Everybody Does FGB

Patrick teaches his new students in his 11am class the Sumo Deadlift High Pull. Welcome to CrossFit Santa Cruz everyone!

How did everyone do on Fight Gone Bad (FGB) today? It was the first of the workouts that we will be completing this week as a way to gauge our performance progress in the zone. Six weeks from now, we will hit these same workouts once again and see what progress we've made. Congrats to Lucas who was in the 350 range today on FGB (sorry, I don't know the exact number)!

So, here is my zone meal plan for tomorrow. I mostly have the day off as I will be driving up to San Francisco for an appointment in the morning. That just means packing food and not being tempted to eat out:

Breakfast: 3 blocks
Scramble with 2 whole eggs, 1 egg white, 3 tbsp avocado and 1/2 oz grated cheese melted on top
2/3 cup slow cooked Steel Cut Oatmeal with 1/2 cup of blueberries mixed in

Lunch: 3 blocks
4 1/2 oz of deli turkey (Sorry, I listed this wrong yesterday as only being 1 oz per block, but, it's listed on the zone site as 1.5 oz per block, so we will use that measurement for now)
1 apple
1 cup of strawberries
Coffee with 1 1/2 tbsp of 1/2 & 1/2

Snack: 2 blocks
Make a smoothie by blending 1 cup of frozen strawberries, 1 cup of Pacific brand of low fat almond milk, 77 grams of Fage 2% yogurt and 9grams of soy protein powder (this snack requires you read the nutrition label of each item and measure out the appropriate amounts depending on the brands you are using)

Dinner: 3 blocks
4 1/2 oz of the left over ground beef from last night. Add 1/2 cup of Classico Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce to it and heat up.
5 cups of chopped romaine, 1 cup of sliced cucumbers and 1/4 of an apple chopped up with a small splash of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar (this is a one carb block of salad plus some fat in the oil)
1/4 cup of corn (eat corn in moderation as it is a high density carb. But, it's so good right now!)

Snack: 1 block
1 kiwi
1 oz cheese
3 almonds (try the dry roasted ones at Shopper's Corner. You might want to eat the whole bag though!)

Comments

[Heather]

I'm glad its day two. Day one was not so good for me. I ended up eating 11 blocks instead of my prescribed 10 due to extreme grumpiness and mental fogginess. I also added some extra fat to my evening snack. I guess this is like a sugar detox and I need to go through the hell first. I also imagine it will take me a while to settle into something that works for me. For now, I'm planning 10 blocks today with an option of an extra 1 block snack at bedtime.

I know that doubling/tripling fat is an option. Should that be consistent over every meal? Is it ok to do that only on one or two meals when I'm feeling extra weird? Any thoughts?

Once again, I'm REALLY glad we're doing this. Being able to post and blah blah blah about my experience and read about other's experiences helps me stay on track (and makes it so much more fun).

[Angel]

yesterday wasn't so much fun for me either. "extreme grumpiness and mental fogginess" describes my experience perfectly. i think i ended up eating about 11-12 blocks as my dinner was larger than intended, but it was the push i needed to go shopping. i discovered that eating 3 almonds as a mini-snack (1 block of favorable fat) really helps clear my brain up so i can function. not every five minutes or anything just when i really NEED it. or i would eat extra almonds with my in between meals snacks. i'm figuring it out. i have the same questions about that as heather.

thanks for the help and support. go team CFSC! =)

[DebS]

Right there with you Heather! I did great the first 12 yrs then I started feeling lost and discouraged. I'm not used to having to THINK so much about food...not a comfortable place for a foodie to be in!

Our always supportive Danielle, picked me up and gave me a quick dinner for last night when time was getting late and planning was going out the window. Thank god for this support. On my own, I've no doubt I would have turned to my buddies, Ben & Jerry last night. Instead I'm back for another day, albeit a bit shakey.

Everyone keep it up and know that you are not alone.

Post what you are having for breakfast today. Let's keep the support going.

[DebS]

uh that should be hrs not years in my post! Ha if only this were easy for years! LOL

Mallee, I wanted to also thank you profusely for sharing with us what you eat each day. I, for one, have found it extremely helpful and your strawberries & cottage cheese was a great snack that I enjoyed yesterday!

Hang in there Angel...we're all in the same spot. I fear for those stuck around me today...I feel some crankiness coming on myself....so much for my 12 hr honeymoon on the zone.... :))

[hannah]

I love the energy that the zone challenge is bringing to the gym, it's awesome that everyone is so dedicated! I thought I'd share the 2 block zone b-fast that I am addicted to...
cook 1/4 cup rolled oats in 2/3 cup milk, mix in 2 egg whites 1 minute before done cooking. I add flax seeds, and nuts or nut butter for the fat. It's really yummy with peanut butter.
Keep up the good work everyone!

[Gloria Jean]

So far I'm feeling pretty good. It interesting at work last night because when I started to feel hungry I would feel like I needed to eat NOW. Luckily, each time that I felt that urge, it was close to the time that thought that I should be eating anyway. I'm actually feeling pretty good overall. Now that I'm actually counting and measuring every tiny thing I am realizing that my diet wasn't that far off the mark. It's mostly the extras that I need to cut out; candy and cookies at work (that's huge by itself), huge bedtimes snacks and mexican dinners. The next thing I have to do is discipline myself to eat breakfast. I have never eaten before a workout which means that I'll wake up at 8:30 and sometimes have nothing but coffee until I get home from a noon class. Then I would rush off to work and try to find something there. My biggest issue right now is the organization and planning and cutting out extras. So far, so good, though. I feel good.

[Heather]

Yey to everyone!

Deb, I'm so impressed that you stayed focused in the evening - that can be the hardest! And Gloria too, your job sounds long and demanding. To keep on track through that is not easy.

Hannah, you're right, this is bringing a great energy to the gym and a good sense of community :) Although I brought not-so-good energy last night with dizziness and grumpiness. Sorry about that. You kicked some FGB butt though. I was impressed. Your breakfast sounds delicious and a nice variation from my scrambled eggs, oatmeal routine.

Angel, we'll figure out the extra fat formula eventually. Keep me posted on what works for you.

I'm freakin hungry but I feel like I'm part of something louder than my hollering stomach. Thanks to Mallee for posting your meals each day. And to Danielle for going above and beyond. Did you bring Deb dinner? Have you thought of starting your own zone delivery business?

[Heather]

By the way, not kidding about the zone delivery thing....

[Gloria Jean]

Heather and Angel, do you think that maybe part of the foggy/grumpy thing might have to do that both of you probably hauled ass more that the average bear during 'fight gone bad' and that both of you have body fat percentages in the teens? I mean, I think that it would be easier to deplete my resources if my body fat was 17% and I could work as hard as you do. Does that make any sense?

[DebS]

Heather, I've actually been researching the Zone delivery thing. Danielle is awesome, but she doesn't make house calls! There is a zone food delivery in SF, haven't found out if they deliver to our area though. Turns out all those in shape hollywood-types are getting delivered to their door daily zone-perfect gourmet meals. Heck, with that I could have a much easier time on the zone!

But what I have that they don't is this great community of like-minded people. That is the best support of all!

Gloria, you're probably onto something with them being of so low body fat and tanking out. With Heather's leanness and high intensity workouts, it would seem she needs LOTS more blocks. But hey, what do i know?

Deb, half way through the day and haven't bitten off someone's head....yet!

Zone out CFSC!!!!!!!!!!

[Collin]

Wow... nice support everybody! So, my question that popped up this morning is that tonight I will be doing a 8pm to 4am shift and I got up this morning at 9am. I'm trying to spread out my meals somewhat, but feeling like it won't be spread enough b/c I already get hungry after about 3 to 4 hours. Any ideas?

[DebS]

Hey Collin, good to see you trying to plan ahead. From what Mallee had indicated in a previous post, she has a long day today as well and was stretching out her blocks into more "meals" because of it. So what if you ate a couple fewer blocks at lunch and or dinner to give yourself an extra snack or two?
Whatever you do I'm sure you'll make it work!!!!

[Kristy A.]

Hi everyone! I am so happy to see all of you staying in the Zone! I just wanted to add that it is going well for Scott and myself too. It really helps to have each other for motivation and support cooking and preparing our meals together. We have been at least zone-friendly for awhile now, so this isn't such a huge change for us; the change is sticking to it and not cheating. We have never had this challenge factor. We also have the same problem as some of you late-night workers. Finding the time to cook at 8-9pm isn't likely. We used to fall back on sandwiches or burritos on the way home, but now we'll make the effort to have quick stuff on hand at home: eggs and steel-cut oatmeal, chicken-pesto quesadillas, salads, etc. Has anyone else found any other quick meal ideas that take little to no prep?
Last night, I found out something new: trying to actually get a block of salad greens isn't such a great idea. I was eating for at least a half an hour and nearly made myself sick. Note to self for next time: try a half block of greens and more salad additions (cucumbers, peppers, beans, etc.).
BTW, does anyone have a homemade Zone bar recipe? I need a quick snack for work, but I would rather not deal with all the processed stuff and high fructose corn syrup in most of those bars you can buy at the store…
Keep up the good work! You are all inspirational :)

[Heather]

Oh my goodness Collin, do you get a nap??? If you're up and active for that long I would imagine you would need another block or two to sustain your energy. In the big picture, if you're sticking to your prescription consistently I doubt it would have a negative effect to add a block or two on crazy days as long as it is in the zone. I plan to allow myself an extra block during my long day/late night of work tomorrow... otherwise I'm afraid I'll find the m+m's and have no willpower.

Kristy... your post made me laugh as I stared (stomach turning) at the massive amount of salad left to be consumed in front of me. Lunch is going to last a looooooooooooooooong time. I'm thinking back to Danielle's advice to sprinkle cous cous on the greens...

[Scott Amory]

On the subject of salad while on the Zone my favorite carb booster is to slice up an apple thin and toss it in with everything else. That adds 2 carb blocks and makes making a salad a little easier (and tastier). I've also tried strawberries before with some success. One thing I've noticed with the Zone is that if you try to stay away from grains you wind up taking forever to eat. I figure I must burn some extra calories because I'm chewing so much ;)

Keep up the good work everyone!

[Leif]

Scott, I like your idea about burning more calories through chewing. I think maybe I'll switch to a high intensity "Chewing Zone", with only sprouts for carbs (176 cups per day @ 11 cups/block and 16 blocks/day), beef jerky for protein (for some heavy chewin') and gum between meals (if there is time).

[danielle]

That is my man...always thinking. I'm with christy almost ready to barf thinking about how many vegitables are in only 2-3 blocks let alone 16.
Collin- add a block or 2 when you are up more than 12 hours. Then get back to your 12 the next day after sleeping. (if you are up for less than 8 hours eat less blocks.
Heather and Angel...As much as possible you want to stay away from adding fat in the first 2 weeks, but you are both so lean that after the initial 2 weeks you should double your fat blocks at each meal. Hang in there for the next 12 days though at 11 blocks total.
Deb- I am so glad you called, I am here to support you guys as much as possible. It is a huge help to me having the pressure of everyone else doing this, and I am actually having fun writing things down.
I too have been hungry and cranky and a little unfocused but I really want to do this once and for all.
I have a fre new favorites....
1. 2 blocks:
1 slice ezikil bread (orange package)
2 tbl spoons trader joes hummus
3 oz deli turkey meat
and a few slices of cucumber and tomato (not enough to count as carb blocks really) salt to taste!
YUM! I have been looking forward to this one all day..pretty satisfying.
Last night for dinner Leif and I had...
Pork tender loin (2 and 3 oz respectivelly)
1 and 3 cups respectfully zuccini (sauteed in spray olive oil)
Salad with some beets and carrot and tomato
Light Balsamic vinagarette (2 tbl spoons only 4g fat :)- virtually free for how little carbs are in it.
and ~ 1/4 cup cooscoos (1 block) sprinkled on top (otherwise I would be sick, leif could do it but I can't yet...baby steps I guess.)
Tonight:
Steak, Aspergrass, and broccoli (maybe I wont need cooscoos...yea right.

let me know if you need anything, ideas, shopping lists, ect...
danielle

[DebS]

Kristy, when I saw the sheer volume needed for 1 block of romaine lettuce (6 cups!!) I thought the same about endless chewing. But Leif's visual made be laugh out loud! Maybe it will slow him down in his workouts if he's always chewing on something!

Dano, thanks again for keeping me from going off the deep end last night. I did it all day today and even got what I thought was clever...I wanted that "sweet" bad about an hour ago. So I made it zone friendly....a 100 calorie pack of Sandies with 1/4c cottage cheese made it a zone snack, albeit not one to have everyday. But I WAS proud that I could take something I have and make it work in the Zone. And still have 3 blocks left for tonight. Huuuuyaaaaa made it through day 2!

Baby steps :)

[DebS]

Oh forgot to add, Kristy for quick no prep stuff, try the Trader Joe's chicken sausage polenta lasagna. Heat and eat. I had it last night and it's pretty good!
Keep up the great work. Nice to hear you've been so successful zoning all this time.

[Mallee]

Wow, you all rock! It's great to hear how you are doing on day two of the zone. You all should think about the first few days or even week if you have never done this before as a trial period during which you are figuring out exactly how this works best for you. If you try something one day and half way though the day you realize it was a really bad idea, don’t beat yourself up too much and most importantly do what you have to do to keep a clear mind and continue your normal actives while staying in the zone. Eat an extra block or two if you have to to get through the day, learn from your experience and make changes the next day. Try to stick with your original block prescription for everything including fats for at least a week if not two. If you find that you can't meet that goal everyday no matter the different ways you try to get there, then it's pretty obvious that you are on the wrong block prescription. Make changes like upping fats or adding blocks after you have ruled out any other factors, like wrong measurements or the kinds of food you are eating. Also, remember that if your goal is increasing your performance, that the best gains are usually made at a very precise point of balance. That's not to say that you are not in the zone if you aren't being exact with the zone, but the closer you get to pushing the envelope of almost going too far, the more efficiently your body is able to run. But, quality of life is important also!

The way I deal with hunger, fogginess and crankiness is in how I have found exactly how many blocks of what kind of food my body needs and at what times. I know that if I don't eat a two to three block breakfast that I won't make it through the day. But, I know that I don’t need more than that. I also know that when I have a really long day it's not easy to be awake for so long and survive on the same amount and kinds of food. If it's just a few hours longer, I not only spread my meals out into more snack meals, but I don't worry as much about the density. I find that eating bread holds me over better than fruit or veggies, so I just make sure I stay in the zone with the proportions and eat whatever is more filling. If I have to be up all night, I just add a few blocks to my day and again just make sure I stay in the zone. Coffee also helps my hunger!

The great thing about salads, is that they add variety and don't take up very many blocks. Try using 1/2 a block on the greens and making the rest of the block other veggies and fruits. I put fruit in my salads all the time like Scott.

As for fats, you have the most room for variance with them. Depending on your goals, being over or under on your fats won’t have as much effect as being off on your carbs and proteins. That being said, if your primary goal is to loose weight, measuring your fats closely will pay off. Also, keep in mind that CrossFit athletes need more fats then the average person. So add more in after this initial trial period. As far as I know, it’s ok if you are over more on some meals than others. It’s just easy to loose track and eat too many without thinking!

If anyone is just dying, one thing that you might want to consider is starting a block or so above what you think you should be at. Then after you dial it in and figure out how to do all of this, you can go back down and try it again. You might not be in your most optimal zone, but you also might not want to drive yourself insane by pushing the limits of your body right off the bat. The first time I zoned, I started at 12 blocks and only made it a week before I went up to 14. I did 14 for a while and figured it all out and now I am back to 12. Just an idea.

Hope this helps!

[Hollis]

Yeah The Zone, sounds kind a like
Yeah Burpees, if you ask me.

"Zone Friendly" and "In the Zone" are very, very different.

The fat seems to be an issue for some of us, but the thing to think about is we are trying maintain both a balanced and a calorically restricted food intake by eating fats we are effecting both.

"Getting of the Crack" is a great metaphor for the getting off the sugar train, it hurts and is not easy, but the pay off is worth it.

Good Luck To Us All

[Patrick]

I am dying....