Wednesday, January 9, 2013

First Weigh-in of Birthday Challenege..aka 142 Days to go!

Today is day 8 of the Geaux Crossfit 30 Day Paleo Challenge and weigh-in number one of my birthday challenge.

eating an apple in the parking lot of restaurant
before heading in for lunch........
I recently read that most people give up on their New Year's Resolution by January 10.  I totally get that....the first few days of the Challenge were totally easy and exciting and I felt motivated with every meal.  By Day 8 I am sick of it - sick of only eating certain foods, sick of getting up early to go to the gym, sick of the whole process.  Once again, I cannot say enough how thankful I am for the Geaux Crossfit community.  Without their Paleo Challenge Facebook page, constant encouragement from other members, and a trainer who reminds me about my goals whenever I forget, I do not think I would have even made it to Day 8.

Girl's Night Snacking..
Thank You Kelly P!
So, the big question is....how did the weigh-in go?  In one week I have lost a total of 4.8 pounds! Not bad considering that included 5 visits to a coffee shoppe (I had tea), four meals at restaurants, a girls night out that, before the challenge would have included endless snacking, and numerous temptations.

SO glad to be back with my
Geaux Crossfit girls!
And this week has also included a return to the gym....it was hard to go back but I am SO happy I did! Yesterday  was one of those magical days at Geaux Crossfit where I left feeling strong, focused, and in control.  We worked up to our max shoulder press and I was SO excited to reach a new max - 85 pounds !!  And on Monday I reached a new bench press max - 90 pounds! To me, it is pretty incredible considering when I started two years ago I couldn't even use a 10 pound bar.  I had to use a PVC pipe.  My body has that "I just pushed my body to it's limits" kind of soreness that everyone who does Crossfit strives for...and I love it!

But besides that, I just feel better.  When I was allowing gluten and processed foods in my diet, I think I actually forgot what it means to feel good.  It's tough to explain - I have more energy (even though I am getting up super early to go the gym), my brain doesn't feel as muddled, and I feel happier than I have in months.  I cannot get over the major role that food can play on your overall mood.

This next week will be tough - I will be in New Orleans (the land of the most delicious and most unhealthy food in the country) on Wednesday night - Saturday.  Then Abby's birthday is on Tuesday. I just gotta remember my goal to lose 36 pounds by June 2!  Only 31.2 pounds to go!