Lurong Living Paleo Challenge - Body Results (Before & After Pics!)

I already wrote about how excited I was about my workout results and now for the part that always seems to draw a lot of extra readers... half naked pictures of me on the internet!

The 8 week challenge involved following a strict Paleo Diet, similar to the Whole30, consisting of lots of veggies, meat, healthy fats (avocado, coconut, olive oil, etc), fruit, nuts, and seeds.  To be honest, we did a lot of cheating.  If I cooked it, it was compliant but we also went to parties, restaurants, and even a beer festival during the 8 weeks.  We were pretty strict during the week, but we let loose a little on the weekend.  Like I said before, I think this is pretty much how I want to eat on a regular basis.

I've got to be honest, the week before the challenge I was completely out of control.  I was stuffing my face with stuff that I don't even eat normally and I think I gained about 5 lbs that week.  All the processed carbs, sweets, and booze left me completely bloated and swollen.  It's crazy how much I can tell how each food affects me now.

 Yeah, that happened.

Body Results:

Weight:

Measurements:

Before & After Pictures:

 

That first comparison before picture make me cringe.  The Paleo Diet obviously works for me and I don't think there's any way I can go back to eating the Standard American Diet (SAD).  I feel like I've taken the red pill and there's no going back.  Sometimes I wonder if the people in my life are sick and tired of hearing me ramble on and on about Paleo, but I just can't help it.  I feel like my eyes have been opened and I want to share that with the world.  What you eat directly affects your skin, your body composition, your energy, your ability to focus, and so much more, and I don't think many people actually consider that on a daily basis.  Fuel your body with real food and you will find out just how amazing you could feel.  My skin looks better, my nails are stronger, I never feel like I need to take a nap after I eat, my stomach isn't bloated, my workouts improve, and damn I'm going to look great in a bikini in Nicaragua on our honeymoon!

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Lurong Living Paleo Challenge - Workout Results

Well, our 8 week Lurong Living Paleo Challenge is coming to an end tomorrow!  I haven't posted much throughout the challenge, but I know everybody wants to hear those results.

Workout Results

I typically made it to CrossFit twice per week during the challenge which is similar to how often I was going before.  I took two weeks off in the middle of the challenge to let my shoulder heal, and oh yeah, I had poison ivy on my face too!

Workout 1:
Wallballs, Deadlifts, Box Jumps/Step Ups
21 of each, then 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3
Level III - 14 lbs medicine ball, 75 lbs deadlift, 20 inch box
9/16/13 - 17:08
11/4/13 - 13:23 (that's 3 minutes and 42 seconds off my time, say what?!)

This was the workout that made me hurl.  I really wasn't looking forward to it and my only goal was to beat my original time... and not throw up.  Did I mention that I did this workout at 7 am on a Monday?  I had cheerleading at night and I knew I needed to get this one out of the way, so I sucked it up and started my week with an intense workout.  I felt strong during this one!  I lost my rhythm and struggled on some wallballs midway, but otherwise I kept huffing and puffing along.  I was completely shocked when I finished almost 4 minutes before my previous time (and without feeling sick at all).  I was wiped, but I was so pumped!

Workout 2:
10 hang power cleans, 20 meter sprint
8 hang power cleans, 40 meter sprint
6 hang power cleans, 60 meter sprint
4 hang power cleans, 80 meter sprint
2 hang power cleans, 100 meter sprint
Level II - 65 lbs cleans
9/18/13 - 4:18
11/2/13 - 4:06

My shoulder was hurting before this workout, so again, my only goal was to beat my time.  This workout was the easiest of the three since it was so short.  With a 5 minute cap, this workout was a sprint and a 12 second improvement was enough to make me happy!

Workout 3:
Lurong (Benchmark)
100 Burpees, 100 KB Swings
Level II - 26 lbs kettlebell
9/20/13 - 12:17 (12 minute time cap, didn't finish 17 reps)

11/8/13 - 11:42 (FINISHED!)

Dave had been sick with a cold all week and despite my best efforts, I started showing symptoms on Friday morning.  I also had pain in my shoulder throughout the week that I was trying to heal with some hot tub sessions.  I was seriously debating not participating in this workout.  I didn't want to further injure my shoulder and my sore throat was the icing on the cake.  I sat in the hot tub after work and decided I was at least going to try to do the workout.  I kept my skill lifting light, since I wanted my shoulder to feel fresh.  I was worried the kettlebell swinging motion was going to give me the pinching feeling in my shoulder, but when I warmed up it felt ok!  I went all out.  I felt no pain in my shoulder!  I noticed I was more than halfway at the 6 minute mark and I decided I HAD to finish.  I just kept thinking only a few more minutes, just push through!  The burpees were actually easier than the kettlebell swings (maybe because I haven't done much with my arms lately).  I was so excited to finish!

I loved that we could see our progress by retesting these workouts.  I didn't really think I had gotten much stronger but improving all 3 WODs definitely says something!  I still can't believe how much better I felt during the wallball/deadlift/step up workout.  I'm really hoping my shoulder pain will subside for good in the near future so I can work on getting my pull up!  I'm planning on really resting it for a few weeks.  I took two weeks off before, but I filled in for a missing girl at cheer practice right after that, overly confident that my shoulder was fully healed.  I should've given it more time.  I'm definitely still loving CrossFit and don't plan on stopping any time soon.

Stay tuned for some before and after pictures!

How do you track your fitness improvements?
 

October Update

Hello there!  As always, when life gets busy, the blog goes on hiatus.  So what's been going on?!

I judged my first cheerleading competition!  I have been coaching since 2000 and it's definitely been a dream of mine to judge competitions, so when I was asked if I wanted to judge alongside the woman I coached with all throughout high school (and pretty much considered my second mom), it was a no brainer!  Judging was a little overwhelming at first, but once I got in my groove it was great.  I definitely want to do more judging in the future.  In the meantime, coaching has been chugging along.  My girls won their first competition and now we're prepping for Regionals (and looking to get a bid to Nationals in Disney in December)!

We're in week 5 of the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge!  Honestly, this has probably been my least successful Paleo eating challenge, but oddly enough, I think I'm ok with it.  Basically we've been cheating every weekend.  There was a beer festival, a wedding, fancy dinners out... things too good to miss.  So we've been eating strict Paleo during the week and then not sweating it during the weekend.  I'm sure my results will reflect my lack of total commitment, but I'm going for a lifestyle change, and I think this is sort of how I want to eat on a normal basis!  I've also been MIA from the gym for two weeks.  I did a bunch of shoulder work at the gym, felt great, then I did some gymnastics at a cheerleading practice, felt great, and then I woke up with a shoulder injury.  I believe it was just an overuse thing because two weeks of rest and some hot tub and heating pad sessions have made it feel so much better!  I still could've been hitting the gym during this time, working my legs, etc... but I also got poison ivy on my face while working in the field.  I went to the doc, got some steroid pills, and a week an half later, my face looks almost completely better, but this combined with my shoulder was enough to grant myself a break!  Looking forward, I'm getting my tush to the gym at least twice this week, hopefully three times!  I've got to get back on track!

The wedding is 209 days away!  Wedding planning has also taken a bit of a backseat lately, but things are still coming along.  The bridesmaids' dresses have been selected, the DJ is just about signed, and we are working on finalizing the guest list.  Apparently we have too many friends!  It is so difficult to narrow down the list and I'm dreading offending some people.  We'll see... but in the meantime please let me gush about our amazing photographers!  We first heard about Fuller Photography when our friends Christine and Josh used them for their wedding in June and soon after I knew we had to book them.  We had our engagement photos a few weeks ago and they turned out simply breathtaking!

 

Apparently a bunch of my favorites are all smooching pics :)  There's a ton more, but I don't want to share too many until we send out our Save the Dates.  I hope you're having a great weekend!

What's new with you?  How's your October going?

Lurong Living Paleo Challenge (aka our Whole56): Week 2 Meal Plan

Better late than never right?

Breakfast this week is a mix of Lara Bars and some mini egg muffins that Dave was inspired to make from a recipe on the challenge forum (similar to these).  I just recently started doing a new task at work that has me out in the field all day, so that threw a wrench in my usual lunch plans of just eating whatever I made for dinner the night before!  On Sunday we made a big batch of baked chicken (cooked in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, and chipotle powder) to have with a salad, an avocado, sliced cucumbers, some fruit, etc.

Monday

• Dinner: Buffalo chicken meatballs and some leftover eggplant in tomato sauce

Tuesday

• Dinner: Leftover Thai curry chicken

 Wednesday

• Dinner: Portobello proscuitto pizzas

Thursday

• Dinner: Steak with grilled zucchini, peppers, onions, and mushrooms and a sweet potato

Friday

• Dinner: Leftovers or last Friday we headed over to Wegmans after CrossFit, we sat outside and put our meal plan together, while enjoying a snack, some live entertainment, and the sunset, before we went grocery shopping for the week, and then came home and made a delicious meal.  This Friday could be a repeat!  You know you're getting old when...

Saturday we're headed to a beer fest in Philly so that will definitely be a cheat and the rest of the weekend will fall under next week's meal plan!  Happy Hump Day!

How's your week going?

One Week Down, Seven to Go!

Well, day 9 of the challenge and I'm feeling great!  We were kind of all over the place with our meal plan (I bought some bone-in chicken because I couldn't pass up the deal, had to throw out a ton of beef due to freezer burn, etc.) but we made due and ate compliant all week.  I did do some cheating on Saturday with some cheese in a shared restaurant meal and a comfort food feast at a friend's house and I may or may not have had some mimosas since champagne is pretty much mandatory at all my bridal party events ;)  But I got back on track Sunday and did a ton of meal prep to start the week strong!

Eating Paleo was easy compared to the three grueling CrossFit workouts that kicked off the challenge!  Monday's workout was wall balls (throw a medicine ball up a wall, catch it and squat), deadlifts, and box jumps/step ups.  We did 21 of each, then 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3.  We had 18 minutes to complete the workout.  I did this workout at Level III, which is the highest level(!) so for women it was a 14 lbs medicine ball, a 75 lbs deadlift, and a 20 inch box.  Lurong (100 burpees & 100 kettlebell swings) used to be my most hated CrossFit workout...  but now this workout earned the title!  I am proud to say I finished in 17:08 (many people didn't finish) and then I promptly tossed my cookies, which is a first!  I completely lost my technique on the deadlifts as the workout went on and I paid for it!  My back was in a world of pain.  Thankfully a trip to the chiropractor combined with lots of foam rolling and stretching made it feel better, but I was hurting for an entire week.

Wednesday's workout was fine.

• 10 hang power cleans, 20 meter sprint
• 8 hang power cleans, 40 meter sprint
• 6 hang power cleans, 60 meter sprint
• 4 hang power cleans, 80 meter sprint
• 2 hang power cleans, 100 meter sprint

It had a 5 minute cut off, I finished in 4:18.  I did Level II, which had me cleaning 65 lbs.  It was a sprint, it left me winded, but nothing like Monday!

Friday was Lurong and I was dreading it.  Last time I completed the workout in 15:18, so I didn't expect to finish within the 12 minute cutoff time.  I was swinging a 26 lbs kettlebell (Level II).  I ended up completing 183 reps, so close!  I felt beat afterwards, but nothing like last time.  Yay for getting stronger!

We will do these three workouts again at the end of the challenge to see if we improved.  I am NOT looking forward to doing that first workout again!  I guess if I don't hurl afterwards, I'll know that I've improved.

This week kicked off with some snatching. 

I'd recommend turning your volume down for the video.

It was only my second time snatching and we were trying to max out.  I lifted 65 lbs, skipped 70 since I ran out of time, and went for 75 twice without success.  I was so close but I just couldn't get it up!  So frustrating.  The WOD was 7 rounds of 5 snatch, 10 sit ups, 200 meter run.  I snatched 45 lbs and it was pretty tough, but I focused on my form and finished in 19:15.  My shins are super bruised, but I guess that means I kept the bar close to my body, like I'm supposed to!

I did make a meal plan for the week... perhaps I'll get a chance to post it before the week is over.

What's the most intense workout you've ever done?

Lurong Living Paleo Challenge (aka our Whole56): Week 1 Meal Plan

Today is officially day one of the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge (aka our Whole56)! I literally ate myself sick last week, stuffing my face with a ton of things that I wouldn't even normally touch, so I'm really excited about eating healthy and feeling better! I don't plan on posting every day this time around, but I think I'll check in every week to let you know how things are going.

If there's one thing I've learned from my Whole21 and Whole30, it's that planning ahead is key! So here's my meal plan for Week 1:

Same as my April Whole30, my breakfasts will consist of a mix of hard boiled eggs, Lara Bars (check the ingredients, some are compliant, some aren't), fruit, tea, and coffee (only when I'm dragging, not every day). I'm not a huge breakfast eater, so I will only be eating when I'm hungry. Hard boiled eggs and fruit may turn into snacks later in the day or sides with lunch. Additional snacks will be dried fruit, nuts, pickles, garlic stuffed olives, raw carrots, or sometimes a whole avocado to the face :)

Monday

• Lunch: Salad from the grocery store salad bar containing lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, and a hard boiled egg, 90 calorie pack of guacamole and Franks Red Hot as the dressing, with 3 small pieces of baked chicken
• Dinner: Salmon (baked in olive oil, salt, pepper, and old bay), with a sweet potato and roasted eggplant

Tuesday

• Lunch: Avocado chicken salad (using chicken I'm cooking tonight) with some raw carrots
• Dinner: Burgers (that I'll make from scratch and probably throw some minced onions, peppers, and mushrooms in) topped with tomato, lettuce, pickles and served with whatever veggies come in our CSA pick up that night

Wednesday

• Lunch: Leftover burgers
• Dinner: Buffalo chicken boats (cook some chicken in the crockpot all day, shred and combine with some Franks Red Hot, serve in romaine lettuce boats, top with avocado and tomato) with random veggies

Thursday

• Lunch: Leftover buffalo chicken
• Dinner: Thai Curry Chicken with carrots, mushrooms, and purple cabbage (I was supposed to make this Sunday night for lunches, but laziness got the best of me)

Friday

• Lunch: Leftover Thai curry chicken
• Dinner: Meatballs (combine ground beef with 1 egg, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, minced garlic, finely chopped onions, maybe some spinach, form into meatballs, bake in oven at 375 for 20-30 minutes, check inside of one for no pink, so easy!) served with mom's sauce (won't be adding sugar!) and CSA veggies, possibly a side salad

Saturday

• Lunch: Most likely grab something out with my bridesmaids after we shop for their dresses
• Dinner: Leftover meatballs

Sunday

• Lunch: Leftovers?
• Dinner: Something in the crockpot!

Anybody else in the process of cleaning up their eating habits?

Lurong Living Paleo Challenge 2013!

Knowing that in 249 days, I will be captured in hundreds of pictures wearing the most gorgeous dress (next to the most handsome groom!) it was only natural that I would do some type of clean eating program in the near future. I figured I would do a Whole30 at some point, but when my CrossFit gym announced that they were participating in a nationwide Paleo challenge, it seemed like fate!

The Lurong Living Paleo Challenge starts on Monday 9/16 and lasts for 8 weeks (that's 56 days people)! The diet requirements are pretty close to the Whole30 rules with just a few tweaks. The challenge also includes 10 required workouts, 3 of which will be done at the beginning and then repeated at the end to measure performance improvement. Surprisingly enough, the challenge includes Lurong, my most hated benchmark workout! I'm interested to see if I can beat my time from May, but I'm sure it's still going to suck.

Participating in this challenge will be so much better than doing a solo Whole30. The support from my gym and taking body measurements there will definitely help keep me accountable! It's also perfect timing since I was told to start setting up appointments for my dress alterations in November. I figure once my dress has been fitted, I will be forced to maintain my healthy eating habits before the big day! And it won't be the end of the world if I have to do another Whole30 in the spring, especially with the extra energy and clear skin as welcomed side effects.

Dave's pretty bummed that this challenge is falling during football (and pumpkin beer) season, but as with most things, there's never going to be a perfect time to eat healthy. There will always be a dinner out, a free lunch, a party, a sporting event, a happy hour, a special dessert. Unlike the Whole30, cheats are acknowledged in this challenge, but you have to document them. We are planning on attending a beer festival at the end of the month, oh well! Whether you have one beer or ten, the cheat is documented the same, but as the challenge website says "your waistline at the end of the challenge won't lie." I'm going to try and stay as strict as possible, but at the same time 8 weeks is a long time and sometimes it's just worth it.

I was considering trying to eat super healthy beforehand so I don't feel as miserable when I start. We had our engagement photos on Sunday, so last week I was trying to keep things super clean. And now I've deemed this fat kid week! I've decided to enjoy some pizza, mozzarella sticks, and cocktails. I know it seems kind of stupid to pig out on stuff that I know is unhealthy and against everything I write about but damnit I really want one last hurrah with cheese and pina coladas... and quite honestly, it will just make my challenge results even more dramatic.

Did you go on a diet before your big day? Have you ever done a challenge through your gym?