RX all week, and updating my goals

This week was the 1st week in 14 weeks of training at a CrossFit gym that I've been able to do the RX on every workout. Yesterday I was even able to do all the toes to bars, I never had to scale down to knees to elbows, which up until yesterday I had to do after 5 reps of toes to bars. Next step is being able to do a hand stand push up......

Just to keep my goal list updated, I'll post my 3 biggest goals here.
1) I want to get to 198 pounds at %10 body fat.

2) When I was a kid my natural father's max bench press PR was 265. I remember being so impressed. I thought he was amazing! My new and exciting goal is to beat his bench press PR. When I'm ready to beat it I'm going to take my babies to the gym to watch me just like my Dad did with me.

3) be able to do a handstand push up.

P.S. Mona, thank you for the encouragement. I'm very grateful.

Jeremy, benchmark at RX

A few days ago I stopped dieting and started eating enough to maintain my weight. Apparently more calories was EXACTLY what my body was needing. Today before CrossFit started I did some push ups and pull ups. I do this daily since those are 2 of the  things I'm weakest at. I was able to crank out a lot more pull ups and push ups than I've ever been able to do, a lot more! Once class started we did the workout called "Jeremy" which is reps of 21-15- then 9 of overhead squats and burpees. Jeremy is a  a CrossFit benchmark workout, and up until today I had never been able to do the RX (recommended weight)of a benchmark workout. Today I did the RX for the 1st time! I was very stoked! I was really close to busting out in a happy white boy dance!

The extremist

I am by nature an extremist. OCD to the max. In many ways that benefits me, in many it doesn't. When it comes to dieting it doesn't. I end up pushing myself to hard to lose weight. From years of triathlon training and dieting I've figured out that my body responds best to losing no more than one and a half pounds a week. If I try to lose more than that I end up overly hungry and I fall off the wagon. I've also learned that Every 4-6 weeks I need to increase my calories to a maintenance level for a week or two. If I diet for longer than 4-6 weeks I end up getting overly hungry and/or burned out with dieting and I fall off the wagon. I've been dieting constantly since January, which was too long. Last week I fell off the wagon, and I've gained a few pounds back, I'm currently 235. Thankfully I realized what I was doing wrong. For the next 2 weeks I'll be eating more calories to let my body realize it's not starving, that there isn't a world wide food shortage, and that in a couple weeks it'll be OK to drop some more weight.

Most boring blog in the world?

Back when I started this blog I was new to multisport. Back then my blog was exciting for me to write about because I'd always had pathetic endurance and speed. When I played football in high school I finished the runs in practice in last place. Guys who outweighed me by 50+ pounds could outrun me. In the army I had to run in the slowest group. If I was going to build enough speed and endurance to finish a triathlon or duathlon iť was going to be a HUGE transformation. I became obsessed. I trained an average of twenty-two hours a week. And iť showed. Back then I had so much I could blog about everyday. New places I trained. New workouts. What types of training seemed to work, what diets helped, equipment, which races I wanted to try, etc.

The last couple years triathlons and duathlons has started to bore me. I still enjoy to cycling and running occasionally but not nearly as much as I used to. Most shocking to me is that I'm tired of racing. On Sunday my stomach was upset, so I didn't race a triathlon I had signed up and paid for. Back in my hard core multisport days nothing would have stopped me from racing. Back then I'd have showed up and raced even if I was projectile vomiting blood!

For the last 14 weeks I've been attending CrossFit 5 days a week. I'm average at it. I've made average improvements, average strength gains, and average weight loss doing CrossFit. There just doesn't seem to be anything all that exciting to blog about now. Being average is boring, most people are average. Now that my fitness focus has changed my blog may be the most boring blog in the world.

Celebrate at the Spring Fling triathlon

It took me a few days to recover from the shock of realizing I had only lost 11 pounds during my 9 week weight loss competition rather than the 29 pounds I thought I had lost. Eventually I realized 11 pounds is still something to be happy about. Unfortunately it's all to easy for me to lose track of the little things when I'm working 70-90 hours a week and seriously sleep deprived. Add into the equation the memory problems I've been having from the traumatic brain injury I sustained in September 2011 when I got ran over by a vehicle while cycling, these brain farts seem to happen a lot.

Once I got over the disappointment I realized 11 pounds is still something to be happy about. I've decided to celebrate by registering for the Spring Fling triathlon held in Rio Rancho New Mexico this Sunday. This will be my first triathlon in 6 months. This has been the longest I've gone without competing in a triathlon since I first started competing in multisport in 2004. The Spring Fling triathlon is a sprint triathlon, the distances are 400yd swim, 18k bike, and 5k. This will be my 4th consecutive year competing in the Spring Fling triathlon, it will be my 65th triathlon and 84th multisport race all time.

The link for this race is: http://www.trisportcoaching.com/races/springfling2013.html

hydrostatic body fat test April 2013

I got my body fat tested at the University of New Mexico exercise physiology center today. I've been eating Paleo, running 2x a week, cycling 2x a week, and CrossFit 4x a week. I assumed I'd end up having made HUGE gains, but I didn't. I'm disappointed. 11.7 pounds in 9 weeks is not all that great.

I lost 11.7 pounds total, lost 14.7 pounds of fat, and gained 3.3 pounds muscle.

April 2013: 229.7 pounds @ 23.1% body fat. I have 176.6 pounds lean mass, and 53.1 pounds fat.

Feb 2013: 241.1 pounds @ 28.1 % body fat. 173.3 pounds lean mass. 67.8 pounds fat.

Oct 2011: 181 pounds @ 6.86% body fat. 169.3 pounds lean mass. 12.5 pounds fat.

June 2011: 188.4 pounds @ 10.9%. 169.4 pounds lean mass. 19 pounds fat.

Nov 2010: 222.2 pounds at 19.01% body fat. 180 pounds lean mass. 42.2 pounds fat.

July 2010: 189 pounds at 9.81% body fat. 170.6 pounds lean mass. 18.5 pounds fat.

Jan 2010: 207 at 18.4% body fat. 169.2 pounds lean mass. 38.5 pounds fat.

July 1999: 204 at 13.1% body fat. 188.43 pounds lean mass. 15.57 pounds fat.

CrossFit games 2013 rankings

Well I finished the 2013 CrossFit games. It wasn't pretty.
Workout/ world ranking/ South West ranking
13.1/  35,822/ 2,391
13.2/ 44,856/ 3,443     
13.3/ 44,271/ 3,629
13.4/ 45,763/ 2,990
13.5/ 44,464/ 2.844
overall I placed 40,230th in the world. And 2,639th in the South West.

I've been in a Paleo and fitness competition for the last 9 weeks. As of yesterday I'd lost 29 pounds and was within 9 pounds of my short term goal of 220. My diet hasn't been a problem all year. It's as if I've been a normal person in regards to my eating, which I know I'm not. But yesterday I fell off the diet wagon. One of the things I've learned is never allow myself to get hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. If I do any of these I end up turning to food. I've been working a lot of hours recently. By recently I mean like just shy of 8 years. Anyways, I got off of a 16 hour shift and was so tired couldn't even get off the couch to go to bed. But I sure as hell could get off the couch to eat. So yesterday I fell off the diet wagon. I was hoping to regain control of my eating today, but no such luck. Hopefully tomorrow.........

Speaking of being tired, I've worked 12-16 hours a day 24 out of the last 28 days. The last 2 days in a row I only got 3 hours of sleep. I've been tryingto sleep all day. I don't even remember what a good night of sleep feels like. Crap I'm tired. I'm too tired. I'm so tired my body can't sleep. Man, I wish my body would just go to sleep.
I

2013 CrossFit games: workout 13.2

After doing CrossFit for only 9 weeks I decided to compete in the 2013 CrossFit games. Last week I expected to do horrible at the 1st workout called 13.1, but I ended up doing really well.  I finished the 13.1 in the South West region ranked 2,386 out of 4,554 athletes. And ranked 35,771 out 73,032 athletes worldwide.

This week I expected to do great at the 13.2. The workout was:

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
115 pound Shoulder to overhead, 5 reps
115 pound Deadlift, 10 reps
15 Box jumps, 24" box

I'm usually very good at box jumps and deadlifts. Somehow I ended up doing horrible at the 13.2 finishing only 179 reps. For the 13.2 workout I ranked 3,455 out of 4,197 athletes in the south West and 54,642 out of 66,990 world wide. Not good, but keep in mind I've only done CrossFit for 9 weeks and this is the 1st time I've done strength training for almost a decade.

Overall between both weeks I'm ranked 2,914 out of 4,208 athletes in the South West, and 45,053 out of 67,240 world wide.

I registered for the Eagle in the sun triathlon in El Paso Texas. This is the 3rd time I've registered for that race but something always seems to pop up and I have yet to race it. I'm determined to race it this year.

the 2013 CrossFit games: 13.1 and an injury

I'd been training at a CrossFit gym for 9 weeks when the 2013 CrossFit games started. I'm one of the slowest, least fit athletes at Zia CrossFit, but I decided to attempt the games anyways. The CrossFit games will be 5 workouts/fitness tests, one a week for 5 weeks. The 1st test is called 13.1, meaning it's the 1st test of the 2013 games. The 13.1 workout is:

17 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible in 17 minutes) of:
40 Burpees
75 pound Snatch, 30 reps
30 Burpees
135 pound Snatch, 30 reps
20 Burpees
165 pound Snatch, 30 reps
10 burpees
210 pound Snatch, as many reps as possible


1.5 weeks before the CrossFit games I maxed out (most weight I can lift one rep) on snatches at 125 pounds, so I was disappointed to see the 101st rep would be snatches of 135 pounds. I assumed I'd get to 100 reps and not be able to get a single rep of 135 pounds. Somehow I was able to accomplish 18 reps at 135 pounds, with a total score (reps) of 118!!!! That was much better than I dreamed. So far I'm ranked 2,384th out of  4,549 athletes in the South West.

One of the gym members posted a video of Matt S., Sarah B., and myself doing the 13.1. at one point I got so excited I yelled. I was embarrassed later, but the excitement got the best of me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbG6IwP1vzA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

On Monday I fell and injured my foot while practicing walking on my hands. My foot has been swollen and I can't walk on it. I'm hoping and praying I heal up in time to be able to attempt 13.2, the 2nd workout of the 2013 CrossFit games. The 2nd workout I should be able to kick butt at, because I'm really good at box jumps. The 13.2 is:

10 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible in 10 minutes) of:
5 Shoulder to overhead, 115 / 75 lbs
10 Deadlift, 115 / 75 lbs
15 Box jump, 24 / 20 inch

I'm currently weighing 234 pounds. Since starting CrossFit I've lost 22 pounds and have gained over 3 inches around my chest and back. Since starting a Paleo diet competition with I Suck at CrossFit 4.5 weeks ago I've lost 12 pounds.

the 2013 South West Challenge Series Schedule

The 2013 South West Challenge Series schedule is now out. I was heart broken to see that there are no more SWCS races in Central and Northern New Mexico.


POLAR BEAR TRIATHLON

DECEMBER 1, 2012, Saturday

7K Run / 35K Bike / 400M Swim

Brent Jones (575) 678-3374

brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil

www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php

Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400

WSMR, NM 88002

MISSILE MAN DUATHLON

FEBRUARY 2, @ 0800, Saturday

7K Run/40K Bike

Brent Jones (575) 678-3374

brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil

www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php

Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400

WSMR, NM 88002

Register www.active.com

SUL ROSS SPRINT TRIATHLON

MARCH 24 @ 8 a.m., Sunday

5K run, 15 mile bike, 360 yard pool swim

Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas

Jim Hector or Helen Crane at (432) 837-8038

P.O. Box C-23

Alpine, TX 79832

Map Race Information

Registration & information

MIGHTY MUJER TRIATHLON ALL FEMALE RACE APRIL 20 @ 7:30, Saturday
 

300Y Swim / 15K Bike / 2MI Run

Gabriela Gallegos (915) 433-3439

RaceElPaso@gmail.com

www.RaceElPaso.com

Memorial Park Pool - 3251 Copper

P.O. Box 23208

El Paso, TX 79923

Note: This will be an SWCS Points race for the Ladies

 

JOKER’S DUATHLON

APRIL 27 @ 0800, Saturday

5K Run / 30K Bike

Entry Fee $30.00 Individual/ $55 Team

hollomanfitnesscenter@holloman.af.mil

http://www.hollomanfss.com/

POC is SSgt Erica Reyes

Phone number for Info is 575-572-2529 Front Desk

FAX Number is 575-572-3799

Domenici Fitness & Sports Center

ATTN: Joker Duathlon

1051 Connecticut Ave

Holloman AFB NM 88317

BUFFMAN & SQUEAKY TRIATHLON

MAY 5 @ 9:00 am, Sunday

1500m Swim, 40K bike, 10K Run

Marti Greer (877) 719-4957

marti@buffalospringslaketriathlon.com

www.buffalospringslaketriathlon.com

P.O. Box 93726

Lubbock, TX 79493

Registration Deadline: May 14 / No Race Day Registration

DOG HOUSE SPRINT TRIATHLON

DOG HOUSE SPRINT TRIATHLON

MAY 5 @ 9:30am, Sunday

500m Swim, 17.6 mile Bike, 3.1 mile Run

Marti Greer (877) 719-4957

marti@buffalospringslaketriathlon.com

www.buffalospringslaketriathlon.com

P.O. Box 93726

Lubbock, TX 79493

Registration Deadline: m

may 14 / No Race Day RegistratioN

 

 

ARMED FORCES DAY TRIATHLON

MAY 18 @ 0700, Saturday

400 m Swim, 15 mile Bike, 5k Run

Replica Aquatic Center

Enter Robert E. Lee Gate

Ft Bliss, TX

Holly Imbriaco 744-744-5794

Holly.c.imbriaco.naf@mail.mil

http://www.blissmwr.com/intramurals/

East Bliss Aquatic Center

20751 Constitution Road

Fort Bliss TX 79908

Register Online at active.com or eventbrite.com

HOWLING COYOTE TRIATHLON

MAY 25 @ 0730, Saturday

5K Run/30K Bike/400M Swim

Brent Jones (575) 678-3374

brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil

www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php

Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400

WSMR, NM 88002

MILITARY SECURITY: ADVISE EARLY ARRIVAL

Register online Active.com

MILKMAN TRIATHLON

June 1 @ 0800, Saturday

500M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run

Larry Marshall (575) 734-5415

lmarshall@fbfs.com

www.milkmantriathlon.com

P.O. Box 399

Dexter, NM 88230

Registration Deadline: May 29 / No Race Day Registration 

 

RUIDOSO SPRINT TRIATHLON

JUNE 8, Saturday

Run(3.8M), Bike(16.8M), Swim(400Y)

Ruidoso, New Mexico

www.bicycleruidoso.com

Triathlon Website

Ruidoso Athletic Club

415 Wingfield Street

Ruidoso, NM 88355

Register online Active.com

MISSION VALLEY DUATHLON

JUNE 23 @ 7:30am, Sunday

5k run - 20k Bike - 5k Run

Tigua Recreation & Wellness Center

Gabriela Gallegos (915) 433-3439

RaceElPaso@gmail.com

Registration: www.RaceElPaso.com

 

 

TRI RAIDER TRIATHLON

JUNE 29 @ 8:30am, Saturday

500m swim, 17.6 mile Bike, 3.1 mile Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957

marti@buffalospringslaketriathlon.com
www.buffalospringslaketriathlon.com/

P.O. Box 93726

Lubbock, TX 79493

 

 
EASY RIDER TRIATHLON

JUNE 29 @ 8:00am, Saturday

1500m Swim, 40K bike, 10K Run
Marti Greer (877) 719-4957

marti@buffalospringslaketriathlon.com

www.buffalospringslaketriathlon.com/

P.O. Box 93726

Lubbock, TX 79493

Registration Deadline: June 24 / No Race Day Registration 

 

BUFFALO SPRINGS LAKE TRIATHLON Ironman 70.3

June 30 @ 6:30am, Sunday

1.2 mile Swim, 56 mile Bike, 13.1 mile Run

Marti Greer (877) 719-4957

marti@buffalospringslaketriathlon.com

www.buffalospringslaketriathlon.com/

P.O. Box 93726

Lubbock, TX 79493

Registration Deadline: June 24 / No Race Day Registration 

 

MIDLAND YMCA TALL CITY TRI

JULY 27, Saturday

500M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run

David Ham (432) 699-1718

dham@peytonbikes.com

www.peytonbikes.com

www.midlandymca.org

800 N. Big Spring St

Midland, TX 79701

Race Day Registration Allowed

ODESSA TUMBLEWEED TRIATHLON

JULY 28, Sunday

500M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run

Edward Moreno (432) 362-4301 / Joe Moya (432) 550-7654

emoreno@odessaymca.org

j.moya@wfafinet.com

www.odessaymca.org/Triathlon.htm

3001 East University

Odessa, TX 79762

Registration Deadline: July 28 6PM (Active.com)/ (Increased Fee After July 22 unless sign up is for BOTH Midland & Odessa) No Race Day Registration without Prior Approval

 

BOTTOMLESS TRIATHLON

JULY 13 @0830, Saturday

400M Swim / 14K Bike / 4K Run

Jan Olesinski (575) 937-6196

jolesinski@yahoo.com

myweb.cableone.net/janolesinski

900 Mason Dr

Roswell, NM 88201

Registration Deadline: July 9 FIRM

SOCORRO CHILE HARVEST YOUTH TRIATHLON

AUGUST 2 - FRIDAY NM Tech Campus

Distances Vary by Youth Age

Lynette Napier (505) 363-3361

pandlnapier@gmail.com

www.chileharvesttri.com

P.O. Box 1508

Socorro, NM 87801

Registration Deadline: July 31 FIRM 

 

SOCORRO CHILE HARVEST TRIATHLON

AUGUST 3, Saturday

Socorro City Pool

400M Swim / 20K Bike / 5K Run

Robert Gonzales (575) 418-1449

director@chileharvesttri.com

www.chileharvesttri.com

P.O. Box 1508

Socorro, NM 87801

Registration Deadline: July 31 FIRM

 

 

EAGLE IN THE SUN TRIATHLON

SEPTEMBER 1 @ 7:30am , Sunday

400y swim - 20k bike - 5k run

Socorro ISD Student Activities Complex

Gabriela Gallegos (915) 433-3439

RaceElPaso@gmail.com

www.RaceElPaso.com

Tigua Recreation & Wellness Center

P.O. Box 23208

El Paso, TX 79923

Registration www.raceelpaso.com 

 

IRON SOLDIER SPRINT TRIATHLON

SEPTEMBER 28 @0730, Saturday

400 m Swim, appox 15 mile Bike, 5K Run

Holly Imbriaco 744-744-5794

Holly.c.imbriaco.naf@mail.mil

http://www.blissmwr.com/intramurals/

East Bliss Aquatic Center

20751 Constitution Road

Fort Bliss TX 79908

Register Online at active.com or eventbrite.com

TRINADA DEL MUERTO TRIATHLON – ½ Ironman

SEPTEMBER 29, Sunday

1.2 m Swim/56 m Bike/13.1 m Run

http://www.herosinc.org/

Contact: Scott Kennicutt

rd@damitmantriathlon.com

imathlete.com

Event Registration Website

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

MONSTER TRIATHLON

OCTOBER 5 @ 0800, Saturday

5K Run / 30K Bike /700M Swim

Entry Fees $50 individual $80 Team (3 Person)

Email mhollomanfitnesscenter@holloman.af.mil

POC is SSgt Erica Reyes

Phone 575-572-2529 Front Desk

FAX Number is 575-572-3799

Domenici Fitness & Sports Center

ATTN: Monster Triathlon

1051 Connecticut Ave

Holloman AFB NM 88317

 

 

YUCCA TRIATHLON

SEPTEMBER 7 @ 0730, Saturday

7K Run/48K Bike/400m Swim

Brent Jones (575) 678-3374

brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil

www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php

Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400

WSMR, NM 88002

MILITARY SECURITY: ADVISE EARLY ARRIVAL

Register online Active.com

SPC COTTON COUNTY SPRINT TRI

SEPTEMBER 21 @ 0900, Saturday

5K Run/13 m Bike/ 300 yd pool Swim

Mail Entry to: SPC c/o Dee Dee Odorizzi

1401 College Ave

Levelland, TX 79336

(806) 716-2236 Phone

(806) 897-3090 FAX

dodorizz@southplainscollge.edu

Race Website

The following race will kick off the 2014 season

POLAR BEAR TRIATHLON

DECEMBER 7 @0800, Saturday
5K Run / 30K Bike / 400m Swim
Brent Jones (575) 678-3374
brent.k.jones.naf@mail.mil
www.wsmrmwr.com/bell_gymnasium.php Bell Gymnasium / PO Box 400
WSMR, NM 88002
Register online Active.com

updated 2013 triathlon and duathlon series

Every year since I started training and racing in multisport I'd been competing in the South West Challenge series. Last year the SWCS had 36 races, This year it has less than 10 races and the majority of them are in the Las Cruces/ El Paso area. Sadly, since there are not any races in my area I wont be competing the the SWCS anymore. I'll mostly be competing in the Chasing 3 series open water series. And I'll be racing as a clydesdale (220 pound and above) all year.

So far it looks like this will be my race schedule for 2013:

Feb
1- The Missile Man duathlon (duathlon)

May
2- The Jay Benson triathlon, Albuquerque NM (sprint)

June
3- The 4 corners X-terra triathlon, Farmington NM (X-terra)
4- The Billy The Kid triathlon, Fort Sumner NM (OLY)
5- Storrie Lake triathlon, Las Vegas NM (oly)

July
6- City of Lakes triathlon, Santa Rosa NM (sprint)
7- Cochiti Lakes triathlon, Cochiti NM (oly or sprint)

Aug
8- The 505 triathlon, Cochiti NM (LC or Sprint)

Sept
9- The Santa Fe triathlon, Santa Fe NM (sprint)
10- X-terra Dread Mon, Truth or Consequences NM (X-terra)
11- Trinidad Del Muerto, Truth or Consequences NM (Half Iron distance)

Dec
12- The Nutcracker triathlon, Rio Rancho NM (sprint)

CrossFit games 2013

Even though I've only been doing CrossFit for 9 weeks and am still pretty bad at it I decided to enter the 2013 CrossFit games. The CrossFit games are 5 weeks long. Each week the CrossFit athletes do a workout and record/submit our score. So far, more than 110,000 athletes, 2,400 teams, and 20,000 Masters have registered for this year's Open competition. More than 3,600 affiliates are represented from 115 countries around the globe. This is one of the world's largest participatory events.

My first test of the 1st week, called 13.1, is Saturday morning at 10:45 AM. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it!

If you'd like to watch a video of 13.1, or get more info, click here.

 


 

Paleo diet gains and mistakes

In early January I started working out at Zia CrossFit. Immediately I fell in love with the workouts and environment. After almost a month of working out there I was getting stronger, faster, more endurance, and more flexible. But every time I tried to lose weight by counting calories like I did when I was training for triathlons I became overly hungry very quickly which would lead to me falling off the diet wagon, overeating and gaining even more weight. My buddies BJ and Will who are competitive Olympic weight lifters, strong man competitors, and owners of zia CrossFit took some time to teach me how they ate, which is Paleo. They eat meat, vegetables, fruit, and small amount of nuts. They eat until they are satisfied, and never count or restrict calories. They eat 1.5 ounces of protein for every pound of lean body mass.

GAINS:
So far since I started eating Paleo on Feb 3, 2013 I've ate an average of 3,051 calories and 235 grams of protein each day. I've burned an average of 539 calories a day from working out, which is about half as much as I did when I was only swimming, biking, and running. Since Feb 3rd 'veI dropped from 252 pounds to 237 pounds. 15 pounds in 5 weeks while eating as much as I want. What's even more exciting is the strength and muscle gains I've made. While dropping pant sizes and losing fat I've gained 3 inches around my chest and back, and have set new PR's on my power clean, snatch, front squat, and clean and jerk lifts.

MISTAKES:
I was warned by BJ and Will not to cut fat while eating Paleo. Recently I decided to try and speed up my weight loss so I cut 500 calories a day out of my diet. I didn't cut fat, I just lowered how much I was eating each day a little. Withing 2 days I was grumpy and struggling to finish workouts.

WHAT I LEARNED:
Don't cut calories when eating Paleo. When I cut calories I feel like crap and perform like crap. I'm making great gains in strength, endurance, and weight loss by eating Paleo. I need to be patient and let my weight loss and performance gains continue. If it aint broke, dont fix it.

P.S.
Don't think I've given up on multisport. I'm still running and cycling. Not as much as I used to. Just enough to finish them comfortably- not necessarily quickly though. Triathlons and duathlons are still my passion. My races will be the Atomic Man duathlon in White Rock NM (April), The Spring Fling Triathlon in Rio Rancho NM (April).

Zia CrossFit group ride and weight gain- muscle or fat?

My favorite bike ride is riding from the 599 rail runner stop south of Santa Fe New Mexico to the Sandia Rail runner in Albuquerque. I take highway 14 to route 66, then Route 66 to Tramway all the way down to the Rail runner station. That route is called Turquoise Trail, it's a famous stretch of road because of it's history and beauty. I haven't ridden that route in almost 2 years. I'm motivated to give it a shot now. I'm motivated because I'm finally losing weight, because of the fitness competition I'm in with fellow blogger "I suck at CrossFit", and also because I'd really like some of the people at my new gym Zia CrossFit to go with me. I really love the people Zia CrossFit. They're wonderful. They're supportive and a blast to be around. It's more like a big family than members of a gym. I'm trying to get as many of them to go with me as I can, I want to share the pain!

I weighed in this morning at almost 242 pounds. I was heartbroken. I've gradually been creeping back up from 239 a week ago. I've been working out a lot, eating 100% Paleo, I feel like I should be losing weight not gaining! In mid December I had measured 6 areas of my body in case something like this happened. I wanted to make sure if started gaining weight I had some way of being able to tell if it was fat or muscle. Here's the results:

+1/4 inch circumference arms
+ 3/8 inch circumference forearms
- 1/2 inch circumstance waist
- 1/4 inch circumference neck
-1/2 inch circumference thigh
+ 3 inches circumference of my chest and back!

Well, thankfully it looks like I'm losing in all the right areas and gaining in areas that is good to gain! A gain of 3 inches in my chest and back! That's pretty awesome!

strong enemies suck

I'm in a competition with another blogger. It's a diet, health, workout, etc, competition. Until I beat him he's my enemy. The enemy is strong, knowledgeable, and tough as nails. But that's alright 'cause I'm going to smoke him anyways. There's no way I could lose to this guy:

Yup, those are his shoes. Purple shoes. I cant lose to a dude who wears purple shoes. If I lose to him it makes me less than the man who wears purple shoes.

I lost 7 pounds in the 1st 11 days of this competition. But for some reason my weight loss has come to a screeching halt. I'm stuck, platoed. I've still been eating 100% Paleo and doing CrossFit, but no more weight loss, which is disturbing because I still have a lot to lose. Unlike my competition I'm chubby, which is a nice word for fat. I think the reason I've stalled is because I haven't done any base building cardio since last Saturday. Long slow days are the best way to burn fat and train the body to use stored body fat. So tonight after CrossFit, after I took the kids to the park, after I cleaned out the hamster cage, after I fed and watered the rabbits and Guinea pigs, after I did the dishes, after I finished the laundry and folded it, I rode my indoor trainer and watched a the biggest Loser on TiVo. I didn't feel like it but I did it anyways. I gotta do something! I can't lose to the dude in those shoes! Besides, I really want to NOT be the fattest guy competing in the triathlons I race in.

BTW, I never thought it was possible, but I found something I hate more than burpees. Wall climbers. They suck. Rather, I suck at them. I did ok for the 1st 7, but after that I was HORRIBLE.  I couldn't do them to save my life. I know they dont look hard, but try a set of ten and you'll see. Better yet try 4 sets of 10 like we did today and you'll develop loathing! From now on before the daily WOD I'm going to do a few sets of the 2 things I'm worst at in CrossFit. Pull ups and wall climbers. If I do them every day before my WOD I should get better at them soon. At least that's my hope.

Paleo competition days 5-11

I'm really enjoying eating Paleo and being in this Paleo competition. I'm getting great results with weight loss and I'm still making gains with strength and endurance. I weighed in this morning at 239, so far in 11 days I've lost just shy of 7 pounds. Normally I'd say that's to much weight to lose to quickly, but I'm eating a ton of calories each day. Usually over 3000.

In the last 2 weeks our Suburban broke down and it cost us $2,500 to fix. And we just got a bill from the IRS claiming we owe them $3,600 for the 2011 (so much for hiring a CPA to do our taxes). Consequently I'm going to have to start working 6 days a week, 12-16 hours a day until I can get us recovered financially again. That means I'm not going to be able to work out as much as I have been, but I'm going to do my best to continue eating 100% Paleo.

Here's a log of how I've been doing daily with the Paleo competition:

Day/  
calories ate/  calories burned
points earned for the day
Workout.
Lifestyle point earned

Day 5
Feb 14/
 3532/  1090
I maxed out my points today.
For training I did: CrossFit, biked 1 hr 20 min. Didn't feel that was enough for a bonus point so I rode my bike on my indoor trainer for 30 min, then rode my mountain bike to work.
For lifestyle point: I read the bible and did a CR bible study.

Day 6
Feb 15/
 3336/ 917
I maxed out todays points.
Training :CrossFit + 1 hr bike.
Lifestyle read the bible and read Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Recall

Day 7
Feb 16/  1917/  1686
I maxed today's points.
Biked 1 hr 30 min + 39 min run with sprint until muscle failure.
Watched a kids christian movie about death and heaven with the kids and had a discussion after.

Day 8
Feb 17/
2493/  0
5 points earned today, no working out today, I needed a day off.
I cleaned the yard, fixed up one of my daughter old bikes and gave it to a neighbors kid.

Day 9
Feb 18/ 
2488/  0
5 points earned today.
No workout.
Took the kids to the zoo and played kids board games that night.


Day 10
Feb 19/ 
4153/ 268
5 points earned.
CrossFit.
Cleaned and rearranged the bedroom for my wife, hung a piece of art for her. Cleaned out and rearranged the shed. Got rid of a bunch of stuff for a garage sale.

Day 11
Feb 20
3978/ 213
5 points earned.
CrossFit.
Instructed my sons BJJ class.

day 4 of the Paleo challenge

<sup>I'm on my way to work and am taking my meals with me. I can post the days food and exercise points since I know ahead of time what I'm eating.

5 points earned for the day. 1 for eating a paleo meal, 1 for Paleo all day, 1 for working out, and 1 for a life style change, 1 for taking fish oil.</sup>
I ate 3834 calories. I burned 325 calories working out. I ate 258g fat. 58.1g carbs. 324g protein.

For the lifestyle change I read the bible and did a bible study called C.R.

day 2 and 3 of the Paleo lifestyle competition

On Saturday I found out there was going to be a diet, exercise, and lifestyle competition at my gym, so I stopped taking Garcinia Cambogia Extract. I felt it would have been cheating if I was taking a hunger suppressant while doing a weight loss challenge. After I stopped taking them it took me longer to fall asleep than is normal, but I still slept well. No other side affects that I can see.

Here's how the competition is going so far:

Day 2

<sup>5 points earned for the day. 1 for eating a paleo meal, 1 for Paleo all day, 1 for working out, and 1 for a life style change, one for taking fish oil.


I ate 3192 calories. I burned 325 in exercise. I ate 88.5 g carbs, 220 g protein, and 232 g fat.

For my change of lifestyle instead of kicking back and doing nothing during my daughters 1 hour gymnastics I took my boys out and had them practice hitting baseballs and I ran around and fetched them. I had to have ran 5 miles in that hour and squatted down 500 times picking up baseballs.

Day 3

I weighed in the morning at 244.

6 points earned today! 1 for eating a paleo meal, 1 for Paleo all day, 1 for working out, 1 for fish oil, 1 for a life style change, and 1 for a 54 minute run after a CrossFit workout.</sup>

I ate 2694 calories, burned 959. Ate 159 g of fat, 50 g of carbs, 267 g of protein.

For the lifestyle change I ran during my sons Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, when I'd normally just veg out for an hour. And I read the bible before I went to bed. It's ironic because the point I got for running is also when I earned my point for a particularly hard or long workout.

hydrostatic body compostion test

Today I got a hydrostatic body composition test at the UNM exercise physiology lab. The results weren't good. But there is an upside: I have a ton a fat I can shed to win this Paleo lifestyle competition I've started with http://isuckatcrossfit.com/. I'm going to SMOKE YOU Mr I suck at CrossFit! (I'm not calling him names, that's the name of his blog). To check out the competition check out this link: http://cody-the-clydsdale.blogspot.com/2013/02/day-1-of-paleo-lifestyle-competition.html

Here the results of todays body fat test, and the results of my previous body fat tests:

Feb 2013: 241.1 pounds @ 28.1 % body fat. 173.3 pounds lean mass. 67.8 pounds fat.

Oct 2011: 181 pounds @ 6.86% body fat. 169.3 pounds lean mass. 12.5 pounds fat.

June 2011: 188.4 pounds @ 10.9%. 169.4 pounds lean mass. 19 pounds fat.

Nov 2010: 222.2 pounds at 19.01% body fat. 180 pounds lean mass. 42.2 pounds fat.

July 2010: 189 pounds at 9.81% body fat. 170.6 pounds lean mass. 18.5 pounds fat.

Jan 2010: 207 at 18.4% body fat. 169.2 pounds lean mass. 38.5 pounds fat.

day 1 of the Paleo lifestyle competition

Here's how I did my 1st day of the Paleo lifestyle competition.

Day 1/ Sun Feb 10^{th.
6 points earned for the day. 1 for eating a paleo meal, 1 for Paleo all day, 1 for working out, 1 for fish oil, 1 for a particularly long workout, 1 for a life style change
weighed in the morning at 247}
Calories eaten 3152/ calories burned 1649/ protein 248 g/ fat 221 g/ carbohydrates 41.3 g

Exercise
Workout #1
Bike 1 hour 52 minutes
Run 25 minutes 10 seconds
Workout #2
20 minute repeat super set of
push ups, side planks, pull ups , planks
Lifestyle change:
turned off the TV and read the bible
Breakfast
2 eggs
4 oz ground beef
50 grapes
20 oz coffee
1/3 cup milk 2%
Snack
1.5 oz broccoli
4.1 oz country pork ribs
20 oz coffee
¼ cup heavy cream
Lunch
4 oz Ground beef
1 oz cheddar cheese
20 oz coffee
¼ cup heavy cream
Dinner
Turkey wing
3.3 oz Turkey breast
4.1 oz turkey skin
1.6 oz squash
Late night snack
Fish oil