Fran or Helen?

Deb and Chelsea do Fran.

Your choice yesterday was to do either Fran or Helen as another benchmark workout that we will repeat in six weeks to gauge how the Zone is affecting us all.

Workout: "Fran"
For time do:
21-15-9
Thruster (men use 95 pounds, ladies use 65 pounds)
Pull-ups

or

"Helen"
3 rounds for time of:
400 meter run
21 Kettle bell swings (men use 24kgs and ladies use 16kgs)
12 pull ups

My Meal Plan for Today:

Breakfast: 3 blocks
A scramble made of 1 whole egg, 2 egg whites, 38 grams of smoked salmon, and 1/2 chopped tomato
Fruit salad made of 1/4 apple, 1/3 banana, 1/4 orange and 3/4 cup strawberries with 3 tsp toasted, slivered almonds on top

Lunch: 3 blocks
Tuna sandwich made of 3 oz of canned tuna (the kind packed in water), 1/4 of a chopped apple, 1/2 cup of chopped celery, 3 tsp light mayo, spicy mustard (use as much as you want because it has no carbs, protein or fats!) and salt and pepper on 1 piece of toasted wheat bread
1/4 cup of sliced strawberries on the side

Snack: 2 blocks
1 apple thinly sliced with 2 oz of cheese melted over the apples
2 macadamia nuts (woo-hoo, 2 whole mac nut!)

Dinner: 3 blocks
4 1/2 oz of fresh white fish, seasoned with salt, pepper, and lightly with lemon (a whole lemon should actually be counted as one block)
1 cup of steamed asparagus spears
1 large artichoke (make dip by mixing 3 tsp of lite mayo and balsamic vinegar)
1 cup of steamed cauliflower with balsamic vinegar drizzled on top
For dessert, eat 3/4 cup of frozen blueberries

Snack: 1 block
1 zone muffins from yesterday

Comments

[Angel]

good morning all! may your zone meals be filling, satisfying, and block appropriate. =) i'm feeling better and better as the days go on though i have my moments of crankiness due to hunger/frustration. my body is adjusting and adapting slowly but surely. the challenge will be maintaining strictness this weekend amongst the memorial day BBQs and the like. we can do it! get some, CFSC...

[eva t.]

miss you guys.

[Gloria Jean]

Ok. More questions about the cranky groggies... is all of that really necessary? I mean, what is the benefit? If you are so lean that following the zone is making you feel crappy and prior to that you were already in fantastic shape then why restrict yourself that much. I hauled ass at work last night! I felt like I was trying to keep from drowning for 9 hours and then I had to catch up on paperwork for another hour after that. There is no freakin' way that I would be participating in this challenge if it was making me feel lousy. I couldn't. It wouldn't be safe for me or the patients at the hospital. I love CrossFit. I'll be around for a long time but I do have conflicts when I hear about people exercising until they puke or get rhabdo or dieting until they are dizzy and have now energy. How is that good? Btw... I still feel great and according to my scale have lost 5 pounds. If I get to the point where I start feeling drained I'm going to adjust my blocks up until I feel good again. I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer. It's just as a nurse I always think in terms of safety first.

[Scott A.]

I went through some of this when I did my first 2 weeks strict on the zone a while back. For me it seemed that I had to get past my bodies dependance on sugar/carb. You don't really realize how much it impacts you till you switch to something different. Now when I have a cheat meal that is heavy on the carb sometimes it feels like I have a hangover in the morning. For me at least being on the zone has evened out my energy level instead of yoyoing up and down on a carb high. The only times I really feel like crap are when I'm pushing or slightly past my eating every 5 hours window, and most other times I feel like I'm ready for action. Of course everyone is different so it will effect us all in our own way.

[DebS]

Angel...you cranky? NEVER

Gloria, I hear what you're saying about the super lean people. I don't have an answer, but just wanted to say I see your logic.

I'm with Scott on the part about feeling crappy if, after eating right for a period of time, I have a high carb(sugar) treat I'll have a temporary high but feel really lousy for hours if not a day after. So as much as I'm frustrated and sometimes unhappy about being on the zone, I do like the overall results of feeling more "in the zone" in my work and workouts. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Scott

My problem at the moment is I still "need" a chocolate or ice cream fix this afternoon. Nothing else is satisfying that yearning. Satisfying alternatives anyone? I can chew only so much gum..HELP!!!

[Mallee]

Gloria, I understand your concern. When we zone, we often expect to feel groggy/cranky/maybe a little dizzy for the first week or two because we are getting in tune with the limits of fueling our body with no more food than what it really needs to perform well. The idea is to fuel it consistently so it can maintain that optimal place. For me, your post brings up two points; the first being, is this a permanent feeling? My experience is that it goes away after you have dialed in when you need to eat, how much, and of what. The second point addresses the individual reasons that everyone is doing this. I think most of us are doing this to see how it changes our CF performance and that needs to be balanced with everything else we do in our lives. We don't want anyone to feel unsafe or completely unable to function. There is a really big difference between a light and maybe constant hunger and the inability to function. Light hunger can be fixed by upping the fats at the end of two weeks (or sooner if your quality of life isn't worth it as it wasn't for me the first time I did it). Inability to function and having no energy is different and obviously suggests that something is wrong. The most effective thing to do is to rule out doing the zone wrong in terms of what and when you are eating. But, not at the cost of living in a state of functioning poorly. What I am hearing people saying is that they feel this way until they do something (eat) about it and then they are back to normal. They are figuring it out. If they can't seem to figure it out on their own, we look at their food logs and make adjustments. Maybe they are doing it wrong or they are on the wrong blocks. Either way, it should not be permanent but rather a result of figuring out the most optimal place to be. I think the bigger the changes they made going on the zone, the more difficult it will be for their bodies to adjust. But, they will get there. Being on the zone should be a very safe and healthy place. Figuring it out takes some time. Everyone should keep in mind that just balancing your meals will put you in the zone. Restricting your calories so you eat a set amount dials you in even more. If your schedule varies everyday and you don't sleep enough and you can't make your own balanced meals you need to find a way to zone that works with your lifestyle. Maybe it’s just for breakfast or on the weekend while you are at home more… That's why we give you the basics and for the first two weeks you hopefully it’s easy, or you give it as much time as you are comfortable with and then you make changes. Two weeks seems to be the perfect time to decide how it fits into your life. Six weeks will be an even better test period, but no one should be uncomfortable that long.

Sorry for another long post!

[danielle]

Deb, try some fruit with milk on it and some added protine. You can do it...Your body is going to go through sugar withdrawls and it will be the hardest part. Keep with it it WILL PAY OFF> don't let the ice cream rule your world, you have an opportunity to feel the best you have ever felt, stick with it, remember 2 weeks as few sweet meals as possible. Call if you need help, go find teresa, or melanie or a sccoe buddy, and eat a zone snack instead.
d

[DebS]

Mallee...no apologizing. Great post!

Danielle, I'm off to do just that....strawberries, kiwi and an a whole half cup of cottage cheese. Hopefully that tricks me into thinking I'm having a strawberry sundae!

[DebS]

I made it through the workweek...woohoo!

Now the toughest part...a long holiday weekend. What strategies are people using to stay in the zone during this challenging time?

Care to share? I need all the help I can get.

[Mallee]

Deb, I try to plan out all my meals ahead of time, buy what goes in them and even make some of them ahead of time so that eating in the zone is my easiest and best option. If you have to go to a bbq or event, eat your blocks before you go so you don't get hungry and break down. Even bring a zone snack with you. It's better to eat a little more as long as it's in the zone then to eat out of it. Congrats on the first week almost over!