Total + Nutrition

Today I had a meeting with a nutritionist at school and we did CrossFit Total at the gym, both good things to assess every once in a while.

So recently I've been kind of a hypochondriac with my health, going to the doctor for every minor little thing that seems to be "wrong." Last week I went into the health clinic, described my symptoms, and the nurse actually recommended that I speak with a nutritionist to see if there was anything important missing in my diet. In all honesty, I think she was concerned I might have an eating or body image disorder due to my fanatical descriptions of my constantly varied workouts and the regimen I keep with my food log.

I was a little hesitant to schedule the meeting at first - what's a nutritionist going to tell me that I don't already know because I read about it on Mark's Daily Apple or Whole Health Source? But, it was a completely free 1.5 hour consultation (ah, the perks of being a graduate student!), and I figured the least I could gain would be some insight into a nutrition research study I want to run in the fall.

I went into the meeting ready to be on the defensive: I eat leafy greens for calcium! I choose lean meats over other meats! Not everyone has evolved to eat dairy! I don't know why, maybe it stems from my fear that people regard the paleo diet as a little "out there." Quite silly really, considering that the logic of evolution provides some pretty good reasoning as to why this diet is beneficial. Anyway, into the consultation I went, equipped with my paleo challenge food log so I could show just how rounded out and balanced and sound my diet was.

The nutritionist had heard of the paleo diet before, but wasn't quite certain of all that it entailed. I briefly explained it to her, showed her my food log, and answered some of her questions about my family history. She took it all in and then said, "Sounds like a good diet to me." There you have it. A nutritionist's seal of approval. Her only concerns were about my calcium intake (but I take a Vitamin D3 supplement to aid with absorption) and also my saturated fat intake (from the coconut milk and animal products). But, with this in mind, I can easily tweak the paleo diet a little more to keep these intake levels, like don't drink a whole can of coconut milk in one sitting.

My appointment only lasted 30 minutes because it was just too clear cut that they way I'm eating rocks. And that's all there is to say about that.

Now onto Crossfit Total, which was BRUTAL in the Minnesota humidity. Blech, I sweat just standing in the gym. I had every intention of increasing my total score today, but that's not what my tired body had in the cards. Maybe I should start working more on strength training and lifts again....

I scored 424, down 6 pounds from my previous Total of 430 at the end of May. Both my press and my back squat decreased minimally, and my deadlift improved by 3 pounds, so at least there's that. Afterward, some gym buds and I joked around that it's possible my performance is due to my pie-eating and cheating with the paleo diet. Could be. But if it comes down to me beating my CF Total score by a few pounds OR enjoying a warm slice of Betty's Crunch Pie a la mode...I'm going with pie. Sometimes, we just have to face the trade-offs.