CrossFit

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Myka

Right now, I'm trying to switch everything for the better, not necessarily for the best. I need steps to make it. I know I will fail and give up if I go too far too fast.

Good plan. It takes time, and to just go "cold turkey" can be tough. But I haven't eaten bread this year, haven't had sugar in years and dairy is limited to the odd spoonful of greek yogurt.
Something I find is great for morning coffee is coconut milk with a bit of coconut oil, sweetened slightly with liquid stevia. No sugar (as opposed to honey), and the fats from coconut are incredibly good for you.
My version of pizza is made with ground turkey as the crust, and healthy toppings. Finding tomato sauce with added sugar is tough, but it's out there.
The reactions to junk are funny. In Feb I had a piece of my kid's bday cake and I was high for 2 hours!! Flushed, ears hot, etc, really not a good feeling -lol
All my beef is grass fed, as the omega 3 content is so much higher. I can't find grass fed butter here, so just stick to coconut oil for most things.
One thing that I find really helps is supplementing with fish oil (if you don't eat a ton of fish) as it helps with so much. I take 5g/day. Other supplements should include zinc and magnesium, both helping with hormone function.
One thing to remember is now that you're doing something as strenuous as crossfit, make sure you eat enough to fuel the workouts AND the rest of your body function. I find that the further I do this, the more I have to eat just to continue losing weight (weird, right??). I also recommend taking some BCAA during your workout to ensure you're not burning muscle tissue. Just use powdered form in your water bottle.

[mike31154]

No bread? Yikes, I'm sure I can't pull that off. But I buy my bread mostly from a small German Bakery that specializes in ryes & generally heavier breads than 'Wonder Bread'. I'm no spring chicken any longer either but am in fairly decent shape. I've seen a lot of diets, fitness regimes, fitness apparatus(es) come & go over the years & am quite frankly amazed at how the folks selling fitness/dieting keep coming up with new stuff to empty our wallets.

I simply try to get off the couch & live an active lifestyle, haven't been to a fast food outlet in years, but do go for the occasional pizza from another small local outfit here in Vernon. I play soccer year round (indoor in winter) and do a lot of skiing in winter, including a couple of weeks of 'earning my turns'. Nothing like a 40 minute climb at altitude for a 3 minute run in untracked powder to get your cardio up to snuff. I don't have much upper body strength, so won't be helping anyone move their fish tank any time soon, but the legs & cardio are in fine form. There was also a time when I was a young Dad with kids that I spent more time on the couch & fitness declined, but that only lasted a few years.

A bit of this. Granted not cheap either, as most backcountry lodges inolve heli flights in & out. Then there's the guide & chef to renumerate. No need to watch your calories up here, other than making sure you get enough.




With some of this as a reward. My friend Garry going deep, not entirely sure why he's not grinning. (actually, the climbing with good company is a reward in itself)


And some of this, year round. Nothing like a team sport with a beer or two after with the boys (or girls, there is a coed league here in Vernon)


Everyone is motivated towards fitness (or not) in a different way. I love the mountains & a team sport for both fitness & socializing. Others need the structure of a fitness program at the gym etc. Whatever works for you is all good, as long as it gets you out from behind the computer/notebook/phone/ipad screen & off the couch.

[Aquattro]

Mike, you're right. Anything is better than nothing, and food choices are dependent on goals. It's all relative. If you want to run and hike, good cardio and lower body weight dictate your goals. If you want to easily move 180g tanks, then you build strength as a goal Choose activities and food accordingly. If you're happy at 18% bodyfat, enjoy that pizza and a cold beer or two. If physique training is your thing, then the choices narrow. But sitting on the couch is never a good choice given the alternatives available to us.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Something I find is great for morning coffee is coconut milk with a bit of coconut oil, sweetened slightly with liquid stevia. No sugar (as opposed to honey), and the fats from coconut are incredibly good for you.

I've tried Stevia in my coffee, and I'm not ready to pull that off yet! I'm quite happy I managed to switch to honey. Great idea on the coconut milk/cream. I will try that.

All my beef is grass fed, as the omega 3 content is so much higher.

It is sooo expensive! And so lean... I'm not a fan of lean beef. I don't like chunks of fat (yuck), but I nicely marbled ribeye. Nom nom!

One thing that I find really helps is supplementing with fish oil (if you don't eat a ton of fish) as it helps with so much. I take 5g/day. Other supplements should include zinc and magnesium, both helping with hormone function.

I eat skipjack tuna 4-5 times per week, and cod or crab another 3-4 times per month. I do have some fish oil gel caps that I take a few times per week. I have a plethora of supplement pills, but I don't take them religiously.

One thing to remember is now that you're doing something as strenuous as crossfit, make sure you eat enough to fuel the workouts AND the rest of your body function. I find that the further I do this, the more I have to eat just to continue losing weight (weird, right??). I also recommend taking some BCAA during your workout to ensure you're not burning muscle tissue. Just use powdered form in your water bottle.

I wasn't sure what BCAA's were, so I Googled. It's funny you mention it though because I was just looking at information on malto/dextro supplements for post-workout to prevent the release of cortisol and then muscle breakdown. It sounds like BCAA's somehow do a similar thing. More research (on both) is needed.

I just got back from a 9 am CrossFit class and I had half a yam and a chicken breast that I stuffed with ham and cheese. I was thinking the yam was a good post-workout carb source, but from what I am beginning to understand, I think I need something much higher on the GI to prevent the cortisol release - essentially you need a simple sugar/carb.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Myka

It is sooo expensive! And so lean...

Expensive, yes. But all cuts are available. I can't eat the xtra lean, so go with lean ground and it's nice and oily. Fry it up with veggies.

I eat skipjack tuna 4-5 times per week

That got old for me, and mercury content is a concern (I'm told)

More research (on both) is needed.

BCAA's essentially keep a positive amino balance in the blood, particularly leucine, which helps reduce muscle breakdown.

- essentially you need a simple sugar/carb.

I would skip the dextrose until you can see abs. Yam, sweet potato and oatmeal are great post workout carbs, although I usually wait an hour or so to eat any solid food. You want to keep blood supply feeding muscle rather than going to digestive processes. Not a huge concern really, but more an ideal state. I would say for now, BCAA during, lean protein and carbs about an hour after. If you need something right away, go whey isolate shake.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

That got old for me, and mercury content is a concern (I'm told)

You have to go pretty nuts on the Skipjack to have any concern about mercury. Yellowfin and Albacore are much more concerning.

I would skip the dextrose until you can see abs. Yam, sweet potato and oatmeal are great post workout carbs, although I usually wait an hour or so to eat any solid food. You want to keep blood supply feeding muscle rather than going to digestive processes. Not a huge concern really, but more an ideal state. I would say for now, BCAA during, lean protein and carbs about an hour after. If you need something right away, go whey isolate shake.

Ok, I was thinking that the dex/malto might be a latter on sort of thing. I did read somewhere that you're better off with a protein isolate shake (and dex/malto if wanted) within 30 mins of working out and then have a meal about 1 hour after the shake. This is all new to me... I've had a protein isolate shake for breakfast for about 10 years, but that's it!

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Myka

within 30 mins of working out and then have a meal about 1 hour after the shake. This is all new to me... I've had a protein isolate shake for breakfast for about 10 years, but that's it!

No, at your age the window is a couple hours at least. As you get older, timing is more important. I'd have a shake within an hour, then another hour for a solid meal. Unless you're really hungry It's not that critical at this stage.
For anyone looking to maximize any fat loss, avoiding insulin spikes in the morning is a good idea. Whey can cause insulin to rise, slowing or stopping any fat burning. If you're ok with not so fast a rate, the shakes for breaky are ok, but an ideal breakfast is protein and fats. Bacon and eggs works. I eat red meat and nuts for breaky, but most people don't think they would enjoy that -lol

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

No, at your age the window is a couple hours at least. As you get older, timing is more important. I'd have a shake within an hour, then another hour for a solid meal. Unless you're really hungry It's not that critical at this stage.

Ah ok. I usually need to eat something right away or I will want to snack and will start pilfering the cupboards (where the bad foods are!).

For anyone looking to maximize any fat loss, avoiding insulin spikes in the morning is a good idea. Whey can cause insulin to rise, slowing or stopping any fat burning. If you're ok with not so fast a rate, the shakes for breaky are ok, but an ideal breakfast is protein and fats. Bacon and eggs works. I eat red meat and nuts for breaky, but most people don't think they would enjoy that -lol

Funny you mention that as well since getting one foot on the Paleo bandwagon I have switched half my breakfasts to bacon and eggs. I bought some "natural" bacon and breakfast ham (no preservatives, just pork, salt, and smoke) for twice the price or regular bacon of course, and will bust that out next week when I use up the last of my regular bacon. I'm a bit concerned about the salt content of bacon and ham.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Myka

I'm a bit concerned about the salt content of bacon and ham.

Ya, I try to minimize salt. Makes me puffy

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Finding tomato sauce with added sugar is tough, but it's out there.
.

we make our own tomato sauce every fall now, I grow the tomatoes, the garlic, onions,basil, and the oregano in my guarden so ot is all organic. I don't recall sugar being in the recipe we use, but I would have to check. I can't use that stevia crap it tasts horable so I still use splenda for coffee. we have tried cocunut flower sugar, not good for coffee but works in other things, I use it inplace of the sugar in my BBQ sauce I make.

Steve