Whitefeather Meats Lifestyle (Primal Style)

Day 40 3/31/12

2012-04-01T07:21:00.002-04:00

40 days already. Doesn't seem like I have been doing this diet for that long. It sure hasn't been difficult.

Breakfast was Steak and Eggs, Filet Mignon at Whitefeather and some Organic Eggs grilled up after a great morning workout. Black Phoenix Coffee to drink. I also had 2 glasses of Hartzlers Whole Milk.

Lunch was another big salad, red peppers, broccoli, and topped with Whitfeather Pork Pizza brats. Water to drink.

Dinner I had a Chipotle Salad with double chicken, both beans, 2 types of salsa, cheese and I topped in with Plain FULL FAT Greeak Yogurt. Water to drink. I have 2 complaints surrounding this meal.

1. Buehlers apparently believes FAT is poisonous and they advertise everything that is low fat or no fat like it was sent to earth on a Gold Platter. Guess what Buelers.....if something is low fat or no fat there is a pretty good chance that it is full of carbs, sugar or chemicals your body can't even digest. FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT!!!! Anyway, I did find a container of Greek Yogurt that had fat in it. 1 container only.

2. Chipotle also frustrated me. The girl serving up my food decided to barely give me any meat or beans or anything else I wanted. I literally got half as much of each item as I typically am given. Apprently she was either going to save Chipotle money by giving half portions of food out or she just thought I was there to see her and not really hungry at all. Oh well, my Greek yogurt helped fill in the gaps of that meal anyway. I also learned from a wise old sage a few months ago that Greek Yogurt tastes identical to sour cream except the yogurt is full of good stuff.....try it sometime.

I am considering changing my weigh in day to Friday each week and possibly weighing in every 2 weeks rather than every week. As I said before this diet is not about weight loss but about fat loss and if I get too tied up looking at the scale all the time I might focus more on the numbers than the mirror. I will know for sure tomorrow what my plans will be.

The morning workout was pretty intense. We had about 5 guys show up, one new guy who was broke in the hard way too.

We did a circuit of

Pull ups
Deadlifts with 225lbs
50lb Dumbbell Swings
Push ups
Sit ups
Sled pushes

I did all exercises for 10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps, 8 reps, 10 reps.

No rest, Very intense. Very fun.

Try crossfit out if you get a chance, you will enjoy it.

Day 39 Food Log 3/30/12

2012-03-31T08:14:00.002-04:00

Breakfast was 2 Whole Eggs raw in some Hartzlers Whole Milk. 2 Empire apples.
I had a pack of Grassfed Beef smokies before lunch.
Lunch was 2 Tomato Basil Chicken Brats and a few Organic Eggs. Water to drink.
Dinner is pictured below: Hydroponic lettuce with no pesticide spray, red pepper, broccoli, 100% Grassfed Cheese, and Peppered Bacon. No dressing needed. Water to drink.

I did a mild workout in the morning before breakfast....not even enough to sweat but it felt good to just get some blood flowing. I feel like I have gotten leaner this week more than any other previous week from what I am seeing in the mirror. I don't know what I will weigh in at on monday but I have a feeling I will still be dropping fat.

I also recently built a nice big pull-up and dip stand pictured here.

Day 38 Food Log 3/29/12

2012-03-30T04:46:00.001-04:00

Breakfast was 2 Raw Organic Eggs in Hartzlers Whole Milk and 2 Empire Apples.
Lunch was 4 Organic Eggs and a variety of pork sausage including some Hawaiian Pineapple Brats from Whitefeather.
Dinner was a Cauliflower crust pizza topped with Grassfed Beef and Bacon. I can't say enough good things about the cauliflower pizza. It is excellent.

****I received my 20ft climbing rope in the mail today. I will be hanging it up in my gym and using it to climb. It is a great workout for your arms and back if you don't use your legs to help you. Yet another reason I am liking crossfit, it is fun.

I also heard that Carole over at Ageless Fitness is putting in new flooring as well as upgrading some equipment. It should really complete her gym well. Check her blog out by clicking her link over on the right side of my page.

I am feeling much more comfortable with my diet recently in that I don't even think about what I need to eat for each meal. The food that I am eating is filling and I am never hungry so I guess I don't really even feel tempted to eat other things. I am still planning on having a cheat meal once a week or once every two weeks. I don't know when my next cheat meal will be but I do need to get it planned. It isn't something that I should just let happen at a random time.

I still feel evergized every day and I am sleeping well. I was wearing some jeans the other day that were previously tight but are now loose to the point that I NEED a belt to keep them pulled up. It feels great when you aren't having to squeeze into your clothes.

A Precor rower that is in the gym. I had never rowed until Carole showed me what they are all about. It truly is an excellent workout or warmup. They are much better than walking or running on a treadmill or stationary bike. I highly recommend rowing if you are looking for other sources of cardio.

Day 37 Food Log 3/28/12

2012-03-29T04:59:00.002-04:00

Breakfast was an Empire Apple and 2 Whole Eggs in Hartzlers Milk.
I had a pack of Grassfed beef Smokies before lunch and then another pack of Smokies and an Apple as my lunch. As stated previously, my wednesdays are not good days for eating since I am busy all day.
Dinner was some Hickory Smoked Bacon, 4 Whole Eggs, a chunk of Ground Beef and water to drink.

Not a great day of eating but I will take it. I will likely be adding in cheat meals either weekly or every other week. I feel like I need to keep shaking things up on my diet every couple days and do my best to shoot my carbs up to preserve some muscle mass if I don't hit my protein intake each day.

*****I built a big pull up rack attached to a dip stand yesterday which I will likely keep for my gym. It is about 8ft tall and heavy. It took most of the afternoon to build but I am happy with it. I will post a pic as soon as I get one.

Here is a view of a serious workout....a 40lb and a 20lb hammer with a stack of tractor tires.

This is really all you need for a good workout. You can flip the tires end over end which simulates a deficit dealift. You can do box jumps on them and of course hit them with the sledge hammers.

Day 36 Food Log 3/27/12

2012-03-28T05:10:00.001-04:00

Breakfast was once again 4 Raw Eggs mixed with Hartzlers Whole milk. I had a few slices of Hickory Smoked Bacon too.

I had a couple Beef Smokies before lunch.

Lunch was 3 Venison burgers and 4 Whole Organic Eggs. Water to drink.

I had a full pack of Grassfed Beef smokies in the afternoon.

Dinner was a large salad of lettuce topped with Hickory Smoked Bacon from Whitefeather.
I then had some Spicy hot Grassfed Beef Brats with some grilled onions and peppers. Water to drink.
I had a large glass of Hartzlers Whole Milk before bed.

****I did Carole's circuit before breakfast also. My time this week after doing the 10 minute warm up on the rower was 6 minutes and 58 seconds. I found the workout to be much easier and I only took breaks to walk to the next exercise. No stopping to breath. I also did my pull up sets for the full number of reps each time. I was still sweating and panting by the time it was over but I didn't feel nearly as worn out as the first two week.

This is a picture of my gym. My father in law was nice enough to let me take one of his machine shed bays and close it in to use as my gym.

****A little personal info about me. I do have a family and I work a full time job. I have found that the best time of day to workout is right in the morning upon waking up. It takes some getting used to but that is really the only time of day that you have where someone isn't trying to use your time for you. You feel great after a morning workout and it gives you energy all day. I am fortunate enough to have a gym I can go to and not worry about making too much noise or whatever else but sometimes I am in the gym at 530 or 6am. If you say you don't have time to workout it is only affecting you. There will never be a time when you are sitting around thinking, "This would be a great time to go get a workout in". Ain't gonna happen. You need to make time.

My motivational speech is now over. Plan a workout in the next few days, you will be glad you did.

Day 35 Food Log 3/26/12

2012-03-27T05:28:00.000-04:00

Breakfast was 4 Whole Eggs RAW mixed up in a glass of Hartzlers Whole Milk. I actually didn't mind eating my breakfast in this form since I often don't feel like making breakfast.

I had some Whitefeather Pepperstick Bologna before lunch.

Lunch was 3 venison burgers and 4 more Whole Eggs, cooked on a skillet this time though.

I had 1 Empire Apple in the afternoon.

Dinner was 1 Tomato Basil Chicken breast and some peas.

I had Hartzlers Whole Milk before going to bed.

I was pleased with todays food intake. Good quality and I was full after each meal.

****My morning workout after I weighed in was a Crossfit workout called Fran. If you know anything about Crossfit you already know that their workouts are named after womens names. I don't know why they are named certain names but that is how they refer to them.

The workout incorporated Thrusters and Pull-ups. A Thruster is where you hold a barbell in your hands and right at shoulder height, squat down, stand up and then press the bar overhead. It is a very tiring movement. A pull up is simply a chin up with an overhand grip. Anyway, the workout was 21 Thrusters with a 95lb loaded barbell then 21 Pull ups, 15 Thrusters and 15 Pull ups, and then 9 Thrusters and 9 Pull Ups. You are to do this rep scheme as quickly as you can. I completed it in 11 minutes and 28 seconds. My legs were sore within an hour. Excellent workout in less than 12 minutes. No one can complain about not having time to workout. My brother also showed up since he wants to get into shape also and he ended up completeing the reps in about 17 minutes. He did well considering he is much lighter in weight and he still handled the 95lb thrusters.

I know that if you have never heard of crossfit then you probably think I am crazy. Here are 2 pictures that it truly is a real sport. I have never seen a competition but I am getting very interested. There is something very appealling to me about, "The sport of fitness."

Day 34 Food Log 3/25/12 .......5 WEEK WEIGH IN

2012-03-26T05:20:00.002-04:00

Breakfast was 6 Organic Whole Eggs along with several slices of Whitefeather Peppered Bacon. Black Phoenix Coffee also.

Lunch was a 100% Grassfed Beef Sirloin steak and a half and some strawberries. Don't ask. The strawberries were the only other thing at the meal I was at that I could eat because everything else was a manufactured bread product or else drenched in frosting or sugar. Not ideal, but I had to deal with it. I had water with lunch.

Dinner is pictured here. Not my best photo but it is what I ate. 2 Whole Eggs, Hickory Smoked Bacon and some 100% Grassfed Beef burger with a large salad. Water to drink.

I have started to really enjoy eating eggs as they can go with just about anything and they are simple to prepare. I try to leave the yolks runny because I think they taste better than when they are cooked further and they get dried out. My diet this past week was not perfect but I am still feeling great and sleeping well. I wake up and I am not tired and I don't get tired throughout the day like I used to. I can't tell people enough how great this diet has been for me. I used to get stomachaches and just feel bad in general. It is amazing to know that the foods you eat truly make a difference in every aspect of your life.

******WEEK 5 WEIGH IN

I weighed in this morning at 224.6lbs which is another weight loss of 1.6lbs from last week. As stated since the beginning my goal is not pure weight loss, I am trying to lose fat and gain muscle. If I didn't lose another pound on this diet but continued getting leaner I would be perfectly fine with that. My total weight lost so far on this diet is 15.9lbs in about 34 days of being on the new diet. I don't follow anyone's exercise plan or take any diet pills. I simply eat lots of FAT and PROTEIN while cutting out sugar and carbs other than carbs from vegetables and fruit.

Day 33 Food Log 3/24/12

2012-03-25T07:10:00.000-04:00

Breakfast was Whitefeather Meats Country Style Pork Sausage and 4 Whole Eggs. Coffee of course.

Lunch was a package of Beef Smokies and 2 Empire Apples.

Dinner was the remaining Pork Sausage that I made for breakfast along with a Tomato Basil Seasoned Chicken Breast and a large Hydroponic lettuce salad. I had Hartzlers Whole Milk to drink beofre bed.

It doesn't look like I ate a lot of food but my meals were quite filling and I never got hungry.

****My workout was back to the free weights

I decided to do 75lb dumbbell bench presses for 10 sets of 10 reps supersetted with:

90lb dumbbell rows for 10 sets of 10 reps.

I had to take a few breaks on the benches after the 7th set but I did complete all the reps I wanted to do.

Very simple but effective workout.

WEIGH IN is tomorrow.....check back then.

Day 32 Food Log 3/23/12

2012-03-24T05:54:00.000-04:00

My day started as usual (before daylight). One of the Owners at Whitefeather enjoys weight training and physical fitness and on this wonderful morning I brought my newest creation to work......a new pushing sled. You basically just get in front of or behind the sled and push it....terribly difficult and taxing workout which left my sled pushing pal rolling around in the parking lot because the muscle tightness and the pump in his legs was more than he could handle. (Another one of the brothers I work with used to lift weights with us until he says we stopped lifitng weights.....crossfit isn't all weight lifting.) Anyway, sled pushing is probably one of the best forms of strength training cardio I have ever done. Just push it back and forth for a few laps and your whole body is exhasuted and you are covered in sweat.

Breakfast was excellent as was my entire day of eating. For breakfast I had some fresh Bluegill caught locally and processed by Whitefeather. I also had 3 Organic Whole Eggs, some Pepperstick Grassfed Beef and some Peppered No-Nitrite Bacon. Black Phoenix Coffee to drink.

Lunch was even better than breakfast.

Lunch consisted of Bison Filets, more Peppered Bacon and 5 Organic Whole Eggs. Water to drink. Bison filets would have to be the most tender meat I have ever tried. I DID cut the filets with my fork. The flavor is outstanding. You just need to try them sometime to see for yourself.

Dinner was some 100% Grassfed Beef Filets and yet more bacon only it was the Hickory Smoked version for dinner. I also had some grilled veggies. The Grassfed filet was excellent as well but if I were to chose again I would have to go with the Bison. Water to drink.

I was very pleased with my eating in that I got in a lot of protein and I was planning to eat 12 Eggs but I was too full to force 4 more down the hatch. I still feel great every day and I literally have knocked an hour off of my sleep schedule every night without getting tired or waking up groggy.

I am looking forward to this next weigh in as I know I am losing fat still and my cheat meal seemingly didn't have any negative consequences.

Day 31 Food Log 3/22/12

2012-03-23T05:13:00.000-04:00

Breakfast was 5 Organic Whole Eggs and some Black Phoenix Coffee. Small glass of Hartzlers Whole Milk upon waking.

I only had a pack of Grassfed Beef smokies for lunch, 2 more beef smokies after work and then didn't eat dinner until later which was 2 100% Grassfed Beef patties and a salad. Water to drink.

Terrible day of eating for me. Excellent day to lose "weight" but not a good day if keeping muscle on your frame is the goal. I will need to increase my protein intake today or else risk losing too much muscle and strength.

I will be pushing a newly built pushing sled this morning as my workout. I will post a picture today of what exactly that is.

Whitefeather Meats is now carrying local, wild caught fish that are brought to us on ice and processed within minutes of arriving. I am not into fish a whole lot but I may give it a try so I can review it for all that are interested. We currently have Walleye, Perch, Bass, Crappie and Bluegill.

Day 30 Food Log 3/21/12 CHEAT MEAL

2012-03-22T06:10:00.001-04:00

Breakfast was small. 1 Empire Apple from Bauman Orchards and some Black Phoenix Coffee. I had a pack of 100% Grassfed beef smokies for lunch. I didn't eat much early in the day because I knew that dinner was going to be excessive.

Dinner was at Jammy Buggars http://jammybuggars.com/ where they serve Green Vista Farm 100% Grassfed Beef on their burgers. Whitefeather processes all of Green Vista's beef so it is only natural that we would go eat somewhere that supports the business. They also had a buy one get one free burger deal. I ended up just getting the other burger to take home. I ate a BBB Burger which was a Bacon and Bleu Cheese Burger with a bun and all the toppings along with a pile of Mexican Fries. The burgers are all 8oz burgers are with all the toppings it is a big meal. After dinner we went to Mitchell's Ice Cream which uses Hartzlers Milk. I got a huge hot fudge sundae brownie dish and thoroughly stuffed myself. I was way too full after my night of eating and honestly I would prefer to have just stayed on the diet based on how full and sluggish I felt. I remember that I used to stuff myself for each meal and then I was constantly tired and bloated. I am looking forward to the next 30 days on the diet and I am hoping that the cheat meal was enough to spark my metabolism and shake things up a bit to keep my body guessing while on this diet. If I have another cheat meal in 30 days I don't think I will eat as much as I did for this one. No sense in feeling so full to the point that it isn't comfortable.

If you are regularly overeating and feeling tired and rundown there is another way to live. Read the Primal Blueprint and any type of Paleo diet book you can find, and study some Crossfit training programs. Trust me you will enjoy life way more with a healthier body.

Day 29 Food Lof 3/20/12 CROSSFIT/ and the CHEAT MEAL IS TONIGHT

2012-03-21T05:17:00.001-04:00

Breakfast was 1 Gala Apple and a large glass of Hartzlers Whole milk. I also had a pack of Whitefeather's Beef smokies once I got to work. Beef smokies, by the way, are in the same form as a Slim Jim except its actually real ground beef and its produced at Whitefeather.

Lunch was 3 Bison burgers with 5 Whole Organic Eggs. Water to drink.

I had an Empire apple in the afternoon which Whitefeather also carries in the store.

Dinner was 2.5 Tomato Basil pork brat links with a plate of Hydroponic lettuce. Everything I ate today came from Whitefeather and it happened without even really noticing.

I was plenty full all day.

***I posted my morning workout yesterday afternoon. The workout really does get your day started on the right foot. You feel great all day after doing an intense workout and it gives you a ton of energy. Most people may think that working out early is difficult and will just drain you for the day but its actually quite the opposite. Check out some information on Crossfit training if you really want to get in the best shape of your life. Their motto it "Eat clean, train dirty." It is my new addiction.

****My cheat meal got moved to this evening when it was originally planned for saturday. The restaurant we are going to serves 100% Grassfed Beef that is grown at Green Vista Farm and processed at Whitefeather. Thye are having buy one get on free burgers today so we were forced to change dates. I will be reporting the devastation tomorrow morning on how my meal is this evening. If all goes as planned I will get a huge boost to my metabolism and my muscles will refill with glycogen all in one shot. And I will get to eat some amazing foods without any guilt.

Cya tomorrow.

CAROLE'S KILLER WORKOUT NEARLY KILLED ME THIS MORNING

2012-03-20T12:14:00.000-04:00

I did my second week of the workout that Carole is having me do each week until my bodyfat is tested again.

To refresh your memory it is:

10 Burpee Box jumps to a 28" tire
10 pull ups
10 man makers
10 plank to push ups

8 Burpee Box jumps to a 28" tire
8 pull ups
8 man makers
8 plank to push ups

5 Burpee Box jumps to a 28" tire
5 pull ups
5 man makers
5 plank to push ups

I managed to complete the workout this morning in 7 minutes and 32 seconds. I cut over 4 minutes off my time from last week. I really just went as hard as I could go and didn't look at my stopwatch. I set the bar pretty high for next week I suppose. I loved the workout though and I felt great afterwards.

http://carolelaney.wordpress.com/about/ Check out Carole's blog. She knows her stuff about physical training. I have been lifting for years and she managed to nearly break me already.

Day 28 Food Log 3/19/12

2012-03-20T04:48:00.003-04:00

Breakfast was 2 Gala Apples, Hartzlers Whole Milk and a few slices of Hickory Smoked Bacon. Black Phoenix Coffee also. Some people have commented on how much bacon I eat. Whitefeather's Bacon is an excellent choice to have while dieting because you can get a Nitrite free version and of course the animal is raised naturally without the use of antibiotics or hormones. Bacon is also an excellent choice because it has a high fat content which keeps you full and satisfies hunger quickly.

Lunch was 2 venison burger patties, 4 Whole Organic Eggs and 3 Hawaiian Pineapple Pork Brats. Water to drink. I cooked more food than I thought I needed/ wanted to eat but I ended up eating all of it myself. Since my physical activity has increased recently, my appetite has went right along with it. I haven't been hungry but I can tell my body is wanting more food and I have been eating more meat than usual.

Dinner was a Whitefeather chicken breast and some peas. I had a big glass of Hartzlers Whole milk to drink. I also did one the hardest workouts I have done in a long time before dinner.

*****My workout was a crossfit WOD (workout of the day)

Deadlift 155 lb x 12 reps
Power Clean 155 lb x 9 reps
Push Press 155 lb x 6 reps

You do 5 rounds of these three exercises for the listed reps as fast as you can. I completed it in 17 minutes and 45 seconds. I was in pure agony by the time I was done and I was dripping sweat. 18 minutes is clearly long enough to get a superb workout in.

I will be going to do Carole's prescribed workout this morning. I may post my results this afternoon or tomorrow morning at the latest.

Day 27 Food Log 3/18/12 4 WEEK WEIGH IN

2012-03-19T05:05:00.000-04:00

Breakfast was some leftover Cauliflower pizza and Black Phoenix Coffee. The cauliflower by the way is not even noticeable if you were wondering. It doesn't really have any flavor to it.

Like I said in my post last night, I was hungry all day yesterday and I did my bes tto try and catch up which I did manage to do by last night. Lunch was the rest of the Cauliflower and meat pizza along with 2 Gala Apples and lots of water. I went deer antler shed hunting for about 2 hours during the afternoon and found nothing except a bunch of trees that some beavers chewed on which was neat to see. No antlers though. The walking was my exercise.

Dinner was pictured last night in my post. 4 Organic whole eggs, Whitefeather Meats Hickory smoked bacon, and a venison burger along with mixed vegetables. Water to drink. For some reason bacon does a really good job at satisfying hunger, likely because of the high fat content.

*****My 4th Weigh In came in at.........226.2lbs. I lost 3.1 lbs more this week which is probably close to the most I should be losing in a week. Anymore than 3lbs and it is likely some muscle as well. I have lost 14.3 lbs total in the last 28 days. I am really pleased with how this diet is going as I have only been hungry yesterday but I was able to continue eating until I was full, no starving until my weigh in or anything like that. I am very happy to see that my theory about eating lots of fat and protein while cutting out carbs will encourage lots of fat loss. Again, The Primal Blueprint is an excellent book to get healthy living tips out of if you have not read it before.

Tonights dinner before the weigh in tomorrow.

2012-03-18T19:29:00.000-04:00

My dinner tonight was a venison burger, 4 organic whole eggs and a few slices of Whitefeather Hickory smoked bacon. I was hungry all day today and I kept eating just trying to satisfy the hunger. I did a lot of working out yesterday and was constantly moving which is why I was so hungry today. We will see what the scale says tomorrow. I know my eating was good this week as it has been since the diet began. I have also planned a cheat meal for myself. A cheat meal is a meal that is planned in advance where you eat whatever you want. Cheat meals serve a couple purposes: 1. They are a nice reward for being strict on your diet and knowing that you get to eat whatever you want in a week or two makes it much easier to stick to your diet at the time. 2. A cheat meal for me will be high in carbs which is against my current diet rules but having a meal with high carbs will not make me fat overnight. A high carb meal will crank up my metabolism and tell my body that it has plenty of nutrients and that it can continue burning bodyfat in the near future. I would not recommend cheat meals for anyone who has not been on a diet for at least a month. It takes about 30 days to get in the swing of your diet and start to see your body change. If you had a cheat meal before the 30 days you will be much more likely to let it lead into a cheat week and then you will just give up altogether. (My cheat meal will still include 100% Grassfed Beef so I will still be sticking to my core foods but I will ad in some foods that are not diet worthy at all.)

*****I did not plan on my diet lasting more than 30 or 45 days but I have truly enjoyed the way I feel physically and mentally that I see no reason to stop doing what I am doing.

Day 26 Food Log 3/17/12

2012-03-18T07:13:00.001-04:00

Breakfast was Whitefeather Ground Bison and Peppered Bacon along with a few Organic Eggs. Black Phoenix coffee to drink.

Lunch was posted yesterday on the blog. Cauliflower Pizza piled high with Grassfed beef. Very good lunch. I had water to drink with that.

After my workout in the afternoon I had a glass of Hartzlers Whole milk.

Dinner was a 6-week Dry Aged Ribeye Steak (100% Grassfed) along with some grilled onions and peppers and a small salad. Water to drink.

This was a very good day of eating, no doubt about it.

****It gets frustrating at times when you are trying to lose fat or gain muscle or just lose weight in general because you want it to happen quickly. Many people are not patient enough to stick with it and just end up quitting because they think it is not working. Just keep telling yourself that its a marathon and not a sprint. Take your time changing your body and it will likely remain that way. Weigh in is tomorrow morning.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza Piled High with Beef and Bacon and my afternoon Crossfit workout

2012-03-17T17:18:00.001-04:00

These is truly an amazing low carb, high protein pizza. Plenty of veggies with the cauliflower crust, and peppers and as much protein as you want to ad by piling the meat on. Grassfed Beef of course.

I needed this before hitting up one of the hardest workouts I have done in awhile.

It was a crossfit based workout:

275lbs x 8 reps double overhand deadlift
6 pull ups
10 reps of 28" box jumps
10 reps swinging 20lb sledge hammer into tractor tire

repeat as many times as possible in 18 minutes....I didn't count the circuits I was just trying to breath

Then we pulled a 100ft rope dragging a 100lb chain across the barn lot...hand over hand pulling for a few trips....then called it a day. It was way too nice out to not get a good workout in outside.

My workouts probably seem crazy or silly to some of you but Crossift is all about high intensity and having fun. Crossfit is basically the sport of fitness. The only goal is to be in shape and healthy. The workouts are short but super intense.

"Eat clean, train dirty." My new motto.

This is a picture of the head of a 40lb sledge hammer I custom built for a guy. I used a 20lb hammer today and that was plenty. Is there a better way to blow off some steam then hitting a tire as hard as you can with a sledge hammer?

Day 25 Food Log 3/16/12

2012-03-17T05:03:00.001-04:00

Breakfast was 3 1/2 Pork Brat links. Whitefeather made up a new Hawaiian Pineapple pork brat which is one the of the best pork brats I have ever had. I also had Black Phoenix coffee to drink.

Lunch was some Whitefeather Chicken Breast stir fry with a few Organic whole eggs mixed in. Water to drink with lunch.

I had an Empire apple in the afternoon which is a first for me. Very tasty apple. I was over at Bauman Orchards in Rittman. I can say for sure that they grow their own apples. I can imagine that during the summer it is an impressive sight to see with their fields of apple trees in perfect rows.

Dinner was Whitefeather pork sausage meatballs on a plate of Hydroponic lettuce and green beans. Water to drink. I also had some Hartzlers Whole milk before bed.

*****I am still feeling good and people are telling me I look thinner, (some say too thin). My clothes are fitting much looser. I have not had nearly as many workouts as I would prefer but I have been busy building weight equipment and working. I plan on getting two workouts in today though. I built a new training hybrid crossfit toy for working out with. Pics will be coming soon, once its painted.

I can't express how important it is to do some type of physical workout along with a diet change if you intend to lose bodyfat. One without the other just doesn't really work too well. If you make excuses about not sticking with your diet or not working out then you are only hurting yourself. The better your diet and the harder you physically make your body work, the faster you will get results.

My quote for the weekend: "No dessert or sugary treat tastes as good as being lean and healthy feels."

Day 24 Food Log 3/15/12

2012-03-16T05:11:00.001-04:00

Breakfast was 2 Gala Apples, Whitefeather Beef Smokies and some Hartzlers Whole Milk.

I had more Beef Smokies throughout the morning. I had woken up with a headache and I felt just weak in general and I knew I needed to increase my calories and carbs a bit.

Lunch was a chipotle salad with double meat chicken, black and pinto beans, lettuce of course, cheese, and also Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I had water to drink. Notice the higher calorie lunch with carbs from the beans.

Dinner was another Hydroponic lettuce salad, Tomato Basil Chicken breast and Hickory smoked bacon topped with red peppers and carrot slices. You seriously do not even need dressing with suck great tasting meats on a salad. Water to drink.

I had another glass of Hartzlers Milk before bed.

I felt good by the time I had to go to bed. Being on a carb restricted diet means you will need to pay attention to how you feel in order not to lose muscle mass or get run down and tired. I knew I needed more nutrients after my big day wednesday of lots of work and not enough calories. (Although this would be a great way to lose "weight" I am trying to lose fat and I could tell my body was too weak to be burning fat and I was likely just losing muscle mass.) Fat loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

*****The public and the media seem to be super interested in the Pink Slime ground beef still. Now the debate is making sure that the meat industry offers non-pink slime beef to schools. Do people not understand that if a company is turning their meat into pink slime, apparently something was wrong with it in the first place. What makes people think that if they force the company to stop producing pink slime they will miraculously come up with a great quality ground beef product. I think it is great that the factory farms and giant meat processors are finally getting some light shown on their practices but people need to use this as a lesson and realize that as long as they car buying ground beef for $1.49/lb you can bet your dinner that its chemical laden and likely the worst quality meat you can find. How much is your health worth to you? Think about that the next time you decide to save a few cents and go with the cheaper meat or vegetables for dinner.....there is a scary reason why its cheaper.

Day 23 Food Log 3/14/12

2012-03-15T06:01:00.000-04:00

For some reason breakfast is an issue for me. I have been struggling to get a real breakfast in for a while. Today was no different. I had Black Phoenix Coffee (Organic) to drink and then a stick of Bison Jerky at work. I decided I needed some eggs so I swallowed 3 Whole Eggs raw. Not my first choice but it was quick and easy.

Lunch was a stir fry my wife made for me. Brocolli, Whitefeather Bacon, and peppers. The stir fry was so flavorful I asked her what she put on it and she said it was just from the bacon. I also had water to drink.
Thanks Jessie. Lunch was great.

Dinner was a spicy cabbage of some sort, can't remember the details. It tasted better than it sounds though. We also had some Whitefeather chicken breast.

I was very busy working all day and didn't eat nearly the variety of foods I should have.

I build weight lifting equipment for fun and this is a picture of a dipping stand that I built yesterday. It's very sturdy and doesn't shake at all when you use it. There is just something about putting a pile of steel together into something useful that I really enjoy. I will continue posting pics of weight equipment for strongman/ crossfit that I use or build.

******I still feel energetic throughout the day and I still am not needing as much sleep as I was requiring. I can get by just fine now with 7 hours rather than 8+. Who knew a new diet would give me an extra hour during my day. If you have been reading my blog and are considering stopping in at Whutefeather Meats sometime soon I will be working Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this week. I would love to meet you and show you around the store. Just ask for Craig. Hope to see you soon.

Day 22 Food Log 3/13/12

2012-03-14T05:20:00.000-04:00

Breakfast was Beef Jerky, Hartzlers Whole Milk, Black Phoenix Coffee.

Lunch was 3 venison quarter pound burgers, (no bun or anything on them) along with 3 Whole Eggs. I just used salt and pepper. I had water to drink.

Dinner was 6 Whole Eggs, a few slices of Hickory smoked Bacon from Whitefeather Meats of course. I also had jalapeno peppers, red peppers, onions and brocolli in the scrambled eggs. I drank water with dinner. I was actually very full after dinner. I wanted to eat a super high protein dinner to preserve muscle. I know that in prior diets when I would hit 3 or 4 weeks I would really start to shrink and I don't want that to happen. I should mention too that I did have a few Beef smokies and some Bison Jerky throughout the afternoon. I know that working at Whitefeather makes it easy for me to get lean protein snacks but if you are serious about cutting carbs out then healthy meat products are the way to go especially those that you can snack on.

****Carole sent me the pictures that she took while I was at her gym. I will post them and give you a description of what we were doing.

Carole did a few measurements so in 6 weeks we can see what kind of progress I make.

I am learning the plank to push up here. Difficult exercise but it really works your upper body.

I was learning the kip pull up here. I was used to traditional pull ups but the kip pull ups really hit your back muscles differently. Plus you can do more reps in a set this way too.

This is me warming up on the rowing machine. I never thought I would enjoy using a rower but it is a very, very good cardio and strength workout. ( Sorry to upset anyone who didn't know what I looked liked up until now. Hopefully you weren't picturing Justin Bieber with David Beckhams body or something.) Haha

Figuring out how to do man makers. I know the dumbbells are small but when you have to stabilize your whole body to row a weight up while holding yourself upright it is all of a sudden much heavier than it looks.

http://carolelaney.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/you-can-lose-weight/ To see Carole's article/ blog on our meeting go to her page.

My workout from Carole Laney

2012-03-13T17:58:00.001-04:00

Check out Carole's blog here: http://carolelaney.wordpress.com/ I would recommend her to anyone who is wanting to get fit but doesn't know where to begin. She can help you out.

Carole is the personal trainer that offered to test my bodyfat. Which tested at 26%, sad but true.
She also showed me a workout that she requested I do once each week for the next 6 weeks until we meet for another bodyfat test. The workout goes like this:

10 minutes on a rowing machine for roughly 3,000 meters- warm up

10 box jump burpees to a 27" tractor tire in my case
10 man makers
10 plank to push ups
10 kip pullups

8 box jump burpees to a 27" tractor tire
8 man makers
8 plank to push ups
8 kip pullups

5 box jump burpees to a 27" tractor tire
5 man makers
5 plank to push ups
5 kip pullups

The workout is to be completed as fast as possible without any rest. This workout is good test of your fitness progress by performing it once per week. I am also doing other workouts throughout the week besides the one I listed here.
I completed the workout in exactly 11 minutes and 30 seconds. This is of course not counting the 10 minutes on the rowing machine. Hopefully I can complete it faster next week.

Let me know if you have any questions. I would be glad to help you out if I can.

Day 21 Food Log 3/12/12 and New workout from Carole

2012-03-13T06:08:00.001-04:00

Breakfast was a glass of Hartzlers Whole milk, a few Beef Smokies and 1 Gala Apple.
Lunch was some Bison Chili over top of a plate of lettuce. I also had a half of a Sirloin Steak and a half of a Strip Steak. Water and Black Phoenix Coffee to drink.
I had dinner late due to going to Carole Laney's gym for my bodyfat test. I ended up eating more Bison chili over a plate of lettuce. Water to drink.

****As I type this I am feeling general soreness from the workouts I have done over the past few days. My calves are sore from the box jumps. My lats are sore from chin ups, pull ups and toes to bar. My abs are still sore from saturdays workout. Oddly enough I love the feeling though because I know that means my body is changing.

The workout Carole gave me last night that I need to perform each week is:

10 minutes of rowing for a total of about 3000 meters- warm up

Then all 4 exercises listed below in order without a break for 3 circuits of 10/8/5

Burpee Box Jump- Basically a push up then jump up and jump onto a plyo box

Man maker- Basically a push up with a dumbbell in each hand and at the top of the push up you row each dumbbell up to your stomach

Up/Down Plank- You get into the plank position on your forearms and then go up to your hands like a puch up and then back down. Good core training.

Kipping pull ups- Kind of like a pull up except you use momentum to help pull your self over the bar and you use your back muscles a little differently to swing yourself above the bar.

I will be doing this workout once each week for the next 6 weeks while trying to decrease the amount of time it takes me to finish the circuit. My first attempt will be this morning.

Bodyfat results

2012-03-12T21:58:00.000-04:00

I got my bodyfat tested and it was higher than I had guessed but it wasn't suprising to me. The results of the test stated that I was 26% bodyfat. I guess thats good in that I have a lot of progress I can make but bad since I didn't realize I was that fat. Apparently I am carrying around 60lbs of body fat. That is highly motivating for me to keep things going and to continue the diet. My stomach measured 37" compared to 43.5" 3 weeks ago. I am losing the weight in the right place at least. I will be posting my workout/ weight training each day here on my blog. Look for pics and videos of me in the gym in the near future.