concretecavewoman

Ooooh cool! Interesting? How so?

Day 14 After yesterday's face-stomping, today was more chill. Food-wise, I think this was my first really lame day of the whole challenge. --- Food --- IF Goal: C, first meal at 1, last snack at 10:30, way too late Paleo Goal: C (D if I'd had gluten or something) non-paleo item, a piece of gluten free pear cake. Gave me a stomach ache. I think last week I had a gluten-free something or other and it too gave me a stomach ache. Shouldn't I have learned my lesson by now? Lunch: Jimmy John's unwich, lots of meat. a steamed sweet potato, smoothie with kale, coconut milk, and banana Snack: tea Dinner: sauteed pork, egg, and cabbage at a chinese restaurant. a few pieces of some kind of chicken dish that probably had cornstarch in it. Snack: a slice of gluten free pear cake --- Workout --- Workout Goal: A LISS day. Trying to run a wee bit less so as not to trash legs the day after lifting. Went on a 5 mi walk instead. Steps:13000

Day 12 Great day, kicked butt at the gym (well, for my level of strength anyway) and finally, finally(!) hit my protein goal for the day. --- Food --- IF Goal: A, first meal at 12:30, last snack at 10 Paleo Goal: B Non-paleo foods consumed today: 1/2 glass red wine, 1 oz dark chocolate Lunch: 10 oz grassfed beef bolognese, 1c. zucchini, 1c eggplant Snack: black coffee, 1/2 c trail mix and some dried cherries Dinner: 12 oz ribeye, 1/2 c baked potato, 1 c roasted brussels sprouts, 1/2 glass wine Snack: tea, apple, dark chocolate --- Workout --- Workout Goal: A SL 5x5 Squats @80 Overhead Press @ 50 (never hit this weight before!) Deadlift @95 One Arm DB Rows, 3x8 @40 (also a first!) 2 sets farmer's walks @40 3x8 leg extensions @90 1 jump rope tabata cycle Steps:10000, yay! Also decided to research a little travel hacking since that seems to be so much the rage on this site. I've backpacked before, but learned a lot of good lessons about what not to do. Thinking maybe I should start cogitating on a 2013 or 2014 longer term trip...

If that's the case, that blows man - then you're really probably looking at milk, eggs, and scads of sweet potatos/yams. But it does sound like you'll have to compromise on the paleo if your goal is indeed to seriously bulk, in which case you can throw in beans and oats to whatever degree needed to hit your target protein/caloric goals.

I realize that this might not seem fair because I have no understanding of your financial situation, but given that you're here on a forum posting we can assume that you have the resources for reasonably modern technology and an internet connection. One of the cheif complaints people have about paleo and paleo-esque and/or high protein diets is that they are "too expensive" because, indeed, fresh food is more expensive than processed crap. But consider this: The average (overweight) American family spends a mere 6.1% of their disposable income on food to be prepared and eaten at home. The average (non-overweight) French family spends over double that, 13.6% And what little we do spend on fresh food is spent on the absolute worst quality and most-inhumanely raised produce and meat possible. If heath and fitness are long-term goals for you, once your financial situation bounces back, I suggest taking a good hard look at your expenditures (digital cable packages? gold-plated mobile and data plans? alcohol? Starbucks?), investing in a chest freezer, and buying meat in bulk from local farmers. As others have said, eggs are a great resource, and if you're looking to pack on bulk there is always GOMAD. Now if you're really over a barrel, dried beans, rice, and milk may have to be your fall back. But if you have a job and all the basics, even if it's tight, I'm betting there are some places where you can tighten your belt to reallocate towards quality food.

Day 11 A nothing special kind of day. Muscles needed a break, and so I gave 'em one. Also went for a massage which was oh so necessary! Today I need to eat WAY more. --- Food --- IF Goal: A First meal at noon, last snack at 9:30 Paleo Goal: B Had a protein bar, bleh Lunch: big chicken salad with vinaigrette, tomatoes, bacon, and avocado. Snack: protein bar, black coffee Snack: coconut and almonds Snack: trail mix. --- Workout --- Workout Goal: A Scheduled rest, all good.

Day 10 --- Food --- IF Goal: A First meal at noon, last at 8:30, perfect! Paleo Goal: A Should I give myself a B for not eating enough? I just don't have an appetite today. Lunch: 6 oz roasted pork shoulder, steamed sweet potato, apple Snack: almonds, tea Dinner: guhhh just not super hungry. going to try and have a kale smoothie. --- Workout --- Workout Goal: A SL5x5 Workout A Squats @75 Bench @55 Row @70 bulgarian split squat @25 2x8 1-arm DB row @35 3x8

Oddly (I say oddly because I'm usually super sensitive to side effects, even with supplements) I've had zero side effects with melatonin. I have a 1mg chewable and an hour later or so I'm nice and sleepy, which is great since getting to sleep was what usually troubled me. I have heard others complain of brain fog after taking it, though, and also the lucid dreams you mention.

Party! That's fabulous! Also on the frequent wakeups issue, I used to have that problem all the time, but two things have made my sleep scads better: blackout curtains and melatonin (the former especially)

@Scottius I like the notion of the protein shake in addition to the meal at the first feeding. Since I'm challenging myself to be 100% dairy free right now I'm off whey, but if all goes well I think I will minimally re-integrate whey protein at the end of the challenge in order to really get the protein count up there. This evening for dinner I sat down to about 70g of pork-based protein and only made it through about 50, and even that was tough (same deal with the not-so-huge appetite). Sounds like this has been working out awesomely for you! I wish I could drop 25 lbs in 8 weeks heh, but I guess we'll see if this is working soon enough. Day 9 --- Food --- IF Goal: B First meal at 11:30, last at 9, slightly larger window than I would have liked Paleo Goal: B A square of dark chocolate, uh oh! Lunch: chicken salad with walnuts, dried cranberries, and vinaigrette. Paltry amount of chicken but I was eating out. Snack: almonds, tea Dinner: 6oz pork shoulder, 1/2 a steamed sweet potato, kale smoothie: 2 c. kale, 1/2 frozen banana, strawberries, 1/4 c coconut milk, 1 square dark chocolate Snack: apple --- Workout --- Workout Goal: A Did a xfit endurance workout today: 1 mile warmup 400m run 10 thrusters @ 25lb 15 lat pulls @70lb 600m run 15 thrusters @20lb 15 lat pulls @70lb 800m run 30 thrusters @10lb (yes at this point, I succumbed to the barbie weights) 15 lat pulls @70lbs Steps: 10000, yay

Slightly OT, but funniest thing I've read today, Martin Berkhan's post on Fitocracy: Pro tip: Try trick or treatin' in Affliction shirt, board shorts, beanie & lifting belt. Tell em' you're a broscientist and ask for whey hydrolysate.

@Makeitso Thanks! Obstacle runs always help change up the normal pavement-pounding routine. Makes me wish I were better at scrambling up walls though... @scotticus Awesome that you're seeing such benefits from IF. About how many meals do you end up eating during your feeding window? And do you follow martin's recommendation to chow on nearly 100g of protein at the first post-workout meal? I'm only a week in but I'm down two pounds (moving average) and I somehow gained .75" on my bicep in the last week, not sure how that's possible except for maybe water retention as I measured after lifting. As for the BCAAs, I've been using them per the protocol, but being only a week in I'm not sure yet whether it's making a big difference. I believe that most of his rationale is that it prevents muscle wasting during the fasted window. Perhaps after 6-8 weeks of this I'll try a week without the supplements to see if there's any noticeable difference. But to this point I figure I might as well just go whole hog and follow the program as outlined. (except carb cycling, I haven't really played with that yet). The one thing I have noticed is that my recovery is feeling substantially better this week; less stiffness and soreness the morning after a good workout, that kind of thing. Whether that's from Paleo or supplements or some combination thereof, I'm not sure, but if it works, it works!

Sounds like an awesome week! and I love how many people have sleep goals. Very much to the contrary of conventional wisdom that says we should be awed by those who chug along on 4 hours of sleep. Is the app the kind that tracks your movement as you sleep?

Bummer on the sick, but awesome on the good week! What did you end up sewing?

Day 8 Good day. --- Workout --- Workout Goal: A SL 5x5 B Squat @ 70 Press @ 45 Deadlift @ 90 4x35lb farmer walk, 140' per set 2x5 inverted rows 3x8 one arm DB row, 30lb 2x4min tabata jump rope sets Steps: 8000, ok, but I want to get 10k a day (an unofficial goal) --- Food --- IF Goal: A, First meal at 1 and last snack at 9 Paleo Goal: A Lunch: 7 oz roasted pork shoulder, 1 c steamed kale, 1 c steamed broccoli Snack: tea, apple Dinner:6 oz grassfed beef bolognese, 1.5 c mixed veg sauteed in coconut oil, 1/2 a steamed sweet potato Snack: 1 little square 85% dark chocolate (take that, Halloween!) For today, Tuesday, I'd really like to have my last bite of food around 7:45, just because putting a little more time between eating and going to bed seems to help me sleep.

To get more fat, feel free to eat fattier cuts from high quality animals. Alternatively, cook with more fat than you might otherwise. Sometimes I steam veggies, but usually I'll quickly stirfry them in coconut oil. Also, when cooking ground beef or the like, I never drain off the fat. Fat, in order of appreciation. Best Tallow from grass fed cows Lard from pastured pigs Coconut oil Ghee from pastured butter Avocados Pasture-raised eggs Better Pastured butter "organic", non-hydrogenated lard Pastured heavy cream Ok Any other nut oils (high omega-6 ratios) Conventional butter Nut butters High quality cured meats

How're the energy levels going? To second what's been said here already, first time I went paleo it was massive carb withdrawl. I literally felt stupid and tongue tied for about 3 days, and then it just all cleared up. Also, eating way more fat helps too.

Week 1 Update Intermittent Fasting: A I IF'd every day between about 8:30pm and noon, barring one day where I had my first meal at 1 and another day where I had a snack at 9:30. I'm really liking this mode, mostly because in the morning I'm at the gym and then at the office and in meetings first thing. I usually have a full hour to myself for lunch where I can indulge in a slow and hearty meal. Pure Paleo: B+ I'm taking points off because I had a gluten free (but not dairy free) Honey Stinger protein bar on Saturday, as well as a "paleo" muffin thing that 1) didn't taste great and 2) gave me a horrible stomach ache, so I guess I paid the price. Otherwise it was ALL meats, veggies, nuts, fruits, and tubers, and barring only a single meal, all of it was pastured meat from local farms (extra credit!) Workouts: A Except for one sick day, I made my workouts every day in the last week and took a scheduled rest day. I made the switch to SL 5x5, so I've dropped in weight on the squat and deadlift, but ultimately I'm hoping that this gives me more shoulder strength development. I also threw in a 5k mud run for good measure on Saturday. One of my teammates convinced me to sign up for the Tough Mudder in June, so we'll see how that goes. I'm pretty happy with how this week went! Personal Goal, Work/Life Balance: D My life goal was to leave the office at 4:30 every Friday. I figure I put in enough hours during the week, and sometimes weekends, that I should actually enjoy my Friday and leave at a more reasonable hour. Well, I made it out at 5:20 on Friday (50 minutes late!), and worked til 8:30 on Thurs; also I was checking my work email all weekend, for shame. Ideally, 8-5/6 would be a good target to shoot for. ******** Today's Workout, SL Workout B 2xtabata jump rope glute bridges 5x5 @ 70lb squats 5x5 @ 45lb overhead press 5x5 @ 90lb deadlift inverted rows 140 ft x 4 farmers walks @35lb 3x8 @30lb one arm DB rows

Thanks! Yeah I've definitely been interested in the same kinds of things - unfortunately raising my own isn't an option since, like many, I'm an apartment dweller. I'm not sure about Salem but I know for certain in Portland there's an amazing butcher shop called Tails and Trotters. They don't have 100% pastured pigs (it's not possible to do so without some amount of supplemental feed) but they're pastured-raised with non-GMO, non-Soy/Corn feed, and finished on hazelnuts. Also, across the bridge in Vancouver there's a farm called Inspiration Plantation where you can volunteer on their chicken harvest days. They'll teach you how to process and butcher, and in return you get a free chicken and can buy them at the bulk discount. Their chickens are raised in an intensive rotational pasture system - I've met the farmers and they're tops people. So maybe you could give that a shot! What kind of hunting have you done?

Here are my entries. @Loren, too funny. A couple weeks ago when I was trying to decide what to carve I saw a picture of the death star pumpkin and decided I MUST carve one. Took a ridonkulously long time. The first image is my pumpkin all lit up, the second is proof that it's actually mine

Day 7: Week 1 complete! Rest day and well worth it. Calves were sore from all the hill running and sliding. Didn't do much other than roast that big ol' pork shoulder and carve a pumpkin. And watch lots of movies while I was at it. --- Workout --- Workout Goal: B, scheduled rest, but I also could have walked more. I was mostly on my feet today though. Steps: 3000 :/ --- Food --- IF Goal: A, First meal at 1pm last at 8:30 Paleo Goal: A Lunch: 8 oz grassfed beef bolognese, 2 c mixed steamed veg., 1/2 c kabocha pumpkin Snack: tea, organic beef jerky Snack: mango, didn't really feel the need for dinner since lunch was so satisfying. tomorrow will be a big food day since its a lifting day. I forgot how on strict paleo you almost have to remind yourself to eat.

Day 6 Ok day. Started off by running one of those mud runs, the Gladiator Rock and Run. Made the mistake of wearing VFFs for the gravel trail and now I'm a hobbling tenderfoot. In the evening, I decided to make a small "paleo" muffin -- It was made with just a few ingredients (dark chocolate, butter, eggs, coconut flour, and stevia) but I never eat those no-cal sweeteners: it had a terrible aftertaste and gave me an awful stomach ache. I should have just eaten the dark chocolate! --- Workout --- Workout Goal: A 5k mud run. Lots of wall climbs, mud crawls, and hills. Steps: 15000 --- Food --- IF Goal: B, because my last food of the day was late-ish, at 9:30 when really I should start the fast at 8. Paleo Goal: C, I had a gluten-free protein bar as I was driving around running errands. Should have been more prepared with proper paleo snacks, also that cringe inducing "paleo" muffin Lunch: 7oz pastured pork sausage, 2 c steamed mixed veg, 1/2 c roasted pumpkin Snack: gluten-free protein bar, apple Snack: organic beef jerky Snack: "paleo" muffin Header to the butcher to pick up a pastured/hazelnut-finished bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder. Marinated it all day and today (Sunday) it's going to slow roast for about 8 hours.

@dustin, cooolio, how did the whole 30 work out for you? Day 5 Posting this a day late. Went out for a run, worked all day, came home, ate like a beast, and played video games all evening. Win. --- Workout --- Workout Goal: Good 5.8 mi run in VFFs 3x8 20lb DB thrusters (cause laura makes them look so easy! but they're not!) Steps: 16000, woo --- Food --- IF Goal: Good, first meal at 12:30, last at 7:30 Paleo Goal: Good, again with the too much fructose, but the trail mix is gone and I ain't buying more. Lunch: 6oz grassfed beef bolognese, a handful of carrot sticks Snack: buffalo jerky, too much trail mix Dinner: Indian lamb (prob 5 oz) 2 c steamed veg, 1 c roasted kabocha pumpkin Snack: A mango Today (Saturday) is the gladiator rock and run. Then I'm headed to my fav artisan butcher to pick up a 6lb pork shoulder roast.

Holy cow, that is some serious thrusters work. Way to go!! How is it going with the 10 minute squat? I always get severe fatigue on the front of my shins trying to balance like that.

Whew, long freaking day. Gym, 10 hrs at the office, got home to get some cookin' done. Got kinda hosed on my fast today. I normally break it at noon and have a freaking huge meal, but today I had an 11am meeting that went late, so by the time I ate it was 1:30, I was in the car on the way back from Whole Foods, desperately eating a "Caveman Bar" (coconut and almonds, basically). It trashed my appetite, not to mention the chicken I got at Whole Paycheck was not so delicious, so I didn't have a proper meal til I got home at 9:00pm. --- Workout --- Workout goal: Good SL Workout A Squats @65 (felt light but I guess starting anew requires such) Bench Press @50 Rows @60 4 sets farmers walks w/30lb dumbbells inverted rows 1 tabata set of jump rope. Steps: 8100, so so. --- Food --- IF Goal: Ok Paleo Goal: Good, too much fructose though Late Lunch: chicken curry, maybe 4 oz of the chicken, it wasn't very appealing. 1/2 c of steamed veg. WAY too much trail mix (mix of almonds, cherries, and raisins), a caveman bar S: a spoon of hemp butter and almonds, tea D: 6 oz grassfed beef bolognese, 1.5 c mixed steamed veg (zucchini, peppers, summer squash), 1/4 c kabocha pumpkin I'm running the Gladiator run on Saturday so I'm debating taking an off day tomorrow and just walking a lot, or I might run, depending on how I feel.