After 6 months of CrossFitting regularly, I feel that I can objectively comment on the changes I’ve experienced. It took a few months, but I feel like I have finally found what’s right for me, and want to share my insight with you. In a word: balance. Everything in moderation. Don’t jump into something all out without considering the effects it may have. You shouldn’t just wake up one day and say “I’m never eating grains or a meal that is not perfectly 30/40/30 again.” You shouldn’t demand immediate and continuous maximum intensity and massive results from your body after asking relatively little of it for so long before. There will be positive and negative feedbacks from these actions, and while the positive results will seem great at first, the negative responses can be minimized or negated with some patience, respect, and understanding for your body, and the results will still come. You don’t need to lose 5-10 pounds in a single week. That is not healthy. You don’t want to pack on 2-5 pounds of muscle in a single week. That is also not healthy. I recommend easing your way into CrossFit and the Zone Diet over the course of a month. Your body will find the immediate carb cutting shocking, especially if you chose to eliminate grains. Cut back slowly, be conscious of the Zone prescription, and change your grocery shopping list to be Paleo-friendly. Start planning meals, include healthy fats, and eat when you first wake up and before you go to bed. You will feel the difference. Start training every other day, then 2 days on 1 off, and as your body gets used to the demands you place on it during a CrossFit workout, your recovery time will improve, and so will your strength and cardiovascular endurance. Work your weaknesses, and remember that routine and specialization are the enemy. Finally, I’ve learned that the best bonus you will get from CrossFit is not the incredible physical fitness gains, it is the mental toughness that comes from having the willpower to make difficult but healthy choices, like choosing to eat a whole cucumber instead of ¼ of a croissant, or getting up off the ground for that 3^rd round of a Fight Gone Bad.