I have been off the sauce for over a week. By sauce I mean all sport nutrition products that fuel 18-20 hour training weeks. They are necessary. I am sure I could do it all on nuts and seeds, but I don’t. What can I say, I am a real human being. I can’t live off the land when I am training!

My transition to short course begins with nutrition. Continuing this nutritional journey I began about a year ago and fueling things totally differently because I don’t need to consume so much to fuel so much! Hooray!

I am not a big believer in “I don’t have enough time” because if you are passionate about something, you make time. Whether it be family, training, education, nutrition….. you structure your life to make the time if you care about it enough. I care about all of that so I do the little things…. the 1% things as we say…. that over time add up to big things.

I am now part of the nursing faculty at a local college so I am working in my nursing profession a bit more, and have cut my stable of athletes to accommodate that. I am also in grad school, retired from teaching yoga and cycling, and committed to a short course triathlon future.

Everything that I do I am 100% passionate about.

I am a total broken record when I say that planning is key, but it is. Today I spent 3 hours prepping food, getting every ounce of laundry done for all of us, getting our son totally ready for back to school, my schedule of school (teaching), grad school and training.

Three hours today makes life a whole hell of a lot easier. I know what I am eating, wearing and doing on my bike on Thursday.

Nutritionwise I raided our garden today and picked enough, gathered enough and prepared enough to take me through Friday.

I roasted all of these veggies in macadamia nut oil with a whole bunch of seasonings. Oregano, cumin, paprika….. I just dumped them all in! 400 degrees for 40 minutes. I did fail to focus the camera.

From this roasted goodness:

Egg casserole:

– 12 eggs

– 1 cup coconut milk

-1/2 cup coconut flower

Dump some of the above veggies in, add in some turkey I have browned at 375 for 30 min. Breakfast for the week.

Garbage soup:

I dumped 1/2 of these veggies into organic chicken broth with some of the browned turkey. Soup for lunch for a few days.

I also put together:

– salad dry ingredients

– salad veggies

I will combine those for salad to go with the soup to transport to work!

I also took some of the browned turkey, riced up some cauliflower, cooked that and voila! I have another meal.

I cut up fresh mango, strawberries and blueberries, placed them in Tupperware containers and I will grab those for my afternoon sweet tooth snack on my commute home!

I find that most nutritional blunders are made because people find themselves in situations where they don’t have access to good food. I carry my lunch pail everywhere I go. At the very least, there is a Lara Bar in there!

A little prep goes a very long way, not just with nutrition.

What are your tricks?

This Monday comes a major change for me. I am embarking on a new chapter in my nursing career as I join the faculty at a local community college. Since our son was born my nursing career has been part-time, supplemented by teaching group fitness, coaching, etc. I have worked nights evenings and weekends for eternity. aside from the experiences I have had as a nurse, I haven’t really advanced my nursing career.

When we had our son that was the plan. I worked around being a mom, and I trained around that. With a special needs child I dedicated myself to being available at all times of the day.

Now that he’s an 8th grader I am able to work on my career again. I will still be coaching but I did cut down how many athletes I will work with by a significant amount. I now have a set schedule that mirrors my son’s. I feel so good about returning to the ‘working world’ and moving forward with my career goals. Part of that is earning my Masters degree which I also begin Sept 8th.

How does that affect training and more to the point, nutrition? Luckily it forces me to get off the distance bandwagon that I have been a victim to for years. By default I will train 20 hours a week and in turn that doesn’t help my body composition goals. Ironic isn’t it?

To train that much you have to fuel it or you can’t sustain it. And while my body comp is where it should be right now….. as I transition to short course I can’t afford an extra ounce on this frame. So body comp improvement is goal number one.

I don’t believe in “I don’t have time to make healthy meals”. I know what busy is like. I don’t buy that at all. Make time. As I move towards this new chapter I have ultra organized myself and part of that is bring nutritionally organized. You won’t see me at a vending machine or with pizza in my hand. You will see me with my lunchbox filled with good food.

Like this:

I love my lunch bots and I love fruit kabobs. Those up there took me all of three minutes to make. You have time people. You have time. And the grapes? 30 seconds to pull off.

I also went through Paleo breakfasts and lunches to go and made a list of all the ones I liked. Sunday I will make them for this week, and next Sunday I will do the same for the following week. I will spend a good two hours on Sunday to meal prep for the week, and trust me….. it makes the entire week so much better. So so much smoother.

Planning is really and truly the key to all of this.

Training wise….. I am in my off season and healing an injury (that’s ahead of schedule!). I am mostly swimming and weight training. The beauty of this is that it does not require the fueling that 20 hours per week does. This week I am down 3 pounds already. I am a fan of getting body comp in check during the off season. During the on season it’s very hard for me. I can maintain like it’s my job. plus, getting body comp in check now helps me through the holidays! We aren’t the type to hit a lot of parties though!

So here is to a new chapter in both my professional and athletic career. At forty I don’t want to reinvent myself or put myself back together. I want to begin again and be better to my body as an athlete.

Lesson of today? You do have time. Eat up!

Last time we talked we sifted through low carb myths. When people think Paleo they think low carb. Low carb, especially for an endurance athlete isn’t a great option. Forget according to research, you try to fuel 15-20+ hour training weeks on low carb. You’ll faint. Click on the afore mentioned link to learn why Paleo has ZERO to do with being low carb. It’s not. End of story.

Ten days ago my husband herniated a disc in his lower back. He’s 57…. a damn good athlete, and no one mechanism of action caused it. The surgeon told us that in truth it remains a mystery as to why it happens. Yes years of wear and tear are contributors, but no good reason why.

His herniation was so bad that he was rendered unable to walk. In the span of days he went from being a fiv time national champion triathlete whose gone sub ten in an Ironman…. to not being able to walk without great assistance and peeing in a bucket in our living room. Total debilitation.

To make a long and painful story short, and help us get to the point…… he had surgery yesterday to remove a fragmented piece of disc that was wedged underneath a nerve. I have never in my life seen a human being in so much pain (former pediatric trauma nurse and mother who survived 17 hours of labor speaking here). He’s doing great and is expected to return to full activity in time. Our surgeon is brilliant and amazing. Grateful is an understatement.

I taught myself how to cook last fall. My husband has always been the chef in the home. But now he was in a position where he had to depend on me for meals. I made him breakfast lunch and dinner (and snacks!). In one meal he was hooked on my cooking.

“This is meat and veggies, I love this!!!” He exclaimed, as I wondered what type of meds we were giving him for pain. “You really CAN cook now.” Who is this man and what happened to my husband?

Post op last night we decided that he’d go through my cookbooks (referenced on the left) and I would do the cooking, as he’s not allowed to really do much just yet. I felt so accomplished. I felt so proud. There is something so nice about making food, good food to help the love of your life recover. I am a mom, a nurse and a coach…. taking care of people is what I do (excuse me, can you move over while I carry this cross around on my back).

“So this is Paleo?” He asked me. I held up my finger.

“Never say Paleo.” I told him. It’s true. “Say Mediterranean if you have to say something.”

We live in a society obsessed with labels and categories. I named this blog The Paleo Triathlete because I know Paleo bugs people and intrigues others. It’s not low carb. I am not a strict foodie.

The biggest change for me is that I don’t eat much bread. I lost my taste for it when I began easting sweet potatoes! At the same time… if we are out and they plop down wam bread fresh from the oven…. I sure am going to have it! I don’t make Paleo cookies, if I am going to have a cookie…. with frosting…. I want the real deal!

When you say Paleo to people though, they love or hate what you are about. I am comfortable with both reactions. You can’t really stir me. I use it as an opportunity to flash the mirror back at them. I will point out….. You will call Paleo stupid, low carb, a weird choice…. you get upset because this is what I enjoy…… it’s something inside of YOU that it doesn’t sit with. Not me.

In life ….. people don’t dislike you or things you do because of you. It’s because that mirrors something in themselves that they are uncomfortable with. People also…. spend a lot of time looking in your mirror rather than focusing on their own. That’s just how people are. So buck up and get cozy with who you are and what you are about.

Don’t say Paleo if you can’t handle the reaction. If you can…. it just rolls off.

As we were talking I wondered aloud…. I just fail to see how a diet based in fruits and veggies as the biggest food group is such a big deal. My husband agreed.

We bring him home this morning, and I have been going through the cookbooks. Here are some new recipies I am excited to try:

• Watermelon Gazpacho from Nom Nom Paleo. Click here for the recipe.
• Meatloaf muffins from Paleo Girl Click here for the recipe. I have made this before, Curt loved it!

To be honest these meals are ridiculous to make. If you need a blueprint…. try this one. Click here. Essentially take veggies and some protein. Cook it all in ghee or coconut oil. Add a salad as a side. Or if you don’t eat Paleo add some grains on the side. You are still getting amazing beautiful nutrients and feeding your body well.

During his recovery, he is going to eat like a king. I can’t wait to get cooking!

 

 

More fun than leading a Paleo (ish) lifestyle is the reaction to people around you. It’s amusing to be quite honest. People get honest to goodness upset with you, as if you are forcing them to eat a certain way. As my father told me when I was a kid…. when people strike out at you, it’s because they don’t feel good about themselves.

My advice to you, is what I follow: let them criticize. Hell I got ripped on last week because my toothpaste isn’t Paleo. There will always be one person standing in the corner, for whatever reason…. ready to pounce. Just be stronger. Easy. It’s not you…. it’s them. Carry on friend. Carry on.

Folks often equate Paleo (and remember in my case… PaleoISH) to low carb. Not so. You can make it low carb, just like you can make ANY diet low carb. This isn’t the south beach however, this is the real world. Paleo (ish) is only low carb if you make it so.

Just as an example:

• 1 slice of bread = 11-15 grams of carbohydrates (CHO)
• 1 sweet potato= 27+ grams CHO
• 1 banana = 25-30 grams CHO

My motivation for all of this is my health. Not only did I have a severe eating disorder from age 10-20 that resulted in a massive cardiac event at age 20, I have experienced some frightening health issues in 2012-2013 that really caused me to look at what I was putting into my body.

Dr. Terry Wahl is who really turned me on to eating more “plant based” . Her experience (and research) into the role the diet plays into neurological disease caught my eye. Whole30 as you know caught me as well, and allowed me to determine I don’t have any food sensitivities (hello gluten!).

I had a limited palette for too many years. In the past 10 months I had my first sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, pears (yea, I JUST had my first pear), avocados…. the list is ridiculous. Previously I ate bananas, oranges, grapes. Broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce. Not much more beyond that adventure (and too many grains!).

I just feel good and that right there…. is evidence enough for me. I focus on real foods, not low carb. I focus on foods that have no ingredient list, not in certain categories. I am not a total true Paleo girl (I had some ice cream last night) but I am for being better than I was before.

As I journey through this whole lifestyle thing I am intrigued and interested most in buying local. I never realized how much of a fruit and vegetable farming industry existed here in Western New York. Not only is this area gorgeous but we are abundant with local farming and opportunity to get it! Here are a few examples of places you can buy:

The good food collective is something I stand on the edge of joining. My only hesitation is I am afraid I’d let something go to waste. My husband eats VERY similar and wouldn’t let that happen, so I should just JUMP!

Breathe Yoga and Juice Bar: I taught yoga here for ten years, and Cyndi has a teaching kitchen right in the complex. She focuses on homegrown ingredients and their meals are unreal. So are there juices.

Real life food and fitness is a new place downtown that focuses on small group ex classes, personal training, yoga, etc, but they focus on real food. Locally grown and made, another great place to buy meals!

There are a bunch of other places, including the Rochester Public Market, Effortlessly Healthy, and more. There is a farm up the street from me that I purchase eggs at…. what a difference in taste when they come right from the farm! Curt and I also expanded out garden this season and now that we’ve got a fence around it, should yield us veggies galore soon!

Bottom line: don’t worry about what people say. There’s always one who thrives on tearing you down any chance you get. This is your choice, your life, your body, your health. Don’t care what other people say, make good informed decisions about what you choose to fuel your body with!

 

I am deeply in love with mustard. Anything with mustard and all things mustard. I happened upon this recipe for mustard chicken thighs from a new cookbook called “The Paleo Kitchen.” featured on Nom Nom Paleo.

All in all I am getting pretty good at cooking! Last fall I taught myself how to cook vie You Tube and google and it’s been a great experience. I enjoy creating good food that is good for me. I am in love with cooking utensils and have slowly been adding more and more to my collection as I phase out the old unused spatulas from college.

Some of my favorite kitchen utensils:

• Julienne slicer: Great for making zucchini pasta!
• Avocado slicer: Love this to help me slice right!

When I cook I never use spray anymore. I use:

• Coconut oil
• Ghee
• Avocado oil
• Macedemia nut oil

If you are local to Rochester there is an amazing food truck called Effortlessly Healthy. She specializes in Paleo food and not only can you grab lunch or dinner, you can have fresh meals delivered right to your house. Sometimes I order a week’s worth not only for the convenience, but for the recipe ideas!

This week I am on a big recovery week / testing week as I am starting up with a new wingman / coach / mentor. It’s someone I have known and respected a long time. We’ve decided to keep the identity a secret in an effort to help me focus on me. I am not real good at that….. martyr, I know!

When I am back in the groove I am fueling with baby food on most days. Perform and powergels on the long days. It’s been working great!

 

The title of this blog is deceiving. I am not 100% Paleo which angers some of the true Paleo folks out there. I would say I am as Paleo as I can be. I don’t get upset with labels, I don’t get upset with people who label themselves and I don’t get bothered by people who take jabs at me “You aren’t true Paleo.” Yeah yea. If that’s your biggest problem in this world than…. man….. you are a lucky person.

I truly just don’t know how I define myself. So I call it Paleo-ish and move along. Spending this much time even writing about it is too much time. I have stuff to do.

Why this way of eating? My health.

A few years ago I went through a devastating illness that I don’t talk about. Not because I am aiming to be secretive or that I am embarrassed about it. There are just some things that I don’t put on social media (believe it or not). Some things are for myself, my family and my inner circle. There are things in my life that are still personal.

As I endured it and cycled through a big cycle of burnout (thank you Ironman) I did a lot of research on the relationship between nutrition and disease. Specifically cancer. Which led me into neuro disorders of the brain, and how Mediterranean diets have been shown in some cases…. to help.

I was intrigued by all of it. I was intrigued by the role nutrition plays in disease. As an RN I know all about the role that medicine plays in treating disease. Not a lot of emphasis is placed on prevention. I was always a healthy eater, but my fruit and vegetable selection was limited. I ate a lot of grains.

Cycling through Whole30 really was a wonderful experience. I learned that I don’t have a sensitivity to gluten, or grain, or dairy. I felt good when I removed refined sugars, and I don’t eat much in terms of refined sugar or even processed foods. I taught myself how to cook (thank you You Tube!). I really fell in love with creating good food, eating more locally….. etc.

As an athlete I do understand the role of nutrition as it pertains to performance and even recovery. I began to wonder a bit about the role of sports nutrition on my every day health. I realized that when you do train for distances you may at times cross the line between health and detriment. At the end of the day training 20 hours a week can be VERY detrimental to health. That’s not a secret. So I was really looking for that line.

I am not interested in shakes, drinks, potions, pills or powders. We can get all of the nutrition we need from whole foods. Add in some fish oil, vitamin D if you live where I live and eat well…. you are good!

I am interested in learning how to cook more. I have more cook books than I have ever had. I am interested in fueling my body in the best possible way. I turned 40 6 months ago and I have survived a few horrific things. I want to be around when I am 80 crossing finish lines and living life.

That…. rather than what type of eater am I…. is really my focus. Others get bothered when you select a certain way to eat. I encourage them to look in their own mirror rather than mine. I am not strict on rules. I like a good beer and a crispy slice of pizza. I live by my rules. And I hope you can as well. I am certainly not a Paleo expert, the Paleo police. I am certainly not a Registered Dietician but am a Registered Nurse. Research is important to me and I know disease process.

Cookbook recommendations:

Well Fed I

Well Fed II

Nom Nom Paleo

Quick and easy Paleo comfort foods

And I have more but that’s for another day!

 

I have been fortunate to have worked with some spectacular coaches throughout the past few years, who have a great eye for nutrition. In my work as an athlete and then coach with QT2 Systems I was educated in the theories of The Core Diet. The Core Diet is just a method of eating healthy and fueling training properly. It’s actually not a diet at all and nothing that is outlandish or over the top.

The foundation of the Core Diet is health. Without health we have nothing to build upon.

The Registered Dieticians at the Core Diet write daily nutrition and race day fueling plans not only for their own athletes, but for anyone who wants one. They were really the first to focus on this side of training.

Visit The Core diet for more information.

Fueling training is critical. Here are some tips, and how I have adapted for more Paleo-ish style:

1. The 30-60 minutes before a workout is considered to be the pre workout window. During this time aim to eat something less than 50 Grams of CHO, with minimal protein and fat. Examples for an athlete who eats Paleo would be:
• Banana = 27 grams CHO
• Sweet potato = 30 grams CHO (depending on size)
Other suggestions would include mango, egg and banana pancakes, something easy to digest. This is often skipped and it shows.

2. During training aim for 50-60 grams of CHO per hour on the swim and the run, and upwards of 90-100 grams of CHO per hour on the bike. This is where adhering to Whole30 and strict Paleo guidelines can be tricky. Many of us endurance athletes train upwards of 20 hours a week which means long rides of 4-6 hours. This is where many of us need to cross the line over to fuel that includes sugars, to help us fuel.

When I fuel short workouts of 1-2 hours in duration I rely on organic baby food. I use pureed bananas, blueberries, and sweet potatoes. Powerbar has also come out with their energy blends, which are also great.

The issue with the longer training sessions, is that we need the combination of short, medium and long acting sugars to fuel us and prevent GI distress. We also need sodium when it’s hot.

During shorter sessions I use Osmo and baby food.

During long sessions I use Powerbar Perform, cliff blocks, and / or powergels.

I find that alternating between these products HAS helped my GI tolerance to many things. I never get gut rot or teeth sting anymore. And I feel great.

3. Post workout window: The post workout window is equal to the duration of your session. If you rode your bike 60 min, your post workout window is 60 min. Here you are aiming for foods with a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein, because research shows that ratio restocks glycogen and helps begin muscle repair.

Many non Paleo athletes will use chocolate milk here. Other sources of recovery foods:

• Raisins: high glycogen.
• Eggs: high in protein
Fueling training is critical if we are aiming to see improvement. Fueling training allows you to get the most out of each session.

Here is an article written by my former coach and employer Jesse Kropelnicki, which investigates starvation workouts (which he does not recommend, nor do I). Click here for that.

Bottom line: fuel your workouts. If you train > 15 hours a week you may have to cross the line into sport drink. Experiment with products that work for you and remember: the foundation is HEALTH.

About 8 months ago I cycled through Whole30, and loved it. Intrigued by how amazing I felt I continued on the Paleo lifestyle. As a triathlete I searched and searched for methods of fueling that were better than the traditional nutrition products endurance athletes rely on.

Throughout my research I have found a few sites of ultrarunners who shared some fueling tips. I found a lot of blogs on paleo and cross fit, but I haven’t found any paleo triathlon sites. So I decided to create one.

Here we will experiment fueling, training and everything. Over the next few days I will link up the resources that have helped me learn to cook, the sites that are my go to sites and I will begin to share my fueling tips.

I am really passionate about my health. I am a former elite triathlete who lost her health quite badly and have been fighting back for a few years now. My health is my biggest concern and through Whole 30 and Paleo I have the best health I have had in ages. I taught myself how to cook and I feel like I live in a whole new world.

Have something to share? Please send me an email to info@mary-eggers.com, or leave me a comment. All comments are moderated.

Thanks for stopping by and here is to our growth!