New Whole 30 & Tough Mudder

[alisonjb]

Hi all, first post here.

 

I am starting the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge next Monday thru my CrossFit affiliate. It's an 8 week challenge, and it's rules are very similar to Whole 30 (no dairy, legumes, white potatoes, etc.) so I'm asking my question here in this knowledgeable community.

 

The challenge starts Monday (9/16) & my first Tough Mudder is Saturday (9/21). In between now and then, my son turns 16 so our weekend will be filled with cake, ice cream, and his choice for dinner out. . .because we're not officially changed yet I want to join in! I've tried to moderate the sugar (no grandma's cookies from the machine this week), but I'm also bidding farewell to my favorites (3 Texas Roadhouse rolls last Sunday) because I'm expecting a permanent lifestyle change, not a quick challenge game.

 

From a previous week-long experiment cutting sugar, I know the first week is difficult, and with Tough Mudder, I'm not sure if I should go "all in" the first week or do the best I can and REALLY start on 9/22. I don't want low carb flu.

 

Another monkey wrench is that I will spend 3 days of the first week at a conference, with no ability to prepare or bring my own food, although their meals are usually pretty good as long as you avoid the desserts and in-session snacks and pop. I'm not concerned about challenge points, etc. I'm at a goal weight and lower bodyfat anyway and am an experienced crossfitter, so I most likely won't win prizes because the physical changes will be small. (I'm doing this for my mental health.) I want to be very disciplined on the challenge, but I've been working for TM since April & don't want to ruin it either.

 

Thoughts on how to manage this?

 

Best,

Alison

 

[Physibeth]

Not sure about the gym challenge, but if you want to say you have completed a Whole 30 you either need to commit to handling these situations or wait until they pass to start. I personally wedged my W30 in between two events I knew would make compliance difficult. Timing is key to success and while there will never be a perfect time there will definitely be better times.

 

As for the Tough Mudder I would say it would depend on your goals. I experienced about 2 weeks of low performance running when I made the Paleo switch and that is pretty normal. I didn't really have carb flu but when your body is used to grabbing easy carbs instead of fat stores during exercise it takes some time to adjust. If you just want to finish I would say go for it. Whole30 doesn't need to be very low carb though it is naturally lower carb than SAD. If you decide to go for it I would say make sure you get lots of starchy veggies leading up to your race. As you are at a good weight/body fat already you are going to want to eat more starchy veggies and on the higher end of the template anyway to maintain your weight and activity level.

[alisonjb]

Thanks Bethany. Your answer is helpful. I don't really have a goal other than to finish Tough Mudder, but my teammates are already better athletes (why I signed up with a bunch of military guys, I don't know) so I don't want to hold them back more than I will anyway.

 

I think my best strategy is to get as many starchy veggies as I can, but if I'm feeling sluggish or can't get the starches at the conference, I'll err on the side of eating unapproved carbs rather than no carbs. Just saying no to desserts and happy hour at the conference will be an accomplishment. (Not that I'm discounting the principles of Whole 30 and saying "no", it is just not ideal to start something like this and immediately thrust yourself into a situation that has more temptation and less control than normal.) 

 

After the race, I will be more strict in my diet and follow the plan completely. The challenge I'm doing is 56 days, so I can wait a week and still do Whole 30 within the challenge timeframe.

[Physibeth]

Sounds like a good plan to me. If you must eat grains at the conference stick to safer grains and not whole grains. I assure that the whole grains won't be properly prepared so eating white rice or bread is safer than brown rice or whole grain breads but much better to just stay away completely.

 

If you can pack some food in to the conference you can stock up on some good options of approved carbs. If your room doesn't have a fridge bring a cooler (assuming you are driving) and keep it full of ice from the ice machine. Precook up some sweet potato, squash, and have some bags of baby carrots. 

[Vanessa F]

I am a triathlete and currently on my first W30, day 13. On day 6 i had a sprint triathlon and was scared to death that i wouldnt have the energy. I took off the entire week due to being tired from the lack of sugar and motivation to actaully train. I am one to drink electrolyte drink pre race, eat gels and beans during race and have muscle milk post race. Cant do that and be compliant with the Whole 30, now can we? I read on another post to take squeeze packs of babyfood containing sweet potatoes and eat them at the times i would eat my energy gels. It definitly did the trick. I had enough energy to get me past the finish line without ever thinking twice. Pre race i had a couple bananas and an apple larbar for breakfast. I have an olympic triathlon tomorrow (double the length of a sprint) and i am going to take the same approach. Hope your race goes well! Good luck with the challenge too!