Planning Ahead for Your Diet

The discipline required to cook and eat that way is amazing and shows utter commitment. If the point is to remind the community that it's possible to stay on the nutritional straight and narrow in hectic times then I'd say the point is well demonstrated.

We didn't get to see the exact percentages of each food, but I have to wonder if a diet like that is really going to be optimal. It looked so low in fat that Dean Ornish could sign off on it. Perhaps the needs of competitive body building necessitate a diet like that, but from what I can see most crossfitters have found that either Zone percentages or a modified lower-carb/higher-fat Zone diet is better for their performance than low-fat/high-carb diets.

If my impression of your diet was inaccurate then I apologise in advance.

That was all completely addressed in the video. She stated that after the competition she ups her amount of fat in order to perform better while doing crossfit.

Your obviously right but that's a typical figure competitors diet to the T. She is a master at what she does. She just started CF and she has been training for something different like you said. It sounds like she might be zoning already. All I know is that she's hot! This was a cool video! I'm glad they interviewed someone with so much food prep experience- you could tell she has it down. Now I'm headed to the store to buy some baggies! And Ryan, you have to agree that getting tips on how to prepare your food in two hours is awesome.

Excellent video and great rebuttal to the Zone Chronicles. I think both videos are informative and helpful. Sometimes you end up eating out and it's important to know how to cobble together something decent (even if it's not perfect zone) and not go completely off the reservation. On the other hand, it was inspiring to me to see Chastity's way of doing things. I travel every week, M-Th, and having seen both videos, I'm going to try Chastity's approach this week.

Chastity, I would love a part II where you show the actual cooking, meal preparation, and meal plan. I recognize the ingredients, many of which I use myself, but how are you putting them together? What and when do you eat? I'm anxious to try it but would rather get the details from you than make it all up myself (lazy, I know, but you seem to have everything figured out so well already)

I certainly eat better than I used since doing Crossfit for just 11 months now. However I still like a lot more variety than that in my food, I still want to go off the reservation once in awhile and eat something I shouldn't, and I just don't want to be a slave to a diet. More power to you Chastity, glad it works for you, just not for me.

I was just commenting to my bro yesterday how difficult it is going to be to stay zone on the road , and low and behold the CF journal comes through again; Loved the interview. Thank you Thank you thank you Good Luck at the Arnold Chastity

I have been woking with Chas for this entire Prep and if there is ever an athlete more dedicated to end goal, I have yet to meet them. She amazes me with her attention to detail, and her ability to adhere to a plan most would leav behind. Im thankful daily for the ability to work with such a great person.

Im super stoked the majority has enjoyed this piece and if u have further questions I would def take the time to answer em....jbunch@gopractice.biz. Just shoot me an email.

Ryan, I gotta say that is the most astute(sp) comment I have ever seen. U explain urself very well and I appreciate the respect. U r correct this diet is to optimize how she looks on stage, the follow up to this will show how she prepare and adjust for the upcoming qualifiers. Her condition will change slightly, but Chas is an athlet year round and will not differ much from now till her games apperance. Her performance, however, will change dramatically. With the addition of more fat and a couple other tweaks, she will have more joint padding and energy, to obviously go harder longer....jb

To #5-Ive heard a lot of people say things like this "I don't want to be a slave to a diet..." or "Im not training for the olympics..." but then want to offer excuses when they don't PR, or don't make the progress that their "enslaved" counterparts are making. BTW, Im not saying that you ARE making excuses, but if you ever do plateau, and are looking for options to increase your performance, look no further than a little dietary 'enslavement.'
B

Thanks Josh. Very interesting, inspiring and enlightening to see how someone takes dieting all the way. I agreed with you regarding your criticism of the Zone Chronicles and applaud you for taking the time to share this side of dieting with us.

I also applaud the Journal editors and the whole CrossFit community for its commitment to open, intellectual debate.

Great video, between Chastity Slone and the Tupperware Man there are some great role models of nutritional commitment.

It would be very interesting to see some specifics changes on Chastity’s performance on some Benchmark WODs after her competition as her diet alters.

Thanks for the motivation and good luck.

Josh,
I enjoyed your video. I was wondering in your comment on the qualifiers and games..are you referring to Crossfit qualifiers and Crossfit games? If so, that will be interesting to see.

If you listen to the latest podcast interviews from CFR on Caity Matter and Gillian Mounsey, neither one have planned diets, they eat what they want. Gillian was actually eating a peanut butter sandwich at her L1 cert right after her 3 minute Fran.

While I think diet is super important for athletic performance, to me it’s its only part of the picture, I think genetics and just plain old heart will have a lot more to do with results at the CF games.

You commented on Pat Sherwood’s video… “For the rest of us adherence to non-restaurant self prepared real meals(zoned,paloed,or other) is the only way to achieve the results u want. Be it hot in a bikini, or number 1 at the games.”

Apparently the data is telling us otherwise. But one could argue that if Caity or Gillian were on a planned diet (zone/paleo) they would be even more awesome.

I find it funny how you hear a lot of crossfiters degrade bodybuilding yet they get a pro body builder to give advice on how to diet.... Interesting. Also, for those who commented about her not performing well right now, to even have the energy to do two cardio sessions plus weight train every day after dieting for 6 weeks shows true heart and dedication to achieve a set goal.
Finally, if you dont follow a strict diet plan, dont say that dieting is not that important. Your giving advice on something you have no clue about.
Thats all I have to say, everyone have a nice day!

Fantastic video. Chastity & Josh, you offer a valuable perspective in this area of fitness. Not unlike Crossfit... Fitness Comp commands a huge focus in proper diet for premium outcomes (easily 80% of the equation in both disciplines). I too received some good ideas on meal planning from this clip. Thank you. It is refreshing to see a Professional Body Builder/Fitness Comp embrace AND practice the idea of functional fitness in Crossfit. BRAVO. I look forward to hearing more on Chastity as it pertains to her growth in Crossfit & her Fitness Comp career. Good luck @ Arnold!!!

Chastity/Josh,

Great video. It's always cool to see how different folks eat. I heard you had a competition today. If that's true I hope you kicked ass!

Congratulations Chastity! You look terrific, girl! I’ve got nothing but respect for your discipline and focus. Remember folks, Chastity is a Pro! She’s been competing for 12years, and she dedicates her life to this. Although the video would have you believe that this lifestyle is easy, in my experience it was very difficult and almost impossible to do alone. In order to be as successful as she is you need to have a solid network of friends and family who will support you. She’s lucky to have Josh.

Chastity - with a diet that extreme, how do you not let food consume your every thought? I competed once before and I successfully adhered to the strict diet for 3months. Sure, I got extra lean and I looked good, but it was very tough and my life revolved around food. If I wasn’t preparing meals, I was eating. If I wasn’t eating, I was thinking about eating. It was all food, all the time.

I’m also curious… there was no mention of vitamins, supplements or fat burners. What’s the deal there? I was told by a couple Pros that at your level, fat burners are a must if you wanna place.

And finally, I apologize if this is too personal, but I think it’s important to talk about what happens to your hormones and menstrual cycle when your diet is that restrictive. I know it’s not the same for all girls, but within the first four weeks of my “competition diet” I lost my period, and it didn’t come back for 9 months even after I got back to a normal weight. That was a huge red flag that my diet and training regimen were doing more harm than good.

In my opinion, it’s hard to compare this athlete to an average CrossFitter, like myself who might prefer to have a softer physique, and who doesn’t want to prepare 3 days of meals in advance. Sure, I want to get strong, fast, and look good so I’ll hit the WODs as hard as I can. But I also like to eat a cookie if someone offers me one. I want to enjoy my Saturday morning cinnamon roll, and I want to party with my friends, and have relationships with people that have NOTHING to do with food or training.

Having diligently followed both styles of dieting, The Zone and a Competition Diet, I gotta say The Zone works much better for me. I can, and do, adhere to a plan that more closely resembles Pat’s diet: high fat, low carb, but without as many restaurants ;) I WaM about 75% of the time, I always consider the nutrient value of my food before eating it, and I only buy organic, local meat & veggies. I don’t have “cheat” days but I follow the 80/20 rule, and I allow myself to indulge if the opportunity presents itself... It doesn’t matter if it’s Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. This is easy for me and it gives me the freedom to live a joyful, abundant life! I just can’t adhere to a plan like Chastity’s without food consuming my every thought, stressing me out, ruining my relationships, and turning me into a Competitive Dieter. But that’s just me. Obviously it works for Chastity and Josh, which is great, but I’d argue that it’s not for everyone, just like The Zone isn't for everyone.

Eat safe guys & gals!

jeanette,

nice post. i think your strategy would work very well for a lot of people!

Pat thanks alot Bro......Chas did great and she was more muscled than any girl out there.......However, not to make excuses Apparently Judges went the other way with muscularity. They wanted softness. But, when u are in the hnds of judges u cant b pissed when its al opinion anyway. It will b cool to have here competing on the clock, not for some dude in a suit who says what he thinks look good that day..........jb

Jeanette u are very intelligent, and well spoken. U seem to gt it very well. Its not about forcin people to eat a certain way, its about showin the options, and avenues required to look certain ways......could people eat horrible and still crossfit like a monster......of course...but that would b a minority. Can some eat what I cannot and still look great.....of course. Chas and I just wanted to give a way we believe works for aestetics, and we will follow it with a way that u can modify it into performance. Thanks for all the intelligent musings....and I think Im very lucky to have an athlete like Chas, not necassarily the other way around, but thanks for sayin it anyway.....jb

Wow, I am so impressed by your discipline and commitment Chastity. Congratulations. After watching your meal planning, I know I need to tighten up my diet. Would love to know more about portions you are eating. You are an inspiration! ...Chris

I see it less as a rebuttal and more of a different way of doing things based on different goals. Pat's video I thought was very informative, I don't always have a say in where I eat, have to keep the family happy too. I love the compactness of the way Chastity stores everything, will make bringing meals to work easier and storing meals both at home and at work simpler. Thanks for all of the info.

Cliff

Correct me if I'm wrong, Sherwood, but what I took away was that most of us won't carry all of our food, so one can use even a chain restaurant and stay in the zone.

While I'm on 18 blocks, I'm still on single fats, not 4 or 5 times, so Pat's meals at the restaurant were off the chart for me.

I think the point of the Zone diet as described by Dr. Sears, it that his diet plan is not just for 2 weeks, but everyday.

All of this diet argument is great but what about those of us that actually like food and want some flavor? How many packets of bland were in there? Food should be more than just about fuel. I have several BB friends who choke down the same stuff all the time and they are strung out, tired and irritable when they are "cutting".She looks tired and drawn in the video. Not many BB's I know are very healthy or fit. And shouldn't meal time also be a pleasurable experience w/friends and family not just a task.

Jerome, pleasurable eating and the Zone are not mutually exclusive. I encourage you to make the most fulfilling choices for your own life, and if you simply love eating too much to follow a proper ratio'd clean diet, then acknowledge that limit and move on. However, I believe you're probably skeptical because you haven't fully tried it. I used to say, "I'll never count my frickin almonds." Guess what, now I'm counting my almonds, and I'm much happier and healthier. Our society currently ascribes far too much importance to food and the experience of eating. You can consider it more than just fuel if you want, but I think it is very, very unhealthy (physically, mentally, and emotionally) to achieve gratification from eating. Millions of Americans do this every day, and I think it helps them deal with lack of gratification, achievement, self-esteem, or some other emotional need. I'm not pinning that diagnosis on you, but the idea of eating always being a social event if fueling our unhealthy tendencies.

We were not meant to get our jollies from eating. At a physiological level it really is just fuel. If you devote yourself to eating that way then you'll quickly lose many of your old habits and preconceptions. I completely understand now why Pat Sherwood eats sliced turkey and fruit for 60% of his meals. Break the emotional connection and see how good it feels to eat for fuel and not ride the insulin rollercoaster.

The "should" in your last sentence is very subjective. Eating zone as a family is a pleasurable experience. My wife and I eat a zone dinner together every night (3 blocks for her, 4 for me). Eating zone does not mean you never get to share a meal with anyone. It means you think about your meals differently and proactively plan your meals for proper nutrition.

Another instructional video experience. Thanks Chastity, Josh and CrossFit. My respect for baggies just increased 100%, and NOW I see how I can pack food for a fitness weekend away from home into a smaller cooler and eat the way I want to eat.

Really nice video!!