JULY UPDATE: (kinda long)

07/07/2011

I want to start doing monthly updates on things-- just for myself, but also for anyone who is interested in paleo/losing weight/being healthy. So this is an over-view of where I was and where I am now.

LETS START WITH PICTURES!!!!
AUGUST? (210)



SEPTEMBER (215)



DECEMBER (210)



MARCH (200?)



APRIL (195)


MAY (190)


JUNE (184ish)


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DIET
I've always been a pretty "ok" eater. Not the best, but not a junk-food junkie either. I actually have never eaten a twinkie (if you can believe that?). I gave up fast-food in 2000 along with all pop (except for the occasional rootbeer float). But I used to have a CRAZY sweet-tooth. Icecream was my weakness. I also remember going through a large dominos pizza and a 6-pack on fridays like it was no big thing.

Then I started dating this guy who challenged me to a "no processed sugar" diet. I love me some challenges so I accepted and we went on our merry way. The first 4-5 days were HELL. I was cranky, tired, irritable. But as soon as it got out of my system (except for the fucking granola!) I was great! I woke up before my alarm went off, I slept super sound, I was happy. life was good!

Then I joined the gym and got on Paleo. (this was in late april). I had already lost 15lbs in 1 month at this point. (pretty easy, right? just give up sugar!)

On my "paleo+" diet I did the following:
1) not eat any sugar (except for rare/special occasions.... like a wedding cake that cost over 1K$... and even after that i didn't feel good.) I can still have honey, though.
2) avoid bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, corn, beans, peas.
3) eat 6-7 egg yellows a week. (or less)
4) eat only 2 servings of dairy (this kinda went out the window because i love me some dairy, but i got more conscious of it.)
5) drink on very rare occasions.
6) no caffeine. (or very very little).

so that was my "diet". What I expected:

I can cheat, and i STILL lose weight!

(the last point is what really surprises me... I cheated all weekend and I'm still dropping weight. how does that work? not really sure.... don't really care)

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PHYSICAL STUFF
Thanks to Crossfit (my gym routine) I kept a log of every workout I've done.

RUNNING
Before--- I tried to do the "couch to 5K program" on a treadmill/elliptical machine. It was WAY easy on the machine---but then I try to do anything outside and I would die. I could MAYBE run 5 minutes without stopping (outside).

My highschool mile was 11:23. I think the fastest i've ever ran a mile (IN MY LIFE) was something like 7:56. this is my goal.

Now-- I can run/row (at a moderate pace) a 5K in 29 minutes. My mile is 10:40.

LIFTING
BEFORE: I could only deadlift 95lbs. (this was 100lbs less than my bodyweight, btw.)
NOW: I can deadlift more than my bodyweight. (195lbs)

PULLUPS
BEFORE: I couldn't do a single pullup. AT ALL... EVER. (i did jumping pullups for a very very long time.
NOW: I can do jumping (on a very low box) and band-pull-ups.... I'm pretty sure I'm about 2 weeks away from doing 1 un-assisted pullup this will make me happy.

SITUPS
BEFORE: I could do maybe 50 (while crying)
NOW: I can do about 200 situps (while crying) but in 1 sitting.

SQUATS
BEFORE: never ever ever thought to do squats. Never did them. never saw the point.
NOW: TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THE GLORY THAT IS A SQUAT!!!! TOTALLY HELPS IN SEX!!!! DO THEM AND LOVE THEM! (never thought I would ever say that, btw).
(I can do about 200 before my arms go numb)

PUSHUPS
BEFORE: In my hayday of drum-corp, I could do 50 in 1 sitting without even thinking about it. In fact! I was so ripped that I could do diamonds! I can't do that now (and haven't been able to since 2000), but I could do about 20 in 1 sitting back in december.
NOW: I could do 50 if you gave me enough water and loud enough music.

double-unders
BEFORE: couldn't even do these. (like a jump-rope, but where the rope goes under you twice before you land on the ground)
NOW: I can do 3 in a row before the rope gets tangled.

(something i noticed-- and this is super shallow--- but i have BICEPS NOW! I can actually flex and show some guns! This makes me miss texas something fierce, let me tell you!)
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SO yay! I'm not going to leave paleo, (I don't think ever), but I am going to be more lienient with it. (like this weekend I'm going to NYC--- and i'll be fucked if i'm NOT going to eat pizza or a rueben or bagels!) But I continue to eat salads/paleo during the week/any weekend that is just a "chillaxin" weekend.
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What does all that garbage up there mean? I feel (and look) great and I should have done this years ago.