Let me start today by apologizing for the lack of content for the first few weeks of the challenge, something I plan on changing for the remaining weeks.

Our goal with this site is to help provide a deeper understanding of how this way of eating can and will effect you.  One of the things we have done differently with this challenge is asking you to eliminate some foods which otherwise might be deemed “acceptable”, particularly with heavy cream and butter.  While cream and butter technically fall into the dairy category we generally consider them fats.  However, like most foods, they effect different people different ways and you won’t know how your body handles dairy fats until you eliminate them from your diet for a period of time and then slowly reintroduce them.  (We will discuss how to reintroduce questionable foods in a later post, but for the challenge they are off limits.)  NOTE: You should consider keeping all dairy items out of your diet entirely if have any sort of autoimmune disorder and you should consider keeping them to a minimum if weight loss is your goal.

So as the time for gathering with friends and family around a huge Thanksgiving feast approaches I thought it may be a good idea to explore how your can prepare meal, which traditionally calls for off limit food items.  Over the next few days I will be sharing recipes for Thanksgiving dishes and inviting you to share your thoughts as you plan for the holiday!

Let’s start with the Turkey!  Everyone seems to have a family recipe or method for their turkey and I believe it is a universal goal, when preparing a turkey, to ensure the meat remains moist!  One of the ways most recipes ensure the turkey does not dry out is to rub copious amounts of butter either directly on the skin or between the skin and the meat.  OOPS, we already established no butter!  Fortunately, there are some other ways to avoid having turkey jerky as your main course.  The first method is probably the most traditional, baste the turkey every few minutes while it is roasting with the juices.  This tried and true method should definitely keep your turkey from drying out while at the same time keeping you in the oven every 10-15 min.

A little less traditional method is to roast the turkey upside down.  The idea is the turkey’s own juices drop through the breast keeping it moist throughout the roasting process.  One of the biggest downsides with this is the “popper” which comes in most turkeys become useless so you have to use a thermometer to know when the turkey is done.

Third, your can roast your turkey in an oven bag.  This process traps the moisture in the bag and creates a self basting process. The only down side is I like a crispy skin and bag tends to prevent that from occurring.  Personally, I have prepared a turkey all three ways with great success.

I am certain this is not the only way to make a moist turkey for the Thanksgiving meal.  What are your methods or recipes for roasting a turkey?

So going forward there will be a 1/2 point added if you do not have a well formed meal.  This does not include snacks.  And, as mentioned at the information session, we do not require that you have a prescribed number of meals but a lunch or dinner consisting of “one chicken breast” does not constitute a well balanced meal.

As always if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!

Some of you have been down this road before and for a few of you this is an all new experience.   This challenge is a much more strict challenge than what we have done in the past, so what was allowed last time may not be allowed now.  A few items of note are butter, heavy cream, and most mayonnaise. The butter and cream are dairy items, and while they are the fat of the dairy, these items are a no no for this challenge.  As for the mayonnaise, most store bought mayo is made with canola oil, soy bean oil, or a little of both.  Believe it or not mayonnaise is not all that difficult to make here is an easy recipe.  Once you try this out you can start to vary things or add some flavor like ginger or curry.

• 2 omega 3 enriched eggs
• 2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika pepper
• 2 cups oil (avocado, olive, grape seed, safflower)

In a blender or food processor place all ingrediants except for the oil.  Cover and blend on low for about 5 seconds.  Continue to blend while you slowly and steadily add the oil. Once all the oil is in continue to blend for another 5 to 10 seconds

Please feel free to ask us about any foods.

Just a friendly reminder, your food logs need to be emailed to FoodLog@CrossFitEastDecatur.com by midnight tonight.

We have heard from some of you about how your first week went but we would like to hear from everyone.  Let us know in the comments!

Here is a review of the information, you will also find it in PDF Format in the Links Section to the right.

Sexy Caveman Challenge

General Rules

• Teams of 3
• Team with the lowest score wins
• Come to the gym 4 times a week.  It is one point for each day you don’t attend
• Complete a food log and submit it by Monday at midnight every week electronically to Foodlog@crossfiteastdecatur.com . It is one point everyday it is late (UPDATE***This is the preferred format and it can be found in the links section)
• Complete a benchmark workout at the beginning and end of the challenge
• Follow the nutritional guidelines for the full 8 weeks.  It is .5 point per cheat.  Yes 2 beers means 1 point.

Nutrition Guideline

• Do not eat dairy. This includes butter, cheese (hard and soft), yogurt (even Greek) and milk (including cream in your coffee or tea).
• Do not eat grains. This includes bread, rice, pasta, cereal, oatmeal, corn and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa and sprouted grains.
• Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (soy, black, kidney, etc.), peas, lentils, and peanuts. (No peanut butter, kids.)
• Do not eat or add sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc.
• Do not eat processed foods. This includes protein shakes, processed bars (like Zone bars), dairy-free creamers, etc.
• Do not drink alcohol, in any form.
• Do not eat white potatoes. It’s kind of arbitrary, but one, they’re a nightshade, and two, sweet potatoes and yams are a more nutrient-dense option, so go for those instead.  (On that note, if you have serious inflammation issues like arthritis, you may want to consider avoiding all nightshades for 30 days.)

These are not optimal foods that we are okay with you including in moderation

• Processed Meat. On occasion, we are okay with organic chicken sausage (these are nitrate, dairy, gluten and casein-free), and high quality bacon, deli meat, and jerky.
• Nuts. We do not want you cracking out on nuts and nut butters, people.  Sunbutter is acceptable – buy the organic (no sugar added) if possible.
• Dried Fruit. In general, careful with the fruit.  Use dried fruit and Larabars in serious moderation, and only if it doesn’t send you running for the nearest candy dish.
• Non-”Paleo” Vegetables. We’re fine with green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas.   While they’re technically a legume, they’re far more “pod” than “bean”, and we want you to eat your veggies.
• Coffee and black tea. We’re okay with coffee (black, or with a little coconut milk) in moderation, and only if it doesn’t interfere with sleep.  Usually, that means none after noon.  If you really want to go hardcore and reset your body’s sensitivity to caffeine, skip the coffee/tea for the 30 day period as well.
• Vinegar. While it’s technically not “Paleo”, we’re fine with using it in small quantities as a salad dressing or in salsa.
• Salt. While some “approved” foods like olives or bacon will have some salt in them, go easy when adding salt to your food.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=5021601

The Body Fat Test is coming to CFED April 28th 4 – 8 PM

ONLY $25 for CFED members.

The scale does not tell the story, hydrostatic testing is a great way to get the full picture of your body composition.  Testing is quick and easy!  A sign up sheet is at the gym and to receive the CFED Member discount you will need to prepay.

Here is some information about the testing:

• You will totally submerge yourself in water for only a few seconds. Simply count from one to five while underwater. You are in complete control.
• You need to bring a swimsuit and a towel.
• Don’t Eat anything, eating a big meal within 2 hours before the test may affect your results by up to 1 1/2%, but no more. Therefore, we recommend you not to eat within two hours before the test.

Working out and drinking water is okay. You should try to use the restroom and take a shower if possible. Also, please do not have large amounts of makeup, or hair gel on when taking the test.
The water is heated to between 89° and 94°, depending on the season. The water is also chemically treated for cleanliness to meet all local swimming pool and hot tub requirements of the local health department. We also replace the water every night.
A trained technician will be with you every second of the test. You will have privacy and confidentiality during the entire test, which only takes 10 minutes. You may have a friend in the clinic at the same time watching if you wish.
After the test, you will receive a 4-page printout, which shows you where you are, where you should be, and what it will take to get there. You will have a realistic baseline to establish your fitness goals.
We have a private dressing room on board. For your comfort the lab is air conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter.

Member Handouts

Flyer CrossFit East Decatur

Top 3 Women

Lauren S

Aimee

Ashley

Top 3 Men:

Matt G

Cris

Chet

]]> http://cfednutrition.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/and-the-winners-are/feed/ 0 33.839725 -84.243350 33.839725 -84.243350 Phillip http://cfednutrition.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/paleo-profile-amy-krueger/ http://cfednutrition.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/paleo-profile-amy-krueger/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:01:39 +0000 Admin http://nutrition.crossfiteastdecatur.com/?p=511 ]]> What was your athletic/workout/eating routine before CF/CFED?

In high school and college I was always active whether it was field hockey, basketball, or track. During grad school I managed to stay relatively active and trim but I lost most of my muscle since I was just running or playing basketball. Prior to CFED I was taking spin classes and sometimes step aerobics. I was completely bored and tired of the hit or miss classes. I wanted to be able to go to the gym and know I was going to get a good workout.

When did you start CF (CFED)?

I started January 6th 2010.

Why did you choose CF/CFED?

I choose CFED because of the way Shana talked about her gym compared to others I had called in the area.
My trial WOD was just myself, Katt and Annalee with Tommy coaching. I completely sucked wind and actually had an asthma attack. I think I made Tommy a little nervous because he ran the last 800 with me. I really appreciated the encouragement. My pride would not let me finish on that note; it was a good kick in the ass.

What were your goals when you started?

My goal was to try to get the former me back as much as I could. I was very active, fit, and confident in myself prior to my desk job. I noticed that my self-confidence had gone way down and that was spilling over into other areas.

What was your first experience with Paleo?

The BBBSB was the first time I was introduced to Paleo. I was very nervous about the concept but I heard Shana say it is 10 weeks of your life and thought that is so true, I can do 10 weeks.
What was the hardest adjustment to make or what was the hardest food to give up?
For me, it would have to be dairy. I grew up drinking a glass of milk every night with dinner, so the concept that milk is good for you was ingrained in my brain. I also love my beer very much…

How do you feel after eating Paleo?

I feel good. I sleep better and I do not get the extreme low at work in the afternoon like I use to.

What is your favorite meal?

Jamaican Jerk ribs; so simple and so delicious. I am also a huge fan of baked fruit cobbler.

What is your favorite thing about CFED?

Of course the people, I love that my morning group stays to cheer on the last person (usually me, but I am hoping this won’t be the case for long). I also like that the coaches care and push us to keep moving; I need to be told to get back on that bar.
I must admit that I am now a CFED addict. I love the creative WODs and that no day is ever the same as another in a week or month for that matter. On my days off, I actually feel like I am missing something.

What do your friends and family say about your diet?

Some of my coworkers thought it was crazy, most of them were encouraging. My roommates were awesome. We cook meals for each other during the week and they cooked Paleo (at least for me) all 10 weeks.

• Dark Chocolate (70% or greater)
• Dark Chocolate covered almonds
• Nachos
• Sushi
• Black beans
• Rice
• Ice Cream

The one thing to keep in mind is when you do cheat is to try not to let it snowball out of control. It is more important to pick back up and keep and moving forward.  Congratulations to everyone for an awesome 10 weeks!