It’s been about nine weeks. Nine freakin’ weeks of NO grains, dairy, legumes, or sugar. Minimal alcohol; a glass of red wine here or there, if any. Lots of vegetables, meat, and tiny bit fruit. WOW, nine weeks! There were days that were more challenging than others. Most days flew by and I didn’t have time to think about what I wasn’t eating. To be truthful, the challenge didn’t really require me to change a whole lot, just to reign it in. I definitely changed up my carb sources, I drank much less alcohol, and I didn’t eat any Paleo treats, nuts, or dark chocolate. Believe it or not, removing those things from my weekly food intake made a HUGE difference. I feel frikken amazing.
Here are my measurements: September 17th to November 15th:
| Waist |
29 “ |
28 “ |
| Hips |
39 1/2 “ |
38 1/2 “ |
| Chest |
30 1/2 “ |
29 1/2 “ |
| Thigh |
24 1/2 “ |
23 3/4 “ |
| Arm |
12 1/2 “ |
12 “ |
| Total |
136 “ |
131 3/4 “ |
Here are my before and after pictures from the 9-Week LuRong Paleo Challenge:
Here’s what I looked like 2.5 years ago and 7 months ago:
The best part about all of this is that I weigh around the same now (if not more) than I did back in July of 2010. THIS JUST FURTHER SUPPORTS MY SENTIMENTS THAT THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE IS NOT A GOOD WAY TO EVALUATE YOURSELF. Please take pictures and measurements, and pay attention to how your clothes fit and feel on your body!!! Not only had my body changed, but my performance has improved dramatically. In the three performance WODs I went from a total time of 32:25 down to 28:45. I feel lighter, stronger, more agile, and I have way more energy than I did at the beginning of September.
So what am I going to do on Monday, November 19th, when the challenge is over? I’m going to get up, eat my eggs and sweet potato or squash, go to the gym, crush sh*t, coach, and get on with my day. I’m not going to go crazy eating pizza or chocolate. Do you know how long it takes to get gluten out of your system after one exposure?! It can take up to 6 MONTHS. It takes about 12 seconds to become re-addicted to sugar. That’s not scientific fact, but it’s about how long it takes me. Now, after I just spent 9 weeks ridding my body of inflammation and toxicity and un-addicted myself to sugar, why in the hell would I take 20 steps backwards by going on a binge? I’d rather go HAM on my WOD than pizza and ice cream. If you don’t know what going HAM means, look it up.
I know that there are some of you out there who are all like “I just need my fix and then I will be done and get back on the Paleo Train”. Okay, I get it…kind of. My question is: Why do you need to do this? Think about it. You WILL feel like crap after you eat junk food. Your performance WILL be affected. Your body WILL become bloated. You will probably wake up and your eyes will be swollen shut. I know from personal experience. Two summers ago Kyle and I had the brilliant idea to order a meat-lovers pizza and make brownie sundaes. I woke up looking like I’d been attacked by a swarm of bees. NO ONE wants to wake up to that in the morning! I don’t know, I guess I’ve been through it enough times to know that it’s not worth it. But I beg you to learn from MY mistakes, instead of making them yourself.
Treat yourself to something Paleo (i.e. cookie, muffin) if you want a “reward” for your diligence in the challenge. Don’t reward yourself with a food hangover. I have a great chocolate chip cookie recipe.
It’s actually right HERE! Better yet, go out and buy yourself some new WOD clothes, or gear, or a massage. Learn to reward yourself with non-food items. It’s a valuable and helpful for
disconnecting food from emotions. I am unbelievably proud of everyone who participated in this challenge. It took legitimate commitment and determination to get through it successfully. I am amazed by the changes you have all made. Many of you look different, but I can see in the way you carry yourselves that you truly are different people! The performance improvements prove this as well.
We embarked on this journey together, I want to move into the future strong and driven, with all of you by my side. So, let’s do it!
Post comments here or on Facebook. What are you going to do on November 19th?
Disclaimer: I will not stop being your friend if you go on a bender. I just won’t ask you to be my partner for the WOD the next day. Sorry…
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Ashley Finding Balance 