Today is the start of our Nutrition Journal Challenge! Participation is simple:
a.) Log what and when you ate in the comments
b.) Repeat for every blog post for February.
This week we’ll be sharing how the team at FCF eats, starting with Ryan (aka Moonboots) and Tony.
Ryan’s Goals
My current goal is to lose 5kg. Because I travel a lot I frequently eat in restaurants where I try to choose the healthiest thing on the menu. While at home, I want to avoid eating out. I’d like to reduce my alcohol intake and get back to a place where I can completely cut-out processed sugar. When I go to the office, breakfast is a nightmare — they only have baked goods. I want to cut out baked goods entirely and get back to a mostly paleo situation.
What Ryan Eats and Drinks
Small breakfast (e.g. half avocado, cottage cheese and coffee), then a pretty sizable lunch and dinner. Usually 1-2 whiskeys in the evening. I eat lots of mexican (e.g. meat, corn shells, salsa), salads, avocados, steak… I really enjoy shrimp. Steak. Ice cream. Arugula. Watermelon.
I go through about a liter of sparkling water and half-liter of still water each day. Sleep is variable based on travel circumstances. If possible, I like to go to bed around 10pm and wake at 6am.
Ryan’s Kryptonite
Ice cream. I don’t have a system, but I generally try to limit to 1 pint every two weeks. Occasionally, I’ll keep yogurt in the fridge as a substitute.
How Ryan Thinks about Food, Health, and Training
I’ve been disciplined about food in the past. I take a slightly more relaxed attitude these days. I know when I’m eating poorly and the consequences it will have to my mood/performance/training. It’s a trade-off.
Tony’s Goals
My dietary goals support my training and competition lifestyle. I allow myself break periods after meets, knowing that I still need to be moderate in the foods I eat.
Tony’s Habits
I eat lean protein, all meats, eggs, lots of green veggies. I avoid sugars, pastries, dairy. I usually eat in the morning, midday after training, dinner, and a small snack before bed. I eat less than an American portion. Probably 6 ounces of protein and a plate/bowl full of cooked veggies. When I’m leaning out, I would drop out about 25% of overall calories for about 4-8 weeks.
One recipe I really like is easy to make, and I put it on a base of protein pasta is this.
Hydration and sleep habits are generally not the best, I could be drinking twice as much water as I currently am. Sleep depends on the coaching and work schedule, but I try to sleep by 11pm, wake up by 6:30am.
Tony’s Kryptonite
Soda. The new batch of seltzer waters have been a good substitute for the fizzies.
Tony’s Advice on How He Reaches His Training Goals
I find it useful to have a training goal in mind – strengthening and leaning out. I will tend to hover around a training weight and then lean out to competition weight when needed.
Come back for more tomorrow!
CrossFit WOD for Monday 2/3/2020
“HOLLEYMAN”
30 rounds for time:
5 wall ball, 20/14/8lbs
3 strict hspu
1 power clean, 102/70/45kg
35:00 cap. Compare to 17DEC2019. Share time (or rounds completed) to whiteboard and comments! Post-workout is a banded chair stretch for 2-3:00 per side.
READ: February 2020’s Nutrition Challenge at Foundation CrossFit (PDF)
WATCH: Adee’s Best Tips for Eating Out by Working Against Gravity
CrossFit WOD for Sunday 2/2
5 rounds for max score:
max unbroken push press, 61/43/29kg
max unbroken toes-to-bar
Share score (total push press/total t2b) to whiteboard! Post-workout is a Bully Stretch
READ: How Much Food Should I Eat? – CrossFit Journal
WATCH:
Today we have our NUTRITION 101 discussion and our Nutrition Challenge Q&A at 12pm. Everyone’s invited!
Otherwise here’s a PDF of all the details about it!
CrossFit WOD for Saturday 2/1
3 rounds for time:
15 thrusters, 43/29kg
15 pullups
(Or FRAN if you’ve NEVER tested it before)
Share time to whiteboard! Post-workout is a 2:00 chair stretch followed by 3:00 of foam roller each side.
READ: Macros For CrossFit: Everything You Need to Know – Beyond Macros
WATCH:
[Septa Unella yelling SHAME!]
Well we still have a long one today where you have to work hard to earn rest.
TOMORROW: Nutrition 101 and Nutrition Challenge Q&A at 12pm!
CrossFit WOD for Champagne Friday 1/31/2020
complete one round every 2:00 for 30:00
21 (jumping) squats
15 (rolling) v-ups
9 (target) burpees
(3/2/1 handstand pushups)
Everything in parentheses is an optional challenge to those who usually Rx workouts. Only do what you can complete fully.
Share rounds completed to whiteboard. Post-workout is working on SLIPS like this.
READ: https://feedingthefrasers.com
WATCH: How Mat Fraser Eats for Four – NIKE
Fitness, in the CrossFit philosophy, was always meant to challenge all physical skills:
cardiovascular endurance
strength
stamina
flexibility
power
speed
accuracy
agility
balance
coordination
Most seasoned CrossFitters tend to fall into only wanting to develop or play with strength, stamina, and power. This means your cardiovascular endurance isn’t challenged as often, leading to complaints about how bad your endurance is. Training is tolerance building! Show up and do the workouts you don’t want to do.
Like today.
CrossFit WOD for Thursday 1/30/2020
AMRAP in 45:00
100-200-400-800-400-200 run
125-250-500-1000-500-250m row
50-100-200-300-200-100 double unders
Share total meters covered! Post-workout should be a lower leg foam roll.
LISTEN: Why Fasted Cardio? Episode 40 – The MisFit Project
WATCH:
Yesterday was all bodyweight control. Today is all about lifting heavy barbells!
CrossFit WOD for Wednesday 1/29/2020
bench press 5-5-5-3-3-1-1-1
deadlift 5-5-5-3-3-1-1-1
Share heaviest lifts to whiteboard. Post-workout should involve lower back SMR on a foam roller, pec smash with a lax ball on the wall, hamstring stretching and overhead tricep smashing.
READ: What Happens to Your Body When You ‘Cleanse’ or ‘Detox’ – Lifehacker
WATCH: Bench Press Pillars Playlist by Juggernaut Training Systems
Next Monday we’ll begin our Nutrition Challenge! The simple goal is to stick with the main tenants of whatever Nutrition Path you choose and comment each day on the blog.
Overview
Problem:
“With the ever-increasing obesity and chronic disease epidemics, we clearly aren’t eating the right quantity or quality. And it’s so easy to see why. Processed food, which is calorically dense from carbohydrates and fat, is quite literally everywhere. At every checkout line, at every social event, holiday, or celebration, at concerts, hospitals, airports, gas stations, and even most office breakrooms are stocked with these calorically dense goodies. These foods comprise almost 60% of our caloric intake (2)! Let me make this very clear: no one is overeating chicken breast, tofu, baby carrots or apples. No one. It’s the ice cream, french fries, chips, cookies, bread products, and alcoholic beverages where you don’t have to eat much to get too much quantity (calories) without quality (vitamins and minerals).”
- E.C. Synkowski, CrossFit OG and Optimize Nutrition creator.
Answer:
There is a ton of good and bad info out there. The goals will be difficult to see long-term unless you build some good nutritional habits. Let’s do that together through
- An informal goal-setting and Q&A this Saturday 2/3/2020 at 12pm at FCF.
- Journaling daily on the blog for accountability, encouragement, and discipline.
If you want better metrics please take it further with blood work (chemistry profile) and/or a body-fat test (DEXA or hydrostatic weighing).
How to Participate
Leave a comment on the daily blog post every day for four weeks.
We will have TWO overall standout athletes prize packages which will include a personal training session, a nutritional consult, a Guided Training template for March 2020, and their name on our NUTRITION CHALLENGE ATHLETE PLAQUE. Plus some other goodies!
Nutrition Guidelines
These are very brief descriptions of popular dietary guidelines in the fitness world. Please research further on your own and form your own opinion. We believe the following work well for most active individuals and can help you achieve your goals.
- CrossFit: “Eat meat and veggies, seeds and nuts, some fruit, little starch, no sugar.” The preferred dietary menu for CrossFit athletes to improve overall health.
- Low/No Sugar: Cutting out foods high in sugar and foods with added sugars. To lower blood sugar levels and cut carbohydrate numbers.
- Paleo: Eat meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, monounsaturated fats and oils. Remove processed foods, sugar, soft drinks, grains, most dairy products, legumes, artificial sweeteners, vegetable oils, margarine and trans fats. Focus on these foods to lower inflammatory gut and skin issues.
- 800g Challenge: Prioritize eating over 800g of fresh vegetables and fruits daily along with quality proteins and fats, especially for those with busy lifestyles.
- “Macros”/Macronutrient Prescription (The Zone, RP, WAG, IIFYM*): Working on adhering to an individualized macronutrient breakdown prescribed using specific carbohydrates, protein, and fat amounts. Generally for those who eat to perform.
- “Keto”/Ketogenic Diet: A low-carb diet to drop into ketosis for better fat-burning capabilities, eating less than 50g of carbs/day and prioritizing quality proteins and fats.
- Intermittent Fasting: Only allowing oneself to eat within a 6-hour-or-less window every 24 hours to reduce insulin resistance and chances of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperglycemia.
- Vegetarian: Eliminates meat, fish, and poultry
- Ovolactovegetarian: allows eggs and dairy products
- Lactovegetarian: allows dairy products
- Ovovegetarian: allows eggs
- Pescatarian: allows fish and sometimes eggs and dairy products.
- Flexitarian: a mostly-vegetarian diet that incorporates occasional meat, fish, or poultry.
- Dietary Veganism: Abstaining from consuming animal products: meat, eggs, dairy, and any other animal-derived substances.
- Whole30: full nutritional reset using whole foods. Read: It Starts With Food
Requirements
To be successful you will need to
- Look at how you actually eat your meals: are you always on the go scarfing your food down? Preoccupied watching TV or looking at your phone? Do you eat alone or with people?
- Make better choices when going out to lunch and dinner
- Be able to cook and maybe meal prep at home
- Through your own recipes and recipes shared on the blog.
- Through a ready-to-cook mealservice like Hello Fresh, BlueApron, Green Chef, Freshly, etc
- Subscribe to a meal prep service such as NW Fit Meals, who deliver straight to FCF if you don’t want or like to cook.
- Share your journey through commenting on the blog so you can see everyone else’s struggles and triumphs.
Goal-Oriented Eating
There are some extra habits you’ll need to develop if you want to
CHANGE BODY COMPOSITION: Generally these athletes want to lose body fat and increase lean tissue/muscle. Adherence to weighing and measuring food is paramount.
GAIN MUSCLE: These athletes want more muscle mass. They need to eat more, and more frequently. Hydration needs to be prioritized as well.
INCREASE PERFORMANCE: Athletes competing in a sport or activity need to eat in a way that energizes them and maximizes whatever their performance goals may be.
Next Steps
- Say hi in the comments and state your goals with nutrition. Which set of guidelines do you plan to follow or already follow?
- Keep looking on the blog: we’ll have a tone of relevant information flow: deeper dives into some of the guidelines; improving eating habits; recipes; what health markers are and their importance; an understanding of body composition (lean body tissue vs adipose tissue); how to alter plans and make adjustments; and Nutrition basics like Macronutrients (cho/pro/fat) vs Micronutrients (vitamins & minerals), Hydration, Food sourcing, Weekly Events, and so much more!
Important Resources
Here are some of the FCF Staff’s favorites!
- In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
- It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways
- Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans (Volume 1)
- Nom Nom Paleo: Ready or Not (Volume 2)
- The Keto Diet: The Complete Guide to a High-Fat Diet
- Veganomicon
- The Food Lab
- The Renaissance Diet 2.0
CrossFit WOD for Tuesday 1/28/2020
AMRAP in 6:00
muscle-ups
– OR –
AMRAP in 8:00
8 pullups
8 dips
Post score to whiteboard! Roll out them lats, triceps, and biceps. Open up those hip flexors.
READ: The ‘Dark Side’ of Compostable Take-Out Containers – EATER
WATCH:
