3- 2- 1..Reset!

Macronutrients?

Do you know how much protein, fat and carbs are in the food you eat?  Leeny has contributed this document : Download Macronutrient_Guidelines[1]
to help you out!

Healthy Whole Grains - An Oxymoron

Leeny Says..... 

I just read this blog entry from Dr. Keith Harris of PaNu fame.  His blog is filled with great nutrition advice and he doesn't mince words.  When asked questions about the Paleo diet, people are always amazed when I tell them I've cut out grains.  I usually get the response, "I can see why you'd cut out refined flour and sugar...but why WHOLE GRAINS?"  Dr. Harris has great insight into that answer and if you have time, check out his blog here:  Where are all the Healthy Whole Grains?

He says:  "Increase Fats to 65-70%, and cut out all residual grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn and rice so that only the green salads and non starchy veggies are left. This will get carbs down to 10% (roughly 50g per day) and absolutely minimize glucose, fructose and insulin effects. If you agree that in a food- abundant environment we can keep our insulin levels low with this regime, then it will be very hard to achieve this without eliminating grains. Second, there is no downside to eliminating the few remaining "healthy whole grains" after the white sugar and flour are gone because there never were any "healthy whole grains" in the first place." 

He went on to make the point, "I am still waiting for someone to show me a shred of evidence that there is anything essential we can only get from grains, gluten or not . 

Grains are all high-carbohydrate foods that are deficient in healthy fats, lacking in vitamins compared to other sources, and have proteins that are poison to a large segment of the population. (Gluten)

The only way to get a "wholesome healthy whole grain" is to put the words "wholesome" and "healthy" in front of the words "whole grain". The rest is just a fantasy made necessary by our culture's long history of dependence on cereal grains, juiced by politically correct forces that were created in the 1970's by George McGovern's meddling, the demonization of fat and meat as decadent, and the confluence of these forces with Aquarian Rousseauist fantasies of a lost utopia where no animals need to die."  He's a pretty entertaining writer with lots of science to back him up.  Give his blog a read...

And if this doesn't change your mind about keeping grains out of the mix, then type in the word "Lectins" into your google browser and read the stuff that comes up.  You'll never want to eat grains again!

 

~Frowney Face Bread image was copied from: Love to Be Fit for Life Blog!

Day 18.....already

Hey Cavemen and Cavewomen!  We've passed the two week mark of the Dino-detox and I think that for the most part, people are settling in with their nutrition.  We've taken the inflammation causing, havoc wreaking, gut irritating grains, legumes and dairy out of the mix and we've focused on the quality of our food.  Lean proteins, veggies, fruit, and healthy fats have been the mainstay.  The chatter in the gym has been overwhelmingly positive.  For one thing, I think people are recognizing how ingrained their bad habits had been.  

These two weeks have given us the chance to break free of some of these habits, like not reaching for a sweet when we're angry or upset, resisting the impulse to eat the leftovers off our kids' plates, and drinking water or tea instead of diet soda.  I'm sure there are many others, but this increased awareness of what we put into our mouth has really given some people pause for thought.  I went out to dinner to Tratoria Marsala last weekend and really missed the action of bringing the wine glass to my mouth.  Instead, I had the waiter bring me my own bottle of Perrier in a wine glass with a lime and I was able to enjoy the action of drinking, but in a Paleo acceptable, strict 30-day kind of way.  NO, it didn't taste as good as wine, but somehow I was a little more satisfied than had I just had tap water out of a glass.  And I sure felt great when I woke up Sunday morning!  I was able to enjoy my beautiful filet and asparagus and didn't feel deprived at all.  We have been forced to relearn better habits, and reinforcing healthier options that still satisfy us.  

I've talked with people who have been excited to lose weight after struggling for such a long time.  Some have enjoyed significant loss of poundage while others admit that they haven't lost that much, but really feel better.  Some enjoy having a little more control over their diet instead of being "out of control".  Still others have admitted that they like the "black and white" of Paleo.  It's a nice structure that helps them stay within the healthy paramaters of nutrition.  God knows we have so many choices thrust upon us at every turn of the aisle at the grocery store.  But I find myself hitting the fruits and veggies, the meat and deli counter and then the eggs in the dairy department and I'm good to go. 

 

My parents started eating Paleo at my urging on Jan 2nd.  They had their yearly doctor appointment looming and this time they wanted to get a good grade.  After almost 30 days, they had their blood drawn last week.  Today they met with the doctor and he was astonished at the changes in their blood values.  Compared to last year's tests, my dad's glucose levels were much lower, cholesterol was down and triglycerides were down.  HDL was up and LDL was also lowered.  When they told the doctor they had changed their eating patterns for about a month, he was so impressed at how it affected the outcome of their tests.  My dad had lost about 20  lbs and my mom had lost 5.  The point is, both of them improved their blood work significantly even though there was some disparity in pounds lost.
Diet is a powerful drug...it truly is "diet as pharmacology".

Soooooooo, if you are making progress, feeling great, looking good and performing well, then you are on the right track.  Stick with what you are doing.  If you feel good, but would like to see more in the way of fat loss and body composition changes then now is the good time to tweak that.  I came to a plateau last week where I was eating a good amount of protein and fat, but maybe too much fruit.  I cut back on the fruit intake and compensated by eating more veggies.  I did notice some improvement over the next few days.  You should be eating about .75-1 gram or protein per pound of body weight.  I know that sounds like a ton, but it is a number to shoot for. (See Robb Wolf's recent podcast #13) Your best bets for protein come from fish and poultry but lean beef is also great.  Fish and poultry just pack more protein in per ounce. If you are looking to lean out a bit, reduce the fruit and add more veggies.  Then, round out the rest of your diet with good fats. 

I think some people may be running into the problem of over eating nuts, nut butters, and dried fruit.  Nuts are good, but they are dense in fat so a little goes a long way.  Measure out a small amount in a baggie and let that be your portion for the day.  If you overdo it on the nuts and fats, above and beyond the fats you are getting from your significant protein intake, you probably won't gain too much weight, but your body won't need to access stored fat because you are giving it a steady supply of readily available fat.  Don't get me wrong...fats are NOT the enemy.  They keep you satisfied and they are essential in your diet.  It's just easy to go crazy with the nuts. Try to add fat by sauteeing in olive oil or coconut oil.  Bacon can be a nice way to add flavor to salads, stir fry, and eggs while adding the essential saturated fat that has gotten such a bum rap of late.

Also, remember that while fruit is ok on paleo, high glycemic fruits like bananas and dried fruit will add the carbs quickly.  For a lot less carbs, you can eat a ton of broccoli, cauliflour, spinach, lettuce and kale.  Yeah, yeah, I know...they aren't as sweet or tasty as fruit can be.  But if you're looking to lean out, veggies are the way to go.  For me, fruit is a treat that has really taken the place of sweets.  Berries are the best. 

So, in a "nutshell" (no pun intended), here's what you should be doing:

.75 -1 gram protein/ pound of bodyweight
50g or less- carbs per day to lean out.  You can have more if you aren't as concerned about weight loss.   Try to get mostly from veggies and some fruit.
Round out the rest of your calories with healthy fats.

Tomorrow, I will post about the Paleo Halfway Party.  I can't wait!!!

Please contact me, Laurie, or Elizabeth anytime you'd like us to look over your food journal.  It really is a great tool in pinpointing what may be holding you back.  Keep the posts and questions coming.  They are so helpful for me and for the others doing the challenge.  Give out a holler in the comments section!

How Much of What?

 From Leeny:
  
Hey Paleo Challengers.  As we approach our 2 week mark, we will re-evaluate how things are going and where we need to make some adjustments to see the results we want.  These first two weeks have been primarily focused on food quality.  Our goal right now has been to shift away from grains, dairy, legumes, and alcohol to eating high quality meats, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds.  Making that shift has been a pretty big deal for most of us, and our bodies needed this time to adjust both physically and psychologically. 

In preparation for what's next, I thought I'd introduce the concept of food quantity.  I know we told you not to weigh or measure your food and at this point and I still mean that.  But now that we are getting more comfortable with the quality of our food, we can start to address the quantity.  More specifically, we need to look at the macronutrient breakdown of our day to day food intake. (ie, how much protein, carbohydrate, and fat we are eating) This will allow us to fine tune even further. 

            

If you get a chance, go to FitDay and take a look at their free food journal.  It's a pretty cool tool in pinpointing how much of each macronutrient you are getting.  All you do is type in the food you ate and it will start a running list of your food for the day.  It takes a little time to get familiar with it, but I think in the weeks to come, it might just be another valuable tool in helping us get more out of our Paleo experience, especially those trying to lose weight. There are other food journals online as well, but I just wanted to throw this out there.

         

In my next post, I will try and address how much protein you should be shooting for (many of you may not be getting enough), how much carb, and how much fat (don't be stingy).  People's needs will vary depending on their goals:  weight loss, body comp changes, weight gain, or performance changes.  I just wanted to plant this seed for you to start thinking about as we start up next week.  For now, enjoy the weekend, be strong, resist the urge to cheat, and be thankful for your body.  You are really doing great things for yourself by making the changes you have made.

Oh, yeah, and one more thing to think about...Our halfway Potluck is Friday Feb. 12th at my cave.  There WILL be alcohol!!  We deserve it!  Be looking for more info and signups next week.

A Few Thoughts...

  from Leeny...

“We are nine days into the challenge and it sounds like everyone is starting to get the hang of things.  I think it gets easier as we go and over time, the cravings begin to fade.  I feel a small victory each time I overcome a desire to cheat.  I don't want to wreck it.  I honestly want to see how my body adapts to a gluten, dairy, legume, alcohol free environment. 

Having the nutrition aspect of my life somewhat under control is like having a trump card in my back pocket. Nutrition trumps everything.  If you work your tail off in the gym but eat poorly...bam...you got trumped by your diet.  On the other hand, good nutrition can boost your effort in the gym by increasing your PR's in strength and metabolic conditioning.  So no matter what you do, your eating habits will have their say on how your body will look, feel and perform. 

I am so grateful to this group for providing this framework and support that we all need to succeed.  We are all accountable to one another and ultimately to ourselves.  The success will feel so gratifying.  But....I'm getting ahead of myself. 

I've talked to a number of people who have lost weight already and are having a pretty easy time.  On the other hand, I've also heard frustration that the weight isn't falling off as quickly as anticipated.  All I can say is, "Patience, grasshopper".  Some people have come to this challenge already in pretty decent metabolic shape so their body's response to Paleo eating might be totally different than someone who may have come into this deal still highon carbs.  I'd venture to say that the more you had to change in your diet, the harder these first few weeks might be on you.  As my grandma used to say, "Rome wasn't built in a day". 

 So is with changing your eating habits and seeing the results.  Your pants may not be loose yet, but rest assured, your biochemistry is changing.  Your cells are adapting to less sugar surging through them and the need for insulin has been radically reduced.  Your insulin receptors are scratching their heads wondering where all the insulin has gone and suddenly start to perk up.  Your hormones are more balanced.  Like the fading of a bad sunburn, your gut is starting to heal without the incessant bombardment of gluten and lectins.  Fat cells are being called out of storage for duty.  Each day your body makes huge metabolic advances at the cellular level.  You're doing right by your body and it wil thank you, but give it time.  It will be worth the wait.”

Don't Eat the Bones!

Word on the street is that Crossfit STL is having a nutrition challenge.  Pssst...It's really a Paleo Challenge, but we didn't want to scare people so we decided to call it the 3- 2- 1-  Reset!

 

 With the start of a new year, we figured it was as good a time as any to start fresh with the diet and do some internal housecleaning.  So in order to prepare myself for this challenge, I thought I'd get a head start this past week and see how difficult this might be. Hey, if I'm going to talk the talk, I better walk the walk.  So I gave it a kind of trial run as it were.  Over the holidays, I read everything I could get my hands on to help me understand how the Paleo diet is supposed to go down and why I need to give up grains, dairy, legumes, and my favorite food group...wine.  Well, there are some convincing arguments out there and with this newfound knowledge, I prepared myself for battle against my inner demons. 

 

On January 1st, I cleaned out the fridge and pantry.  On January 2nd, I started my first foray into the Paleolithic world.  Short of hunting down a mastodon, I fared pretty good.  But let me warn you, it takes some serious planning.  I for one don't ever like to be hungry. 
So I planned ahead by buying lots of fresh produce and cutting it up so it would be at the ready when I was.  My fridge was chock full of fresh vegetables and fruit.  I also had to be more creative with my meals.  You could call me the Bubba Gump of cauliflower...  mashed, grated, broiled, steamed, roasted, garlicked, olive oiled...you name it, I prepared it.  I also ate lots of steak, chicken and fish for my protein sources.  (Since I wasn't "hard core" yet, I still allowed for a nightly nip of the fermented grapes but don't tell.) 

 

 The past 11 days have forced me to rethink some of my behaviors and eating patterns.  For example, when I make my 9 year old a grilled cheese and she leaves the crusts on the plate with the little bits of melted cheese on them, I mindlessly finish them off.  We call those the "bones".  There's pizza bones too.  You know the crusts that sit on the plate after your children eat the good part?  All used to be fair game.  Now, I have to retrain my brain not to eat the bones anymore.  No more cookie bones either.  But like learning a new skill in the gym, I'm creating new neuromuscular pathways that tell me "NO" when I reach for something that is not paleo.  It takes practice and energy and determination and will to turn down a pizza bone when all you've had is veggies, meat and nuts for most of the day.  But it does get easier.  With each passing day, it gets easier to say NO.  And as my scales tip from metabolic derangement to dietary homeostasis, my body sends signals that it likes the new me.

 

 So I'm just doing my job in preparing yall for what's ahead.  The scouting report says that the next 30 days will be a challenge...a detox of sorts.  But anything worthwhile is hard to do and this is no exception.  I'm warmed up and ready to dive in, this time without any "cheats".  Let's do this thing for 30 days and see what happens.  Maybe I won't get that urge to fly on a broomstick right before my period... maybe my joints will not hurt as bad...maybe I won't get that bloated feeling after I drink a glass of milk...and maybe my pants just might fit a little looser come Feb 18th.  We won't know unless we try.  And after our 30 days of super strictdom, we'll pull out some bottled fun, talk paleo, and bond over roasted cauliflower at our "Halfway Potluck".  Then we'll plan our next 4 weeks of fun and see where this challenge takes us...I'm psyched and ready to go.  Are you "IN" in 2010?
Viva la Bedrock!

 

Leeny Says....

 It's about 16 hours into the new year and I've got a new lease on life.  It's something about the start of a new year, the clean slate, this new beginning that allows me to psychologically purge last year's bad habits like a Catholic girl going to confession.  But I've done it...confessed my proverbial sins and am absolved.  Or so the new year allows me to think.  l'll take it any way I can get it.  That fresh feeling, the feeling that I can do anything now that time has started again.  Someone flipped over my hourglass and the sands are just starting to fall. 

This year I have a new resolve and it's come from many places.  The first and formost place I find this empowerment is at the gym...Crossfit St. Louis...a place where we all come to confront our demons and challenge ourselves to do things we never thought possible.  Pullups... Are you kidding me?  Clean and jerks?  I never thought it possible even 3 years ago.  The gym is my support, my pipeline to all things good for me.  I've learned more about exercise and nutrition than I ever thought imaginable.  The internet has also been a powerful tool in finding information on exercise and nutrition.  And the more I read, the more I find out I don't know.  There is SO MUCH out there.  But I DO know enough to realize that there is a better way to eat, a better way to fuel, and a better way to live. So while the last 2 1/2 years have taught me so much about functional movements and high intensity workouts, 2010 will be about an equally important component to fitness...Nutrition. 

So to honor this big nutritional epiphany on January 1, 2010, I cleaned out my fridge and pantry.   Out with all the junk that clogged up my fridge like bad plaque in an artery. In with organic eggs, fresh fruits and veggies, and lots of grass fed beef. I hauled out two trashbags full of bad tasting salad dressings from 1997.  Opening up my ice box is refreshing now...uncluttered, simple, and basic.  And that's how my diet approach for 2010 will be.  Specifically, I'm going to try the Paleo way of eating.  I will eat as my paleolithic ancestors did a gazillion years ago.  That's what our DNA is programmed for anyway.  It won't be easy, but after arming myself with information from books, blogs and podcasts, I know this is the way we were designed to eat. 

   

At Crossfit St. Louis, we know that there is more to fitness than just exercise and that's why we are starting a challenge for the New Year.  We call it Eating For A Better Body or EatFabb.  By better body, we mean both inside and out.  Details will follow so start thinking about the way you eat.  It's a new year...are you ready for a change?