Signed up 4the Expedition Challenge at Disney today!

I hope many crossfit endurance ladies sign up; will share details during the meeting.

meal 1: European style organic yogurt (the cleanest kind you can get), banana, walnuts, tea w/ honey

latte from cafe (coffee with milk)

meal 2: 3 scrambled eggs, pine nuts, spinach, salsa, almonds, avocado

WOD: PR'd annie: 250, 200, 150, 100, 50 jump rope singles & 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 sit ups. completed in 11:35. in october i did this in 14:09. awesome!!!

meal 3: chicken cooked in EVOO and ACV; zucchini and yellow squash, red bell pep, onion, & garlic = very pretty! :) tea straight up

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THE PALEO CHALLENGE!

However, i don't feel like happy dancing. Why? Because nothing MUCH is going to change from here on out. i shall continue eating zone paleo, but will adopt a zone primal approach. my philosophy will be 80/20: eating paleo approx. 80% of the time, and cheating 20% of the time, but strive for minimal, smart cheats.

i'm going to continue the experiment. How?

1. I am reintroducing good quality yogurt and organic creamer into my diet. if i gain back the 8 lbs i've lost as a result of doing the challenge, i'll cut back the dairy, either mostly or completely.

2. i'm going to make a sincere, concerted effort to consume less sugar. i now shall embark on the "eat-less-sugar-bitch" challenge! i'm going to limit my sugar consumption during the week in an effort to fight my formidable dependence on, and lust for sugar (the challenge taught me this). Limiting my sugar consumption during the week and in general also will allow me to savor my planned weekend indulgences of ice cream on saturdays and gourmet dark choc on sundays. i think i will drink tea and coffee with a wee bit of honey and cinnamon and just a drop of organic, sugar-free creamer. and then the rest of the day, after my breakfast with fruit, no sugar-nein!

3. i shall continue eschewing bread and grains and gluten and soy, save for the occasional sushi outing. however, i no longer shall eat soy sauce with my sushi. soy sauce now tastes super gross to me.

4. the most major breakthrough i made thanks to the challenge is no longer craving cheese. i used to eat cheese on the regular, many times per day. i am not going to cut cheese out altogether; i shall enjoy ~occasional~ gourmet cheese consumption. HOWEVER, i will limit said consumption to once a week at best. i no longer crave cheese! my favorite paleo meals of chicken and veggies, beef/chicken meatloaf and veggies, and eggs and salsa sate me. no cheese necessary! i think the removal of cheese has played a key role in my weight loss, as did preparation.

5. the challenge forced me to prepare my food ahead of time, which is a huge lesson learned, a critical boon for me. i definitely shall continue this very fine habit. i used to go to work, be stuck there for breakfast, lunch, snack, and sometimes dinner, eat nothing for breakfast, and grab an egg salad sandwich from Starbucks or a wrap from jason's deli. NO MORE! preparation is another major factor in my weight loss thanks to the challenge.

6. another positive habit in relation to preparation: i now grocery shop twice a week and eat way more fresh foods and vegetables. putting lots more vegetables into my body is a good thing.

7. another new positive habit worthy of mention: eating breakfast! what an important meal. some of my breakfasts need more protein, but the fact that i'm eating breakfast on the regular is major. one reason why i'm reintroducing yogurt into my diet after lots of research is because i have issues with the gaminess of animal foods, especially HBEs. organic European style yogurt is a great source of protein sans the gaminess. i will never eat another HBE! sorry, HBE lovers. i love you peoplz, but HBEs aren't for me.

8. one final new positive habit: not letting work get in the way. i have been crossfitting 4 to 5 times per week w/out fail. this is huge for me. if i can manage to crossfit 4 to 5 x per week, and work 2 fulltime professional jobs, which realistically is more like 3 given the degree to which we are stretched @ the Library, anyone can. don't get me wrong, i am blessed to have a job/s, work in my field, do what i love, and work for one of the fastest growing colleges/universities in the NATION, but DANG, i'm doing the work of 2 people for the brare, IN ADDITION TO teaching 4 history classes per semester. and i am a perfectionist. i cannot give any less than my best intellectual effort. my brain hurts, people. but enough of this biz-nay.

i am so excited about the changes in my body as well as my performance, which definitely has improved. i possess calf muscles now--calf muscles! i have never had calf muscles. (is a tall girl, long muscle thing) i used to be skinny fat. no more. i have definition and muscles throughout my body. i look in the mirror and like what i see. i'm not perfect, but i accept and even like it all. i met one major mission of the challenge: looking better naked! i feel strong and empowered and beautiful. that's HUGE for a freak like me. quick story that reveals my newfound strength and empowerment: while cleaning up after Holocaust Memorial Week last Friday, a colleague tried to pick up a MASSIVE cooler FULL of water. she said, "whoa! this is far too heavy. we need help -- a man with brawn, or Jane, you pick up one end and i'll pick up the other. i sauntered over, picked up the entire cooler with great ease, and said i got it, no problem. i felt like the queen of the nerds! la la la.

i am hooked on the crossfit lifeway now. hooked hooked hooked. i feel so much better both physcially and mentally. i have more energy, less illness (goodbye migraines-hollaaaaaaaaaaaa) and love being a part of the crossfit community. es muy bueno. :)