DL's Page

Ok so it’s been a while since I last wrote. I wanted to touch on a different topic, but one that everyone seems to have questions on. It is also one that everyone seems to have a different opinion on. “Diet”. I do hate that word, many negative connotations to it. Can’t we call it Fuel or Energy Intake.

This is my opinion. It is what works for me. It may (or may not) work for you.  I’m still working on it.  I still struggle with finding what works best…for me.

From Merriam-Websters dictionary:
Main Entry: 1di·et
Pronunciation: \ˈdī-ət\
Function: noun
1 a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed b : habitual nourishment c : the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason d : a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one’s weight

Let’s Concentrate on “a” and “b” shall we?  ”c”, ok we are doing this for a purpose.  ”d” is a misnomer, and should be removed entirely.  Seriously.  New definition: a way of eating (and it turns out living) that provides for optimum health, performance, and overall well-being.

This is about eating better to be healthier, look better, run faster, jump higher, beat Chalka by 1 second (sorry bud), and to most importantly FEEL BETTER.  If you take nothing out of this post let this be it: Changing how you eat will make you feel better.

So, what do I have to say that is different from everyone else?  Not much really.  There are a lot of resources out there who can tell you the why and how.  Loren Cordain (Paleo Diet), Barry Sears (Zone Diet), Robb Wolf,  and our very own Sam Farina and Rebel Health just to name a few.  A short disclaimer before I start.  This may or may not be endorsed by, agreed upon, or even liked by CrossFit, CrossFit St. Pete, or anyone other than myself.

Again, my opinion.  Here we go, a short (-ish) discussion of how and what I eat on a regular basis.

Technically I eat a Paleo-Zone.  I say technically because I only use the Zone block system to ensure that I don’t eat too many carbs, and to make sure I get enough protein and fat.  The block system has been very easy to get used to and makes measuring easy.  I use a simple to calculate method for determining how much I need to eat.

I take my body weight in lbs, and that is how many grams of protein I need to eat in a  day.  I divide that by 7 to get the number of Zone Blocks I can have.  I split that up into about 5 meals for the day: the 3 usual ones and 2 snacks.

So we have my Bodyweight 185#.  Divide by 7 = 27 blocks over the course of one day which means about 5 blocks per meal, some end up being 6.  For those of you who have zone before 1 block of protein is about  oz of meat, or one slice of lunch meat.

Now with each meal I eat half as many carb blocks as protein blocks.  Lets take lunch for example.  6 Blocks of protein, so 3 blocks of carbs.  Again for those of you playing along 1 carb block is, for example, half of a regular sized apple.

Lastly, we have the fat.  The most important thing that I have found to improve my performance, body fat, and well being.  I use Robb Wolf’s method of carb replacement he suggests in “42 Ways to Skin the Zone” published in The Performance Menu.  I use a fat modifier of 2x ,and 3 blocks for each of the missing carb blocks.

Lets look at lunch again.  6 Blocks of protein, 3 blocks of carbs, 2x fat =12 fat.  Then 3 fat for each carb missing, so another 9 for a total of 21 blocks of fat.

Why so much fat?  To get enough calories and to train my body to use fat as a fuel…and a couple more Ill go into in a later post.  But really, percentage wise it isn’t all that much fat (see below).

So here is what it looks like in Zone Blocks:

26 Protein blocks, 13 carbohydrate blocks, and 91Fat blocks or 182g Protein, 117g Carb, and 136.5g fat. That works out to be 42% protein, 27% carb, 31% fat

Thats enough for now.  My next post will cover things that I do differently from the Paleo Diet and I’ll also cover some Good Fats that I eat to keep things interesting.

So, here are the current standings for the competition, including the scores for each of the WODs.  Good luck to everyone!

Feeling good today.  Injurues suck, but the road back from them is worse.  This was the first time in over 5 months that I have been able to complete a workout with pull-ups in it, as Rx’d.  ”Helen” in 10:39.  No where near where it could be, but I finished with only some minor discomfort left over today, nothing a little ice wont take care of.

Here’s the real point to this post.  Ive added my new program to the Training Log Page.  It lays out what Ill be doing for the next 3 months.  I havent chosen the WODs yet, Ill do that week to week.  See the associated Word document for a description of the program.

It’s not going to be perfect.  Programming especially for yourself (as seen in a previous post) is difficult.  Why am I posting it?  Mostly for transparency.  Anyone can say they are on a great training program, and never tell you what it is.  It could be they really are on a good program, could be they are on someone elses, or maybe they are just genetically gifted (lucky?).  I also think the open source model for information works, given enough time, and the right group of people.

It’s also to keep myself honest, about my goals and how to achieve them.  The easiest person to deceive is yourself.  If I put it out there, there will always be someone who will voice their opinion; good, bad or otherwise.  It keeps you on your toes and constantly evaluating what it is you are trying to achieve.  So, take a look.  Let me know what you think, and I will let you all know how it turns out.