Eat to Perform for Crossfit.. and then eat a little less

If you remember not too long ago, I was boasting about using Eat To Perform for Crossfit, liberating myself from the paleo prison I was trapped in and opening my diet up to foods that not only make me feel better overall, but help to fuel my Crossfit performance. A plan that encouraged white rice and even suggested eating cereal before bedtime (a nostalgic habit that I grew up with). With the adjusted guidelines, I noticed plenty of changes in the box with better endurance, recovery, strength gains and PRs, but also witnessed some added scale weight.

The number on the scale itself never bothered me and my clothing fits fairly the same, though admittedly yoga pant type jeans are quite forgiving. But when I would do my typical post-shower flexing (everyone does this, right?), I could tell that I was retaining weight in my midsection, which brought back memories of my pre-paleo body. I ran across an article on Greatist that couldn’t have come at better timing about interpreting fluctuations in weight. After finding my place on the chart: increasing weight, increasing waist, increasing strength; I realized that despite being in a better place within the confines of the gym, I was likely in a calorie surplus. Bulking, yo! 😉

It had been awhile since I had a Bod Pod test done (last one was in July), so out of curiosity, I scheduled another one to evaluate if my current way of eating and training is in line with my goals. The results of the test confirmed my suspicion that my recent weight gain was more than just muscle gains; over 5# gained was fat. Yes, there was muscle gain as well, and despite hitting PRs and still feeling comfortable with my body (seriously, learn to love yourself at any stage and it makes life far more grand), I still felt like what I was doing may not be ideal, and some tweaking needed to be done.

After consulting the experts on the Eat to Perform forum and sharing my food logs, it was determined that I am consuming quite a bit of fat (um, hello daily avocado and copious amounts of Kerrygold), and overall consuming quite a bit more calories on days when carb-loading is not necessary. I also will confess that my baby sister works at a bakery, and I probably have consumed more gluten in the past three months than in the past year.. (But fresh-baked cinnamon raisin toast smothered in butter is sooo good)..

Now, it’s time to tweak. My new baseline template, with a TDEE of 2428 calories, is Protein: 150g, Carbs: 288g, Fats: 75g. On control days, carbs are reduced to 150g. This is still a considerable amount of food, though I may need to stop justifying little treats (ahem.. sour Starburst jellybeans..) here and there that I was before if I want to stick to my partially aesthetic-based goals. (To find out more specifics for your own use, you can check out the ETP Calculator).

I know a lot of people are against counting calories or measuring their food, and for many, it can be extremely time-consuming and stressful to do so! But for me, it has been a way to keep myself in check working towards a specific goal: maintaining or increasing muscle while losing some fat. Eat to Perform does not at all stress or endorse measuring and logging every morsel, though in the beginning, I think it can be a very useful tool to get an overall picture of how your current diet exists. If what you are doing today isn’t helping you to reach your goals, maybe consider logging what you eat for a short while and you may be surprised at what you can conclude!

Note that I am not a dietitian or nutritionist or anything, but I am excited to work with these new guidelines to see if it has the performance and aesthetic impact that I am hoping for, and you should tailor your eating and training habits to your own needs!

Your turn..
Have you considered Eat to Perform?
Do you ever tweak your diet for different goals?
What is your biggest dietary struggle?
Do you label your eating style?