New to Paleo/Crossfit - Evaluation?

[Ryan Saraco]

Whats up guys, as the title reads, I'm new to both. Been paleo for about a month now. I started at 5'6 155lb, and after about 2 weeks I was at 147. Now I'm back around 149 with noticible muscle gains, and certainly leaner. I would guess I'm at around 11-12% body fat as upper abs are getting visible, but lower abs I still have a little pesky bf to get rid of. That is my goal, lose that little extra while making lean mass gains.

Typical day looks like this:

7:00am - 2-3 Eggs, Tbsp Olive Oil, spinach or some vegetable added, and a lean protein. 1 cup coffee with a little skim milk.

10:00am - Sandwich bag of carrots, celery, cucumber, cherry tomatos or some kind of mix of veggies.

1:00pm - Protein (1/2 roast chicken, breast only; pork chop, turkey meatloaf, or some kind of meat) and 2 cups of a steamed vegetable.

4:00pm - Tuna, blueberries, and strawberries or grapes.

5:00pm or PWO - Protein powder mixed with water. 1g carbs

8:00pm - Lean meat (chicken, pork chop, ground turkey, or lean cut of steak) with veggie. No dairy used for cooking, occasionally add some olive oil.

10:00pm - 9-12 almonds, sometimes a strawberry, some blueberries, or if real hungry and apple with almond butter.

Sleep at 11pm-12am. Wake at 6:30.

I know I need to up my water intake, which is somtimes limited to about 20-30oz a day. That could contribute to my perceived plateau. I've upped it starting today, and will continue to keep this going. I feel like I have to pee every 5 minutes though.

Please let me know what you guys think, and I'd be happy to answer any questions to help you guys help me. Thanks!

[Kevin J. Fleming]

Drink and sleep more; drink much, much more.

Does the 20-30 oz. include during workouts?

[Ryan Saraco]

Originally Posted by Kevin J. Fleming

Drink and sleep more; drink much, much more.

Does the 20-30 oz. include during workouts?

No, I guess I wasn't taking into account drinking water during workouts, though even with that it cant be too much more. I simply don't drink enough for some reason. Also doesn't count my protein shake, which I put 16oz of water. I can't help the time I wake up, and I don't get home from work until 7:30, then I have to workout, eat dinner, and attempt to unwind. 11 is usually the earliest I can get into bed. I will try and stick to that and get at least 7 hours.

Will drinking much more have that much of an effect on dropping bf% and building muscle?

How about the diet for my build? Look ok?

[Meghan Reid]

It looks...dry. Where's the fat?

OK, that's just personal preference.

How has your performance been? Recovery?

[Ryan Saraco]

Originally Posted by Meghan Leigh Ramos

It looks...dry. Where's the fat?

OK, that's just personal preference.

How has your performance been? Recovery?

Performance has been ok. At first, it really lagged when I began Paleo about a month ago. Lately performance has been better, though I feel not quite optimal. Recovery has been a pain. Sore for very long after (Did Murph on Thanksgiving and just got over soreness today). Is there any correlation between how long doms lasts and diet? I will try to up the fat content, good fats of course. Once in a while I'll allow myself to have some fatty proteins.

[Katherine Derbyshire]

Food quantity, quality, and macronutrient ratios can all affect recovery.

It's very difficult to maintain single digit body fat while also eating enough to support intense training, much less enough to build muscle. Moreover, intense training tends to elevate cortisol levels, which can cause you to store fat, especially if you aren't really eating enough to begin with.

Given that, I'd suggest eating more in general, and especially more proteins and fats.

Katherine

[Ryan Saraco]

Now I know this has been debated a lot on the board, but what do you guys feel is better, more calories per meal, or more food spread out with less time in between eating. I've read conflicting things, but I always thought spread out was better for metabolism. Training wise, tonight was a metcon night, I did a deck of cards workout with pushups, situps, squats, and flutterkicks. Breezed right through it.

I know I need to up my fats and my water intake, especially water. I will keep you guys posted on progress. Thank you all for the input!

[Meghan Reid]

I think there are plenty of arguments for each, and they vary depending on your goals (which can change as time passes of course). Try both, see how you feel.

[Sarena Kopciel]

your snacks are all carb. And cut the protein shake if you are claiming to be Paleo--its not!

[Ryan Saraco]

Originally Posted by Sarena Kopciel

your snacks are all carb. And cut the protein shake if you are claiming to be Paleo--its not!

Yes, but I don't think adding protein powder loaded bcaa's is going to have that negative of an affect on my health, and this diet for me is about being healthy and maximizing my crossfit workouts, I'm not trying to be strict paleo just to say that I'm paleo. Also, many paleo people have a protein shake pwo. I guess I'm not quite as extreme, though I would say I'm pretty close. As for your other point, one of my snacks is just vegetable, while the other is more protein (tuna...today grilled chicken) than it is carbs (berries). Are a handful of carrots and cucumbers to curb my appetite really going to affect my fat storage? Let me know. I will try and introduce a protein and fat to that snack, though that one is usually on the run and much more difficult to get a complete snack.

Thank you for your input. If anyone else wants to chime in on this please feel free, I'd love to hear your thoughts.