The FUN diet!

I am not a fan of calling how I eat a “diet” but it seems anytime I talk to anyone outside of the crossfit (CF) community that is what they call it so for now we will go with it and leave the “it’s not a diet” debate for another day.

I have had many discussions with many people and when I explain to them how and why I eat how I do, they say “Oh that can’t be fun”, or “Why would you do that, I like to live and have a good time”. The list goes on and on with the negative comments or reactions and they all seem to be thinking I am restricting myself to the point of misery. I find it frustrating because what people aren’t understanding is that I eat how I eat not because it is fun or not fun but because what it does for my body is beyond just fun, it is awesome!

Eating clean gives me fast recovery, the ability to build strength quickly, and the ability to attack workouts (WOD’s) how I want to. And all that is just what it does for my WOD’s. Eating clean also helps me get better sleep and helps me manage stress better. All of these things affect the overall qualify of my life everyday! In some ways I have had more fun since making the change to eating clean.

Fun for me isn’t eating a pizza and drinking beer just because it is there or everyone else is doing it. Fun is setting a new power clean max or going as prescribed (no modifications or RX) on a workout. Fun is doing 80 pull-ups and ripping the skin off of your own hands. I think the problem might be that others are getting their “fun” from something to do directly with eating or drinking and they assume that if you have boundaries and restrictions then that is bad or negative, or not fun! This is fine, I just get my fun from other places. Do I enjoy wine and dark chocolate from time to time-yes! Do I still get to make baked goods for a birthday or celebration, yes (paleo of course!). Will I occasionally eat something that isn’t “paelo” yes! All these things will happen, but the bulk of my food will be clean and that will mean that are some restrictions that I place on myself because I want to. It is my choice to eat and not eat certain things and I do it because I have spent time researching and testing how certain things make me look, feel and perform (as Robb Wolf would say!). The last time I checked eating steak and bacon and veggies and nuts and berries wasn’t boring or a chore or anything that made me miserable. And if eating that way means I can have more fun in the gym, then bring it on!