I am happy to say that I made it through the Paleo Challenge...alive.  On Friday, we did our exit measurements and the exit workout (the crazy Burpee Challenge).  The next day we had our completion party at a local restaurant and let me tell you, that calamari with hot peppers tasted AMAZING.

You may be curious to know what the results of the 30 Day Paleo Challenge were for me.  They were definitely not what I expected.  I don't have all of the final measurements yet (i.e. I don't know what my starting or ending body fat measurements were/are), but I do know that I GAINED 3 lbs.  In.  A.  Month.  HA!  Everyone was telling me that I gained muscle.  I am not sure if that is true or not, although I would like to think that it is.  The good news out of this is that I didn't want to lose weight and now I am back to my regular weight of 118 lbs.  I don't think that weight gain was always typical for the other people that did that Challenge because one woman posted that, together, she and her husband lost 21lbs.  A few other of the smaller girls doing the Challenge also gained a few lbs.  Muscle weighs more than fat, right?

On the flip side, at the beginning of the month, I struggled to do my 55 burpees in 4 minutes (if you remember from the intro post you had to do 30 burpees in 2 minutes, then if you completed that you had 2 more minutes to do 30 more burpees, etc).  This time I got to 85 burpees!  I was almost to my 4th round!  I did 30 more than a month ago.  I was pretty proud of myself for that.  I am also now able to do regular push-ups like I have never been able to do before and I started doing some of the regular ab work that others do.

Here is my start picture (keep in mind that the goal here was not to lose weight!):

Here is my end picture:

I feel like I have gained some muscle tone in the past month and I do feel stronger and healthier, as well.  I have been sleeping great, when B actually lets me sleep. So far I have not gotten the Norovirus and I really haven't so much as had a cold all winter (knocking on wood).  I do feel like I am going to continue on this paleo "lifestyle" (not calling it a diet since I think that it is much more than a diet), with a slightly modified approach to what was prescribed by the CrossFit coaches.

Here is my fitness/diet plan:

• I am going to allow myself to have some breaks when I feel like it.  If I am at a party and there are some good looking cookies or an awesome looking piece of cake, I am going to have some.  
• I am going to try to stay away from refined sugars, for the most part.
• I am going to continue with high protein, but eat less red meat and more fish because I like it better.
• I am going to allow natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup, in moderation.
• I am going to allow (no sugar added) dried fruit.
• I am going to allow wine, and the occasional micro-brewed IPA because, well, I am obsessed. 
• I am going to stay dairy-free for the most part except adding in some raw milk cheese and some grass-fed butter.
• I am going to stay gluten-free for the most part and allow rice, gluten free oats, etc.
• Staying away from soy.
• I am going to stick with CrossFit 3 days a week.
• I am going to run the remainder of the days, if I feel good, but will take full rest days when I think I need it.

So what is my next goal??  Still looking to get my 5k time under 20 minutes and soon, I'll be starting my NYC Marathon training!

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I found a few things out about this Paleo Challenge that I am not especially happy with, but as my husband keeps telling me..."This is for fun".  Apparently the only exercise that counts in this challenge is a CrossFit WOD (workout of the day).  So basically, none of my running counts.  I could sit on the couch and for this contest, it would be scored the same way as not doing a WOD.  Zero points.  For my blog, though, I am counting it as exercise!!

I should probably also let you know about the scoring since you might be confused at what I am talking about here.  This challenge is not without a winner.  The winner gets money, too.

Paleo Challenge RULES
Every day you get a score based on how you follow the Paleo lifestyle.  The winner gets a cut of the money.  There are also a few other prizes for weight/measurement loss and WOD performance gains.

Four Points:  You are a hunter-gatherer.  You eat nothing but meat, veggies, some fruit, nuts and seeds.

Three Points: One time during the day, you had a little something that wasn’t paleo, but wasn’t horrible.  Ex:  Dried fruit, most condiments (bbq, soy sauce, ketchup, mayo, salad dressing), peanuts, hummus, cream in coffee, etc…

Two Points:  You slipped…but didn’t get hurt.  You had a small amount of “not real food”.  Maybe it was a fully paleo day, but you couldn’t resist having a beer at the family BBQ, or you finished your kids’ mac ‘n cheese, but the rest of your day was solid.  Ex:  1 beer/glass of wine, dinner rolls, a handful of fries/chips, rice, etc…

One Point:  Most of your day was paleo, but there was one full meal that you fell off the wagon.  Ex:  Pasta, pizza, more than one soda/juice/alcohol, bag of popcorn, etc…

Zero Points:  You had a bad day and made more than one solid mistake.  Ex:  You had a couple slices of pizza and beer.

BONUS POINTS:
1.  You get one extra bonus point for every day you participate in a WOD (at any affiliate).
2.  You can get an additional bonus point for every night you sleep more than eight hours.
3.  You get one extra bonus point for every day that you take fish oil.

Pretty safe to say that I will always get at least 3 points a day.  Haha.  Ok so now on to my day #2...

Food
Breakfast
1 cup heated frozen peaches
2 slices egg white frittata (from "Against All Grain" cookbook with: tomatoes, shredded sweet potato, onion, peppers, ground 93% lean ground turkey)

Snack
Small cup almonds, macadamias

Lunch
Kale & spinach salad (with: 4oz grilled chicken, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, celery, olives, lemon juice/olive oil)

Snack
Orange
Homemade plantain chips (fried in organic coconut oil)

Snack
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Dinner
Center cup pork chop with roasted cauliflower (garlic/lemon/EVOO) and sautéed kale (red onion, chx broth)

Snack
TBSP almond butter

Exercise
Yesterday I did the WOD, but scaled since I am still new to CrossFit.  It was "Barbara", which when done full scale, includes 20 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, 50 air squats...TIMES 5.  So basically, the whole workout need to be done 5 times in a row with a mandatory 3 minute rest after each round.  I did half of the workout, which was still really hard.  10 pull-ups, 15 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, 25 air squats...TIMES 5.  I used the purple band (which was much harder than the purple and green bands together that I used the first time I did pull-ups).  I also modified the push-ups to be on my knees, which is till very hard.  I also had to modify the sit-ups due to my ab separation so I did plank knees to elbows.  I was dizzy when I was done, but I am proud that I did that.  CrossFit is a total ass-kicker.

Life
For the most part I felt good, physically, yesterday.  No afternoon bloating, which is great.  I didn't get 8 hours of sleep the previously night though.  Maybe 6 total, broken, hours?  I also think my supply might be going down.  I pumped a record low 12.5 oz in 3 pumping sessions yesterday.  My right, which has been the producer, has slowed production since my plugged duct and now the left is producing more, but not as much as the right used to produce.  So weird.

We had to weigh in before the WOD yesterday and I was only 115 lbs with sneakers on.  Wow, I can't remember the last time that I was 115 (maybe right at the start of my pregnancy with B when I couldn't eat anything?).  I am wondering if this is why my supply is down.  I am going to try to eat more today.

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A few weeks back I bought some chocolate protein powder at W.hole F.oods.  When I got it home I realized that it said to consult with a doctor if you are pregnant or nursing.  I then put it in my pantry and forgot about it.

A few nights ago I started getting frustrated with my fasting numbers again because they were in the low to mid-90s.  I had asked my doctor about it at my last visit and he said it was safe to use.  I mixed one scoop of the powder with 6 ounces of unsweetened vanilla almond milk and pounded it.

The reason I pounded it was because it wasn't the most pleasant tasting beverage.  It doesn't mix very well and doesn't really taste much like chocolate.  To my surprise, I woke up 2 days in a row with my fasting blood sugars in the 80s.  I think I might be on to something here.

Here are the specifics for anyone who is interested:

Oh and our neighbors just brought over some freshly baked brownies since we helped them shovel snow...sigh.  My husband is going to bring them into work.  I can't wait to eat some chocolate cake, B.en & J.erry's, and C.adbury E.ggs in the delivery room once this little guys gets here!  :)

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I know that I have spent many hours in the past few weeks, G.oogling for information regarding GD.  I have come across a few new blogs that I have started to silently follow.  Most of my "knowledge", however, has come from trial and error.  I have a much better handle on what I can and cannot eat and I wanted to shed some light on the things that I have changed that have made a big difference in hopes that they might help someone else out that is in my place (or someone who just wants to eat healthy and control pregnancy weight gain).

1.  When I first started this "diet", I was way more obsessive about tracking every single thing that I put into my mouth.  For example, I would document everything on "M.y F.itness P.al" and measure it down to the nth degree.  Once I got a better handle on serving sizes, I decided that this was something that I could relax on.  It was causing me more stress to document every last thing that I ate and I think that may have been driving my numbers up.  I am still fairly strict with portion sizes, but I am no longer documenting cumulative calories, carb counts, or fat/protein contents.  It was just too much for me.

2.  I have learned to always pair carbs with a protein.  If I have carbs, I eat it with some cheese, nuts, or meat.

3.  Walking for short periods after eating helps my blood sugars go lower, but walking for extended periods of time (at a decent pace) seems to do the opposite.

4.  Low-carb, whole wheat, natural breads are ok for breakfast once in a while, but not every day.  I started out eating 2 pieces of low-carb toast with peanut butter and 2 links of organic turkey sausage.  I recently did something I thought I would NEVER do and started eating egg white omelets instead.  I really don't like the taste or consistency of egg whites (the yolks absolutely repulse me), but my blood sugars are awesome after eating that compared to the toast.  I have been eating the omelets with some cheddar cheese and salsa on top (and when I have time with onion and green pepper in the middle).  Not amazing since I am not a fan of the eggs, but the salsa and cheese makes it tolerable.

5.  Fish is my new best friend.  I have always been a fan of fish, but never realized how good it really was for you.  I have been eating lots of cod, salmon and haddock (all wild, no farmed for me).  It helps tremendously with keeping blood sugars low.

6.  Green veggies are awesome!  I have always loved vegetables, so this one isn't really new to me.  I know that the best things for me seem to be: asparagus, broccoli, kale, spinach, salad greens, green peppers, and cucumbers.  I try to eat organic if I can, but it can be tough in the winter.  I eat huge salads several times a week (usually paired with come frilled chilled or an organic turkey burger).  My husband makes kale taste amazing!  He sautes some onions in a small amount of olive oil and then adds the kale.  He adds some organic french onion soup and sautes until the kale is wilted.  I usually pair this with some garbanzo beans.  YUM!

7.  My fasting numbers are best when I sleep 7 hours.  If I sleep 8 or 9 then I usually creep into the mid-90s.  Sleeping from 11 PM-6 AM is best, but I can't usually operate on that schedule when I work.

8.  I can go out to dinner, I just need to plan ahead by looking at the menu.  Most places seem to be nice enough to accommodate me.  I can get an extra veggie substituted for a starch with no issues.  If it is dinner, I can even have a small piece of bread if the rest of my meal is low-carb!

9.  I can't really have much fruit.  :(  The only fruits that I seem to be able to tolerate well are berries.  Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are ok if eaten at a time other than breakfast and when paired with some protein, like plain Greek yogurt.

10.  I have some tasty favorite snack options I'd like to share!  For my mid-morning snack, I have been having the following (cup of yogurt, 1/3 cup berries, 1/2 cup cereal, generous sprinkle of cinnamon):

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Thanks so much for all of the helpful and supportive comments on my last post.  I will admit that I was still in a state of shock, confusion, denial and depression when I got the call from the nurse.  I cried most of the day.  Yes, I was feeling sorry for myself, which is stupid, I know.  That said, now that I have had a few days to process things and have almost kicked my cold (and slept soooo much better last night because I could breathe through my nose again!), I feel like I am looking at things a little more clearly than I was the other day.  All I care about is that my baby is healthy.  If I have to suffer through a difficult diet then so be it.

I have done quite a bit of research about GD, from reputable sites like ADA, and I have done some not so formal research by asking questions on various pregnancy forums.  Both have proven to be effective in giving me more information about my possible diagnosis.  I talked to a few friends at work that I know have had it and they have also given me lots of valuable info.

In my research, and at the urging of the nurse, I have already changed my healthy diet to a (still healthy but,) low carb/higher protein diet.  The bones of most of the plans are to be very restrictive of carbs and to eat 3 meals, plus 3 snacks a day in the following format:

I am not sure you have ever counted carbs before, but there are carbs in almost everything!  I went to the grocery store last night and was checking carb contents out on frozen meals.  An tiny organic chicken and bean burrito has a whopping 79 grams of carbs!

I started using the app "M.yF.itnessP.al" to track what I am eating and it has been really eye opening.  If you have not checked out that app, you should!  You can scan your food's bar-code and enter the serving size.  It is so cool.  While I did eat healthy before, I was eating a lot of carbs, I guess.  I heart cereal...my favorite kinds...my mouth is watering...

http://www.barbarasbakery.com/cereals-fiber/
http://www.barbarasbakery.com/cereals-shredded/
http://us.naturespath.com/product/optimum-slimr-low-fat-vanilla-cereal

Here is my diet for the last two days.  You can tell I had not yet spoken to the nurse when I ate breakfast in the first chart since my carb count was off the charts!  I also didn't eat the right amount of snacks the first day.  I got better yesterday.  Also note that I don't actually drink SBUX decaf since it has chemicals.  I drink it from a local shop that uses a Swiss water process, but the only thing I could find that was equivalent was SBUX. :)



A few things I notice from my diet are that I actually go over my carbs on a few meals and go under on some.  Can you tell I am the hungriest in the AM?  Sucks that that is the time where your blood sugar will spike if you eat too many carbs and this is all I want when I wake up.  I also eat too much sodium.  I guess this comes with the territory of not being able to eat many fruits and supplementing with cheese and nuts.  I am also not consuming that many calories.  I am not sure if this is ok or not.

A friend at work suggested getting healthy frozen meals to microwave at work instead of salad every day.  It was a great suggestion.  I bought a few from O.rganic B.istro that I like.  They are just under the carb count and contain protein, veggies, and some carbs.  I am having the C.itron C.hicken today!

I also tracked all my walking yesterday with "M.apM.yR.un", another amazing app (including to and from work and walking the dog).  I walked over 3.5 miles just with that regular amount!  I didn't realize how much I walked in one day not including going to the gym!

Obviously, I am going to check in with the nutritionist on Tuesday.  I want to be sure I am eating as healthy as possible for the baby and me.  I think will be good for her to see what I am eating, though.  She will be able to correct me where necessary and give me tips about what to eat and what not to eat.  She may also have different ideas regarding carb counts, although I think the list above is fairly standard.

Not sure if anyone else has advice on a low carb/high protein diet, but I would love more suggestions (keeping in mind that I hate eggs!).  I think the weekend will be much tougher than during the week.  It is easier to follow a schedule when you are on a regular one.  Weekends are a wildcard for me.  I'll keep you posted.

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