Nutritional Challenge...

Ok... here it is - the Nutritional Challenge for those of you who were curious from my Facebook post.

You do not need to be here in Portland.
You can ABSOLUTELY lean on me for answers to your questions...

The challenge is to eat a STRICT PALEO DIET for 30 days.
Total CLEAN eating...

I will post each of your scores so you can see how you are comparing to others who are participating.

Anyone can do ANYTHING for 30 days.

TIME LINE - February 1st - March 2nd... 30 Days

In all reality, it is very simple:
Lean Meat, Veggies and Fruit, Nuts and Seeds, little starch, NO SUGAR
No processed foods.
No packaged meals.
No Dairy.
No Gluten.
No Grains.
No Legumes (including Tofu, Peanuts, Peanut Butter, etc...)

Read this BLOG -Whole9
Resources: Whole 9 Resources
Use me for reference - mike@maximumrukus.com
Post Comments to this Blog Post below

The Rules:
*Email me you Score Daily - scoring below
*Commit to this for 30 days
*Exercise 4-5 times a week (great workouts posted daily on CrossFit.com)
*Sleep minimum 7 hours a day - Extra points earned for 9+ hours (including naps)
*Take a minimum of 1-2 rest Days a week - assuming you are working out on the other 5-6 days
*Consume 3-5g of Fish Oil a Day
*Eat Protein/Carbs (through Veggies and Fruits) and Fat at EVERY MEAL AND SNACK

Scoring:
Four Points: (100% Compliance) Paleo - You are a hunter-gatherer (meat, veggies, some fruit, nuts and seeds).

Three Points: (99% Compliance) One time during the day, you had a little something that wasn't Paleo, but wasn't horrible. For example, some peanuts, green beans, or hummus, a little cream in your coffee.

Two Points: (90-98% Compliance) You slipped...but didn't get hurt. You had a small amount of "not real food". Maybe it was a good day, but you couldn't resist having a beer at the family BBQ, or you finished your kids' mac 'n cheese, but the rest of your day was solid.

One Point: (80-89% Compliance) Most of your day was on track, but there was one full meal that you fell off the wagon. Maybe it was the rolls at dinner, a sandwich, pasta, a soda, juice or bag of popcorn, two slices of pizza, or a drink or two...Not three.

Zero Points: You had a bad day and made more than one solid mistake. Three drinks, dessert, a couple slices of pizza or more than one processed meal. You have no idea how many calories you ate and forget about the fat... that piece of cake did you in.

BONUS POINTS:
1. You get one extra bonus point for everyday you work out for more than 45 minutes. The benefits of a healthy diet are magnified when combined with training program that combines constantly varied, high intensity, functional movements. You may only earn 1 bonus workout point per day. Train Hard. Eat Clean.

2. You get one bonus point for every hour of sleep OVER 9 hours (this is total hours of sleep within a 24 hour period... naps count).

3. You get one bonus point for every 15 minute stretch session you spend working on your body OUTSIDE of class (max 1 point per day)


Who's in???

5 RM Snatch

Today I focused on my Olympic Lifts... the Snatch.
I worked for the better part of an hour trying to find my 5 Rep Max weight.
So many muscle groups are involved with getting the weight off the ground and instantly overhead.
Today, I was able to build up to 125# for 5 reps.
It has been over a year, but the last time I recorded a Snatch workout, I was going for a 1 rep max and only achieved 85#. My notes mentioned that I was working on form - I guess I have improved :)

New Plans...

Ok - so here is what I have picked up over the last 10 days...
I recently went to a local CrossFit gym and had a whole Bio-Signature make up done on my eating, exercise, and sleeping habits. A 12-point Body Fat measurement assessment was done along with a couple other little tests and a questionnaire. I have a diet, exercise, and supplement plan that I am on (3 days into it). I was surprised by the feedback...

For 12 years I had been Vegan. There are some challenges that come along with eating this way, especially for such a long period of time. One of the biggest challenges is the breakdown of your stomach lining and the reduction of proper stomach acids to effectively pull the nutrients from your 'fuel'. I have been eating a very Paleo diet since July and strict Paleo since October. Paleo is about as dramatically difference from Vegan as you can imagine. Lots of Lean Meat, Veggies, Fruit, Nuts and Seeds... No Sugar, No Dairy, No Grains. Foods in their natural state and according to the season.

I have seen great improvements in my performance since July, but I was kind of expecting more - especially since I had made such a dramatic diet change. Well, now that I have found out about this stomach acid thing (along with a host of other supplements), I am EAGER to see what will await.

My diet has changed slightly - now I eat 1g Protein for every pound of Lean Muscle Mass (so 163g Protein a day!!!).
Also, I have included iodine, Vitamin D3, Selenium, Fish Oil (a lot of it) and a high quality multi vitamin.
The timing of my eating has also changed... specific Post Workout Meals and ensuring I am eating enough meals to get all of that protein into my day.

The last couple of changes have to do with 'How I am exercising' and Sleep.
I am on a Performance/Strength focus, so more heavy lifting and focus on skills, less fast pace/intense Met-Cons.
Sleep for recovery- as much as possible and in a DARK DARK room... minimum 7 hours - preferably +9 (I have not been able to do over 7 yet)

I will keep this thread going as stuff changes... Should be fun.

Now - here is an example of 'Heavy Lifting' routines:

As Many Rounds as Possible in 20 minutes
1 Deadlift - 80% of 5Rep Max (for me = 245lbs)
1 Pull Up with a 20# dumbbell on my feet
3 Deadlifts
3 weighted pull ups
5 Deadlifts
5 weighted pullups

I was able to complete 6 rounds! 2 days later and I am still feeling it.

Yesterday I worked on my Bench Press, looking for my 5 Rep Max... I found it at 175#
I finished up the workout out with a quick Met-Con:
21-15-9
Kettlebell Swing with 53#
Box Jumps onto a 20" Box