What’s embarrassing is that I wasn’t even going for a PR, or lifting an especially heavy weight. I’d been doing a program of heavy 3x5s designed to boost my maximums. Under the program, I’d lift 80% of my 1RM of any given movement (e.g. deadlifts), then move the weight up each week until I could lift heavier stuff. Good plan, right?

Wrong. Yesterday, on my second-to-last rep on my last set, I pull a 155-lb deadlift and hear a pop-pop noise coming from my lumbar vertebra kinda similar to gears shifting in a bicycle.

Translation: You’re so fucked.

I drop down on all fours, yelling out any obscenities that come to mind until a trainer finally comes over. I couldn’t straighten up, and the sides of my ass were tingling all over. Not any fun. Long story short, hobble home, have a wonderful and delightful trainer call an ambulance for me, get shot up with morphine, go to the hospital, get X-rays, and get told my X-rays look good. No, they fucking well do not. But, nothing was broken or irreparably damaged, and I am not a paraplegic.

Also, they did a urine test before the X-rays and I’m not pregnant. Gentlemen?

As Jenny Wren said, my back’s bad and my leg’s queer, and I’m out of commission for a month or more.

Next WOD – heal back, for time, GO.

1500
-    4.5 oz shrimp (3P)
-    1 banana (3C)
-    21 almonds (7F)

1900
-    Greek yogurt (1C/2P)
-    1.5 oz fish (1P)
-    1/3 tsp butter (1F)
-    21 almonds (7F)

2245
-    4.5 oz fish (3P)
-    1 tsp butter (3F)
-    4 macadamias (4F)

Which makes:
- 11 blocks protein
- 5 blocks carb
- 29 blocks fat

I know – no vegetables at all. I couldn’t make it to the store, but tomorrow will be way different. Promise.

So – I’m sure the 1 person who reads this blog is interested in how my 2 week carb binge/workout hiatus went. Basically, it went. I’d love to say I felt more tired, or less alert, or something negative as a direct result of eating so badly, but I was so shot through with cortisol due to all the stress that I’m not sure I could pin anything squarely on my diet. I was studying like crazy, so it wasn’t like I had time to measure my strength losses.

What I did notice is that I was able to use sugar as, well, a drug. The desire to consume carbohydrates is often correlated with low serotonin levels in the brain.  Serotonin is one of those neurotransmitters that regulate your moods and energy levels. When you’re low on serotonin, you get fatigued, irritable, depressed.  (That’s why all your favorite comfort foods are sugar-rich).  So, I started freebasing spaghetti and ice cream. Mmm, delicious crack ice cream. Especially the butter pecan crack. That was the best. Did it work? I was still nervous and short-tempered, so, no, not really. Was I less stressed because of it? Maybe, maybe not. I didn’t perform a control experiment. I felt better only because I thought it would help reduce my stress by calming me down on a chemical level, but that counted for something. And when I couldn’t get to sleep, eating cinnamon toast about an hour before bed gave me enough time to get a sugar high and crash for a good night’s rest. But aside from those tiny little benefits, I didn’t feel demonstrably better.

Either way, I’m back in the saddle. WODs have been a little harder the last few days and there was a little more jiggle when I did “Annie” today and my pullup max has gone down *sniff*. But, whatever I gained just gives me more fuel for lifting, right?

1500
-    4.5 oz tilapia (3P)
-    1/5 cup pecans (7F)
-    1 apple (2C)

1930
-    3 oz chicken (3P)
-    1 1/4 cup broccoli (1C)
-    1/5 cup pecans (7F)

2250
-    2 oz Swiss (2P/8F)
-    4 egg whites (2P)
-    1 pear (2C)
-    2 macadamias (2F)

Which makes:
- 12 blocks protein
- 6 blocks carb
- 30 blocks fat

1430
-    3 oz gyro meat (3P)
-    1/5 cup pecans (7F)
-    1 cup strawberries (1C)

1800
-    1/2 cup cottage cheese (2P)
-    2 cups spinach (.5C)
-    2 tsp olive oil (6F)
-    1/2 cup strawberries (.5C)

2030
-    3 oz buffalo (3P)
-    3 baby pickles, 1 tsp ketchup (1C)
-    4 tbsp hummus (2F)
-    2 tbsp lebneh (4F)

2345
-    1 oz buffalo (1P)
-    1 apple (2C)
-    1 oz Swiss (1P/4F)

Which makes:
- 11.5 blocks protein
- 5 blocks carb
- 30 blocks fat

1 round:

Eat BW in cheese crackers

Post time to comments.

——————————————————————–

Yeah, it was that kind of day. Back on the wagon tomorrow, if I can move.

1430
-    3 oz gyro meat (3P)
-    Lettuce, tomato slices (.5C)
-    2 oz tzatziki sauce (.5C)

1745
-    2 oz chicken (2P)

2045
-    1 crab cake (1.5P/6.5F)
-    1 whole egg (1P/3.5F)
-    2 tbsp hollandaise sauce (9F)
-    1 small apple (1C)

2200
-    1 oz pecans (1.5C/13F)
-    2 string cheese (2P/8F)

Which makes:
- 10.5 blocks protein
- 5 blocks carb
- 40 blocks fat

1100
-    2 oz turkey bacon (2P)
-    12 almonds (4F)
-    1 tbsp cream cheese (2F)

1500
-    2 whole eggs (2P/7F)
-    2 egg whites (1P)
-    2 cups spinach (.5C)
-    1/2 peach (.5C)

2100
-    4.5 oz shrimp (3P)
-    4.5 oz cucumber (.5C)
-    6 tbsp hummus (3F)
-    6 olives (2F)
-    1/2 tbsp cream cheese (1F)
-    1/2 peach (.5C)

2350
-    3 oz shrimp (2P)
-    1 string cheese (1P/4F)
-    2 tsp butter (6F)
-    1 mini whole wheat matzoh (1C)

Which makes:
- 11 blocks protein
- 5 blocks carb
- 29 blocks fat

1530
-    3 oz langoustines (2P)
-    2 cups spinach (.5C)
-    1 tsp olive oil (3F)
-    1 string cheese (1P/4F)

1930
-    2 whole eggs (2P/7F)
-    2 egg whites (1P)
-    2 cups spinach (.5C)
-    1 cup strawberries (1C)

2200
-    1/2 cup ice cream (2C)
-    1 chicken hot dog (2P/5F)
-    2 tbsp hummus (1F)
-    1 string cheese (1P/4F)

Which makes:
- 11 blocks protein
- 4 blocks carb
- 30 blocks fat

1130
-    1 string cheese (1P)
-    1 oz bacon (1P)
-    1 tbsp peanut butter (6F)

1600
-    1 chicken hot dog (2P/5F)
-    5 olives (1F)
-    2 oz fish (1P)
-    1 mini whole wheat matzoh (1C)

1930
-    1 1/4 cup cauliflower (1C)
-    4.5 oz langoustines (3P)
-    1 tbsp peanut butter (6F)

2245
-    1 1/4 cup cauliflower (1C)
-    1 cup strawberries (1C)
-    1 chicken hot dog (2P/5F)
-    1 string cheese (1P/4F)

Which makes:

11 blocks protein

4 blocks carb

27 blocks fat