Train Hard, Eat Well & Don't Smoke Meth......

Nine weeks worth of strict Paleo through the holidays can be a torturous way to spend time with your family. CrossFit Rubicon issued the challenge to eat a strict Paleo diet for 9 weeks. We started by taking measurements, establishing a baseline weight and doing a series of baseline WODs in order to establish both performance gains and physical changes. As I have been eating a predominately Paleo diet for over a year, I was curious what the total omission of "treat meals" could do for me. Rachel was going much further. She reintroduced meat to her diet and more than doubled her daily intake of protein.

Since this was a Whole 30 type challenge, we had to make several adjustments to our diets. No refined sugar and no Paleo treats or paleofied versions of foods. We stuck to basics of meat, vegetables, acceptable fats, snacked on nuts and seeds, ate little fruit and never on it's own, lots of water, no alcohol or grains, little starch and the only "sweeteners" we were allowed was honey. We strictly stuck to this program. Reading labels was a common occurrence to make sure anything we bought was in the purest form and had no sugar in it. We stopped buying our normal bacon and started ordering bacon and breakfast sausage that's Whole 30 approved from U.S. Wellness Meats. Their stuff is outstanding and SUGAR FREE! We kept it pretty basic. Lots of grilled meat and roasted veggies for lunches. Eggs, bacon and hashes for breakfasts. Hard boiled eggs for snacks. Almond butter and apples for "dessert" and snacked on hazelnuts and macadamia nuts. We pre-staged all breakfasts, lunches and snacks for the week. I will say though, if it wasn't for coffee, I'd have murdered someone. Water gets old....

After sticking to this strict regimen for the whole challenge duration, the results were pretty shocking and have prompted me to re-evaluate the performance diet and only have a"treat meal" once a week. I never starved myself, I ate more than I normally do and I honestly only missed my beloved beer and the occasional slice of pizza.

Before:

Before starting the 9 week challenge. About a 75% Paleo diet.

Before Measurements:

Weight: 197 lbs.
Neck: 16"
Chest: 45"
Waist: 36"
Hips: 39.5"
R Thigh: 22"
R Calf: 16.25"
R Forearm: 12.75"
R Wrist: 7.25"
R. Bicep: 15.5"

Performance:

Strict Press: 155 lbs.
Deadlift: 405 lbs.
Squat: 265 lbs.

Max strict pull-ups: 29
Max push ups: 63
100 Burpees to bar: 12:02

Tabata row (meters): 828
Mile run: 9:07 (with regular non running leg)
400m 85 lb. Sandbag carry: 3:52

Max height box jump: 30"
"Karen": 14:00

After:

After the 9 week challenge. 100% strict Paleo

After Measurements:

Weight: 195 lbs.
Neck: 15.5"
Chest: 46.25"
Waist: 32.5"
Hips: 38.75"
R Thigh: 24"
R Calf: 16"
R Forearm: 13"
R Wrist: 7.5"
R. Bicep: 16"

Performance:

Strict Press: 170 lbs.
Deadlift: 405 lbs.
Squat: 280 lbs.

Max strict pull-ups: 29
Max push ups: 54 (hand release)
100 Burpees to bar: 9:58

Tabata row (meters): 814
Mile run: 7:00 (with regular non running leg)
400m 85 lb. Sandbag carry: 3:26

Max height box jump: 30" (mental game)
"Karen": 9:58

I have absolutely no intention on going back to the 75% Paleo diet I was working with before. I do plan to sprinkle in one "teat meal" a week but otherwise, I will remain strict paleo. The performance and physical changes are too hard to deny when you look at the tangible truth laid out above! If you want more info on the Paleo way of life, check out the Paleo tab on my blog or just send me a message!