We Survived the Paleo Challenge!

Saturday marked the end of our six-week Paleo Challenge at Desert Crossfit. During this challenge, we have followed as closely as possible to the Paleo Diet, which consists of eating meat, vegetables, fruit, and nuts. The list of what we could NOT eat was much longer and included dairy, grains of any sort, sugar, processed food or food with ingredients you can’t pronounce, and alcohol. 

We decided near the beginning that we wouldn’t give up our tablespoon of Natural Bliss Coffeemate each morning and that we would drink alcohol at social functions. With those two caveats, I followed the plan very strictly all six weeks! (I must admit that I did have an unfortunate encounter with some Jelly Bellies at a hair salon the first weekend of the challenge.) Tom cheated a bit more than I did. One day he went into Whole Foods while I went to another store next door. When we met up 20 minutes later, I said, “Tom, you have food on your face. Wait! It’s CHOCOLATE!” Busted! Caught like a little boy. But honestly, I’m very proud of him for mostly sticking with the plan.

On Saturday, just as we had the weekend before the challenge began, we were weighed, measured and scanned for body composition. We then completed the same benchmark WOD that we did that first day. We did the exact workout with the exact amount of weight as we had previously, so we were able to learn how much stronger we were. Here’s the WOD:

100 meter sprint, 15 thrusters, 20 kettle bell swings, 15 burpees, 10 front rack lunges. 
As many rounds as possible in nine minutes. 

For some reason this WOD is about 1,000 times more difficult than it would appear at first glance. Most WODs are much longer than nine minutes. But this one is just particularly B•R•U•T•A•L! This picture clearly shows my condition at the end of it!

Overall, we were both pleased with all our results. Tom lost 5 pounds (all of it in body fat) and dropped his total body fat 2%. During the challenge, Tom typically attended CrossFit twice a week and lifted weights at home other days (which he has done for years). Tom increased his total reps in the WOD from 69 to 107! That fact speaks volumes about how CrossFit transforms and strengthens the body.  

During the six-week challenge, I lost a total of eight pounds! That was the good news. The bad news, which I really can’t comprehend, is that three pounds of it was body fat, and the rest was lean tissue (muscle). Because much of my weight loss was lean tissue, my total body fat only decreased by .1%. Bummer! James from Body Comp said I didn’t eat enough protein (though I can’t imagine eating more meat than I have for the past six weeks). He then recommended that I drink a protein recovery shake immediately after working out instead of when I get home a half hour later. I’m still thrilled I lost eight pounds. And I got stronger! I increased my reps in the WOD from 70 to 97. During the challenge, I attended CrossFit 3-5 times a week (except for when I attended two conferences). I walked or ran on many of my off days.

I think I can put my finger on why I was mostly successful on the Paleo Plan.

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So what now? Tom is definitely done with Paleo, though he says he will continue to avoid junk food and fast food. I’m going to stick with it for at least another six weeks. I’m ready to be even more fit and more lean! To me, the plan is not that hard to follow, as I try to focus on meat and veggies in my regular diet. And I think I can put my finger on why I was successful on the Paleo Plan. I committed to not eat certain foods for six weeks. So, for example, when we would be at a restaurant and bread was served, I didn’t have to go through the mental wrestling about whether I should have a piece. My mind had already been made up!

I’ll check back in after the next six weeks (the week of Trevor’s wedding!) and let you know my progress. Hopefully I can reduce more body fat, lose a few more pounds, and get stronger for life in the process!

xoxo,

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