huh? 

Got home at 9 and left at 915.  Perfect, but no time to eat.  I decided to make this an intermittent fast day…like skip a meal and see how it goes.  After the flight lifted off and there was no food available, I got hungry.  What a shock.  Oh well, it was good for my will.  Got to Chicago and fought off the eating bug til about 2:00, then ate some macadamias and almonds and another banana.  Think I’ll try to make that last til dinner.  Foraging at O’Hare…sport of kings.

Nope.  2 Primal Pacs in the late PM and ½ cup of chicken salad when I got home at 1045.  Felt ok though…change of pace.  I foresee a large breakfast in my future….

 

Monday...:( But 7 days to go :)

Monday 24 October 2011 – Okay…both STL teams got a junk kick from Dallas teams yesterday.  That’s a sad doubleheader loss.  Oh well.  It’s Monday with 7 days to go.

Woke up and spent some time foraging in the fridge.  I had hamburgers leftover and need to attack those today.  So breakfast was a crumbled hamburger, green onions, bell pepper and 3 eggs.  Good start cause I was FULL.  Off to CrossFit.

WOD went well and I felt pretty strong.  Food is really no issue there I suppose.  I’ll have to look for excuses elsewhere. 

Lunch was the end of the burgers with carrots and spinach.  I’m growing weary of spinach, but it’s good for ya. 

After grocery shopping, I feel a bit happier about variety at dinner.  Behold…

     

New York strips and stalks of stinky piss.  That’s a pretty good dinner.  I love asparagus, but am continually amazed at how it treats my body.  In minutes, literally, I am producing foul smelling fluid.  I know there is a scientific explanation, but it still defies my belief.  I feel good and full and am gonna try to not attack snacks tonight as the Cards continue their quest for the Series.  Go Cards.

 

Jim...last week

Sunday 23 October 2011 – Forgot to mention my test last night…Nick had a buddy over to hang out and requested Chinese food for dinner.  No sweat says Dad.  Order up from China King (General Tso’s chicken, fried rice, egg rolls) and pick it up for them to munch on.  Let me tell you, the ride home was torture.  I’m generally a lukewarm Chinese eater…I can take it or leave it.  But on day 22, the smell almost overcame me.  I had visions of me lying on the side of the road in a Chinese food coma after I stopped on the way home and ate everything.  Thankfully, it didn’t happen and the guys ate everything, so no temptation from leftovers.  Whew.

Today was pretty quiet.  4 poached eggs and a banana for breakfast.  No workout, so that lasted me for a good long while.  Made pancakes for Nick and his buddy and those didn’t tempt me at all, surprisingly. 

I ate some chicken/turkey salad for lunch.  Worked on my kitchen for a few hours midday, so I didn’t think about food all afternoon.

I am tearing up everything in the kitchen and totally remodeling.  I’ve already torn out the wall between kitchen and living room and today was determined to take out the last cabinet and tear down the soffits.  That turned out to be a HUGE undertaking.  My Whittaker house is pretty standard and the construction is so-so, but the soffits were apparently designed to withstand the Zombie apocalypse.  I borrowed Matt’s sawzall and it was helpful, but TNT (the explosive, not the CrossFit gym) would have made it a much easier task.  It is, however, finished now.  I think the construction can now begin.

Snacked on a Primal Pac while watching the Rams get kicked in the junk by Dallas just before dinner.  Made burgers for the evening meal and cooked up spinach to go with it.  Of course Nick’s looked pretty good with cheese and a bun, but a burger covered with spinach is a pretty good meal.  I have, before, fried an egg to put on top, but didn’t think about it til it was too late.  A few almonds for dessert and I hope to call it a day.  

 

Cards Rock! I almost forgot I have 8 days to go!

Saturday 22 October 2011 – All right, this is how fucked up I am…. I woke up this morning excited for the Matturday WOD.  You know you’re a hopeless CrossFitter when that kind of shit makes your day.  Oops, I’m not supposed to say fuck or shit in this blog…sorry Kim.  So...no shit, there I am, sitting in front of my computer, thinking ahead to 9am and some back squatting when hangriness strikes.  Being the brilliant strategist I am, I immediately realize this next meal might, very well, make or break my morning date with the bar.  Hmmmmm…what’s in the fridge?  25 min later….

 

Now THAT’S what I’m talking about.  Turkey sausage and an entire avocado.  There is no way a breakfast like this will hinder my WOD.  And it didn’t.  The WOD went great.  Which is to say kinda okay, cause I’m just in kinda okay shape.  But I’m pretty happy with it and the food is a perfect compliment.  It’s really pretty easy to eat food which is correct for your health, when you’re at home in control of all variables. 

Now, I’m gonna sit around and imagine the booze-fest that is coming next Monday, the 31^st of October and the end of my Whole30.

No lunch.  Went to a cool place called Mile 277 (biker bar down in Sunset Hills or nearby) to see a band called Impala Deluxe.  The band rocked.   Anyway, I perused their menu thinking there had to be something I could eat, but only the salads were close, and they didn’t cut it.  Now, some people have no problem making every restaurant order their own special order, but I would prefer not to do that….particularly in a biker bar.  Ergo, no food.  Oh well. 

I came home and made the chicken and turkey salad I’d been imagining (leftover chicken, turkey, lots of celery, olives, onions, mayo, some pepper and cayenne). I ate approximately a shit-ton along with some carrots and broccoli.  That’s all the food I get today!  Oh yeah, the Cards stomped the Rangers like it was a football game….16-7!!!!!

 

9 to go....single digits baby!

Friday 21 October 2011 – Another day in the grind….No grazing last night.  Never felt really hungry, so I skipped it.  I do have to say though, Nicholas making a pound cake and waving it in my face was a great test of my willpower.  I owe him an ass-kicking. 

Got up early and pretty hungry.  Omelet with green onions and peppers with side of banana was just the ticket.  Ready for my day.  Glover had a core-killa WOD today and I did just fine. I even made it through a cash out and wasn’t starving yet.  Came home and ate a Primal Pac to hold me til lunch.  Perfect.

Lunch was  Llewylyn’s with Kim and Chris while we programmed next week.  It is gonna be a fun week, don’t miss it.  I ordered a chicken club sandwich with steamed vegetables.  Kim and Chris got to watch me rape the inside of my sandwich for things I can eat.  It was funny to set aside the ciabatta (?) bun and see the volume of what I would normally eat.  Nothing like skipping a football-sized piece of bread at lunch.  Pretty filling lunch and I didn’t even crave French fries.  But did eat a Lara bar in the afternoon.

I am grilling turkey breasts for dinner and will attack a pile of leftover broccoli, coleslaw and carrots for my sides.  Nicholas gets tater tots.  Dammit.  Ate an apple and some almonds and macadamias in the late evening and crashed early.  

 

Jim's Blog....Game 2 of World Series!!!!

Thursday 20 October 2011 – Man was game one awesome!  It’s impossible not to be a Cards fan around here!  (Sorry Jojuane!)  I’m sitting around waiting for game 2 to begin now and thought I’d catch up.  Nice, uneventful day…because I’m home and in control of my food again.

Breakfast – Made 3 egg frittata.  Hope I spelled that right.  Sauteed chicken, green onions, zucchini, spinach, green peppers and mushrooms.  Added to 3 beaten eggs with 1 tbsp lemon juice added and stirred well.  Put in glass baking dish and baked at 350 for about 30min (until eggs firm up).  Ate half before crossfit and the other half after.  Perfect pre- and post-WOD food!  Tasted great too.  I pretty much made it my lunch as well as breakfast.  Then kinda hung out til dinner.

Dinner – Beef tenderloin!  My favorite cut of cow.  Browned in olive oil.  Sauteed zucchini, green pepper, onion, green onion,  broccoli.  Added 2 c beef broth and put the whole shitterie in the oven at 450 for 30min.  Cooked perfectly and it was awesome.  I ate a bunch.  Now, try to watch the game and not graze.  Although I have some carrots that I will probably attack later while I watch Glover drink PBR.  Feeling pretty good though.  10 days to go….

 

Jim's Blog - catch up

Mon-Wed 17-19 October 2011 – Sorry, I’ve fallen behind because of this dumb trip I’m flying.  Weird times, back of the clock flying, no internet connections and dicked up sleep has me a bit off my game.  I am not gonna be able to remember all the food that’s entered my hole since Sunday night….it’s been a shitload of salads, fruit, sandwich guts, nuts and paleo pacs.  I don’t think I’ve had a sit down meal except the Monday night hamburger that I raped for the bun’s contents.  I’ve thrown away more French fries in the past 3 days than I have in my life previously.  I’ve had no plates of cooked veggies since Saturday.  Piles of uncooked carrots, broccoli, celery and tomatoes….but nothing hot.  And it’s impossible to ensure everything is cooked in accordance with the Whole 30.  That wears on you.  The good news?  I got to do an awesome WOD at CrossFit Invictus in San Diego Tuesday and invented my own WOD at some early morning hour in San Fran on Wednesday.  They went pretty well, so I’m at least eating adequately.  I can totally see how this diet is nearly impossible on the road.  You must implore intermittent fasting or play WAY ahead and execute flawlessly. 

Speaking of this, I’m beginning to see my exit strategy from this Whole30.  I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be a Primal variation which is mostly like the CrossFit prescription with some room for error.  I will continue to build my meals as perfectly as possible when I have control, and buy as perfectly as possible when I am out, but accept the inevitable transgression as a “cheat” meal and move on with no hard feelings.  In fact, I’ll probably set aside my special events, like White Trash Wednesday, as a known bad meal and just endeavor to move on from each event.  This is a pretty rough hack, but I’m moving in the right direction. 

On the way home now (Wed afternoon) and hope to make it to STL tonight and watch the boys play some baseball!!!! Go Cards!         

 

Jim - Day 16

Sunday 16 October 2011 – Well, I WAS sleeping well.  In fact, I was sleeping like the dead when the phone rang at midnight and destroyed my blissful post-Warrior Dash coma.  Gotta go to work.  OK, good chance to forage on the road.  Finally dragged my ass out of bed at 5am to get moving and had 2 boiled eggs as I hit the road.  And coffee…of course, coffee.

At 1030am, I went to the cafeteria and had tuna salad, chicken, broccoli and green peppers as shown in previous blog.  That’s a great meal and it’ll take me around the US, I suppose.  Approaching dinner time, in Hartford Connecticut, I had a lara bar and some unsalted cashews….nothing else in sight.  The takeaway from travel eating is, “prepare or starve”.  I really can’t see finding Whole30 quality food at random airports throughout the country.  If you could eat gummy worms and candy bars, you’d be set though.  In fact, if you are the kind of person that likes sweet snacks, travel would be torture because they are by far the most common thing to find.  Increasingly, there are organic food stores, but only in the largest airports for now.

Dinner was grazing at best.  I ate the ham out of a ham and cheese sandwich, a salad and a primal pac.  Not real good, but it’ll have to do.  Now, willpower.  C U tomorrow.