Testimonials - Coach J's Diet and Nutrition Advice

September 2010
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Aug
	1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

Archive for the ‘Testimonials’ Category

Shorten Your Slumps

June 9th, 2010

We all fall off the wagon once in a while. It is incredibly hard to maintain an elite level of fitness or nutrition all the time. We strive … and we do our best. But hey, we are only human, after all.

Recently, I hit a slump. I want to share the story of this experience with you, in the hope that it provides a learning point. I’m not quite sure how or when the slump began exactly. It was around Memorial Day. I missed a few WODs during a busy time at work with an unusually high level of travel. Plus, with the holiday weekend, I was at several family gatherings with good food, desserts, cold beer, etc. I’ll bet you know the scenario. (Remember the “Trigger Foods” post?) Then, that all rolled into my son’s birthday weekend with more celebrations, cake & ice cream and special meals.

Cut to the chase. After nine days, I had fallen off the nutrition and fitness bandwagon. My meals had devolved from Pale/Primal into a carb-fest. I did not work out for eight days. Oh, and along the way, I got sick. My sleeping pattern went to crap and my energy level plummeted.

After a nine-day slump, I returned to the box for a FF WOD. I have begun to tighten-up my eating. Though I am still not back to where I need to be, I have turned the corner and have begun to “right the ship.”

So what’s the lesson? First, we all hit slumps. They are inevitable. But the good thing is that this slump only lasted 9 days. A couple years ago (pre-Crossfit), my slump would have continued for who knows how many days, weeks or months. Heck, I probably would have continued on my sorry path until I could no longer button my pants comfortably. (I’m not exaggerating.)

Champions (and those who aspire to be one) know how to shorten their slumps. Do you have warning systems that tell you when you’re in a slump? Do you have red-flag warnings that trigger your mind to say, “Hey, snap out of it?” Do you weigh yourself? Do you keep track of your food? Do you journal your workouts?

Post your warning signs and health-maintenance tips and share them with the tribe. And as always, post your meals to comments.

Contributed by Tin Man Skip

Posted in Advice, Post Your Diet Here, Testimonials |

18 Comments »

Insulin, You Naughty Whore

May 20th, 2010

[Coach J sent this post from California. It was written by a member of the Crossfit Ranch affiliate, and it offers some wonderful testimony. And finally, Coach J reminds us that the optimal level on your blood lab test for Fasting Insulin is 5 uU/ml or less.]

Well, I learned something recently after battling the bulge most of my life: you have one friend and one enemy in the weight loss and performance game. And the winner is… insulin!

If properly controlled, you’ll enjoy the benefits of insulin, and if not, you’ll be on a roller coaster like I use to be. Previously, I lacked the tools and knowledge to succeed, but now I am using the blueprint Coach J has given us. Today, I feel fortunate.

First off, the food diary. Coach J told me, “Log everything you eat. I don’t care what or how much. Write it down.” For the last two weeks, I have done this, and guess what I discovered: weekends suck…a total killer to someone’s diet. I would have to say that I work fairly hard during the week on my diet. But then on weekends, I succumb to being a dad and enjoying some pizza with my kids on the weekend … and a few diet Pepsi (which in turn spike my insulin). Suddenly, the weekend has become a free-for-all with the food. I got writer’s cramp from logging all my food I ate on the weekend!

That sort of behavior has been “total B.S.” on my part, as I need more discipline. I know, recalling Coach J’s words, “Controlling your insulin is like controlling your life. And the number one way is to be prepared. Cook ahead and have options that wont spike your insulin.” That’s solid advice that will keep me on track. Plus, I will continue to be disciplined in writing down every bit of food that I eat– the good, the bad and my trainer! [Sorry. I meant "the ugly." I get those two confused…]

A funny thing happened the other day. I had a discussion about weight loss and all the usual responses came up: Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, the typical answers.”But those plans are short-term fixes and not long-term solutions,” I said. So they asked why I thought The Zone/controlling insulin was the way to go. I told them to do a Google search on ” insulin/weight loss and clinical test” and then to search for information on their diet plan the same way. I’m still waiting on a response from them. However, my wife did the Google search and was amazed, as the results showed a clear picture of me and many others who just can’t handle carbs. She was amazed with all the trials done and results, and when you have a diet that’s fact-based and trials done on real people…well, it’s hard to argue with that. Kind of like a food diary… you just can’t argue with the facts.

Rock on!

Jerry – Salinas, California

As always, remember to post your diet–and questions–to comments below.

Posted in Post Your Diet Here, Testimonials |

16 Comments »