I love acronyms.

It begins.

I like CFCC and I like acronyms and I like thinking about food, so I'm participating in this thing. I've been with CFCC from the beginning, and I've gone through several group challenges in various incarnations. I hated the Zone the first day I tried it, so that didn't happen. I didn't make it through the major macro-counting one. I don't like weighing and measuring obsessively, but I do check in every once in awhile to make sure that what I think is 6 ounces of chicken isn't like, 3 or 12. I get nervous when people start to freak out that they ate 1.5 cups of broccoli instead of 1.

 That being said - I have done literally EVERYTHING when it comes to food. I've done standard American/college student diet. I've done the Zone (for two days before I hated everyone in the world). I've done strict Paleo and loose Paleo and Primal and loose primal. I've done vegetarian and vegan, HAH. What can I say? I like learning and I like experimenting with myself as the test subject. I was pretty thin as a marathon-training vegan, but I was frail.

Senior year of college. This was the don't-eat-anything-then-teach-two-step-aerobics-classes diet (not recommended). Also, prime examples of how you never realize how skinny you are until you see pictures of yourself 5 years later and are like, oh.

 

These legs could run a half marathon, but couldn't deadlift 255.

Rows a 2K in 8:30, socks are 2nd only to Jen's in awesomeness, but Duz Not Have Teh Pullupz.

I've done a few Whole30's and was very happy with the results in my overall good-feeling/wellbeing and performance, but you know. Inevitably there's a creeping back in of less-than-optimal stuff. And I think that you really can't do any better than that and still enjoy life. I mean, I really don't think anyone can subside on perfectly measured tuna, chicken, broccoli, and almonds for the rest of their life. If they can, more power to them, but I think my life is shaping up to be good maintenance, good food, and reeling things in/tightening up when I start to feel like the less-than-optimal is becoming a bigger factor than it should be.

Does that mean I've found peace with food? MAYBE. ALMOST.

What I need to learn now is PATIENCE. That is, nothing happens overnight and when it starts working, for God's sake let it work for more than a few weeks! I know I can complete the challenge, because I can do anything for a month. My personal goal will be to keep this up for a little longer. And since this summer has been affectionately/official coined "The Summer of Pullups"- that is, the summer I work on getting really good at everything not related to a barbell - I think we've found a good thing here.

I'll take measurements and pictures tonight and weight at the gym tomorrow. There are a few things I need to accomplish every day, and yes, I have a chart because I'm slightly insane. And we'll see what happens.