BW Workout and BW changes

Yesterday was the final day of the second stage of Paleo Goes Vegan.

This morning I had blood work completed (results due within the next 48 hours) and this evening I completed my benchmark workout.  For the past 6 weeks I have adhered to a strictly vegan diet. No animal products at all and I have focused on a Plant Strong Vegan diet - relying on minimally processed foods, limited oil consumption, and limited intake of added sweeteners.   As mentioned in earlier posts, overall I feel good - but there have been a few minor setbacks:

Body Composition

It changed.  Overall I lost 6 pounds since the beginning of the diet, and nearly all 6 pounds were lost in the first week.  While the weight loss might seem to be a benefit it really wasn't.  Where I lost the weight, and where I gained it, actually resulted in a change in body shape. I can't believe I am about to post this - but in the effort of transparency and full disclosure - here goes.  I lost my butt and gained a belly.  Seriously - place me in a baggy shirt and slim jeans and overall I look thinner, but I wear the same size clothing now - I'm just filling out my clothing in different places.

Exercise
Over the course of the last six weeks there was a noticeable change in my ability to maintain intense workouts.  Overall strength remained, but the met-con Crossfit style workouts became challenging.  I decided to pick one workout to complete at the end of the Paleo portion of this personal experiment and then again at the end of the Vegan portion. The workout was a BW (Body Weight) 1 mile sled pull for time.  The pull is actually more than body weight as we are loading a sled that weighs approximately 15kg (33lbs).   Load the sled with weights, tie rope around a belt, pull the sled on asphalt for one mile (sounds fun, right?).  I thought that this would be a good workout, and since I was having trouble with intensity, I assumed that I would perform better on this workout as it combined strength with endurance.  I was wrong.

On February 18th I completed this workout in 42 minutes at a BW of 60kg.  Tonight I completed the  same workout in 47.26 minutes with a BW of 58kg.  That is 12% reduction in performance.

Blood Work

I am waiting for the final results from the blood draw today and should have an update by the end of the week.  I had blood work completed twice on the Paleo diet.  Once was approximately 2 weeks into the diet and again 2 weeks later.  I was able to compare these to a test completed on year earlier, a time when I was following a healthy diet but not a strict Paleo Diet.  Here are some of the results:

• Total LDL
• 2/03/10: 107
• 1/14/11: 130
• 2/4/11: 152
• Total HDL
• 2/03/10: 44
• 1/14/11: 73
• 2/4/11: 65
• Triglycerides
• 2/3/10: 155
• 1/14/11: 62
• 2/4/11: 63
• Total Cholesterol
• 2/3/10: 177
• 1/14/11: 215
• 2/4/11: 234

The Paleo Diet is effective at dropping triglyceride levels, but tends to raise total cholesterol levels in the process.  Recent information suggests that total cholesterol might not be the best indicator of overall health and that triglyceride levels should be the focus.  This seems to be at the core of the debate between the Paleo followers and Vegan proponents.

What I have learned is that these levels can change drastically in a very short time with a change in diet.  You can see how a quickly the numbers change in a 3 week window, simply by following the Paleo diet.  What I haven't shared with you yet is that in this process I allow myself a "cheat" week.  A time where I fall off any diet and consume what ever it is I want (I still lean toward whole foods, but tend to consume more sugars and fat that I might normally eat and would consume some processed and refined foods).

Before moving onto the vegan diet I allowed myself a cheat week.  I continued to eat meat, but added grains (pasta) and sweets and some refined foods like chips.  Upon entering the immersion program our blood work was completed at the beginning of the week and at the end of the week.  The results are as follows:

• Total Cholesterol
• 2/21/11: 200
• 2/26/11: 180
• HDL Cholesterol:
• 2/21/11: 61 
• 2/26/11: 55
• Triglycerides:
• 2/21/11: 83
• 2/26/11: 84
• LDL Cholesterol:
• 2/21/11: 122
• 2/26/11: 108

Isn't fascinating how in 5 days results can change so dramatically! Cholesterol lowering drugs do not perform this well.  What is also of interest is the change from the Paleo tests to the tests at the beginning of the immersion program.

These numbers changed when I decided to go off any diet and introduce non-healthy foods.  I added sugar and refined foods and flours and my numbers improved.  Let me say that again - my diet got worse and my numbers "improved" (with the exception of triglycerides).  Something is wrong here, and I question if it's the diet. 

The final results are almost in.  I have requested a VAP report, so later this week we will compare VAP from 2/4/11 to VAP on 4/5/11 and really dig into the results.  For now, I am going to thoroughly enjoy my post workout protein shake (complete with egg protein, sun butter, berries, and flax).