It’s been a while since I’ve written about my crossfit program. Yes, I am still doing it. Not only that, I actually go 5 times a week (all but Wednesday and Sunday.) I’m not crossfit obsessed; I don’t talk crossfit outside of my immediate friends. I like going for the comraderie and the results that I’ve seen. However, ever since my Asia trip back in January, my results sort of plateau’ed. I haven’t been able to get back in the low 170 pound range, and I think it’s been due to diet.
I had also been playing around with my diet for the past month or so because every time I worked out at 6pm, I would get so gassed and out of energy that I’d pass out on the floor right after the workout. My coach said it was probably due to my diet and that I wasn’t eating enough. Even then, I don’t think I was still eating “right.”
One day a few weeks ago, a friend in Crossfit was telling me about how he had lost about ~30 pounds over the last year (not that he was huge; I think he went from 190ish to 160ish and he’s about 6’2 or so.) He had told me he sort of plateau’ed too, but then started to count his macros and had lost ~15 lbs or so the last few months. For the longest time, I’ve been trying to avoid so called fad diets; I just wanted to work out and eat what I wanted. However, he told me, “Look, diet is about 80% of weight loss and exercise is about 20%; why struggle for an hour a day when you’re going to throw it all away later?” And that’s when it hit me – he was right.
That’s when I installed Myfitnesspal and started to track my macros. My buddy said he tried to aim for 90g of carbs and 90g of protein by the 6pm workout. While the target is different for everyone, I figured, “Well, he looks in great shape, so I’ll try for the same, but since I also sweat more than he does and have been getting gassed out, let me try 100-120g of carbs and 100g of protein by my workout.
For nearly 15 years now, I’ve religiously eatten a cup of instant oatmeal and a banana for breakfast. That’s when Myfitnesspal helped me realize I was putting on those 50g of carbs for no reason. I switched to my buddy’s meal – 2 hard boiled eggs and a protein shake instead. That gave me about 10g of carbs and 30g of protein instead. For the first week, I could feel my body adjusting to the lack of carbs. Eventually, it got over it and I was fine. I also asked my wife to meal prep my lunch, so instead of eating out, I was now eating 1 cup of brown rice, a piece of chicken, and some vegetables for lunch. Then I’d eat a turkey sandwich at around 4pm. That got me to 120g of carbs and 100g of protein by my 6pm workout.
So I did that for about 2 weeks (no change in exercise or dinners or weekend meals) and got this (image courtesy of my Withings scale). I think I can still tweak my diet some more (replace the sandwich with something else since those 2 slices of bread are a lot of carbs. I think my ideal weight is about 165-170 though, so that’s the new goal.
“And that’s when it hit me – he was right.”…….lol
No shit, if you spent 1/10 the time researching fitness and diets that you do on reselling, you might now this
Nice update post Vinh. I was curious if you were still at it. I started CrossFit the first week of December and down 15 lbs, I was skinny fat. I’m 6’2 and 180 now and ideally lose about another 10 lbs of fat but continue gaining some muscle. I’m tinkering with my diet now but lots of proteins, fats and healthy greens. I love the carbs but keeping the pizza and pasta for isolated occasions. I’m having a hard time eating enough during the day at work, but I do meal prep some on Sundays.
Try switching the regular bread of Turkey sandwich to schmidt 647 bread – amazingly good.
I’m not full blown keto but I did switch to low carb last year and feel much better. Try adding . . a ton of extra virgin olive oil, cans of sardines (you can buy Seasons skinless ones at costco – often on sale), avocados, leafy salads and veggies. I also have single serve snack packs of coconut oil and almond butter. A handful of almonds is healthy if you can keep it to only one handful. I also have a few teaspoons of cider vinegar in water once per day.
Just buy the Arnold Bodybuilding Encyclopedia it has everything you’d ever want to know about diet and exercise — enough that you’d quit that injury inducing fad crossfit.
Arnold is nothing, Jack LaLanne all the way bro:) Anything done incorrectly will induce injury. I’m pretty sure CrossFit has well past fad status.
Buy Arnold’s book he understood complete proteins in the 1970s way before this stuff was mainstream. Crossfit does cause injury why do you not see Olympic weightlifters being timed on their lifts? It’s obvious to those of us who have been at this for a couple decades. You don’t see real athletes endorse CrossFit for a reason.
Jack LaLanne comment was a joke, remember those old commercials? Funny stuff. No doubt Arnold knows his stuff, was anyone ever more dominant?
I’m not here for a back and forth debate but I do get irked when people bash things they don’t know about. Like or dislike CrossFit, there are many perceptions that are just not true. Timing of lifts is a great example that most people assume incorrectly. In the strength/skill section of workouts, lifts aren’t timed. Progression, form, breathing, grip, spine position, etc are all taught no matter what your level. When working strength, proper warm up, lifting and rest are all practiced. If an Oly lift is part of a metcom, then yes, you’re on the clock but not with bad form. Any good coach will stop you, no rep you, or make you drop the weight. Safety is preached a lot. If you deadlift 485 for 1RM, you might only use 185-225 for a metcon. The notion that CrossFit is just lifting as fast as you can with bad form is just incorrect. It does happen but bad form happens in any gym.
As far as real athletes, everyone is a real athlete. It just depends on what your focus and goals are. If you want to run, run. If you want power, then Oly lift. If you want show muscles, then bodybuild. If you want functional strength and overall fitness, CrossFit is an option. None of them are the best, it depends on what you want. The best form of excercise is whatever keeps you interested and motivated to continue to do it.
At 48, CrossFit gives me the strength and fitness to do what I want in life. Previous shoulder, back and knee pain… Gone.
If Oly is your thing, then crush it man and good luck to you.
Aye, where do I even start. I’ve been in this game for a long long time and have yet to see any new workout routine come close to competing with what the Arnold wrote 40 years ago.
It’s no mystery why safety is preached a lot in crossfit (now) they know their livelihood of this dangerous sport/cult depends on it. And just because safety is preached does not mean that these chump second rate crossfit athletes/trainers even know proper form themselves. I’ve been deadlifting 20 years and I can tell you my form is still not perfect. The best analogy to deadlifting is a golf swing — there is no perfection and you can practice and spend lots of money on top tier training to get closer to perfection, but perfection doesn’t exist. Look if these guys were any good at powerlifting they wouldn’t be crossfit trainers…
Look at the numbers, the instance of injury in powerlifting is a fraction of crossfit. My powerlifting partner is a 280 pound ER doctor, and 90% of the rotator injuries that he sees in the ER he doesn’t even have to ask… he knows they are from crossfit before the patent even opens their mouth. Miles per Day even had shoulder injury if i recall a few months back, and this is in his early days of training. I’ve never had an injury in 20 years of weights (bodybuilding turned powerlifter). So as my PSA to the both of you there are better alternatives that provide as much of the social aspect you are looking for as Crossfit. A disc issue in your back will last a lifetime, guess how out of shape you will be when that happens and you cant go to the gym at all! This is about longevity.
Crossfit isn’t a question of better results, that is absolute bullshit. I’ve been competition ready at 178 pounds with a 48 inch chest and 30 inch waist with a powerlifting routine as well as bulked up to 240 to really push weights around. When it comes to putting on pure muscle there is no alternative to a routine of heavy weights. The delta comes into play with the diet and again this is something that takes years to understand one’s body, where strangely no two people are the same and thus no diet can be the same for two people — who would have thought…!?
Apologies for the tone, I preach the same way to my friends that have gone down this path.
I didn’t read the whole comment that closely b/c it was so long but I think I got the gist…are you really saying powerlifting is better for your overall health than CrossFit? Powerlifters don’t often make it past 60…
Anything that you do physically to push yourself has some element of injury risk to it. If it doesn’t, you won’t improve.
Do you prepare the chicken over the weekend and then keep in the fridge during the week? I’m lazy and end up eating whatever’s quick to make during the week, so think lean pockets, hot dogs, turkey burgers, etc. But if I could prep chicken on Sunday for the week and just reheat with some bag veggies for lunch that could still fit into my lazy lunch lifestyle.
Yes, that’s what we do. Cook my lunches on Sunday night for the entire week.