5 Year CrossFit Anniversary Post 2

In honor of my 5 year CrossFit anniversary, this week I am sharing five things that have changed since I started. The second is how I eat.

When I started CrossFit in 2013, my diet left a lot to be desired. I ordered Chinese from Hunan Delight thirty-eight times that past year. THIRTY-EIGHT TIMES! (There was an intervention in 2012.) ConEdison contacted me every 6 months to inform me that the gas might not be working in my apartment because the stove had not been turned on during that period. There was a lot of skipping meals followed by epic binges.

One morning I woke up one Saturday hungover and didn't eat per usual, and I pinned myself under the lady bar. I realized the reason I always felt like garbage was because the majority of the calories I consumed came from alcohol and dumplings. I slowly started cleaning up my diet.

I followed a pretty common CrossFit diet trajectory. I decided to embrace the Paleo diet after dabbling in it in the past. I tried another Whole30. I remember coming home at around 11 PM after going to the 9:15 PM CrossFit class and being so damn tired that I would throw a bag of veggies into the microwave and just cover them in coconut oil. I'm not sure I ate protein besides bacon. Someone pointed out to me that cocaine is Paleo but oatmeal is not, and I started to question if it was really that bad to eat Greek yogurt. I switched to Primal and ate a lot of Kerrygold butter.

My diet got better when I reconnected with an old boyfriend who tracked everything he ate in MyFitnessPal like he would be executed if he didn't. I still followed a mostly Primal diet on weekdays but then we would binge eat all weekend. Nothing like two former fat kids in love and let loose in a Publix. We would strategize the cocktail hour at weddings to make sure we maximized our hors d'oeuvres intake. He would beeline for the bar and get drinks while I filled up two plates and found a table. Then we would alternate returning for our favorites while the other person held down the fort.

I tried to follow macros but was still very wary of carbs. I tried using a Paleo meal service but got discouraged when I realized the macro calculations were significantly off. I started prepping my own meals, which sounds like crazy talk to anyone who knew me while I lived in New York. I ended up hiring a macro coach and had some success with her. I'm not very compliant on weekends or when I travel, and it was only after I acknowledged and embraced that fact that I started to see real progress.

I learned that I could eat anything as long as it fit my macros. I went from being scared of carbs to putting Gatorade in my protein shake and eating Jolly Ranchers during workouts.

I tried reversing and a bulk, which left me a lot heavier than I would have liked but it taught me a lot about how I eat, what my triggers are, and what I can do to set myself up for success. After being able to make almost anything fit my macros, I realized I like eating whole foods, and I enjoy chicken and broccoli. I track from 7 PM to 6:59 PM so my dinner informs the remaining 24 hours. This switch has been the most helpful.

Right now I am using macros from Affinity Athletics Coach Delta and trying to be reasonable on weekends. To be honest, that usually means eating small amounts to offset the amount I drink in the pool. I prep almost all of my own foods when I'm home, but do eat out frequently because of my work travel. I will always make room for tacos. I still enjoy margaritas.

CrossFit has made me see that what I eat (or don't eat) has a direct impact on my performance in the gym. You really can't outtrain a shitty diet, abs really are made in the kitchen, and it's really hard to get bulky because I've tried.

This is just proof that I do sometimes use my oven:

Twenty-Four Hours in Tennessee

I had to drive to Tennessee on Sunday evening for a meeting yesterday. I left at 5:30 PM Eastern and arrived at 9 PM Central. I then left the following day at 4:30 PM Central and arrived at 10 PM Eastern. That means I drove on I-24 in the pitch black dark both nights. It was terrifying. My hands were shaking, my stomach was in my throat, and I was close to tears.

But the trip wasn't an entire bust. I got to see my Volunteer Tennessee and fellow program manager friends. I listened to Barbell Shrugged. I went to an all you can eat Chinese buffet and ate as much as I could. I enjoyed some scattered, covered, and chunked hash browns at Waffle House. And I kicked ass during my drop in at CrossFit Cool Springs.

First off, I'm a big fan of their logo. I am an even bigger fan of all the people I met. Everyone made me feel very welcomed and included. And I accidentally left my old temporary paper license on the ground (I guess it had been living in my gym bag all these months?), and Coach James sent me a text message to let me know within minutes of me leaving.

We had two metcons, and I was pretty decent at both. 

Metcon 1

13 minute clock

800 m run

75 wallballs (kill me)

AMRAP squat cleans (95/65) for the remaining time

I got 35 and those squat cleans hurt after all of those wallballs.

Metcon 2

200 doubleunders

30 KBS

100 doubleunders

30 KBS

50 doubleunders

I finished in 6:33 and felt like a rockstar.

This was plate 1 of 3 at China Buffet in Kimball, TN. It's exit 152B off of I-24. I had just listened to Obese to Beast aka John David Glaude on Barbell Shrugged for the past hour and he talked about his inspiring journey from 360 lbs of fat kid to CrossFitter and physique competitor. He briefly mentioned Panda Express at the beginning of the interview and obviously Chinese food was my primary takeaway.

I saw this Instagram post on Sunday afternoon so I obviously reposted it and then had Waffle House on my mind. But for real, I love Waffle House. One of my favorite things about living in the South.

There's a Waffle House at practically every highway exit but I chose to dine at the lovely establishment in Cartersville. The fine folks were so nice to me. It was clear that I was exhausted, cranky, and starving. I left full, mildly less bitchy, and thankful for my to-go Diet Coke.

And this is me when I arrived home. It was too late to pick up my dogs, the guy I have been seeing had agreed to substitute teach the next morning (?!) and so he was already asleep, and it was just me at home terrified of home invaders. I'm definitely staying an extra night the next time I have a 3 hour meeting.

Erik Von Detten Look-Alike at Equinox

Today I went to TranscendCycle at 12:30 PM over at Columbus Circle. I noticed that someone named Luke had signed up for Melissa's bike, bike number 8, and since I was signed up for bike #7, this Luke ended up next to me. Don't worry, Melissa had the pedal on bike #9 fixed (my bike) and we were in a nice little row.

So this Luke character walks in and warmly (and kind of loudly) greets Darryl. Obviously he is a regular at one of the TranscendCycle classes because Darryl greets him warmly as well. And yes, this is what I choose to spend my time doing - analyzing the dynamics between members and instructors at Equinox and assigning positions within the social fitness hierarchy.

Luke has a striking resemblance to the love of my life, Erik Von Detten. Although he was in The Princess Diaries, I first fell in love with Erik while watching the Disney classic Brink. Luke's hair is very early Erik Von Detten, which combined with the features of older Erik Von Detten, made me very distracted. And he smelled good.

Erik Von Detten in photos

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It was a great workout with great music and great energy. I also thought I was having a heart attack. And I kept sneaking glances to my right. Maybe I need to join Curves or another ladies only gym?

I blame my susceptibility to great hair and the scent of deodorant on the fact that I was too tired to have sex last night. TOO. TIRED. TO. HAVE. SEX. Yes, the apocalypse is now upon us and you should be fortifying your homes and stocking up on food stuffs.

Speaking of food stuffs, I made dinner last night. Like, made salad dressing from scratch made dinner last night. (Alright, I just reheated the pork roast, but that salad was made by my own hands!) After working all day, going to the grocery store, taking more work calls, and then preparing dinner, I was so tired. I've come to the realization that without Chinese delivery, the American people would cease to reproduce.

Day 16 Whole 30 - Weight Loss Wednesday 1.23.13

Last night, after 30/60/90, I was at the 50th Street subway station and I saw a Chinese man holding a bag of Chinese takeout. And I seriously considered stealing it from him. Come up from behind, grab the bag, and take off running steal it from him. My name is Alessandra and I know I have a problem.

Their smiley faces taunt me.

I fell off the Whole 30 wagon this weekend. There was alcohol, cheese, French baguette, and taco shells. I'm not proud of myself but I am once more clean. No orders were placed to Hunan Delight, but I did eat sushi. I can't believe I now consider sushi a cheat meal. This is progress.

My progress was solid last week and I can definitely tell that I gained some weight this weekend.
This is proof that I can't play with bread, rice, or cheese at all.

I went to 30/60/90 in a wonderfully color-coordinated outfit. Take a look at that sweaty pile of awesome.

Since I pretty much stand all day, my legs are often swollen. Socks, jeans, and boots have been leaving me with some awkward looking marks that I'm a little embarrassed by when I show up to class.

Hurricane Sandy

We survived Hurricane Sandy. Actually, those of us on the Upper East Side had the best week ever during Hurricane Sandy (except for those folks who live in the mid-90s on 1st Avenue.)

On Sunday I came back into Manhattan because I refused to spend another storm on Long Island after Irene. Good thing I did because my parents lost power on Monday, October 29 and got it back today.

Hurricane outfit!

On Monday I worked from my bed and then hid under the covers during the storm, catching up on my DVR.

Tuesday I ventured down the street to Favorite Work Friend's apartment. I did some work from Lauren's apartment and watched tv. Our friend ventured uptown from Chelsea to visit and then I went to yoga. When I got back they were drunk so we searched for food in vain (every restaurant that was open was packed) and went to Dylan Murphy's instead.

On Wednesday Lauren and I went for a walk and ate Chinese food. Our friends from downtown had to leave their powerless apartments and came up to stay with her. The Internet went down (or someone stepped on the cord, still not sure) so we lounged. It was Halloween so we went out for dinner and then to some bars. Everyone was forced to move uptown because of the power outages and lack of water. It's the first time all of my friends were up here in years.

This is Martha. Turns out we're neighbors.
I hope you made it to Pennsylvania safely Martha!

On Thursday I ran to midtown to lunch with Kristen and her boyfriend. I had my doctor's appointment in Columbus Circle afterwards so I ran from my apartment to lunch and then from lunch to the doctor's office. I saw the crane up close. I also got a haircut.

The crane on 57th Street

By Friday I was a little sick of perpetual Saturday. Although the office opened on Wednesday, there was limited public transportation to get there. I continued to work from home but I was getting seriously sick of working, going out, sleeping off the hangover, working, going out, watching tv, working, going out, sleeping off the hangover...

Please let me go back to the office!

I couldn't even handle going out on Friday. I met up with Trin folks for a drink at GoBurger, took a look around Club D's, and headed over to Lauren's for a Twilight marathon. I also ran into this guy I used to know outside of Lauren's apartment. That was neat. Not really but at least my hair looked good and I was wearing real clothes.

I heart Edward Cullen.

On Saturday the weather was gorgeous and I was about to go insane. Sabrina and I met for a run in the park, which finally reopened (although it is again closed today because of the Nor'easter.) We entered the park at 79th, ran the Harlem Hills, cut across the 72nd Traverse, and then walked home. I am apparently super slow and dying of lung failure. In my defense, Sabrina had trained for the NYC Marathon while I am still recovering from running Yonkers straight up drunk. (More on that another day.)

After the run (sorry no pictures), I went to write my FY13 priorities at Dylan Murphy's. I get a surprising amount of work done there. Maybe I should ask for a home office there...

Then I went to yoga.

Mariko Hirakawa teaches Hatha Yoga & Meditation from 5 to 6:30 PM on Saturday evenings. This is the same instructor who teaches vinyasa yoga on Tuesdays at 50th & Broadway.

Multi-purpose Matty M leggings

The official outfit of Hurricane Sandy was black leggings. Everyone was wearing them. I own enough pairs that I hung out in them, slept in them, ran in them, did yoga in them, went out in them, and am still wearing them (no joke, wearing a pair at work right now). I only sent out my laundry once. Never wearing pants again.

Oh yes. We went out on Saturday (a little bit against my will) and I broke my phone again. Hello iPhone #13.

Vegetables

Some of my colleagues recently held an intervention for me at work... about my consumption of Chinese food and general lack of exercise. One comment was:

Alessandra, your lack of exercise and consumption of Chinese food has hurt me in the following ways: You never eat JustSalad with me anymore, you make me think I too can be just as amazing looking by not exercising, and worst of all, you come into work with Chinese food hangovers.

This is the sign they brought when they staged the intervention.

So this was my response:

Thank you for my fitness and healthy eating intervention. I have already attended step aerobics today and hid some veggies in my pasta bolognese at lunch. I promise to make exercise and vegetables a regular part of my life. I will never give up the 40 oz Slurpee.

We use an internal social media platform at work so these are actually real posts back and forth.

Because I am a woman of my word, I went out and bought a bunch of frozen vegetables to make consuming things that are not bacon vegetables easy. Unfortunately, the vodka lost its home.

What do you mean the 1.5 liter of vodka no longer fits in the freezer?
Ugh.

I obviously prioritized eating the lightly sauced creamed spinach - it does exist! - but I've moved onto other Birds Eye products including the green beans. So effing easy. Toss the bag in the microwave for about 5 minutes (varies by microwave or so the package advises), wait for the bag to cool off so you don't burn your hand (I got in the shower to distract myself because I cannot be trusted not to touch hot things) throw your seasoning of choice on top, and then feel good about yourself for eating three servings of vegetables in one meal.

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If you're like me, you take your sense of satisfaction to kickball and then celebrate with a trip to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.

Monday Night Running

Tonight I reunited with my running partner/neighbor. We went for our very first run of the park together. Momentous occasion, I know. We met up after I was done with work, ran over towards the Met and entered by the path over there. We did a nice six mile loop.

It's interesting how a familiar route can feel different with someone else. We also had a lot to catch up on so the run went by very quickly. The drama known as my life can easily fill up 7.18 miles. Or at least I think it was 7.18 miles. These dang buildings keep messing up my satellite reception!

After the run we went to get our respective wallets so we could grab dinner.

Obviously I took that time to try out the timer function on Camera+ again. That's a normal, post-run pose.

It was pretty warm out and I was fine in leggings and my Target top. I think I looked pretty damn cute in my outfit. I also wore my hair in my side-part pony, which is reserved for mildly good hair days or when I am trying to catch the attention of attractive male runners. Or when I think there's a chance I might run past the Backgammon Partner's apartment and he might just happen to walk out of his building or get out of his car as I come past. For the record, we did not pass his place - probably for the best.

I'm a fat kid and clearly could not turn down the running neighbor's offer to get Chinese food. We went to Charley Mom's. This place is conveniently located near both of our apartments and for some inexplicable reason, I have never been there. I love Chinese food. I pride myself in my knowledge of Chinese food. This place somehow escaped me, but not anymore.

If you run with me, you have to get used to being photographed. He'll learn eventually.

We headed over to his place to enjoy our feast. I love when Chinese places give you enough utensils and sauces for twelve people, and you're like, "Umm, no. This is all for me. Just one set of utensils please."

Tasty treats!

On a related note, I drunkenly measured myself over the weekend. I came in at a dehydrated 139 lbs. But then I saw this:

Repeat after me: More running, less Chinese.

It's really not okay that more than a quarter of my body is fat. I think I need an intervention. Please feel free to post pictures of me in Chinese restaurants around Manhattan with a note that says, "Please don't feed the fat kid."