Eggs, eggs and more eggs

I have decided I'm not a hard-boiled egg fan, and I'm eating a lot of hard-boiled eggs.  Scrambled, yes. Fried, yes. Hard-boiled, nope.  Hard-boiled is the easiest form of eating the egg...already cooked and ready to pop in the pie hole, but after 3-4 every other day, they aren't quite that tasty.  I'm going to get creative with my eggs this week.

Today I spent my time cheering on Marla Womble, one of my 4:30 CrossFit sisters, in her first novice competition.  She did an awesome job.  Being at the competition and seeing all the hard working athletes makes me feel proud to be a part of a wonderful community.  CrossFit is competitive but for me, it's mostly about competing against myself, doing better each workout, making PRs, getting more efficient in my movements/lifting, and that's what keeps me going back every day.  That, and of course, the wonderful people that have entered my life that I now consider "family".  

This detox is getting better.  I packed food to take with me to the competition today.  I was able to pack a 2 brick snack and a 4 brick lunch, but by 4:30, I was needing to eat.  Thankfully the day was done and I got home and ate more...eggs.  Yep, those damn eggs.  I'm only really craving Diet Coke.  I had a few sips of a Monster energy drink today (no sugar), but threw most of it in the trash.  I think that helped a little.  

After I got home, I made my grocery list for tomorrow.  I'm ready to tackle the grocery store and get my meals ready for a new week.  At least now I kinda know how much food to buy and after figuring out brick meals, shopping should be easier.  It may be an interesting one.  My dad called around 7:30 and said he was back in the hospital.  One of his incision sights where he had a feeding tube became infected and ruptured so he's getting it checked out.  If the infection is internal (which they are doing a scan to determine), then they will move him back to the hospital downtown and do surgery.  Let me tell you, I've been in a situation with diets and hospitals and it never goes well, but no matter what, I will be a brick-eating, detoxing lady.   I just know dad will be okay, so no worries.

It's been an interesting week, to say the least...

Earlier in the week I was emotionally stressed, to the point that I had to go to the doctor because I was breaking out on my arms and legs...like hives but not hives but itchy.  Strange.  Anywho, all better and just surrendering to the fact that some people are cowards when it comes to relationships/friendships, ending them or mending them.  But, to each his own.  I have the right people in my life and I know that.  Thank God for those that are real with me.

Detox is actually going great.  It's the best part of my week, yep I said it.  And I think it's because it's one thing I have control of.  I altered my intake a little to allow for some dairy and good grains (though I haven't had any since none exist in my house right now) but I'm still going strong on the no sugar, no alcohol and no processed foods.  I've run out of food at my house and don't know what I'll do for dinner tomorrow, but prepping for lunch and snacks for tomorrow was speedy this time.  It is getting better. I was just letting little life stresses test me and try and throw me off my path.  Not today!!!

I've never eaten so much chicken or strawberries in my whole life.  I'm not a veggie lover so I stick with a lot of fruits.  I'm fruited out, but at the store this weekend, I'll try some new things and definitely have a better idea of how much food to buy so I'm not scrounging for more at the end of the week.

My true test will come when I travel to Houston the first weekend in May.  I don't know how I'll prep food for that, but I'm sure by then, I'll have it all figured out, mapped out, or whatever I need to do to stay successful for the remainder of my 21 days.

So far, just four days in, I've seen a change in my sleep.  I'm sleeping better and hop out of bed when the alarm goes off in the morning, which is doing its job of waking me, which means I'm sleeping all the way to when the alarm is going off...see, great sleep.  My body is a bit broken from workouts.  I am having some serious calf cramps after tonight's workout so I took my first ice bath, BRRRRR!!!  My shoulder has also been troublesome for a few months now, but I finally made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor to get it checked out.  Hope it isn't serious, but it is giving me pain when I lift, which sucks because I love to lift.

Staying the course, living and learning and choosing to have a better, more positive attitude when it comes to personal struggles...those are my goals moving into the weekend and next week.

Man...my GRIT is fading!

Day 2 was hard, not so much detox wise, but life wise.  People suck.  I mean, no all people, but people that you think care about you or who you think you can trust and then BAM! they treat you with such disrespect. I hate that.  I know that I'm guilty of being a sucky person at times, but I usually fess up to it and swallow my pride and apologize...or call it quits with the person so there isn't any animosity lingering.  Anyway, I've just encountered a few very challenging personal days.

Now for this eating situation.  I'm a champ and queen of justification...justification of why I should or why I shouldn't do something.  I'm fading on this detox.  Christmas said the Modifier plan was the hardest and she, yet again, was correct.  I am going to continue to detox with no sugar, alcohol or processed foods and be conscience of the number of bricks I'm eating, but I'm adding in the soft dairy and good grains that I'm allowed if on the Maintainer plan.  I think this will help me tremendously.  Still eating well, just not "primo" clean.  Then, when it isn't the week before testing, end of the school year chaos, or just plain crazy, I'll try the Modifier again.  Am I quitting?  No.  Am I adjusting?  Yes.  Did I justify to myself that it is okay?  Yes, because what I am going to be eating is SO much better for me than my last supper of McDonald's and Dairy Queen.

Confession over.  Thinking good thoughts for those people that suck and don't know how to be brave and courageous in their relationships.  Going to go sweat a little at workout and add some flare to my 4 block dinner tonight and then I'll move on to tomorrow and the focus on the new blessings it has to offer.

Day 1...OMG!!!

Well, I survived day one.  I weighed in this morning...242.4 pounds.  Holy hell...I just put that out there for the world to see.  I don't feel like I weigh that much, and I am in pretty good shape for a chubby CrossFitter, but I know with a good 40 pounds off this "athletic", "big boned", "beefy", "fluffy" frame, I can do so much more in my workouts and my insides will be happier and healthier too.  

I have to say, the food wasn't so bad.  I can definitely see that I don't have enough food for the week AND I clearly love fruits way more than vegetables.  I'll need to work on that.  I whipped up an interesting dinner, healthier than the one I had last night, but I'm craving some Diet Coke in a serious way.  Lemons are on the next grocery list...spice up that water a bit and give it some flavor.

I have lunch packed for tomorrow and I'm ready for another day.  I have to say, once I get some menu options in the books (I'm keeping a food journal to help save time when prepping 4 brick meals and 2 brick snacks), I think I'll be happier with this detox.  Tomorrow I'm wearing my new "Got Grit?" shirt that the Harris family gave me.  I'm wearing it because for me, this detox is going to take some GRIT on my part. Just because it gets hard and/or I feel tempted, I'm not going to let that steer me in the wrong direction. Plowing through until I finish day 21 is my goal and I will get there.  What I plan on doing for day 22, that's another story.

Hopefully tonight I'll close my eyes and dream of French fries and chips and queso and I'll chase them down with a big, Sonic Route 44 Diet Coke...a sweet dream for sure!!!  Come on day 21!!

My dinner last night was McDonald's which I had AFTER I ate a Dairy Queen Mint Oreo Blizzard (obviously shoving in all the forbidden foods before D-Day...Detox Day).  Tonight I made a dinner with lots of green stuff.  It was good, but I wasn't "Lovin' it".  

Food prep is more exhausting than any WOD I've ever done!!!

I started at 6:00.  Christmas said 2 hours to food prep.  It is now 8:03 and I'm realizing that I don't have enough food to take me through the week.  She said, "Buy more veggies and fruit than you think you'll need." She is the expert and was right, of course.  Looks like I'll be going to the store again this week...and I HATE the store.

Bagging nuts, cooking meat, chopping broccoli (check out Dana Carvey's SNL song, Choppin' Broccoli, if you so desire because that is what I sing in my head when working with the broccoli),  and trying to wrap my brain around how I'm going to survive and keep up with all the food I have to eat plus the crazy week ahead, I am starting to panic. The stress I feel about not attacking this detox exactly right is mentally messing with me.  I wanted to go get some frozen yogurt to bid farewell to sugar, but I'm too tired to leave the house.  I still have to take my measurements and before pictures.  What am I doing???!!!

Day one starts tomorrow.  My counselor at school says I should wait until May to start, but there's really no better time to start than tomorrow.  But tonight, I'm thinking I should wait until May...except I won't.  Here it goes!!!

Wrapping my brain around the amount of food I'm going to be eating is stressing me out.  Fridge is full and it isn't even enough food.  EEK!!!  

A weekend of gluttony

Today was Saturday workout, of course.  I was going to go camping with the Hernandez family but with a pretty bizarre week, I decided to stay home today and do what I love to do, workout and EAT!!!

Got to the box and decided that I was going to run a mile.  All the other super fit females in my crew did a few miles this week, but I skipped Wednesday Hero WOD day to drink alcohol, my go to stress reliever when my life didn't involve a box.  I slipped back into my old ways this week, allowing myself to forget that the workout is the stress reliever, not the alcohol.  Wow, that makes me sound like an alcoholic, which I am not, just a lover of happy hour and social time.  Anywho, I told the ladies I was going to run a mile and in true CrossFit sisterly support, they all said they would run one too.  It was supposed to be a slow jog, but running with Amy Light makes even this big girl's stride move a little faster.  Thanks to Amy for making me pound my feet on the pavement a little quicker than I had planned.

So gluttony, I say.  Yes, I am eating like it's my last weekend on Earth when really, it's just my last weekend before true clean, healthy eating takes over my life.  I promise I will not be the super freak friend who obsesses about what I'm doing with my diet.  I will talk to those who are interested, to those that ask how it's going and to those that recognize that I will need motivation to stay the course, but I won't force my diet change on to anyone else.  21 days of no sugar, no alcohol, no processed foods...I got this.  Because today at lunch, I downed a basket of sweet potato fries, a delicious, bacon covered chicken sandwich and so much Diet Coke I practically floated out of the restaurant.  Now I'm off to hit up the Mexican flare.  Chips and queso, a margarita or two (3 drink minimum as I say, but today I might make 2 the maximum), and some tasty enchiladas.  My tummy can't wait!

Tomorrow I make my menu for the week, my grocery list, hit the store, do food prep, take measurements and my before pictures (which will not be posted.  Don't want to mentally scar anyone who might actually read this blog). Transition to the Modifier Diet is going to be a serious challenge, especially this time of year at school.  Bring it on!!!  I'm motivated to do this for me and no one else.  I'm sure around day 3-4 no one will be friends with me anymore because my grumpiness will be unbearable, but it will pass and hopefully I can win them back over with my healthier, sparkling personality.

Thank you in advance to my peeps who love, support and understand me and for being patient with me as I begin my journey to a healthier me.

I'm a chubby CrossFitter...

Hello blogging world.  I've decided that as my year two journey begins in the CrossFit community, I would document my roller coaster of experiences in the world that I absolutely L-O-V-E!

Yep, I'm chubby...big boned, fluffy, fat, obese, the girl with "such a pretty face"...which ever descriptor that was chosen to describe me for a majority of my teenage and adult life.  I was an athlete, wait, let me rephrase, I AM an athlete.  My athlete was lost, but now it is found, thanks to my Box love affair.

On March 28, 2014, Amy Light changed my life.  Unknowingly, she created a CrossFit crazy monster. Resistant to the CrossFit world for a very long time, she persuaded me to join the cult.  And yes, I will call it that because I mean it in the most loving, positive way possible.  Any cult that makes me a better, healthier person is one I am happy to be a part of.  Thank you, Amy Light, for saving my life that day in March and for being a cheerleader for me along the way.

A yo-yo dieter since 1996, I could never find anything I loved doing, but I was always trying to lose weight.  "Get skinny, woman!" "You'll meet the man of your dreams if you'd just lose 30 pounds."  Nope, that's not what will make me meet the man of my dreams, and almost 20 years later, I think I've finally figured it out.  I cannot wait to leave work and head to the Box.  4:00 pm can't happen fast enough for me, and I've never felt that way about any type of physical activity, EVER!  The confidence I gain from working out HARD, harder than I've ever done before, will and has changed my life in more ways than imagined.  I'm using this platform to document my journey...the next year of my CrossFit life, where by year's end I will no longer be a chubby CrossFitter but a toned, fit, ninja/beast (less ninja, more beast).

A year has gone by and I'm finally comfortable with saying "I'm a CrossFitter."  A sometimes tattered, often sore, temporarily beat up, but strong, confident, motivated, PR making, community loving, competition participating, CrossFitter.

Thank you to Sweet Small Thing, Bunny Boo, Quadzilla, my 4:30 ladies, the #allyougottadois crew, and Coach Logan for believing in me when I didn't and don't believe in myself, for pushing me to new limits and for helping me find my confidence, which was strangely hidden underneath a barbell...of all places.

Stay tuned as my new journey takes a turn down Nutrition Avenue.  Blah, nutrition.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if broccoli tasted like french fries?  A girl can dream.  I was very lucky to catch Christmas Abbott's "The Body Review" nutrition seminar this past weekend.  She is auh-mazing!!!  What a smart eating plan, one that even a chubby CrossFitter can follow.  Beginning Monday, April 13th, I'll be living a nutritional life built with "bricks" (get her book, The Badass Body Diet, or go to her nutrition seminar and you'll understand, people).  And I couldn't be more excited.  Hard work and sweat in the Box are rewarding, but with clean, smart eating, my results will skyrocket.  I know they will.  Thank you to Christmas for lighting the fire under my chubby, yet slowly becoming athletically toned, butt.

If this blog was of interest to you, good.  Maybe you can be a part of my motivation and/or accountability. I'm trying to hold myself accountable and this is the format I'm choosing to use.  I will blog weekly about my nutritional journey while living the CrossFit life and the life of an elementary school principal.  Hopefully my results will motivate someone, just like those around me do everyday.  In the words of Rhianna, "Cheers to the freakin' weekend!" because come Monday, I'm getting the nutrition party started.

Me, on the left, after World War Fit Competition.  Took a surprising 4th place in the scaled division.  That awesome lady on the right...she is my cheering section.  Motivates me EVERYDAY!