Grindy and Skinning the Zone

Went to CFR with Leah for a make up workout. Robin and Julie stuck around after the 10:00 a.m. class to count and provide moral support. Last year when I first did Grindy, I used the green band for my pull ups and 75lbs for the clean and jerks. I also tore the snot out of my hand as I hadn't yet figured out a good hand care regime to keep my callouses filled with awesome. My time was 28:00 exactly.

This year, I did it as rx’d in 18:42. Yay CrossFit!

I was dogging it on the push ups more than usual during Cindy and those last 10 clean and jerks were foul but I was faster than I thought I'd be considering how much I've tinkered with my diet.

Oh yeah, about that. I'm using myself as a guinea pig. As of last Saturday, I backed off with the fruit consumption and instead upped my protein and fats and am sticking to veggies for my carbs. So far, I've seen improved satiety and have dropped 5lbs easily. I also upped my fish oil to 0.75g/10lbs body weight... smack dab between Robb Wolf's recommendation for healthy verses unhealthy peeps. This is all to get my insulin sensitivity back in line (it had been fading) AND to see about getting rid of that spare tire I have sitting around my abdomen and lower back. Today, I thought I'd take it one step further...

I've tried the Zone before and HATED it. I mean "spit on the ground and swear to beat on Barry Spears with a big stick" hate it. I was always stupid hungry and cranky and dizzy on it. It was horrible. So, when I read 42 Ways to Skin the Zone and the tail of the Always Hungry Carb Crash Zombie, I was presented with a way to actually do the Zone that might not turn me into someone so grumpy and hungry that I am tempted to eat people. And then there's also the whole WAM and guessing your number of blocks and the awful list of foods that feels very judgey towards carrots and saturated fats.

But it's going to be okay.

- I'm sticking to low carb paleo and THAT is my list of preferred foods.
- Chris mentioned he mostly just eyeballs portions and I can so do that, too. Hopefully this will be a great end-run around turning into a food lunatic, all crouched in the corner, with a measuring cup clasped to her chest.
- Robb told us where to get a figurer-outer for our number of blocks (it's in the back of Mastering the Zone). This, incidentally, is why I weighed myself. My scale is going to be smashed with a sledge hammer soon. Yay for catharsis!
- [Edited to add] I'm only dipping a toe in. Five days a week, I'll zone-low carb-paleo it and 2 days a week I'll just go for my lower carb paleo fun and throw in some foods that get dinged hardcore when converted into blocks. No difference in food quality so they're more like refeed/mental break days.

And Robb took us through how to take a Zone block prescription and mess the shit out of it if you've got insulin sensitivity issues and want to lean out. You basically take away half your carb blocks and convert them to fat blocks. Then, use veggies instead of fruit as your carbs, take fish oil and D3 and get enough sleep and tada! You should lean out. Anyhoodle here's the calculation... It's # of blocks plus (half your carbsx3=?)=fat blocks for the day. I'm a 12 blocker so it's as follows:

12x(6x3=18)=30 fat blocks

So, my Zoned up plan looks like this:
M1: 3 pro, 1.5 cho, 6 fat
M2: 3 pro, 1.5 cho, 6 fat
M3 3 pro, 1.5 cho, 6 fat
Snack: 6 fat
M4 (PWO): 3 pro, 1.5 cho, 6 fat

Based on what I like eating, here are the amounts of foods that fit with the above plan. I don't want to have to actually figure this shit out more than once since I'm lazy and once I get all numbers oriented, I like to go a little crazy.

3 block PRO
Chicken=3 ounces
Bison=3 ounces
Pork=3ounces
Salmon=5 ounces
Ground bison=5ounces
Egg=3 omega eggs

1.5 Block CHO
3/4 cup Carrot and 1 cup red pepper
1/2 cup squash and 1 cup cauliflower
1.5 cups mushroom and 1.5 cup red pepper
1 portabella cap, 1/2 cup tomato, .5 cup spinach, 1 cup roasted cauliflower
½ cup squash and 1 cup red pepper
2 cups cauliflower, ½ cup carrot
½ cup carrots, 1 cup cukes, 1 cup tomatos
2 cups broccoli, 1 cup cauliflower
½ cup carrots, 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup cauliflower
¾ cup beets
1.5 cups (18 spears) asparagus
1 cup zucchini, 1 cup tomatoes
1 cup zucchini, 1 cup red pepper
¾ cup zucchini, ¾ cup red pepper, ¾ cup tomato

Fat 6 blocks
Almonds=18 almonds
Brazil Nuts=9 nuts
Macadamia Nuts=6 whole nuts or 12 halves
Walnuts=9 nuts
Avocado = 6 tbsp
Do not count cooking fats, fats in meats or fish oil.

Treats (Going with Robb's 80/20 rule):
Twice per week (Fridays and Sundays)
NO WAM
On the menu, either:
50g of dark chocolate
Serving of cacao nibs
Almond or hazelnut butter

I found some dairy free dark stuff with only 1.5g carbs/10g of the bar. It was also really, really, really good. Bitter, yes, but rich and satisfying and melty.

Here's my ever so exciting Food Log where I'm going to track what I'm doing.

And because this was a long and boring post (BUT with a link to a great article by Robb Wolf so I didn't completely waste your time), here are a few stupid time-wasting vids that I found amusing. FYI: Both videos contain The Swears.

For those of you who like thrusters and hate Hitler:


Aaaand, for you Rippetoe Quote fans out there.