Taste and Indigestion

Today I had little to pack for my lunch.  I found some canned tuna and mixed in a tablespoon of organic wasabi mayo (non Paleo).  I sliced up a green pepper and ate it raw.  I also work in a school, so I went back to my old friend:  the school salad bar.

I made my usual mound of vegetable artwork mixing up color and textures.  (BTW......school broccoli is nasty!  It looks like my 5 year old's plastic food pieces in her play kitchen!  I stay away from that.)  So I had to make a critical decision.  Salad dressing or not.  Back in the day, I ate honey mustard like it was water.  Previous to my Paleo experiment, I always added some salad dressing.  However, today I drizzled maybe a tablespoon and a half.  And today......I have INDIGESTION in my upper chest and near my throat.  You know, that hot stuff that neither comes up or goes down.  It just kind of hangs out there.  The only thing I changed about my diet today was the salad dressing.  I've had a bit of the mayo before, so I knew that could not be it.

Conclusion:  GOODBYE SCHOOL (and other heavy) SALAD DRESSINGS!!!

Oh......and goodbye nasty mayo filthy chicken salad.  It just looked awful.  (I used to eat a small plate of that and pile it on crackers.)  Just looking at it made me want to toss my cookies.

Conclusion: My tastes and food desires for some things have really changed.

Where I've usually finished things hardcore and fallen off the wagon, the Whole 9 30 Paleo Challenge continues to have a profound impact on my health, diet, and lifestyle!

Processed Foods in Schools

If this does not make you think twice about what our kids eat and processed foods then I'm not sure what will.  

Paleo Mayo Take 1

This may be the most boring video in the history of the world wide web, however I wanted to show the consistency of my first batch of paleo mayo.  I have to say, it was a bit of a pain to make as it required adding the oil drop by drop.  I think as much as I don't eat mayo, that I may stick to regular, organic mayo.  (again...everything in moderation, however I just don't eat mayo that often.)  I may give another go at it as there has to be a way to not have it so runny.  If you have any secrets, let me know.  Here's the recipe I used as I hunted around online at various recipes.  

1 egg

1 egg white

1 cup olive oil

1 tsp. vinegar

1/2 tsp dried mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything except the oil last.  Add drop by drop so it does not separate.  Put in fridge to chill.  

Aggie

I'm not a big multiple post per day kind of guy, but I wanted to share a little bit more of what happened today.

It's Sunday and usually a rest day, but given my back injury, yesterday was my first WOD in 7 days.  See previous post, Annie for details.  Today, my buddy Mike asks me to come over and make up a WOD together given that Crossfit Carmel is closed on Sundays.  We come up w/the following:

25 double unders

25 air squats

25 push ups

4x for time 

Mike was jealous I showcased my pooch this a.m., so he dubbed today's WOD, Aggie.  He does have a freakin' good pooch as you can see, however she has not taken a bullet, is not blind in her eye from being stabbed, and her tail is in superior shape.  But this post and WOD was bigger than Aggie (sorry Mike and Jayme) which I will explain......

...........Last night I veered of the Paleo path and found my family and me at a gem of a restaurant in Carmel, Indiana.  Pizzology!  While I had the best bowl of muscles in this history of my life, I added two very scrumptious hoppy ales from The Victory Brewing Co. later that night with my trusty neighbor, Don.

1 Hop Devil and 1 Hop Wallop

Some of the best food and pale ale I've had in awhile.  But..........remember Aggie.....this story was bigger than that pooch right???!?!??!

Here goes......I spent 30 days on a strict Paleo diet.  I felt great.  I saw gains at Crossfit, and I JUST.  FELT.  GREAT!  I woke up this a.m. and I'll spare you the details of how my stomach was acting.  After the newly dubbed Aggie WOD, I felt reflux in my chest and my stomach ached a bit.  A far cry from how I felt after WODS while on my 30 day challenge.  While I believe in having that cheat meal or even a cheat day (whichever you can handle w/out going overboard), I don't like how the food and beverage made me feel the day after.  Granted, I've been off Crossfit for a week, I still know my stomach, and I know how it felt when I was not eating those foods.  So I've made the following conclusions:

#1:  Pizza is a food I often can not control, so I can not have pizza and beer together as a cheat meal and expect to feel good and perform well during a WOD a day or two later.  I'm not 17 anymore.

#2:  Beer can only be a treat once per week at the most and not in huge excess.

#3:  I don't like how I feel after beer and pizza now that I know what it was like during my 30 day challenge.  

#4.  The contrast b/t how I felt today versus how I felt when eliminating such foods/drink is incredible.  

#5:  It's easy to slip on dietary habits when injured or coming back from an injury.  

Thanks Aggie!!!

Annie

The hero Crossfit WODS are named after fallen military heroes.  I have the utmost respect for each and every Crossfit WOD despite being a hero WOD or one designed by the coaches at Crossfit Carmel.

This is my 17 year old beagle sheltie, Annie.  We got her from the pound when she was roughly 2-3 years old.  When we got her spayed the doc. pulled a bullet lying on the top of her spine.  She is totally blind from a puncture would to her left eye, and the tip of her tail is bent permanently.  She has been the perfect family dog and a hero to our family.  Nonetheless......

My first WOD back this weekend was Annie (here's a video of Crossfit guru Chris Speal making it look effortless).  50, 40, 30, 20, 10 reps of double unders and sit ups.  With a sore back I thought, great.  At least not heavy lifting.  My time:  Not the best.  I agree w/Speal.  The sit ups were the work.  For me, the double unders suck after getting broken from them.  Then, my heart rate soars.  You can see the whiteboard below.

I hated being on of the last to be done, however what I love about Crossfit is that when folks are done, they are all routing for you to get done.  The competition is with the self, and it's about my own expectation of me.  Not about me beating the next guy or girl.  Later that day.....my back tightened up.  (That post I made about Patience is sitting on my shoulder tugging at my conscience.)

I've never respected working out or athletic activity like I do Crossfit.  What looks "easy" always (I repeat....ALWAYS) turns out to be the hardest thing I do that day, week, or month.....every time.

Superhuman or Supercrazy?

When I saw this on t.v. the other night it reminded me when I came across Dean Karnazes somehow a couple of years ago as I was training for a half marathon.  This guy is something else.  His nutrition is crazy and very non Paleo.  His endurance and drive is relentless, and his book Ultramarathon Man is a superior read for anyone interested in "mind over matter" stuff.  It's not just a "running book".  I am in awe of ultra-marathoners!

Take on Me

I started this blog with the intent of combining my Crossfit, eating, and wellness experiences together in on one place.  That way, I get a chance to share what's swimming around in my mind, and hopefully create an online community of like-minded folks.  With the awful timing of a back injury at last week's weekend hopper (I want another crack at you Deck of Death WOD!  It was not you who did me in, rather my poor form and lack of stretching!) I have found myself steered more towards the food side of my wellness.  As I mentally wrestled with whether to create the My Progress page, I concluded that if I did, it would be even more of a motivator to keep things going.  (I consider myself the average guy....suburban living, work for a public school, and my weight has yo yo'd over the years as has my fitness.)  Now, going to Crossfit is never a hard thing, however continually eating well....I mean day in and day out eating well.....is a battle......for anyone!  At breakfast with the family yesterday I had another "aha" moment.  ("Take on Me" was not playing, but you can hear it, can't you?!).

It hit me.  The key (for me) is getting to the point where you can combine eating for sustainment AND eat for enjoyment.  It's hard for me not to do something 110% when I set my mind to it.  Train for a half marathon:  nothing gets in my way.  Get a great, creative idea at work:  110%!  However, like the rest of society, sometimes my expectations are so high and sometimes the adrenaline is so astronomical that the ends don't sometimes justify the means.  Oh, the letdown.

Eating well is no different for me.  I come from a long line of emotional and conversational eaters.  I love beef brisket, bagels, lox and cream cheese, pizza, sausage, pasta, carrot cake, dark, hoppy beer, and food, food food!!!  However, the food will be here long after I am gone.  "All things in moderation!!!" you scream.  I agree.  "How is all of that food so bad??!?!" you reply?  It's not.  However, did I say I love food?

My Paleo experiment was just that, but I love how I feel after the 30 days.  I miss pasta and I don't want meat all of the time.  I plan to treat myself to some hoppy libations (I love pale ales!), now and then, but i don't need it for the whole weekend.  I have to mentally remind myself that I am full after a plate of food is gone, and here's a big one........When there is "nothing in the house to eat", I don't need a huge meal production.  In the end....it's really all about me, what I eat, and how I choose to fuel my body.  It's a slippery slope because it's easy to lose steam and fall of the wagon.  At this point in the game, I've worked too hard and seen too much progress that I've never seen.  Come on food.  Take on me!