Zone Diet

I will be the first to admit I HATE zoning!  But I know it works so I have traded Paleo for awhile. . .this is hard because I love Paleo and now that I eat Paleo most of the time reintroducing dairy and some grains into my regular diet has been weird.   But I have plateaued and I need to lose this weight faster than I am so I'm committed to the whole month of April zone!

I have tried several times before to do Paleo-Zone and it's just too strict and eating that many veggies every meal is really difficult. 

So I decided to choose a few "easy" Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks that I could pre-measure, weigh and package to make it easier for me to follow.  Today is Day 2 and so far I have been perfect to the gram!  This is not all I eat, I eat leftovers and when I have time or really want something specific I zone it out and make it work.  But this just gives me something to grab when I need something quick. Especially the snacks! I'll try and post at least 3 week of different meal plans, we all know how good I am about posting so we'll see how that goes!  I hope this helps you Zone!  Good luck!


Here is Week 1 Plan:

Breakfasts 3 Blocks

"Sweet Potato Hash"      
1.5 C = 2.5 C, 1 P
2 Eggs in EVOO
.5 C Strawberries

"Oatmeal"
2/3 C oatmeal
1/2 C blueberries
1/2 C cottage cheese
1 T protein powder
1 1/2 t walnuts

"Quesadilla"
1 corn tortilla
1/4 c black beans
1/3 onion
1 green pepper
3 eggs
3 T avocado

"Steak and Eggs"
2 oz meat
1 egg
1 slice toast
1 cup strawberries

Lunch 3 Blocks

"Tuna Sandwich"
3 oz tuna
3 t mayo
1 slice bread
1/2 apple

"Chicken Salad"
3 oz chicken
1/4 tomato
1/4 cucumber
1/4 green pepper
1/4 c black beans
1/4 kidney beans
1 1/2 T dressing

"Deli Meat"
3 oz deli meat
1 pepper
1 tomato
1/2 onion
3 macadamia nuts

"Taco"
2 oz taco meat
1 oz cheese
3 T avocado
2 corn tortillas
1 large salad

Dinner 3 Blocks

"Skillet Dish"
3 oz Italian Sausage
1 c canned tomato
1/2 onion
1 pepper
1.5 zucchini
3 c spinach
1 t olive oil

"Burger"
3 oz burger
2/3 c sweet potato
1/4 onion
1/2 pepper
3 T avocado

"Fish"
4.5 oz fish
1 1/3 c zucchini
large salad
1 1/2 T dressing
1 cup strawberries

"chicken"
3 oz grilled chicken
2 c broccoli
1/2 c salsa
2 cutie oranges

Snacks 1 Block

1 oz cheese
1.2 apple
1 macadamia nut

1 tomato
1 T guac
1 oz deli meat

1/4 C cottage cheese
1/2 C pineapple
3 almonds

16 oz Jerky
12 oz raisins
1 macadamia nut

NEW CHALLENGES!!

I have not given up in fact it's quite the opposite.  After spending Christmas with family and eating pretty much everything I try to avoid I came back feeling like poop.  But I did have a few huge accomplishments while I was gone.  I attended two WOD's at two different gyms on vacation in the middle of winter. . .I normally don't workout when I'm visiting family but I did it.  I got up early and I went on my own and I realized even more than I had before that my gym "Crossfit Verve" is pretty much the best gym in the world!  I didn't get any instruction at either gym I attended, the people were nice enough but my expectations were way too high.

Anyways I got back from visiting the family and immediately started a whole30.  It felt great to be eating healthy again and I never wanted to cheat or go back to the junk I was eating before.  I completely my whole30 with a final weigh in and body fat dunk test. . .and before completing my whole30 I started a 6 week challenge, I'm doing it on my own but Crossfit verve is doing a big competition of it all.  I am trying to add Zone to my paleo eating and it is hard to measure every single meal and add protein, veggies and fat every time I put something in my mouth.  But regardless of how I do I write everything down! I've made it to at least 4 workouts including yoga since I started and hoping to just keep adding to it.

Challenge starting stats Jan 25th, 2013:

227.0 lbs

My body fat dunk test was better than I had expected even though I was only down 5 lbs from September I lost 10 lbs of body fat and gained 5 lbs of lean muscle mass.  Also I dropped 4% body fat!!! 

Starting Measurements:

Bust: 39

waist: 35

hips: 49

Arms: 16

Legs: 28

I still have a long ways to go but it's good to know I'm making progress. . .hopefully this challenge will get me over this plateau and get me to my pre-pregnancy weight just over 10 lbs away from that.

I told my husband his has to start eating 2 paleo meals a day and has to cut out soda completely so far so go, he hasn't been perfect but he fits into his jeans that had gotten too tight so it's a start.  It makes it easier too when I don't have to make him something different to eat! Being the awesome wife that I am I have found some awesome recipes that helps him get through the day while feeling like he gets an extra treat, a paleo treat!

One of our favorites has been

Paleo Chocolate Pudding

1 Can full fat coconut milk

1 cup dates

a few drops of vanilla

4-5 Tb. cocoa powder

blend the dates and some of the coconut milk in a food processor, then strain the small date pieces to get a better "pudding" texture. add the remainder of the coconut milk and other ingredients in the food processor and mix through.  place in fridge until thickens. ( A couple ours) it tastes good immediately too if you just can't wait.  Here is the link for the original recipe.  My husband loved mixing some fresh berries in with it.  ENJOY!!

October STATS!

As of October 10th my STATS are:

232.4

Bust 40 -1

Waist 35 same

Hips 49.5 -.5

R Arm 15.5 -1

L Arm 15.5 -1

R Leg 27.5 -1

L Leg 27.5 -1

I was really expecting to lose a lot more doing the paleo whole30 and all but it is what it is.  I got my book in the mail today "The Zone diet"  I looked through it really quick but haven't had time to start reading yet.  But I will and I'm hoping to start the Zone diet with Paleo in the next few weeks.  Maybe Nov. 1st till Thanksgiving. . .anyone want to join me?

Total Losses since July

-12 lbs

Bust -2.5
Waist -1
Hips -2.5
R Arm -1
L Arm -1
R Leg -1.5
L Leg -1.5

It's a miracle!!

I talked Adam into joining me at the Free Cross Fit intro class on Saturday. . .I failed to get photos. . .which is a shame since I don't know if I'll ever see him there again

He liked it.  I had to join him which means our little monster came too, I was able to get the workout in, which by the way was workout #5 for me last week, that's a record. 

Adam complained about his back hurting all weekend and claimed that I broke him, I just told him he needs to move more. 

I on the other hand wasn't even sore from the workout and I did the intro workout 4 minutes faster than the first time I did it and that included chasing Owen around between my reps. 

Intro workout

10 calorie row

20 sit ups

30 kettle bell swings

40 squats

30 kettle bell swings

20 sit ups

10 calorie row

My time 8:59

Adam's time 8:03

Not bad. . .now I need to convince Adam to join forever. . .he'll start working again next month so we are trying to figure out a schedule that would allow him to make it there several times a week without taking away from my workout time. . .I'll keep you posted.


On a different note.

Last week I completed my whole30 of strict paleo. . .I kinda went nuts last week with eating junk and I felt it!  I decided this morning when I wasn't feeling well enough for a 6:30 am WOD that I HAVE to go back to strict paleo.  I am playing with the idea of allowing myself free meals on the weekends but I haven't decided if I have enough self control yet.  But today I stuck to my paleo eating and already feel 70% better. . .not quite back to that 100% but I'll keep it up this week!

PALEO! DAY 18

I have been a PALEO eater for 18 day now.  No cheating, no sugar, no grains, no dairy, no processed foods, no legumes.

I am loving it!  I might be converted for life with occasional cheat meals every once in awhile.

My family and I went to a U-pick farm on Monday and here's what we harvested. . .beets, potatoes, corn, leeks, green beans, tomatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers, egg plant, carrots, squash, pumpkin, onions, celery, turnips. . .I'm sure I'm missing something. . .it's a lot of food and we haven't made a dent in it although we spent most of the day Tuesday, cutting dicing packaging and freezing. . .we are picking up a chest freezer tomorrow so we can fit it all so it doesn't go to waste. . .I'm set for the winter!

I never feel bloated, or stuffed, I never have heart burn or indigestion, my clothes fit better and I eat a lot of meat including BACON and I just can't seem to get enough avocados. I don't feel deprived or tempted. When I want something sweet I eat an apple or banana or some berries.  My body is happy which is never the case after stuffing my face with a pizza so it's worth never eating pizza again if I can feel like this all the time!!

30 Days of Paleo

Being the hardcore Cross Fit athlete that I am I've decided to try the Paleo diet, the diet by which most Cross Fit athletes follow.  This did take a little encouragement from my good friends Molly and Jason Reynolds that got me addicted to Cross Fit in the first place.

Starting September 4th (the day after Labor day) we're going 30 days of Paleo. When I say "we" I mean Molly, Jason and you (anyone that wants to join us.) My husband will not be joining us, he loves grains, dairy and sugar all too much to give it up even for one day. . .wuss!

What is Paleo?

The "Caveman" diet.

No grains, No sugar, No legumes, No dairy, No processed foods, NO alcohol.

Yes lean meats, Yes fruits, Yes Vegetables, Yes nuts.

Eat until you are full of all the YES foods!

Here are some great links for recipes and more information on the Paleo diet.

Paleo Table

Every Day Paleo

Health Bent

So who's with me?  Any takers?  It's going to be awesome we'll all feel great, clean our bodies out and hopefully lose a few pounds in the process!!