Eating days

Anytime I use the phrase "eating days" to describe the days that I am not fasting, I get strange looks. SP usually pokes fun at me, Holly thinks I am crazy...so goes life. I can understand that it must sound weird, and I will admit: I think it's cool to be able to use phrases like "fasting day" and "eating day." It's like being a part of some strange culture that few are privy of (or want to be privy of, for that matter).

On to more or less important things. I have taken these past three days as eating days, having breakfast around 9am. I figured since I went 3 on IF, might as well go 3 off. I also don't want to keep the same routine each week of when I fast and when I eat. Keep the body confused for the best results. Our Ancestors would not have had scheduled days where they decided to eat or decided not to, if a meal provided itself (rather, if they were able to hunt/fish/find carrion, etc. to provide one) then a feast was had. If not, some grazing probably occurred on grass, bark, roots and tubers, berries if they were lucky. To more closely parallel Ancestral eating habits, it's best to mix things up.

SP and I have been wondering about the effects of fasting on training. Willing to email the Queen of England about what she takes in her tea, SP emailed Martin Berkhan, author of the leangains.com website (the very site that got me interested in IF), asking him what he knew about IF+training. He responded with not much more than this link, which answers the question quite nicely. The post is based almost entirely on research, which is great. Read the post, it is interesting. If you don't want to, then I will sum it up: Exercising while in a fasted state is more beneficial than while in a fed state. Now, the study this post is based on was focusing on endurance and muscle glycogen, two aspects of exercise that, as Martin points out, CrossFit utilizes regularly. What does this mean? Martin suggests, and I agree, that CrossFitting while in a fasted state is beneficial.

Why do I agree? I have anecdotal evidence, of course (the best kind!!). The Saturday prior to my foray into IF, I tried on some pants that I had purchased last year, but were too small for me to fit into (I was rapidly gaining weight at that time. These are Aeropastle jeans, size 36. Brand doesn't matter to me except in the sense that these size 36 Aero pants were cut smaller than some size 36 pants I had from other retailers, which were getting tight as well, but that I could still squeeze into [before having to bump up to size 38...these then began to get snug, at which point I began CF]. The Aeros...not a chance. I could barely touch the button side to the hole side when trying to fasten them, and on one pair, I couldn't.). So when I tried them on 2 weeks ago, I was able to button each pair :) a very happy moment for me. One pair fit alright, but the other two were still pretty tight. After 2 weeks of IF, CF, and maintaining a Paleo diet 80% of the time, I am currently typing this post in the previously too-tight-to-touch-button-to-hole pants, and they fit perfectly! Just two weeks of eating (or not eating, lol) healthy and busting ass. On top of it all, I weighed myself on my mom's scale that same Saturday two weeks ago and it read 116. I reweighed yesterday and it read 112. Very cool stuff in my opinion.

That's enough good news for today. Have a pleasant Sunday!

Adios.

Trying to catch up to today on my posts

The beginning of this week marked week 2 of IF for me, and after such shoddy food choices over the weekend I decided to attempt my first 24 hour fast. I awoke Monday with minimal hunger, as usual (I've never been the type to eat breakfast, so it hasn't been a problem for me to skip this meal.), my last meal having been around 5:30pm the previous day. I waited until around noon to have my first cup of coffee, as opposed to having it around 8-9 in the morning. And I went through the day as though it was any other, studied for and took a test, chilled with my fiancé, etc. While studying in C building at school, SP came up to me and asked how I was feeling after a 20+ hour fast up to that point. I told him I felt fine, very alert and easily able to concentrate. He said something that made great sense: It would be beneficial for our ancestors to be alert and focused when in a fasted state so that they were better able to hunt and make a kill. This goes against everything I have ever been told growing up. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You need to eat breakfast if you want to perform well on tests..." But I rarely if ever ate breakfast before tests, standardized or not, and consistently performed above average. Anecdotal, I know. But that plus the info and literature I have read about IF...

It is necessary to note that when I did break my fast, at around 6 pm Monday, I ate a good amount of red meat, some bacon and asparagus, and had a protein shake to wash it all down. It is important to consume a large amount of protein so your body has fuel and doesn't break down lean muscle for energy, as I've said before.

On to Tuesday. I was happy with how I felt from the day before. After a 24 hour fast I expected to be much hungrier than I was, so decided to IF again. No breakfast then a pool WOD: 7 rounds for time of 20m swim, 7 push-ups with hand release, 7 sit-ups, and 7 squats; completed in 15:59. I was very satisfied with my performance because swim WODs suck. And considering I had not eaten yet, I was happy. My post WOD meal consisted of more red meat with veggies. Also had another meal later that evening of chicken and a salad with some steamed broccoli. Oh, and I tried this day of IF without coffee. I didn't feel bad, just normal. Still minimal hunger pangs but much less energy compared to the days I have a couple of cups of coffee.

Wednesday was yet another fast day, the third in a row, and went pretty much the same as the previous two. I didn't eat breakfast but did have coffee, fasted for about 17 hours, and ate a high protein meal. The WOD was done in the evening, 100 push-ups, with hand release, for time. 11:42, these push-ups suck! It's a standard push up, except after the down you rest all of your body weight on the ground and raise your hands 1-2 inches up off of the ground before beginning the next rep. It ensures full range of motion, meaning it ensures you hate it. However, exercises you hate you need to do with regularity. I digress.

Yesterday I took as an eating day, had some eggs and a protein shake for breakfast. Felt the same as fasting days, but there is something to be said about food intake in the a.m. I had no coffee but felt energized and happy. Close to the same feelings I get after a meal on IF days, not quite as elated though. Went to SP's house to do a garage WOD: 10/2, 8/4, 6/6, 4/8, 2/10 reps for time of 115# squat clean and elevated push-ups. Finished in under 20 minutes, this one was a Killer! Had a post WOD meal of a protein shake, some jerky, and an apple, and didn't get hungry again until around 7:30pm.

That's enough for now, on to catching some rays by the pool :)

Adios.

Continued from yesterday

So like I was saying, caffeine, particularly coffee, seems to be the ideal fuel for me on days when I IF. I do not experience hunger pangs until around 6 or so hours after my last cup, and even then they are mild. Also, coffee gives me energy. Since beginning Paleo and cutting out soft drinks, my caffeine intake has been minimal, so me drinking coffee is like a 4 year old drinking a coke. I'm ready to go. You wanna study for a psych exam, then play a game of scrabble, then do 100 push-ups for time? I'm down.

Anyway, after two days on IF with an average time of 17 hours between meals, I took a day off. I ate pretty much anything I wanted, even went off Paleo and ate some pizza. Bad choice. About 20 minutes or so after the pizza, I began to feel lethargic and even a little irritable. My body was not happy about the sudden Carb shock and resulting insulin spike. I was very surprised at how in-tune with my body I was, and equally surprised that I was feeling this way after only 2 slices of pizza. However, I wasn't sure if it was really the pizza or something psychological having to do with me being disappointed in myself for straying off of the Paleo path.

After taking an eating day I decided to go back on, fasting the next day for about 16 hours or so. This day's WOD was exhausting and started with 400m interval runs for 20 minutes, resting the exact amount of time it took to run the previous 400m. I got in 5 rounds in just under 20 minutes. The second part was 3 round for time of 15 Cleans and max effort (ME) push-ups. I had been wanting to work on my squat clean form so I focused on that, not really concerning myself with how long it took. Round 1: 75#/21 reps, Round 2: 85#/21 reps, Round 3: 95#/19 reps. After round 2 I began to feel a little light headed so I downed my protein shake and waited a couple of minutes to finish, which I did with almost no more dizziness. Pretty happy with the performance, this WOD was difficult. I was also glad I had pushed myself to the point I did so that I was aware of my limits when WODing and IFing, which may increase over time as my body adapts. I'll keep posting about this.

Over the weekend I visited my grandparents, which meant no Paleo. I had pizza, biscuits, rice, etc. all weekend. My body responded the same way it had a few days previously. I became quite lethargic and tired, was not very cheery and the Fam could tell something wasn't quite right about me. It kind of sucked to be such a downer, but on the bright side (there is always a bright side) I did feel a surge of pride, too, that my body actually WANTED me to eat healthy, natural foods. Very cool.

Anyway, that's enough for today. For another/different perspective on IF and fitness in general, this blog is pretty neat. Some intelligence over there, as opposed to here. lol.

Adios.

The beginnings of an IF interest

About a week ago, I was browsing Facebook and happened across a link on CrossFit Dahlonega's wall about Intermittent Fasting. I was fascinated and shared it with a friend, He told me to post it to the wall of our CF Affiliate, CrossFit Gwinnett (CFG). We also discussed giving IF a trial run since it seemed to fit in with an Ancestral Living approach. Since about a month and a half into CrossFit, which I have been doing regularly, if not religiously, for 3 1/2 months, the thought of something akin to Ancestral Living has piqued my interest. So much so that after a poor performance during a WOD (before which I had been eating garbage: deep fried chicken, french fries, ice cream), I decided to begin the Paleo lifestyle. I'd heard only good things from other individuals who are on it; It was almost like all I needed was an excuse to begin a healthy diet. One unsatisfactory performance and I haven't looked back since.

After doing a good bit of research on IF, I have realized that 1) there are few websites/blogs who cite or use data in their posts when talking about IF (so I will try to do so via links, also citing some non-primary source blogs and sites), 2) despite number one, most of the websites and blogs I have checked out are consistent in their descriptions of how to go about implementing IF in daily life as well as the benefits of IF. Check some of the links in my first post as well as the one near the beginning of this one for details on the benefits of IF and how you might go about adding this strategy to your dietary plan (also, see here and here).

I have been doing this IF thing for 8 days or so. Last week I decided to begin my first fast at night. Around 6-7 I would finish my last meal, then I would fast overnight and wait until after I WOD-ed, around 12-12:30, to eat a Paleo meal high in protein, with a protein shake to drink. It is very important that you consume enough protein in your eating window to make up for what was missed, as well as to ensure your body doesn't break down lean muscle for energy.

My experience after the first day's fast was not as bad as I thought it would be. I did get very hungry almost immediately post-WOD, and found that after eating I experienced a sort of post-fast giddiness. It was, I will say, quite nice. After that I have been hooked. The following day I took the same strategy as the day before, not eating from around 7 pm the previous evening and skipping breakfast. However, on this day I had 2 large cups of black coffee and that curbed my hunger nicely, as well as gave me some good energy to power through my WOD.

I will continue this post at a later time, Adios.

The Basics

Recently, I have come to realize that the most important part of any healthy lifestyle is diet. What you put in your body will effect what you get out of it. That is, if you consistently eat refined, processed foods your performance will not be as optimal as when you eat whole, natural foods. Sure, many individuals can perform and compete at an amazingly high level by dieting according to the Food Guide Pyramid, but Homo sapiens did not evolve to consume grains, rice, pastas, breads or dairy products such as milk, cheese, and butter (see here). In fact, it has been suggested that the introduction of these foods has led to the emergence of the "diseases of civilization." No bueno.

I am relatively new to to this whole Paleolithic Diet thing (the Wikipedia article is actually quite nice, well cited, and even includes an opposing viewpoints section.) and in the month or so I have been on it I've noticed some pretty awesome physical and psychological improvements. Coupled with CrossFit's Workout Of the Day (WOD) 4-6 times per week, the results on my body have been incredible.

More recently (in the past 6-7 days) I have been getting into one of the more unfashionable aspects of Ancestral Dieting. Intermittent Fasting (IF) is a eating plan very likely to be consistent with what our hunter-gatherer ancestors were confronted with (scroll down to the sentence "Intermittent Fasting" and begin from there). Periods of abundance were probably followed by periods of scarcity, requiring these individuals to load up when food was available and do without when it wasn't. So, that's what IF is. Its abstaining from eating for different time intervals, then consuming enough calories to make up for the ones missed while fasting. Research shows that short-term IF has beneficial effects in humans. Well, this particular bit uses "Healthy Men" as a subject sample, but it works as an example right? As discussed with a friend who is knowledgeable on the subject of health and fitness, it only makes sense to base the caloric intake of your feeding days following the guidelines of the Paleo Diet. If it is beneficial when you are eating regularly scheduled meals, then IF + Paleo must equal Super Beneficial.

Anyway, that is what this blog is about. I'll try my best to keep track of my journey on the IF path, hoping that some may find the information useful and maybe one or two folks will actually be convinced to give it a go.

Adios.