Does not sleeping and stress make you fat? YES!

I've been doing some reading on how lack of sleep affects weight loss. We all know stress can do the same. But I had no idea about sleep...until recently. With all the wedding planning (and stressing) I've been doing, it's been extremely hard for me to stay on track with my eating and even get exercise in. And y'all know why I HATE to exercise, I was an exercise diva.

I've tried (trying) to eat Paleo for the past two weeks. I've done WW on and off for the past 3 - 4 years, as well as numerous other diets....with minimum results. So here's where I am now. I am going to focus on getting at least 7 hours of sleep. For me this will be a challenge. I am a night person, so going to bed early won't be easy. But being tired all the time sucks, so something has to change.

I'm also going to focus more on eating clean. That means NO processed food. So still no grains, if I do dairy, it will be in very limited quantites, and more veggies. I need to learn how to cook more veggies and not use the canned varieties so much so that will be my next goal after the wedding. I will try not to splurge too much on the cruise, but I'm only getting married once, so I better make this good. :-)

I need to start using the treadmill at my house again, if it's only for a quick 30 minute walk. My cardio has got to come up (as I've been saying constantly). So you guys keep me accountable!

Strugglin' & Strainin'...But I'm On My Way Home

Well, my first week of semi-Paleo went okay, but could have been so much better. I'm really trying this week. It's been super hot, and I have no AC, so I haven't felt like cooking, hence a lot of eating out. (Love WHOLE FOODS!!!)

Crossfit is still going great! I wish I could go more often, and I may step it up after the wedding. Right now, I'm paying for 3 days a week, but only going 2 days most weeks. And I need to step up my cardio outside of Crossfit.

4/23/09
Warm-up: Cindy (2 rounds)/500 M Row (2:36)
Strength: Press 5x5
33 lbs - 5
43 lbs - 5
53 lbs - 15

WOD:
Run 400 M
OH Squat
Box Jump
Row 500 M
OH Squat
Box Jump
Row 500 M
OH Squat
Box Jump
21-15-9
Time: 17:34

Cool-Down
Ab-mat (50)
Stretch

4/28/09
Warm-up: Cindy (2 rounds)
500 M row 2:36

Strength: Back Squat 5x5
53 lbs - 5
73 lbs - 5
93 lbs - 5
103 lbs - 5
123 lbs - 5 NEW MAX!!!!

WOD:
Row 500M
15 Thrusters
10 Ring Rows
3 rounds
Time: 20:13

Cool-down:
30V-ups
Stretch

My squat for the thrusters are looking really good. I'm trying to go much lower. Steve wants me to focus on my row too, and I think me focusing on form will make my times go up, but will be better for me in the long run.

I'm focusing on drinking water this week. I've been doing pretty good, but I feel super bloated and I'm not sure why. The scale is also not moving, but I am getting stronger, so I'm trying to focus on that and not get down about it.

I'm thinking about starting Couch to 5K after the wedding. We'll see...

Clean Eating takes a turn...Just Say No!

As some of you know I've been trying to eat clean for a few weeks now. Some days are better than others. But I'm still trucking along. I can say eating clean and doing Crossfit are two of the best changes that I could have ever made in my life.

My trainer Steve suggested I try "NO GRAINS and NO SUGARS" for the next two weeks, which is basically the Paleo diet that most Crossfitters follow. While I totally do not want to do this, and it is incredibly hard considering every single canned food has some kind of sugar in it (and I am the convenience cooking queen), I'm doing it. Again, some days are better than others, but so far I haven't wanted to jump over a bridge...

Also, I'm sending a shout out to Melissa Byers who I have been getting some great food advice from (check out her blog Byers Gets Diesel at http://byerscrossfit.blogspot.com/). She's helped me so much in the last few days alone, that I think I might can actually do this thing. And she's hilarious, so that totally helps. I'll keep you guys posted on how things are going.

Now to catch you up on the workouts. I haven't been able to go regularly every week, but I normally hit the gym at least 2 times for a Crossfit class:
4/10/09 - Rest Day

4/11/09 - There's a picture of me during this workout on www.crossfitlorton.com in the 4/17/09 post.

Warm Up
2 rounds Cindy
500 M Row 2:26

WOD: Tabata (2 min rest between rounds)
KB Swing - 69
Row - 589 m
Abmat - 80 sit-ups
Push-up - 67
Squat - 76

Cool Down - Stretch

4/12 - 4/13/09 - REST DAYS

4/14/09
Warm Up
2 rounds Cindy
500 M Row 2:26

Strength
Back Squat 5x5
33 lb bar (10)
53 lbs (5)
73 lbs (5)
83 lbs (5)
103 lbs (5)

WOD:
10 Push Press 43 lbs
10 KB Swing 16kg
10 Ring Rows
4 rounds

Time: 9:07

Cool Down
50 KB Twist
Stretch

4/15/09 - 30 mins treadmill intervals

4/16/09 - Can't find notebook I wrote the workout in. :-(

4/17 - 4/19/09 REST DAYS

4/20/09 - First day with NO GRAINS, NO SUGAR...VERY WEAK

Warm Up
2 rounds Cindy
500 M Row 2:36

Strength
OH Squats 5x5
33 lb bar (10)
43 lbs (15)

WOD: FORGOT TO WRITE DOWN TIME
SDHP 43lbs
Box Jump (2 - 45 lb bumpers stacked & 20" box)
Push-up
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Cool Down
50 Abmat

4/21 - 4/22/09 - REST DAYS

Maryland's Next Top Model wearing a big white dress tears down yet another wall.

I'm really going to focus on writing on here more. It is one of the ways I release stress, so I need to do it more often.

Let's see...to catch everyone up. I think I've been doing really good with the workouts. My times are not that great, but I am completing them which is the most important thing. And I'm going up in weight on some of the lifts, which I love! My push-ups are definitely getting better as well. I'm able to do quite a few full push-ups now, but not with the greatest form. I'll keep working those though.

As you can see below, yesterday's workout consisted of Wall Balls, which I hate. but they were easier this go around. Who knows? This Crossfit thing may actually be working!

I've been thinking about adding a couple of days of cardio in addition to Crossfit. This week I did Bootcamp on Monday, and it didn't completely kill me for Tuesday's WOD, so I'll probably keep that up if my schedule permits. Wednesday will be my rest day unless I need to switch out another day for something else. I was thinking of adding a walk on Friday or Sunday, depending on how I feel and what's going on.

Here's the workout schedule since the last post:

4/1/09:
WU - 2 rounds Cindy
500 M Row 2:28
10 Medicine Ball Cleans - 6 lbs

Strength 5x5 - 5 with 33lb bar; 10 with 43lbs

WOD:
10 DL 63 lbs
10 Push-ups
10 rounds
Time: 13:08

Cool Down:
Abs Choice - 50 Ab mat
Stretch

4/2 - 4/3/09 - sick

4/5/09
In NC - 4.5 mile walk

4/6/09
Bootcamp at gym - 60 mins

4/7/09:
WU - 2 rounds Cindy
500 M Row 2:25

Strength - Push Jerk 5-5-3-1-1 - Did not do

WOD - Diane:
DL 73 lbs
Pike Push-up
21-15-9
Time: 6:11

Cool Down:
50 KB Twist - 12 kg
Stretch

4/8/09 - REST DAY

4/9/09:
WU - 2 rounds Cindy
500 M Row 2:24

Strength:
OH Squat 5x5 - 25 @15 lbs; 10 @ 25 lbs

WOD:
20 Wall Balls - 8lbs
20 KB Snatch R/L 12 kg
20 Ab mat sit-ups
4 rounds
Time: 17:38

Cool-down: Stretch

Rodney and I traveled to Charlotte, NC to take our engagement photos. (Shout out to Diamond Exposures!) Who knew taking pictures was such hard work? I don't know how models do it. After the first hour, I was done. But we stayed FOUR more hours. They told us the pictures turned out beautifully, so I'm excited to see them and how good R&R looks. Stay tuned!

No on to the Big White Dress - I've been really concerned that I've been gaining weight and my wedding dress would not fit. Well, I tried it on a few days ago and...it still fits! It's actually a little loose in some places. I will be taking it to start the alterations this weekend, so hopefully by the time I actually wear it, it'll be a lot looser. I still need to get all of the accessories to go with it (veil, undergarments, etc.), which I'll try to get this weekend as well.

I almost got in a fight, and then the walls came tumbling down...

Sorry it's taken me so long to get caught up, but Saturday's workout took a lot out of me, and I ended up taking 2 straight rest days. Thank God I did because yesterday's workout was another killer.

Saturday:
WU - Cindy 2 rounds
5 Ring Rows
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
500 M Row 2:35

WOD: "Not Quite a Fight"
SDHP 33lb bar
Box Jump - 2 45lb Bumper Plates stacked (6.5 inches)
Push Press 33lb bar
KB Swing 12 kg
1 minute each, 1 minute rest in between each round - 3 rounds
-We were to count the total number of reps - 161


SDHP 18,20, 15
BJ 17, 10, 15
PP 9, 10, 7
KBS 13, 12, 15

So after being so well rested yesterday, I figured I was up for a challenge. Here's how the night actually turned out.

WU - Cindy 2 rounds - I was still able able to breathe at this point.
Strength: Push Press 5x5 53 lbs - I could breathe but by the end of it, I couldn't feel my arms or shoulders
WOD: Karen - 150 Wall Balls TIME: 17:04

I knew I would hate this workout immediately once I found out what it actually was. And I was right. Squatting with a 6 lb medicine ball in your hand so your butt touches yet another medicine ball, and then you throw said 6lb medicine ball up to a specific spot on the wall marked by stickers. Of course the sticker I was supposed to hit was of Pukey, the Crossfit Mascot (a clown that vomits), and by toss # 20, that's exactly what I wanted to do. It took me way longer to complete this than everybody else, but I finished!!!!! I then proceeded to lay in the floor for 15 minutes trying to figure out where my lungs had gone. (And trying not to cry) All in all, at least I finished and I can say that while it kicked my butt, I am a greater person for it.

Cool-Down: 50 Abmats & Stretch