Category: Nutrition
February 8, 2016

The Supplements We Carry and Why We Carry Them Part II

The Supplements We Carry and Why We Carry Them

Part II

 

Continuing from Part I, there are five more supplements we recommend taking if you are looking to improve your overall quality of life, fitness, or just maintain your health in general.

 

6. Zinc- zinc is a mineral that is directly involved in cell division throughout every tissue in the body. It’s main purpose is to regulate hormones in both males and females promoting normal testosterone and estrogen functions. Those who eat a predominantly vegetarian diet tend to be zinc deficient and so are those taking certain medications. The main benefits are increased overall energy, reproductive health and fertility, immune function, cardiovascular health, and mood improvement. Recommended dosage 50mg-150mg per day depending on zinc levels.

 

7. Branched Chained Amino Acids (BCAA’s)- made up of three of the essential amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These aminos cannot be produced by the body alone and need to be consumed through food or supplementation. Taken pre/during/and post workout through supplementation is shown to be the most beneficial way to ingest them as they release into the bloodstream faster at those times. The main benefits include quicker recovery after workouts, more energy during workouts and a decrease in muscle soreness. Better body composition and increased strength and endurance are also benefits of supplementing with BCAA’s. Recommended dosage 6+grams with a 4-1-1 ratio Leucine-isoleucine-valine pre/during/post wod. (I personally enjoy sipping on them during training.)

 

8. Taurine-  an amino acid that is responsible for facilitating the production of the neurotransmitter GABA which in turn promotes relaxation, mental clarity, reduction in stress and cortisol regulation. Most of us are constantly stressed out either at home, at work and sometimes even in the gym (good stress). Taurine is very good for those who have trouble winding down especially after working out after 5pm. Taken after a workout it will help keep cortisol levels at bay leaving you with a euphoric relaxed state. Other main benefits include better body composition and improved sleep. Recommended dosage: 1g-4g.

 

9. Multivitamin– a very good way to get your daily dose of the vitamins your body needs that it is most likely not getting. Due to the fact that the nutritional value in the foods we consume today is gradually decreasing it is imperative that we get a little help from supplementation. Benefits of multivitamins include increased energy, increased immune system, better body composition, toxin facilitation,, better sleep, increased strength, cardiovascular health, and recovery. Recommend dosage: 1-2 servings per day.

 

10.  Pre-workout- a great supplement to increase energy immediately before a workout session. Do you ever leave work and immediately want to go home and sit on the couch for the rest of the night? Pre-workout powder is a quick and very effective way to increase strength, alertness, mood, energy, and endurance before, during, and after a workout. Pre-workouts are primarily made of caffeine, vasodilator (opens up the blood vessels for the “pump” feeling) B vitamins, and other energy providing nutrients. Pre-workouts are not intended to be taken any other time other than before a workout. It can be used as a “pick me up” but it is definitely not recommended. Recommended dosage: 1/2 of a serving pre-wod to assess tolerance, 1 serving after tolerance has been tested.

*These supplements can be found at Balcones CrossFit. We as coaches consume all of these supplements as we believe them to be highly beneficial to our overall well being.

Darla
January 27, 2016

The Supplements We Carry and Why We Carry Them

Part I

 

As many of you already know, we at Balcones CrossFit are all about making every one of your lives a little better each day. Although we only see most of you about an hour a day we still make an effort to ensure you are doing the right things that are not being monitored outside of the gym. One of the biggest factors we as coaches cannot control is what you put into your bodies before, during, or after coming to the gym. Nutrition is the most important aspect in our daily lives and has a huge effect on not only what you see in the mirror but how you feel when you wake up, work, exercise, play with your children and sleep. A foundation of lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, little starch and no sugar will work wonders for your body. Some of you do an excellent job of feeding your bodies this way while others, well, not so much. We, as your nutritional advisors, understand that some of the circumstances that occur in our lives are out of our control.  That being said, a good amount of the foods we ingest do not necessarily contain the nutrients our bodies need to stay functioning at an optimal level. For this very reason supplements are brought into the picture. The following supplements have been proven to be effective across a wide range of populations/studies and are essential for your well being.

 

  1. Whey Protein– a high quality protein containing all the essential amino acids and a large number of non-essential ones as well. It is easily digestible and quickly absorbed by the gut making it a very viable source of recovery immediately post training. Other key points include:  appetite suppressant, insulin sensitivity improvement, body fat reduction, muscle building, antioxidant booster, oxidative stress relief, lower blood pressure, and stronger bones. 17-30 grams should be taken within 30-45 minutes after a workout or as a portion of a snack.

 

  1. Probiotics– are healthy bacteria that live in the intestines. Unless you are eating fermented foods you are probably deficient in healthy probiotics. They have been shown to improve gastrointestinal health, prevent allergies and liver disease, and decrease inflammation. They have also been shown to detoxify the body of heavy metals, free radicals, and dangerous bacteria. By increasing the body’s antioxidant system, probiotics lead to better blood sugar management which leads to a better body composition.

 

  1. Fish oil– one of the best anti-inflammatory supplements out there. Fish oil aids in fat loss by increasing the insulin sensitivity in your body, increases protein synthesis, preserves muscle mass, lowers cortisol, relieves mental stress, helps lower triglycerides, improves the immune system, increases joint function, digestion, bone health, increases testosterone, improves endurance and revitalizes skin and hair. Recommended dosage 1-5 grams per day.

 

  1. Vitamin D– One of the top supplements you should be taking. It plays a key role in achieving optimal body composition, aids in muscle contraction and relaxation, increases fat burning and reproductive hormones, and  improves the immune system. It also aids in the absorption of calcium in the body. Unless you are getting 20-30 minutes of direct sunlight daily, chances are you are deficient. 3,000-5,000 IU is recommended daily.

 

  1. Magnesium– a mineral that is crucial for normal body function. Benefits include: better sleep, improved brain function, decreased depression, raises testosterone, builds muscle, decreases inflammation, helps build stronger bones, increases insulin sensitivity. 2-4 grams before bed should rock you right to sleep.

 

Part II will be released this time next week which will include a handful of other beneficial supplements. An extensive article from a trusted source will be posted daily for each of these supplements with a more in depth look into their benefits.

*These supplements can be found at Balcones CrossFit. We as coaches consume all of these supplements as we believe them to be highly beneficial to our overall well being.

Coach Juan

Darla
November 9, 2015

Maintaining Fitness and Nutrition When Traveling

As the holidays approach, many of us will be spending some time traveling to visit relatives. During this time it can be difficult to get in your daily workout or eat healthy. While it may not be possible to have the exact same routine that you keep at home, it’s not impossible to maintain your fitness while you’re traveling. Here are a few tips to help keep up with your fitness endeavors while traveling this holiday season.

1. Have a Plan

Know where you are going to eat in advance. That way you are able to make a good decision on the type of food that you’re eating. If you wait til the last second and select a fast food restaurant, you’re more likely to eat poor quality food than if you knew ahead of time where you were headed.

2. Don’t Compound Poor Decisions

Ok, so you caved and ate at Whataburger on the drive to grandma’s house. That’s ok, don’t freak out and feel guilty, but don’t compound that poor nutrition choice by eating whatever you want for the next three days. It’s unlikely that one bad meal will cause you to gain any weight, but three days of bad meals could leave you 5-10 lbs heavier when you return home.

3. Find Time to Exercise

You may not have access to a CrossFit gym, or any gym for that matter, while you are traveling, but you are in luck, you still have two legs and two arms to do something with. Give yourself 30 minutes to do a circuit of running, pushups, squats, sit ups, and lunges. Mix it up , do sprints one day, tabata one day, and a long chipper one day. It doesn’t have to be super complicated. Just do something to get your exercise in.

4. Get Back to a Routine

Once you get home it can be easy to get caught up in the day to day struggle to get back to the daily grind of work and home life. But make sure that you get back into your exercise and nutrition routine as soon as possible so you don’t lose another week after you travel.

Use these simple tips to help keep your holiday travels from derailing your fitness goals.

 

Darla
May 6, 2015

Eating to Perform?

“Eat to Perform.” That is honestly my least favorite slogan ever to hit the interwebs.

The basis behind this statement is simple. Elite level athletes aren’t concerned with whether their six pack is showing. They’re concerned with putting out the greatest performance possible. Putting aside the fact, that most athletes have incredible physiques (probably due to diet and exercise), the statement is mostly true for elite athletes.

But, I have some bad news for most of you.

You aren’t an elite athlete. And neither am I. In fact I’d estimate that only about 2% of the average gym going population – CrossFit or otherwise – actually needs to eat to perform.

The rest of us need to eat to lose, or eat to sustain. But those two aren’t as catchy slogans. They also don’t allow you to take instagrams of donuts pretend like you’re actually supporting your performance goals. Training 1 hour per day 4 days per week doesn’t exactly qualify as a performance athlete, and that’s absolutely fine!

I’d say the vast majority of people that walk in our gym doors have similar goals. They want to feel better, lose a few pounds, and maybe look good in a bathing suit. For that, you most definitely do not need to “Eat to Perform.” Even if one of your goals is to compete in some sort of fitness competition, you’ll be better suited to eat for health than to try to eat like an elite athlete.

So, scrap the catchy saying, and eat to support your goals, and most certainly eat healthy.

If you have any questions, find out about our nutrition services here. 

 

Darla , , , , , , , , ,
May 4, 2015

Nutrition for Results

Nutrition is the single most important factor affecting your body composition. As the saying goes, you can’t out train a bad diet. This rings just as true as ever.

Coming off of max week we saw so many huge performance PR’s.  There were big increases in deadlifts, bench press, squats, and clean 1 rep maxes.

You all  have the training down. We can take care of that on your workouts here at the gym. But if you’re still struggling to adjust your body composition or get down to your goal weight you have to get your nutrition in line.

Making a change in one aspect of your wellness is good. Exercise is the beset way to get started, but 3-5 hours per week is nothing compared to the amount of time you have off.

So here are a few tips to get your diet on the right track:

  • Track what you’re eating and how much – you’d be surprised how much the simple act of knowing how much you’re eating will help you 
  • Eat enough protein – start with 1 gram per lb of lean body mass
  • Earn your carbohydrates
    • Carbs are fuel but there are limited stores for them in the body. Save your carb intake for immediately post workout or the evening times
  • Eat green veggies at every meal
    • Vegetables have lots of nutrients and fiber to keep you healthy and full

We’re offering a deal on our nutrition services for the summer, 20% off any of our packages! If you’re not sure where to begin – come talk to us and we’ll get you started in the right direction. Let’s get ready for summer!

 

Darla , , , , , , , , ,
March 4, 2015

How to Get Fat on Paleo 2 – A Solution

If you missed our first installment you can read that here.

My personal experience with Flexible dieting has been pretty great. I realized that I was overeating in general, and not exercising enough to justify what I was eating. Additionally I was doing what is outlined in this article and having a “cheat day” on the weekends and completely derailing any semblance of a diet.

So, I embarked on a Flexible diet. I ate within Paleo constraints most of the time, but added in some more carbs from rice, oats, and potatoes. However, I didn’t fret if I had a cookie or a beer, just adjusted my macros accordingly. It took much more self control that I was used to using. I was the guy who’d eat a whole large bag of M&M’s because “they were there.”  I’m not telling  you to eat pizza and beer all the time, but there is a way to do it in moderation without throwing your entire diet off.

Things I did have over the 5 weeks

  • Lots of veggies
  • Lots of lean meats
  • Fruits and starches
  • Pizza (once)
  • Beer (a few times)
  • Pasta (once)
  • Donuts (a few)
  • Cookies (a few)

Things I DID NOT do

  • Eat an entire bag of M&M’s
  • Eat a dozen donuts at once
  • Eat a whole large pizza
  • Eat more than 2 cookies at once
before and after

Only 5 weeks of changing to a Flexible approach.

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

Eat “clean’ and healthy for 6 days, and on the 7th day have a massive cheat day. For most folks that’s Saturday or Sunday, or both.

This pattern has become exceedingly popular in the CrossFit and other fitness communities. A cheat day is a way to regain some sanity into a “crazy diet.” Bu the problem is, it doesn’t work. It especially doesn’t work if you’re not paying attention to how much you’re eating on your “clean days” – the cheat day can further throw off your already precarious diet.

Let’s do some math. For simplicity sake we’re going to say that daily intake is similar to that of our (original post link). Around 2800 cals per day. Lots of fat, not too many carbs. But somewhere along the line we heard that you need to have a “refeed” day each week or so so that we keep losing weight, which is sort of true if you’re in a constant deficit, but as mentioned previously you may not actually be in a deficit.

A typical cheat day has a massive amount of carbohydrates from sources such as donuts, pizza, pancakes, or pasta (or all of them!). Doing some quick math, my cheat days were yielding roughly 4,000 calories between brunch and various junk foods on Sundays. That’s a lot!!

Add those extra 2000 calories to a diet that’s not actually calorie restricted and you’re going to gain fat, not lose it.

Here’s the solution for fat loss – a Flexible Diet: 

  • Ensure that you are indeed in a calorie deficit – this is key for fat loss. Put simply, eat less.
  • To maintain performance we have to make sure we are eating the right amount of protein, fats and carbohydrates. You can lose weight eating only Twinkies, but you’re not going to feel great or perform in the gym.
  • Start with 1 gram of protein per lb of lean body mass. This is the baseline for our recommendations. Fat and carbohydrate intake will be adjusted based on bodyfat percentage and other lifestyle factors.
  • You can eat foods that fit into your nutrient ratios – even if it’s not necessarily “clean” or Paleo. This keeps you from feeling the need to go crazy on the weekends. It’s better to have ONE cookie on a Wednesday than a dozen cookies on Saturday night. Moderation is key here.
  • Choose nutrient dense, (Paleo) fresh foods over foods out of a box for the healthiest options.
  • Weight and measure all of your food to get an accurate snapshot of serving size and what you are eating.
  • Always eat complete meals and snacks consisting of Protein, Fat, and Carbs – don’t eat one nutrient by itself. This will help to mitigate blood glucose and insulin spikes from food.

In summary, to lose weight you have to restrict the amount of food that you are eating, period. Don’t get too  caught up in the “Clean Eating” craze because you can get fat eating Paleo – especially if you’re going wild adding fats to everything. Watch what you eat and you’re on the right track.

If you’re interested in doing a nutrition session with one of our coaches click here for more details – we’d love to help!

 

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Darla , , , , , , , , , , ,
March 2, 2015

Going Sugar Free for 30 Days

My thoughts on the Sugar Challenge

 

I’ll be the first to admit when this challenge came out I was a complete skeptic.  There are several reasons for this:  I’ve tried other diets in the past and they typically didn’t work, I thought I was already eating pretty healthy most of the time, and frankly, I didn’t want to give up all forms of sugar. (I also didn’t think I could).   I’ve kind of had the mentality that with as hard and as often as I work out I should be able to eat what I want to eat within reason.

But, for the past 6 months or so I’ve only seen minimal changes in my body even with working out like crazy and getting stronger weekly.  I wasn’t seeing the definition in my arms I thought I should be seeing.  I wasn’t seeing that baby roll around my waist going away fast enough, and I certainly wasn’t seeing any abs.  So, I told Tanner he had thirty days.  He had thirty days to convince me that this would work.  I told my husband about it, and knowing how hard it would be for me to do it by myself, especially with having two children at home eating whatever they wanted, he decided to do it with me.  We decided that if we were going to do it, we were going hard core, absolutely no sugar in anything except what was naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables.  We were determined to get zero points in this sugar challenge.

Figuring out what to eat was hard.  I didn’t have to do a complete overhaul of my diet because I was already mostly cutting out breads and pastas.  But, I’m also a picky PICKY eater.  The hardest thing to figure out was breakfast.  My old breakfast was usually a double protein English muffin with bacon.  But even that kind of English muffin had 2-3 grams of added sugar.  I absolutely detest all forms of eggs so that was out of the question.  Finally, Tanner told me to stop looking at breakfast foods as having to be a certain thing.  So, I now usually eat ground turkey or ground beef with salsa and a little bit of shredded cheese.  (Mark’s hot sauce made locally doesn’t have added sugar).    If I was in a rush and didn’t have time to prep meals I grabbed a pre-cooked frozen chicken breast and a bag of veggies from HEB out of the freezer, heated them up and ate that.  I also ate (drank) several protein shakes with unsweetened almond milk, frozen strawberries or mixed berries, and protein powder.

The first week of the challenge was the toughest out of the four.  I had cravings, I was grouchy, I sometimes had headaches, etc.  And those darn kids just kept eating stuff in front of me!  LOL.  The next two weeks weren’t that bad, and by the fourth week I was kind of used to it.  In hindsight the absolute most challenging thing about this was that I had to prep.  I found that I had to stay on top of prepping meals, especially breakfast, because if I didn’t, I would end up having to eat something that I wasn’t supposed to just out of convenience or time issues with my schedule.  There were times myself or my husband spent two or three hours on Sunday prepping food for the week.  (Not fun, but necessary)  Eating out was tough.  We had to look at the menus ahead of time online and see if they had the nutritional content listed.  A lot of places only listed calories and fat content or carb grams but didn’t list the sugar content.  We avoided those places.  In a way this was a good thing though because it cut down on our eating out and forced us to eat at places that had healthier options.  We were also amazed at how many things had added sugar for no apparent reason.  In the words of my husband “why do salt and vinegar chips have added sugar?  I want my salt and vinegar chips to taste like salt and vinegar!”

So, let’s move on to the results.  My husband lost 10 pounds in that 30 days.  The little bit of a pot belly he had is nearly gone and his shirts fit him much looser.  I only lost one pound on the scale.  BUT, I lost 4% of my body fat.  I went from 24-20% body fat.  That’s HUGE!  When you’ve already gotten into the lower 20’s it’s tough to get those last few percentage points off.  I still have work to do as Tanner’s goal for me is 17% and my personal goal may be closer to 15%, but I’m super happy with the results of this challenge.  Nothing else has worked as quickly as this did.  So, I guess you could say I am a convert.  I was wrong in my skepticism.  That’s not to say I’ll NEVER eat sugar again but I will be much more cognizant of what I’m putting in my body and how much sugar I am eating.

So the weekend after the challenge we didn’t go crazy, but we did decide to eat what we wanted to.  It was AWFUL.  The food tasted different.  The things I used to love didn’t appeal to me as much.  And, I HIT A WALL by Saturday evening.  I had absolutely no energy, I felt like crap, I was nauseous, and I just wanted to crawl in bed and stay there for a few days.  It was crazy to think that THAT is what I had been doing to my body all along all these years.

As a side note:  I did a little comparison/cost analysis of what I spent on groceries and eating out the month before the challenge and the month of the challenge because I felt like I was spending way more on groceries than normal during the challenge.  Turns out I did spend about $112 more on groceries for the month of the challenge; however I spent about $119 less on eating out so it balanced out.

 

Coach Darla

Darla , , , , , , ,
February 24, 2015

You Can Get Fat on Paleo Part 1

You can get fat eating with a Paleo approach.

Blasphemy you say!

No seriously, you can get fat eating Paleo.

Paleo at it’s heart has nothing to do with portion control. It’s simply a way to make better food choices. You can gain weight eating only “healthy” foods.

Let’s break down a typical day for a lot of folks eating Paleo.

Breakfast

4 eggs, 4 strips of bacon, some nuts (let’s assume it’s only 15), and maybe an appleeggs

  • 710 calories
  • Protein – 40 grams
  • Fat – 49 grams
  • Carbs – 28 grams

Snack

Handful of nuts ( assume you only had 15)

  • 170 calories
  • Fat – 15 grams
  • Carbs – 6 grams
  • Protein 6 grams

Lunch

6 grilled chicken wings, salad with avocado and 2 tablespoons olive oil and vinegar,chicken

  • 900 calories
  • Protein – 62 grams
  • Fat – 67 grams
  • Caarbs – 15 grams

Post workout

Protein shake

  • 200 cals
  • Fat – 2 grams
  • Protein – 38 grams
  • Carbs – 3 grams

 

Dinnerfile8341332600708

6 oz ribeye (or other fatty meat), broccoli with butter, sweet potato with butter

  • Calories – 872
  • Fat – 47 grams
  • Protein – 47 grams
  • Carbs – 59 grams

 

That all looks pretty healthy right? Except if you’re trying to drop weight it may not be ideal,

Your totals for the day are 2850 calories, 149 grams of protein, 97 grams of carbs, and 163 grams of fat!

This assumes that you aren’t doing crazy things like putting butter and coconut oil in your coffee, and that you’re not going wild with the fats at your meals, pounding down half a jar of almond butter in the morning or using 3 tbs of butter on that sweet potato and another 2 on the broccoli. Bascially, I’m being very generous and giving the benefit of the doubt on fat intake.

For basic maintenance on a guy around 190 lbs this break down is just ok, and still maybe a little high.  But if you’re not a 190lb male then something has to give.

What does this mean?

It means that there has to be a level of portion control and portion tracking along with making healthy “Paleo” food choices in your diet. You have to be mindful of how much food you are are eating, specifically fat.

Fat is not the great villain that it has been made out to be in the media, but it can crank up your total calories really fast if you aren’t mindful of how much you are eating.

Yes calories do count. You have to run a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. This deficit can come from burning calories via exercise, or through cutting calories in the diet. The optimal way to drop body fat is to do a little bit of both – exercise and shore up the diet.

Where to start?

Start by tracking literally everything you eat for the next week. Don’t go change your diet drastically, and don’t lie to yourself by writing down that you’re eating less. Just write down what you’re eating so you can get a baseline. Using an app like My Fitness Pal is a huge help here. Once you have a week’s worth of data on paper we can see where to go next and how to adjust what you’re eating.

Stay tuned to the blog for part 2 of this post.

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Darla , , , , , , , , ,
January 11, 2015

Stay Away From Sugar

image

Our next nutrition challenge will have us avoiding sugar for 30 days. That’s great for a challenge, but why is it important?

First, let’s set a few things straight. We aren’t saying you have to avoid all sugar like fruits and veggies. We are asking you to avoid added sugar. So nothing with sugar listed as an ingredient (or any corn syrup derivative).  This also includes sugars like honey and agave.

Many natural sources of sugar like fruits and veggies also have a fair amount of fiber which helps to blunt sugar’s inflammatory response.

But back to the topic at hand. Why should we avoid excess sugar?

  1. Sugar is addicting! Eating sugar stimulates dopamine productions and affects the brain similar to cocaine. You can become addicted to sugar!
  2. Sugar is highly inflammatory. Sugar increases blood glucose and insulin, both of which are toxic in high doses.
    • Excess inflammation leads to increased fat storage.
    • Constantly stimulating insulin production can lead to type 2 diabetes.
  3. Limiting sugar leaves room for more nutrient dense foods like meats and vegetables.
  4. Avoiding added sugar can help with mood swings and afternoon tiredness.
    • By not stimulating dopamine production, moods can level out and you won’t be on an energy level see-saw all day.
  5. The more you avoid sugar, the less you’ll crave it and the healthier you’ll be!
Darla , , , , ,
September 10, 2014

Wednesday September 10, 2014

Paleo Diet Misconceptions

By now you have all heard our coaches and members tout the benefits of the Paleo Diet, you’ve seen the results in the weight loss, physique and performance found throughout our success stories.  I’ve heard some chatter that Paleo just isn’t working for some people so I want to take some time to dispel a few commonly held misconceptions that I’ve heard floating around the gym.

meatThe Paleo diet minimizes insulin spikes by naturally reducing the amount of carbohydrates you eat, highly processed or otherwise, and helps to prevent hyperinsulinemia because there isn’t excess insulin floating around in the blood all the time.

I say that to say this: desserts are not paleo, they should not be a main part of your diet.  No matter how you label them, most desserts are still high carbohydrate foods that you want to stay away from.  Let’s take a look at a “paleo dessert recipe” easily found on the internet.  The second recipe on the page for cookies calls for 1 1/4 CUP of honey and some dried fruit.  The honey alone has 349g of sugar! Add about 20-30 additional grams of carbs for the dried fruit and you are hitting around 375 carbs for an entire batch.

And the dedicated Paleo baker says: “But the cookies don’t have flour and honey is all natural isn’t it?”  Yes honey is natural, but it is still 100% sugar. For the amount of sugar found in a dessert like that, you’re better off not eating it, definitely don’t try to pass them off as Paleo, and don’t overeat on them or call them “healthy.”

Next, let’s dispel the myth that eating six meals throughout the day is better than eating three.  Calories are calories folks, to lose weight you need a net caloric intake less than caloric expenditure, it is highly unlikely that you will eat fewer calories on six meals as opposed to three or four.  For example, if you eat 6 meals at 400 calories per meal that’s 2400 calories per day.  If you eat 3 meals at 700 calories per day that’s only 2100 calories per day.  Trust me when I say it is very difficult to make a 700 calorie meal if you are eating lean meats and veggies. On the other hand, 400 calories is quite easy to eat – that’s 5 eggs, or 3 eggs and a handful of almonds- not much food when you look at it on a plate. You probably don’t eat many meals fewer than 400 calories without being hungry soon after.

Calories do count folks, a man in Kansas lost weight eating only Little Debbies, keeping his calories consumed less than file000943219960expended. I am by no means supporting that diet; I’m certain he is deficient in probably every vitamin and has no muscle to speak of. I know crossfitters love  heavy cream in their coffee because “it’s paleo and full of fat.” True, sort of. But if you’re putting 3 ounces or more in a coffee once or twice per day, at 100 calories per ounce, that stuff adds up- don’t lose track of it.

If you are having trouble losing the weight you want to lose, take a look at your diet and be honest with yourself. Are you eating mostly what we advise, or are you daily eating desserts and breads wrapped in the Paleo guise to make yourself feel better about it?  It is quite possible to over-eat, even eating Paleo.  Instead of finding new and improved ways to cheat the system and make paleo desserts, paleo breads and paleo candy, stick to what works.  Eat lean meats, veggies (preferably green ones), fruits that end in -berry, nuts, seeds and good oils.  ZERO sugar and processed carbohydrates including bread, oats, honey, molasses and maple syrup. Think about the ingredients that you are adding to these so-called healthy treats.  Mixing together bananas, pineapples and other sugar-laden fruits is not much better than eating a piece of cake. Paleo works because you eat a healthy combination of protein, fats, and low glycemic carbs.  You will get an ample supply of vitamins if you are eating good fruits and veggies. As always, if you have any questions please feel free ask, we are always happy to help!

-Tanner

 

Emely

Welcome Emely!

[one_half]

Fitness

A. Deadlift 4 x 3-5 (2111) rest 4-5 min b/w sets, build per set

+

4 sets
10 Power cleans (tough)
8 strict pull ups
8 toest to bar
200m run
**pace the run – same pace all 4 rds

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[one_half_last]

Performance

A. Deadlift 4 x 3-5 (2111) rest 4-5 min b/w sets, build per set

+

4 sets
10 Hang Power Cleans (tough unbroken)
2 rope climbs
200m run
**pace the run – same pace all 4 rounds

[/one_half_last]

Darla , , , , ,