Crooked's Getting It Done Challenge

[Crooked]

Basic info

-22 years old

-5'4", 136 pounds

-Former long-time vegetarian, now eating fish as part of a paleo diet. My brother has been paleo for years, my dad got into it last fall, and I read Robb Wolf's book and became convinced I needed to eat more animal products and cut soy (and therefore tofu) to be really healthy.

Brief overview of goals

Fitness/diet goals:

-Resume my 90-ish% paleo pescetarian diet — fell off the wagon hard in the past week, and I felt awful (as in physically ill, not guilty). I'm determined to recommit to paleo with only the rare exceptions (Greek yogurt and Cholula, mostly).

-Get my carb percentages into the teens/below 80 grams. This will likely involve cutting fruits to 1-1.5 servings per day.

-Get a kipping pull-up and get to a skinnier band on my dead-hang pull-up. If I can get a real pull-up by the end of six weeks, that would be fantastic, but I only really started working on them a week ago, so I don't want to aim for something unrealistic.

-Improve my deadlift 1RM from 185 lbs. to 210 lbs.

-Go to Crossfit classes at my new gym three times per week.

-Start doing the MWOD at least three times per week, working from his earliest videos to get used to them.

-I'm hoping this will follow naturally from all the other changes, but I'd like to lose five pounds of fat. I've put on a fair bit of belly fat recently, and it's stubborn.

What this will (should?) amount to: An almost entirely paleo diet that is low in carbs and high in fat and protein; regular Crossfit workouts supplemented by mobility and strength training and other forms of movement (see below); pull-up practice done every time I make it to the Crossfit gym; and more time spent preparing meals to bring with me to work and eat for dinner.

Life goals:

-Get rid of five bags of trash in my room and reorganize what remains.

-Get eight hours of sleep per night whenever possible.

-Examine my finances and set/stick to a monthly budget.

-Start reading for pleasure after I take the LSAT next Monday.

-Find a yoga studio that works with my schedule and finances.

-Start watching my Netflix or cancel my subscription.

-Learn to ride a bike.

Yes, there are a lot of goals on that list. I don't think any is too tough, but all are things I have wanted to do for some time, so the cumulative effort is where the challenge part comes in. I figure the five hours of trash can be eliminated over one painful weekend and the organization can take another day. Eight hours of sleep per night is completely doable if I don't spend ages messing around on the computer when I get home from work. Budgeting shouldn't be particularly time consuming, since I put away the vast majority of my monthly paycheck into savings as soon as I get it and don't touch that money. I'm going to buy a Kindle post-LSAT and use my commute time to read. Yoga studio research can be done during downtime at the office. My boyfriend will be away all month, so I can figure out my Netflix situation in that interim. And, finally, I'm hoping my dad can be coerced into going on a few bike rides with me until I get the hang of it.

If you follow a specific way of eating

Pescetarian paleo. No land animals but I'm pretty much open to all sustainable fish.

Any other piece of information you think would be useful

I'm in love with Crossfit! It's my new favorite form of physical activity and all I want to talk about. I don't know if that's useful information, but it's exciting to me. And I'm really looking forward to becoming a member of this community.

[Crooked]

DAY 1

Food

All paleo. I didn't keep a diary because I was out of town, but starting tomorrow I'll list everything. Definitely high in carbs today - way too much fruit, but it was the only paleo non-meat food at a brunch I was at.

Fitness

"Double Helen" at my gym

3 rounds

800m run, 42 kbs @ 30 lbs., 24 push-ups

Time: 23:49

My push-ups are really terrible.

After the WOD I practiced kipping and dead-hang pull-ups. It's such a new exercise that every day feels like I'm progressing. Also worked on HSPU for the first time.

Life

Haven't gotten started on my other life goals, including (especially) sleep.

This will be fun!

[Crooked]

DAY 2

Food

Here's what I ate:

eggs with butter and guacamole

tomato

orange pepper

mushroom

apple

catfish

sardines

almonds

almond butter (needed a spoonful before my WOD)

____________

1,558 calories

109.5 grams fat - 61%

109.1 grams protein - 27%

49.6 grams carb - 12%

Not sure that I've ever broken 50g of carbs in my life!

Fitness

Today's WOD was a toughie:

We started with squats at 15-10-5-3-1.

I did 115 as my 1RM but I definitely had a good bit more in me.

Coach didn't want me to max out before the WOD.

20 calories row

30 burpees

40 20" box jumps

50 situps

60 double unders

50 situps

40 20" box jumps

30 burpees

20 kipping pull-ups with skinny black band

____________

21 minutes flat

I felt great about this workout.

pretty dead after and I think I pushed myself hard throughout.

definitely the fastest I've ever done burpees.

and I did an MWOD when I got home.

Life

Well, I got six hours of sleep. Oops.

But if I go to bed soon, I can get eight tonight!

Other things will be waiting until after LSAT.

[Crooked]

DAY 3

About to go take a practice test — it's the final countdown!

Food

breakfast: eggs, butter, guacamole, apple

snack: 1/4 orange pepper, 1/4 yellow pepper

lunch: sardines, tomato, cucumber, grated carrots, fage yogurt, strawberries

pre-workout snack: almond butter

dinner: 1 homemade paleo nut cracker, eggs, butter, guacamole; almond butter, blueberries, sprinkle of coconut

____________

1,507 calories

99.5 grams fat - 57%

65.7 grams carb - 16%

105.6 grams protein - 27%

Fitness

WOD:

with 50 lbs.

5 rounds

12 deadlifts

9 cleans

6 presses/jerks

____________

9:27

I didn't feel that 50 lbs. was the max weight I could have done.

In retrospect, I should have done 55 lbs.

The cleans just GET me though. I don't have the timing solid yet.

So after I did deadlifts:

5 @ 100 lbs.

5 @ 120 lbs.

3 @ 140 lbs.

3 @ 160 lbs.

1 @ 180 lbs.

1 @ 190 lbs. - PR

1 @ 195 lbs. - PR

Yup, I increased my 1RM from 185 to 195! Can't wait to break 200 pounds.

Life

Ordering a Kindle as soon as my practice test is over.

Going to do the earliest calf MWOD tonight.

Last night I got seven hours of sleep. I need to do better on that.

[Crooked]

Scored lower on my practice test than I have in weeks — 175 (the high on the test is 180). It's still a solid score, but not what I am aiming for on test day. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day, another WOD and another practice test (oh, and another chance to get my eight hours of sleep).

[ertzeid]

Where in NY are you? I know a Bikram studio in Brooklyn that does some work study, if you have the time.

[Crooked]

I wish I were able! I have a full-time job in Manhattan that pretty much eats all my time.

[Crooked]

DAY 4

First, my news.

1) I realized something very important today as I was getting into the car to go to the gym after work. I have ALWAYS been a first-thing-in-the-morning exerciser. "If I don't go first thing, I don't go" is something I used to tell people all the time. I would say it's because I got so exhausted with school (and now with work) that I had trouble motivating myself after a long day. WRONG. So wrong. The reason I was a mornings-only exerciser was because I wasn't doing the right exercises (if hours on the elliptical while reading Fitness magazine can be called exercising). Now that I have found a fitness regimen that I am truly excited about, I look forward to my WOD all day and practically bounce into the gym at in the evening. This is such an amazing experience, to feel like I have found what I'm meant to be doing in terms of my fitness.

2) A week and a half after first learning how to do them ... today I did EIGHT KIPPING PULL-UPS without a band. I asked one of the trainers at the gym to watch my attempts and see how far my chin was from getting over, and she said, "You're there." So then we did a bunch more. I've never been able to do a pull-up in my life. I still can't do dead-hangs at all, but this is huge!

Moving on, but still smiling...

Food

breakfast: eggs, butter, guacamole, apple

lunch: sardines, fage yogurt, strawberries, almonds

pre-workout snack: almond butter

dinner: 1 homemade paleo nut cracker, eggs, butter, guacamole; almond butter, blueberries

____________

1,734 calories

121.7 grams fat - 60%

67.4 grams carb - 14%

116 grams protein - 26%

All paleo, except for some hot sauce on the sardines which I think has something non-paleo in it.

Well within my sub-80g, -20% carb goal.

Tons of water throughout the day.

Water consumption wasn't originally a goal but I think it's becoming one.

Fitness

WOD:

5 rounds

12 overhead squats with 55 lbs. (RX)

7 burpees with 20" box jumps

____________

16:10

Not the most spectacular time, but by far the hardest OHS workout I've ever done.

After the WOD I worked on modified handstand pushups with my feet on the highest box jump platform.

Then of course there were the pull-ups!

Life

Ordered my Kindle. I'm sorry, I meant to say ORDERED MY KINDLE!

Forgot my MWOD last night, so it has to be tonight.

Last night was seven hours of sleep. I'm seeing a pattern...

[Crooked]

DAY 5, partway through

My day isn't over yet, but I wanted to post now as a break from LSAT prep. I started the day with a fun/terrible (aren't they all?) WOD, made some lunch and gave a mediocre performance on a practice test — I may be taking another to get myself feeling more confident.

Food

breakfast: eggs (with butter), guacamole, half an apple, almond butter

lunch: eggs (with butter), guacamole, half an apple, almond butter (a little repetitive? yes)

snack: almonds, cashews

my plan is to make scallops for dinner and maybe a small whey protein shake for dessert

I'll edit this post with my macros when my day is over

Fitness

WOD:

6 rounds

400m run

5 pull-ups (used the skinniest band)

10 push-ups

15 air squats

____________

22:30

Slowest time in my gym, but that wasn't surprising, since I'm a newb.

After the WOD, the girls did some back squats.

I did max reps at 95 lbs. in 1 minute (16) and found my current 1RM (125 lbs. for me).

My hands started bleeding for the first time during the fifth round of the WOD.

[Crooked]

DAY 5, partway through

My day isn't over yet, but I wanted to post now as a break from LSAT prep. I started the day with a fun/terrible (aren't they all?) WOD, made some lunch and gave a mediocre performance on a practice test — I may be taking another to get myself feeling more confident.

Food

breakfast: eggs (with butter), guacamole, half an apple, almond butter

lunch: eggs (with butter), guacamole, half an apple, almond butter (a little repetitive? yes)

snack: almonds, cashews

my plan is to make scallops for dinner and maybe a small whey protein shake for dessert

I'll edit this post with my macros when my day is over

Fitness

WOD:

6 rounds

400m run

5 pull-ups (used the skinniest band)

10 push-ups

15 air squats

____________

22:30

Slowest time in my gym, but that wasn't surprising, since I'm a newb.

After the WOD, the girls did some back squats.

I did max reps at 95 lbs. in 1 minute (16) and found my current 1RM (125 lbs. for me).

My hands started bleeding for the first time during the fifth round of the WOD.

[nightlight]

hey, i'm in new york, too! which crossfit box are you at? i'm at hell's kitchen.

[Crooked]

I actually work out in the suburbs, not the city itself. If I'm ever in the area with some spare time, I might drop in on that box!

[Crooked]

Went a bit overboard on food today:

1,914 calories

133.9 g fat - 60%

89.1 g carbs (over my limit) - 17%

115.8 g protein - 23%

Not sure why I felt so hungry all day! Had a big dinner of scallops on a bed of spinach, sauteed onions and balsamic vinegar, followed by many more nuts and a small cup of frozen berries (instead of my protein shake). Definitely had far more calories than I'm used to since starting paleo — that may not be a bad thing, but it's unusual and worth mentioning.

[LynnyLee]

Just noticed your Netflix goal. It's been awhile since I had access to Netflix, but I recall them having some good workout videos. Might be a good way to combine some goals.

[Crooked]

Oooh I had NOT thought of that. I really like Netflix for the instant viewing capabilities, but in the past few months I've been TERRIBLE about actually watching the videos that come to me, so it's been basically a wasted $14/month — which, combined with gym/Crossfit gym fees, food, commuting, weekend trips, etc. is just money I really don't need to be spending. I'll check out their fitness videos and see if there's anything that appeals to me. Thanks!

[nightlight]

cool! my friend tracy works out at crossfit the rock in rockville center, which is on long island -- not sure where you are.

keep up with the awesome goals!

[Crooked]

DAY 6 pretty much in the bag.

I wasn't trying to moderate my macros today because I just wanted to relax before my LSAT. It was also my planned rest day, conveniently enough. Regardless, I did keep track of what I ate:

Food

eggs

guacamole

apple

banana (not tracking macros but holy crap bananas have a lot of carbs)

almond butter

sardines (with Tabasco instead of Cholula — real paleo hot sauce!)

almonds

cashews

more eggs

onions

blueberries

more almond butter

____________

1,784 calories

121.7 grams fat - 58%

101.3 grams carbs - 20% (yikes. but I wasn't tracking, so it's ok for today)

99.7 grams protein - 21%

Not sure how FitDay worked out those percentages, since I had slightly less protein than carbs, but I'm not going to quibble since it doesn't matter for today. I also found it interesting to note that on a day when I wasn't doing anything about my macros and I had a ton of fruit, I still kept it in the 100g range. I think this shows important progress in my food preferences! When I go back in time on my FitDay account (it's very high-tech time travel), I see that in the past I could easily exceed 200g of carbs without much effort.

Tomorrow is the big day! I have my clear gallon Ziploc bag packed up, my aggressive industrial playlist ready to go and the directions to the test site in the car. I'm going to try to eat as normally as possible tomorrow; the plan is eggs with guacamole and a side of blueberries for breakfast, a tin of sardines and maybe something a bit more carb-y (but still paleo, of course) before the test, an apple and nuts during the break and then normal eating for the rest of the day. I'll be hitting tomorrow's WOD hard, I can tell; in addition to being rested, I'll have a lot of I'm-done exuberance to work off.

[CapN_Tommy_Sunshine]

Hey, kick butt tomorrow!

[Crooked]

Thank you! That's the plan

[spezzy]

good luck today!

also, 8 kipping pullups is awesome!

[lyranedara]

Good luck with your test!

[Crooked]

DAY 7

Thanks to all you wonderful well-wishers. The LSAT is over, and I'm going to try really hard not to think about it for three weeks till the scores come out.

Food

breakfast: eggs, guacamole, blueberries

lunch: sardines, blueberries

mid-test snack: cashews, almonds, apple

pre-workout snack: almond butter, 2 almond flour pancakes

dinner: eggs, guacamole, mushrooms, spinach; almond butter, blueberries

sounds like a LOT of blueberries, but I just had small portions frequently

_________

1,727 calories

126.22 grams fat - 63%

70.5 grams carbs - 15% [both in goal range]

102.1 grams protein - 23%

Again, not sure how FitDay does its math. Close enough.

As a side note, my weight has been going up pretty aggressively. I'm sure some of it is muscle, since I don't think I look any bigger, but I don't think much fat is being cut. I'm thinking about cutting my nut consumption and seeing if that helps, but I'm not sure what to replace the calories with. More sardines and other convenient canned fish, maybe. Hurray.

Fitness

Got my ass handed to me by tonight's WOD.

We warmed up with push presses.

My 1RM is 75 lbs.

(I know, it's pathetic. To be fair, I started doing Crossfit consistently three weeks ago)

WOD:

21-18-15-12-9

push press at 55 lbs.

double unders

then rest three minutes and do a minute of burpess

_________

11:53 + 17 burpees - ouch

I finished the workout RX, so I'm proud of that.

But WOW did my time suck.

I just need to keep reminding myself that I can't expect to be instantly good at things. Strength and fitness take time to build up, and by pushing myself hard, I am putting myself in the best position possible to accomplish my goals.

Life

Tonight I messed around with budgets on Mint.com, but didn't figure out a full plan.

Since I took the LSAT today (and received my Kindle!), I'm going to start adding books right away. Suggestions?

When it comes to cleaning my room, those prep books will be the first to go. Obviously I have to keep them in case I need to retake, but they don't need to be so prominently displayed on my desk.

Today was a bit of an emotional drain. The six hours spent sitting in one seat, followed by the lackluster WOD performance, really took it out of me. Looking forward to a better night's sleep tonight than I was able to get last night — woke up at around 6 a.m. and my body was like, "Okay, we're up!"

[Crooked]

Life - actual updates!

Started reading A Confederacy of Dunces on the train this morning. I love my Kindle.

Discovered this article: http://lifehacker.com/5804927/how-to-de+crapify-your-home - going to try to apply it over the weekend

On the negative side, I've been obsessing about the test and worrying about whether I'll have to retake it. Not a good feeling and I don't know how to stop.

[Crooked]

DAY 8

It's amazing how a solid workout can elevate a mediocre day to great status.

Food

Had a huge, carb-y lunch today but kept my macros in check.

breakfast: eggs, guacamole, apple

lunch: sardines, salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers), sweet potatoes with pecans (hence carb-y lunch), blueberries

pre-workout snack: tablespoon of almond butter

dinner: eggs, guacamole; raspberries, almond butter

__________

1,584 calories

109.4 g fat - 59%

77.8 g carbs - 18% - within goal range

93.3 g protein - 22%

A little low on calories and protein, but definitely acceptable for a day when I ate sweet potatoes! I wanted to buy Greek yogurt for a mid-afternoon snack, but the cafeteria only had flavored ones and ones with "fruit" in the bottom, so I passed.

Fitness

9 minute AMRAP:

3 cleans - 65 lbs.

6 pushups

9 box jumps - 20"

_________

9 rounds + 3 cleans

The highest weight I've ever used for cleans is 70 lbs., so today's workout was challenging and awesome. Huge improvement in mood from yesterday's WOD, which was a bit demoralizing. Combined with yesterday's workout, I'm not going to be able to move my arms tomorrow! So it's a good thing tomorrow's WOD is all legs. I have to do it at my globo gym first thing in the morning, because tomorrow night I'm being social after work instead of running home to exercise.

Life

As mentioned, I started A Confederacy of Dunces on the train. I am 9% done. I think I prefer page numbers to percentages, but I can see checking my progress as becoming addictive.

Did some research on yoga studios. I found two near my house that I might be able to check out this weekend.

[Crooked]

DAY 9 part one

Fitness

Forgot to write this morning's workout in my workout log/notebook, and I don't want to forget what I did.

Front squats:

1x5 at 45 lbs.

1x5 at 65 lbs.

1x5 at 80 lbs.

5x3 at 95 lbs.

I was only planning on doing three sets of three at 95, but I was feeling really good after the third round, so I tacked on two more rounds. I'd like to find out what my 1RM is for front squats, but that will have to wait for a day when my legs aren't burned out.

Met-Con

The plan was to sprint 400m on the treadmill, hop off and do 50 air squats for four rounds. I did it for one round and found that my calf was bugging me on the treadmill, so here's what I wound up doing overall:

400m at 9 mph on the treadmill

50 air squats

800m on the bike

50 air squats

800m on the bike

50 air squats

800m on the bike

50 air squats

I figured doubling the distance would make up for biking instead of running. My arms are SHOT from the past two days, as I predicted. It's probably wishful thinking, but I think my arms are looking stronger and better (with the exception of a few lacerations from missed double unders).

Food so far

breakfast: eggs, guacamole, half an apple (trying to slightly cut down on fruit)

I want to drink 4 liters of water today, since it is 95 degrees outside. Only 500ml in, which is definitely not enough. Time to drink up!