BTB45 Updates and Fish Oil.
Hey everybody!
Thank you all for your feedback. It really does help us know what is/is not working for you all. A couple of thoughts on the grogginess some of you are feeling:
- Perhaps you have decreased your caffeine intake while doing the 45? I know some of you have. This can certainly contribute the to the grog.
- Many of you are mentioning a better quality sleep in the darker rooms. Even if you wake up a bit groggy, I still thing the quality sleep is worth the grog? Let's just see if we can make the grog a little less noticeable or not last long.
- I think there is some use for motorized & timed curtains. I know I wake up much happier when the sun is shining in. Waking up in pitch blackness is always a little weird. Since I no longer eat ice cream, I am saving up my ice cream money to invest in some motorized curtains. Maybe some of you Tech grads could figure out a "Clapper" type device that would open the curtains for us upon a clap?
- Another solution - I haven't seen it in a while but I know there is some kind of alarm that has a light attached that slowly lights up before your alarm sounds. It is supposed to mimic the rising sun....
- Solution #3: get into the sunlight ASAP. Sit in the sun and have an Americano (I am at half-caff these days), while un-grogging.
Other topics:
Eczema: absolutely gluten related. Good for you!
Measuring & weighing yourself: feel free to measure. I would love to see you guys stay off the scale until the end of this thing.
Recipes: please write up your recipes in the comments on the blog. We frequently sweep the blog and post them into the recipe area. Thanks for sharing!
How much to eat and how often: sounds like you are not eating enough fat at your meals if you are dying for snacks within a few hours. Try adding 1/4 of an avocado to your current breakfast. This means if you are already eating 1/2 avocado, you are now eating 3/4 avocado. If you are still starving by 10:30am, add another 1/4 avocado. Continue to do this until you can make it to lunch. Try that for a few days and get back to us on the results!
Energy drops: so, this can happen for many reasons...your body might be adjusting to getting the junk out of your system. It is also adjusting to burning fat as a fuel rather than carbs. That change can absolutely take a little getting used to. PLEASE be sure to back off on your training on these days. If you are already exhausted (mentally, emotionally, physically), this is not a good day to work out. Remember, More is Not always Better. I know this is a hard concept to grasp as we have always been told that more exercise will make us healthier. You must, must, must take a break when your body is tired.
Detox: so sorry that happened to you. That is just terrible! Sadly, it happens. There is not a ton you can do other than ride it out. Keep pushing liquids and be sure to take your fish oil dose for the day.
Speaking of let's have a quick chat about Fish Oil:
Fish oil has been recommended by us to offset inflammation caused by a previously unhealthy lifestyle OR to offset a higher load of Omega 6 levels vs. Omega 3 levels in your diet. Using the Fish Oil Calculator will help you find your optimal dose. Once you are through the woods, you should drop down to a more "management" sized dose. Our hope is that you are starting to buy grass-fed meats and choose Omega 3 eggs etc. As you make these healthy adjustments to your lifestyle, you can rely on fish oil less & less. The folks over at Whole 9 did a great job of summing this up. See the article here.
The next question is inevitably going to be, what is the BEST fish oil to take? We have done lots of research over the years and here are our top picks for quality & optimal epa/dha levels:
1. Carlson's Liquid Fish Oil in Lemon or Orange- this is what Jeff & I currently use. Much less expensive than other liquids. Doesn't taste like fish at all, easy to take.
2. Stronger Faster Healthier - has many yummy flavors but much more expensive than Carlson's.
3. Prefer capsules? Try Kirklands's Fish Oil. You can also get it from Costco for about $4 less per bottle if you have a membership.
Melissa
Reader Comments (12)
Or just do what I do and eat a ridiculous amount of sardines and herring. Bonus: nobody at work will ever try to steal your lunch. SEXY!
As far as how I am feeling on Paleo, I feel so much skinnier. :) For me, that is a huge thing--I never feel skinnier. Turns out, I might have cheated and weighed myself this morning...and might have lost like 6 pounds. :-D I know this might just be an initial drop, and I hope I don't ruin my karma and start putting weight on...but that feels good. Really good.
I too am having a bit of sluggishness, but I think that has more to do with boredom in my desk jockey job than anything related to Paleo. In hindsight, I had been back to having headaches almsot every day and those have stopped too. Not sure if there is related to being strict paleo (I was doing pretty good at Paleo during the week before, but pretty much being terrible on the weekends and sugar had started creeping back in more than it should have). I will take it.
I have had some workout "bonking" issues when trying to limit fruit, but I still working more towards lower fruit consumption.
As for fish oil--riddle me this: I cannot physically tolerate anything related to fish. I literally get physically ill when I smell, say, someone's fried calamari at a table next to me in a restaurant. I am not allergic to seafood per se, but smelling it or being around it makes me absolutely ill. I have tried working in fish oil, but even at a very low dose of 3 capsules (which is nowhere NEAR the recommended amount for someone my size), it makes me want to toss my paleo cookies. I've even tried the lemon and orange flavored versions of Carlson's Very Fine Fish Oil (supposedly the best) and I CAN NOT stand it. What is a girl whose adverse reaction is so strong to do? Drink flaxseed oil? Eat a pound of walnuts?
Whoops! So I've been weighing myself at the gym at roughly the same time every day. Prior to the challenge I had been weighing myself fairly regularly and watching my weight slowly drop.
It's been pretty interesting to watch my weight fluctuate day to day as well as the general trend of weight loss which has accelerated a bit during this challenge. At the end of the challenge I'll post graphs (from beyondthewhiteboard) if anyone is interested in seeing my progress.
As for how I feel: Pretty darn good. Up until recently I did WODs every day after work, but I rarely went at them full throttle. So that was 4 or 5 WODs in a row each weak. I think a combination of CF conditioning (for the last 5 months) , eating strictly healthy, and switching to a 3 on 1 off (roughly) program has finally triggered a little break through. I'm going after the workouts harder and stronger and I'm feeling great. After 2 or 3 hard workouts, it doesn't make sense to workout again until I've rested.
I'm lagging behind on my evernotes right now, so if you look at my meals you're not seeing everything I've eaten. My home computer bit the dust, so once I get that fixed I should be able to get a bunch of pictures off my camera and upload them.
And finally.. I think I'll give the fish oil a shot. I've heard a lot about it throughout the years and wanted to try it and see if it makes any different. Time to find out!
On an entirely different note--Jules, is there any chance you're making the famous paleo banana pudding this weekend? I
@Drew - it's expensive as crap, but algae-derived DHA is money if you can't do fish oil. Most nuts and seeds are super-inefficient for omega-3s (your body is crap at converting them into usable forms), but the algal DHA is easy for us to convert to EPA. There are quite a few brands out there.
I have been feeling great in the mornings after waking up. Even though it is at 5:15AM. Even though the WOD's seem to be getting harder I do feel as if I pushing myself harder each time. Do to having more energy in the mornings.I have a good energy level throughout the day up in till about 8:30 or 9 Pm and I usually zonk out and fall asleep on the couch. Needless to say I get yelled at by House Hold 6 (wife) for falling a sleep while controlling the remote. But I have been good about getting to bed at the same time every night. Other wise I am really liking the results I am seeing and feeling from doing this challenge and eating 100% Paleo.
Fish oil: try that stronger healthier brand. Absolutely NO fish taste. Just tastes like a flavored mild veg oil. And you don't need to take much as you would be on a maintenance amount. Otherwise the algae option is good as mentioned.
If you guys are bonking during WODS and only doing 2-4/week, continue to watch your carbs. Lower fruit consumption does not mean no or even low carbs. Eat your veggies and if nec get in some sweet potatoes. The deal is, as soon as you reach your level of leanness and your insulin resistant fat is gone (fluff around middle), you should be able to tolerate a little higher carb in your life. Thank God, right?
When possible aim for 8+ hours of sleep a night. Give up your remote to your wife and just go to bed at 8 or 9. She will love you more for letting her drive the TV.
So I saw the meatza video on the main Crossift site today and ran out and tried it. Instead of shrimp I used bacon. Needless to say, I'm in love w/ meatza. Two of the top things I miss eating paleo are drinking PBR and eating pizza. Now I have meatza in my life, thank you Crossfit.
For the meatza I used ground beef crust w/ mushrooms, bell peppers, tomato, onion and bacon topping. Tomato sauce was on there also. The next one I plan on trying is a Hawaiian pizza w/ ground turkey crust, shaved ham and pineapple topping. Of course when the challenge is over, there shall be cheese, can't wait.
How do we know if we should be taking fish oil or fish oil pills?
From Melissa: it is a personal preference. oil is easier, but some say it tastes fishy.
Hey folks! Just a reminder that if you are planning on coming to the Cooking Paleo 101 fun on Sunday, please sign up! Lots of you have mentioned it in blog comments and such (Harrison traveling OTP? WTF!!!), but I'm not seeing you all signed up! Please sign up so we can have enough food for all!
Jules--I tried to sign up--did it work? And seriously, I would REALLY love to see the paleo banana pudding... :-D
Jules, I signed up the day I posted I was coming so if you don't see me on the list may be an issue with the system. I got the confirmation email and all I think. For those traveling OTP this weekend I hear there will be major construction on 75 just a heads up.
So far on the challenge I'm feeling great for the most part and doing well on the wods. I am a little tired after lunch I've noticed, I'm not sure if it is because I'm trying to get in as much protein as I can and I'm feeling like I do post Thanksgiving meal or if it is from a lack of diet dr. pepper. Other than that I've adjusted well and liking what I see in the mirror too so far.
Drew to me the Costco fish oil pills don't have a fish taste the coating on those really does seem to help. I've been taking anywhere from 5-6 a day pretty regularly for about a year or so and no fish taste or fish burps at all.