Today was a lazy day. I had no plans really, except for to pick out some recipes to make for meals for the week. Since I started eating paleo/primal, I've been bombarded with recipes and meal ideas from blogs, books, and Facebook groups, so it's been a little overwhelming trying to choose which recipes I want to try. So mom and I are picking out a couple to try each week. Eating this way takes a lot of prep work- fresh ingredients require cooking and preparing! ;) Which is one reason why our society eats so many grains- they're cheap, plentiful, and very easy to prepare and eat.
Almost everything we find in the grocery stores are made with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, soy or wheat. So as a part of this Whole30 challenge, I'm learning to look closely at everything. While there are recipes to make your own spaghetti sauce and ketchup, I am not at the point where I feel the need to make my own condiments...so I'm just going to look for a low-sugar version of a store-bought brand instead... mustard is fine, as is mayonnaise.
For lunch, mom made a pork tenderloin recipe, which was very good...and along with that, had green beans. For dinner, I decided to use the kale that I had bought earlier in the week and make a Kale and Sausage soup, using Trader Joe's Chicken Sausage. I used coconut oil to saute the onions in the recipe, but I don't really care for coconut oil in the soup...next time I will use butter. I think coconut oil almost has a sweet flavor, that just tastes funny in a soup. (right now the only thing I use coconut oil for is to heat up my sausage crumbles in my morning egg scramble)
I decided to stay in and do laundry tonight, to avoid being tempted by other foods and drinks...so after making the soup recipe I got pretty fidgety (aka bored). I made my typical spinach salad, and also had half a grapefruit while watching TV. While finishing up laundry, I was really having the craving to snack! So I had a few pieces of banana chips (finishing up in the food dehydrator right now), some cashews, the other half of the grapefruit, and a piece of beef jerky.
I will admit that I did have a craving for sweets. I have some dark chocolate that I was almost tempted to eat a piece, but I didn't. It's 85% dark and doesn't taste good, anyway, actually. LOL
Overall, though, I came out successful! Tomorrow I'll be making some new recipes and preparing some meals for the week.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Day 5
Still doing well... had some flank steak strips and red pepper slices for lunch, and some cashews and broccoli later in the day as a snack. I made my cousins chicken nuggets and french fries for dinner tonight (I'm their nanny), and I was very tempted to eat a fry, however I didn't! I want to stick to this challenge the best that I can. No cheats!
For dinner I grilled two Omaha Steak hamburgers on the George Foreman grill, and I topped them with spicy brown mustard, which appears to be Whole30 approved to me! A little bland, but it worked. I also cooked a spaghetti squash- my first time eating one! I must say it was pretty good! The family had spaghetti with meatballs, which I skipped out on obviously, and mom substituted the spaghetti squash instead of the whole grain spaghetti (since she is eating wheat-free now). We did notice that the Hunt's spaghetti sauce contains wheat and soy, and so does the frozen packaged meatballs! More reason to switch to natural, home-made foods, eh!? Then I decided to have some spinach salad, which I topped with sliced almonds and a hardboiled egg, and my balsamic vinaigrette. Well, now I am pretty full! I can't even finish my half of the spaghetti squash! :)
I must say that I am proud of myself for not eating a fry or two earlier this evening! It is so easy to just pick up a piece or two of foods, when they are lying around- you know?
The ankle continues to get better- yay! I've decided to go on with the full marathon training. I've got the time and energy to do it now, so I might as well do it, right?! Plus I know I can drop the weight this winter/spring if I stick to eating paleo. I've already dropped a few pounds just in these first 5 days of "detox"! :)
Tomorrow I may be going out to dinner. That is where the discipline will really have to kick in! I hate going out to dinner and not ordering a beer or drink. LOL But I've gotta stick to water this month, then once I go back to "normal", I'll probably start drinking red wine (in moderation, of course).
I guess that's it. Is anyone else reading this blog? I'm already getting a bit bored with it, and I need some more comments to keep me motivated to keep writing! ;)
Lata!
Tina
I must say that I am proud of myself for not eating a fry or two earlier this evening! It is so easy to just pick up a piece or two of foods, when they are lying around- you know?
The ankle continues to get better- yay! I've decided to go on with the full marathon training. I've got the time and energy to do it now, so I might as well do it, right?! Plus I know I can drop the weight this winter/spring if I stick to eating paleo. I've already dropped a few pounds just in these first 5 days of "detox"! :)
Tomorrow I may be going out to dinner. That is where the discipline will really have to kick in! I hate going out to dinner and not ordering a beer or drink. LOL But I've gotta stick to water this month, then once I go back to "normal", I'll probably start drinking red wine (in moderation, of course).
I guess that's it. Is anyone else reading this blog? I'm already getting a bit bored with it, and I need some more comments to keep me motivated to keep writing! ;)
Lata!
Tina
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Day 4
Just so you all know, I am actually a pretty good writer, however I tend to write too much when I do write...so, just saying, I am trying to keep these blog posts short. ;) If I didn't, I would sit here and try to type out a witty and well-written daily blog for a good hour or so. lol
Anyway, today was kind of a long day. I'm tired now. haha I worked all day at the physical therapy clinic, except a 2 hour lunch break, which I had with my mom. Breakfast was 1 tbsl coconut oil, 2 oz (i guess) of sausage crumbles, and 3 eggs (organic, cage-free brown eggs!) I started to feel hungry about 5 hours after eating breakfast, but then the hunger went away for a bit, and ended up eating lunch at 1:45ish. (breakfast was at 6:30) The good thing about eating protein and fats is that they keep you full longer and your blood sugar (insulin levels) stable. Which is a good thing!! (wheat, grains, sugars are what mess with insulin levels, which cause the cravings and hunger pangs! Yep, even oatmeal!) For lunch mom and I decided on Applebee's, to do their soup and salad meal. It's hard to eat out on this challenge,, because you can't have anything processed, etc. I settled for french onion soup without the cheese or croutons, and got a salad that had grilled chicken, bacon, roasted tomatoes, almond slices and a bacon vinaigrette. Then I had a few pieces of pecan-crusted chicken. I'm sure the pecan crust and vinaigrette contained some sugar, but I'm really not worried about it. I'm being as strict as I can with this Whole30 Challenge, but I"m not going to worry about the small details such as sugar in dressings (I'll allow it just this once!) haha
For dinner I decided to skip going out to dinner with the family so that I could eat some of the food I've got here already- leftover rotisserie chicken, flank steak, a couple sweet potato fries, and my salad, with a grapefruit afterward while icing my ankle and watching "Man Vs. Wild.' Not real exciting, but very satisfying. I'd rather eat in than go out and be tempted to "cheat" on the Whole30 Challenge.
My ankle did pretty well today. I'm very happy with how "not swollen" it is and the mobility it's got already. But I'm also kind of stuck in a predicament. I am having second thoughts on whether or not I should train for the fully marathon (Cincinnati Flying Pig). I've already registered for the full and paid for the training group. But I am pretty sure I could get a refund right now since hte training just started, however I can't get a refund for the Pig registration. The only thing that I could possibly do is to switch to running the half marathon instead. If I do that, I really dont' need the training group and can train for it on my own. The benefit of the training group is that it provides structure, as well as people to run with, motivation to get up early and join group runs, etc. Then again, I really don't want to get up at 6am on Saturday mornings for the next 16 weeks to do a long run. :( Hmmm... not real sure what I'm going to do. I really wanted to run the full Pig this year because I've got the time to train, and who knows how crazy life will be once I start grad school, then graduate with a job. Another negative is that I don't want to run at the weight that I am at. With this paleo/primal lifestyle and way of eating, I know that they weight will come off, I'm just not sure how fast it will. I'd rather train for a marathon 60lbs lighter than where I'm at now, and continue the risk of more sprained ankles and possible stress fractures.
Help me out- what do you suggest I do?!? I'd love to hear your comments!
I'm off now to marinate my steak so that I can make beef jerky in the dehydrator tomorrow. :)
LiveStrong,
Tina
Anyway, today was kind of a long day. I'm tired now. haha I worked all day at the physical therapy clinic, except a 2 hour lunch break, which I had with my mom. Breakfast was 1 tbsl coconut oil, 2 oz (i guess) of sausage crumbles, and 3 eggs (organic, cage-free brown eggs!) I started to feel hungry about 5 hours after eating breakfast, but then the hunger went away for a bit, and ended up eating lunch at 1:45ish. (breakfast was at 6:30) The good thing about eating protein and fats is that they keep you full longer and your blood sugar (insulin levels) stable. Which is a good thing!! (wheat, grains, sugars are what mess with insulin levels, which cause the cravings and hunger pangs! Yep, even oatmeal!) For lunch mom and I decided on Applebee's, to do their soup and salad meal. It's hard to eat out on this challenge,, because you can't have anything processed, etc. I settled for french onion soup without the cheese or croutons, and got a salad that had grilled chicken, bacon, roasted tomatoes, almond slices and a bacon vinaigrette. Then I had a few pieces of pecan-crusted chicken. I'm sure the pecan crust and vinaigrette contained some sugar, but I'm really not worried about it. I'm being as strict as I can with this Whole30 Challenge, but I"m not going to worry about the small details such as sugar in dressings (I'll allow it just this once!) haha
For dinner I decided to skip going out to dinner with the family so that I could eat some of the food I've got here already- leftover rotisserie chicken, flank steak, a couple sweet potato fries, and my salad, with a grapefruit afterward while icing my ankle and watching "Man Vs. Wild.' Not real exciting, but very satisfying. I'd rather eat in than go out and be tempted to "cheat" on the Whole30 Challenge.
My ankle did pretty well today. I'm very happy with how "not swollen" it is and the mobility it's got already. But I'm also kind of stuck in a predicament. I am having second thoughts on whether or not I should train for the fully marathon (Cincinnati Flying Pig). I've already registered for the full and paid for the training group. But I am pretty sure I could get a refund right now since hte training just started, however I can't get a refund for the Pig registration. The only thing that I could possibly do is to switch to running the half marathon instead. If I do that, I really dont' need the training group and can train for it on my own. The benefit of the training group is that it provides structure, as well as people to run with, motivation to get up early and join group runs, etc. Then again, I really don't want to get up at 6am on Saturday mornings for the next 16 weeks to do a long run. :( Hmmm... not real sure what I'm going to do. I really wanted to run the full Pig this year because I've got the time to train, and who knows how crazy life will be once I start grad school, then graduate with a job. Another negative is that I don't want to run at the weight that I am at. With this paleo/primal lifestyle and way of eating, I know that they weight will come off, I'm just not sure how fast it will. I'd rather train for a marathon 60lbs lighter than where I'm at now, and continue the risk of more sprained ankles and possible stress fractures.
Help me out- what do you suggest I do?!? I'd love to hear your comments!
I'm off now to marinate my steak so that I can make beef jerky in the dehydrator tomorrow. :)
LiveStrong,
Tina
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Day 3
Hi! Thanks to those who are following my blog! Please leave comments so I can stay motivated to continue blogging! ;)
Day 3 complete and doing well. My ankle was not that swollen this morning, so that's a very good thing! I hobbled around all day, but I think in a few days I should be able to fully walk on it, and hopefully by next Tuesday I can join my training group and do a slow jog/walk.
As for food, I am staying pretty motivated. Breakfast was about 3 oz of leftover paleo meatloaf, lunch was my typical salad, this time adding 3 oz of flank steak, and also half a grapefruit. I have been feeling a bit foggy/sluggish, as that is typical of starting a strict diet change, but should only last about a week. (i experience the carb-withdrawal flu back in november when I first cut out wheat and started eating Primal..it wasnt too bad). Next week I expect my energy levels to really rise! That is one of the MANY benefits of the paleo/primal lifestyle :)
At my aunt's house I ate 2 blanched asparagus spears and 1 piece of steamed broccoli (the kids-my cousins- were eating it). For dinner I had about 1/2 of a sweet potato- made sweet potato "fries" in the oven... just cut up a sweet potato and sprinkle with pats of butter (or olive oil) and some sea salt. Also baked brussel sprouts- sprinkled with olive oil and Lawry's Garlic Salt and Parsley. Yummy! Then had some of the rotisserie chicken breast that mom roasted the other day.
Feeling pretty satisfied, although my sister made her chicken and rice soup which looked so good...so was sad that i couldn't have some. That and the bag of Smart Food white cheddar popcorn! But I've got a goal to reach, so I'm going to stick to it! Things get so much easier after the first week. I'm not really craving anything right now away. (ok, so I did make skyline for the kids tonight and it looked sooo good)
I'm tired so going to bed early. Have a long day of work tomorrow, and I'll probably go eat lunch out, so will have to start thinking about my options so I can stick to the Whole30!
Does anyone have any questions about the "Whole30 Challenge"? or the benefits of eating paleo/primal...and wheat-free? Which by the way- mom has started to read "Wheat Belly" and is now eating wheat-free! She's doing well so far, also! :) Once she sees her weight dropping, I think I'll have convinced her this is the lifestyle to go with! :)
See ya tomorrow night,
Tina
Day 3 complete and doing well. My ankle was not that swollen this morning, so that's a very good thing! I hobbled around all day, but I think in a few days I should be able to fully walk on it, and hopefully by next Tuesday I can join my training group and do a slow jog/walk.
As for food, I am staying pretty motivated. Breakfast was about 3 oz of leftover paleo meatloaf, lunch was my typical salad, this time adding 3 oz of flank steak, and also half a grapefruit. I have been feeling a bit foggy/sluggish, as that is typical of starting a strict diet change, but should only last about a week. (i experience the carb-withdrawal flu back in november when I first cut out wheat and started eating Primal..it wasnt too bad). Next week I expect my energy levels to really rise! That is one of the MANY benefits of the paleo/primal lifestyle :)
At my aunt's house I ate 2 blanched asparagus spears and 1 piece of steamed broccoli (the kids-my cousins- were eating it). For dinner I had about 1/2 of a sweet potato- made sweet potato "fries" in the oven... just cut up a sweet potato and sprinkle with pats of butter (or olive oil) and some sea salt. Also baked brussel sprouts- sprinkled with olive oil and Lawry's Garlic Salt and Parsley. Yummy! Then had some of the rotisserie chicken breast that mom roasted the other day.
Feeling pretty satisfied, although my sister made her chicken and rice soup which looked so good...so was sad that i couldn't have some. That and the bag of Smart Food white cheddar popcorn! But I've got a goal to reach, so I'm going to stick to it! Things get so much easier after the first week. I'm not really craving anything right now away. (ok, so I did make skyline for the kids tonight and it looked sooo good)
I'm tired so going to bed early. Have a long day of work tomorrow, and I'll probably go eat lunch out, so will have to start thinking about my options so I can stick to the Whole30!
Does anyone have any questions about the "Whole30 Challenge"? or the benefits of eating paleo/primal...and wheat-free? Which by the way- mom has started to read "Wheat Belly" and is now eating wheat-free! She's doing well so far, also! :) Once she sees her weight dropping, I think I'll have convinced her this is the lifestyle to go with! :)
See ya tomorrow night,
Tina
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Day 2
Did well on the eating, not so well on the exercise! :(
For lunch I had a salad- spring mix lettuce, one hardboiled egg, bacon, 1/2 avocado, red and yellow pepper slices, and my homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Tonight my marathon training kicked off, so I left work a bit early to attend the first session. I had a little baggy full of almonds, cashews and banana chips as a pre-workout snack. When our run began, I felt perfectly fine...no hunger, cravings or anything.
The bad thing that happened was I sprained my stupid ankle again!! :( Last summer I sprained my "good" ankle pretty badly while trail running. It took the entire summer for it to heal. One mile into the training run, I took a bad step (right after someone mentioned being careful about footing!), and down I went! How did I know I would do this?!? I honestly saw it coming. From now on, I MUST wear an ankle brace. I really should wear one on both ankles. Ugh. Just makes me so mad.
Hopefully it's not as bad this time, and I will recover quick. I'm aiming for a week off, maybe two. If all goes well, I'll lose a good amount of weight on this Whole 30 challenge, and post-challenge...and that will help me bounce back with my training.
Good thing I work at a physical therapy clinic! I'll have the PT look at it tomorrow and see if he can estimate my healing time. What a bad way to start my marathon training!! :( The good thing is that I'm now more motivated to continue with this challenge, as I really need to lose this weight once and for all. I know it's part of the reason that I have weak ankles- too much weight to bear on them! :(
I hope tomorrow I have some good news about my ankle!
Tina
For lunch I had a salad- spring mix lettuce, one hardboiled egg, bacon, 1/2 avocado, red and yellow pepper slices, and my homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Tonight my marathon training kicked off, so I left work a bit early to attend the first session. I had a little baggy full of almonds, cashews and banana chips as a pre-workout snack. When our run began, I felt perfectly fine...no hunger, cravings or anything.
The bad thing that happened was I sprained my stupid ankle again!! :( Last summer I sprained my "good" ankle pretty badly while trail running. It took the entire summer for it to heal. One mile into the training run, I took a bad step (right after someone mentioned being careful about footing!), and down I went! How did I know I would do this?!? I honestly saw it coming. From now on, I MUST wear an ankle brace. I really should wear one on both ankles. Ugh. Just makes me so mad.
Hopefully it's not as bad this time, and I will recover quick. I'm aiming for a week off, maybe two. If all goes well, I'll lose a good amount of weight on this Whole 30 challenge, and post-challenge...and that will help me bounce back with my training.
Good thing I work at a physical therapy clinic! I'll have the PT look at it tomorrow and see if he can estimate my healing time. What a bad way to start my marathon training!! :( The good thing is that I'm now more motivated to continue with this challenge, as I really need to lose this weight once and for all. I know it's part of the reason that I have weak ankles- too much weight to bear on them! :(
I hope tomorrow I have some good news about my ankle!
Tina
Monday, January 2, 2012
Day 1
Today I officially started the Whole 30 Challenge! I took my body circumference measurements and weight and will take "before" photos tomorrow. Sorry, I'm not sharing those on this blog!! LOL
Mom and I went grocery shopping to get foods for recipes to try and meals for the week. We went to Trader Joe's and picked up some chicken sausage, which I had been hearing about from the paleo/primal blogs and comments. I also picked up some almond meal for using in recipes like meatloaf, and coconut milk.
Of course I slept in, so my first meal, although early afternoon, was an egg scramble. Heat up 1 tbls of coconut oil (this is the best fat EVER! It increases metabolism and helps burn fat) Then I add about 1 oz of sausage crumbles (not really Whole 30 approved, but I'm making a few exceptions), heat them a bit, then added some spinach leaves. After that, I added 3 eggs and scramble until cooked. This is a great breakfast/first meal of the day! Usually this will keep me full and satisfied for 5-6 hours. Oh, I also ate half a grapefruit, which is my new favorite fruit to eat (it's time consuming which makes it kinda fun!)
On the way home from grocery shopping I had a few slices of banana chips that mom made in the dehydrator yesterday.
For dinner we made a meatloaf recipe from my new cookbook- "Everyday Paleo". It's a great book that explains a little bit about the paleo lifestyle, and even has some Crossfit type exercise examples/fitness routines in the back of the book. I like the recipes in the book, because for the most part, they seem pretty simple and easy to make.
After the meatloaf went into the oven, I made bacon bits, hardboiled eggs, and chopped up peppers, which are all used for my salads. Then I made mashed cauliflower, which is a new family favorite! Right now I am marinating a flank steak, then will cook it and slice up later tonight to add to salads this week. Mom is cooking a 3lb chicken in the oven right now, too. A big part of being successful with eating paleo and this Whole 30 challenge, is making sure that meals are readily available. Meat is cooked, vegetables on hand, etc.
So Day 1 is almost complete! I was able to not be tempted by the leftover LaRosa's pizza, nor the Pepsi and chips and dip that we had yesterday when we had family over. Success! 29 days left!!
Mom and I went grocery shopping to get foods for recipes to try and meals for the week. We went to Trader Joe's and picked up some chicken sausage, which I had been hearing about from the paleo/primal blogs and comments. I also picked up some almond meal for using in recipes like meatloaf, and coconut milk.
Of course I slept in, so my first meal, although early afternoon, was an egg scramble. Heat up 1 tbls of coconut oil (this is the best fat EVER! It increases metabolism and helps burn fat) Then I add about 1 oz of sausage crumbles (not really Whole 30 approved, but I'm making a few exceptions), heat them a bit, then added some spinach leaves. After that, I added 3 eggs and scramble until cooked. This is a great breakfast/first meal of the day! Usually this will keep me full and satisfied for 5-6 hours. Oh, I also ate half a grapefruit, which is my new favorite fruit to eat (it's time consuming which makes it kinda fun!)
On the way home from grocery shopping I had a few slices of banana chips that mom made in the dehydrator yesterday.
For dinner we made a meatloaf recipe from my new cookbook- "Everyday Paleo". It's a great book that explains a little bit about the paleo lifestyle, and even has some Crossfit type exercise examples/fitness routines in the back of the book. I like the recipes in the book, because for the most part, they seem pretty simple and easy to make.
After the meatloaf went into the oven, I made bacon bits, hardboiled eggs, and chopped up peppers, which are all used for my salads. Then I made mashed cauliflower, which is a new family favorite! Right now I am marinating a flank steak, then will cook it and slice up later tonight to add to salads this week. Mom is cooking a 3lb chicken in the oven right now, too. A big part of being successful with eating paleo and this Whole 30 challenge, is making sure that meals are readily available. Meat is cooked, vegetables on hand, etc.
So Day 1 is almost complete! I was able to not be tempted by the leftover LaRosa's pizza, nor the Pepsi and chips and dip that we had yesterday when we had family over. Success! 29 days left!!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Welcome to my first blog!!
I've decided to start a blog, after committing to participate in the Whole 30 Challenge, in order to track my progress and share it with others. I discovered this challenge in the paleo/primal community. For those of you not familiar, the paleo and primal lifestyle is basically "living and eating like a caveman". This means lots of meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and occasionally fruits. I started eating a Primal/Paleo diet in November, after coming across the Wheat Belly book and website, and was then lead to Mark's Daily Apple website. This finding was BIG!! Basically, I discovered through these websites and forum discussions and other research, that wheats and grains are BAD!! They cause inflammation which lead to a ton of negative things in our bodies- cause weight gain, skin issues, diabetes, arthritis, intestinal issues, etc, etc.
Real quick, here is my story: 4 years ago I was a lean 160lb with a nice 6 pack, but after losing interest in my job as a personal trainer, I began to slack in my healthy eating and exercise routines, and somehow managed to put on 80 lbs within about ONE year! :( One of my biggest regrets, obviously. Since I ballooned up, I have found it very hard to lose the weight. A year ago I managed to get down to 200lbs, but wasn't able to crack the barrier to get back below 200.
In August of 2010 I met with a sports dietitian, to have her analyze my caloric intake and exercise , to see if she could see what I was doing wrong and try to figure out why I wasn't losing much weight, despite heavy exercise and eating mostly clean and restricting calories. The dietitian was just as surprised as I was. Her suggestion was that I get my thyroid checked to see if there was an underlying metabolic issue. She also mentioned that I try a gluten-free diet. So immediately after this, I got bloodwork done, and my thryoid levels were just fine. As for the gluten-free diet suggestion, I considered trying it, but then never ended up attempting it. I was sure that my thyroid was probably low because my mom has hypothyroidism. I was really hoping that I did have low thyroid levels, in hopes that getting put on medication would be my answer to losing weight. After finding out that my results were fine, I got very frustrated and upset, and basically just "gave up" with eating clean and exercising. I stopped running and biking for a few months, and put back on 30lbs.
Once the new year came in 2011, I started back eating clean and exercising, although my weight continued to fluctuate, as did my eating and exercise routines. I just couldn't figure out what else I could do to get rid of this weight that I had put on 4 years ago. I was so lean before, I knew that I could get this lean again, just could not find the answer to how to do it.
I had heard about the Paleo diet years before, but never gave much thought to it. It's basically very similar to the Atkins diet, which I had always thought was bad for you (conventional wisdom teaches us these things!) After talking to a cyclist friend, he suggested that I give the gluten-free diet a try, so I started to research online and came across www.marksdailyapple.com and from there I read Mark Sisson's book- The Primal Blueprint. What a life changer!! After reading success stories on this website as well as the Wheat Belly book blog and Facebook page, I was finally convinced that red meats and fats are actually good for us...it's the "healthy" whole grains and wheat that are the culprits!!! Our society makes fat look bad and grains look good. This is why so many people have a hard time accepting the paleo or primal diet (which by the way, primal is very similar to paleo, although it allows a little slack in the diet, such as allowing dairy, and some red wine and dark chocolate on occasion).
Long story short, I read The Primal Blueprint, as well as Wheat Belly, and am now fully convinced that I should live the rest of my life eating like a caveman. No wheat or grains!!
I ate Primal for about 6 weeks and lost around 8lbs. I did allow myself some cheat meals about once a week- beer and pizza, etc. Then, of course the holidays came around and that set me back, as I allowed myself cookies and ate some wheat and grains. I definitely noticed a difference- my energy sunk, skin flared up (acne, eczema), and I gained some weight back. :(
So I decided I would start off the new year right, and accept the Whole 30 challenge (http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/)
Every day I will be recording how I do with this diet, as well as my exercise. Although The Primal Blueprint doesn't suggest doing chronic cardio (marathons, long distance cycling and triathlons, for example), I will be training for a marathon (only because I've wanted to run one and now is a good time for me to train for one!) I will be doing so by continuing to eat paleo/primal, and avoiding the Gatorade and gels during my training. Instead, I'll stick to water and use sweet potatoes as my carb source pre-workouts and during long runs. (I'll make sweet potato chips with my new food dehydrator!)
I hope you will join me on my 30 day journey on this Whole 30 Challenge!! My goal is also to convince YOU to change your life by cutting out the wheat and grains in your diet! I highly encourage you to visit the Mark's Daily Apple website, as well as the Wheat Belly website, and read the books. Seriously- I lost 8 lbs just by cutting out wheat, and that was with basically very little exercise! I have finally found the answer to weight loss, as well as preventing acne and eczema flare ups!!
Start 2012 with a healthy start!!!!!!
Livestrong,
Tina
Real quick, here is my story: 4 years ago I was a lean 160lb with a nice 6 pack, but after losing interest in my job as a personal trainer, I began to slack in my healthy eating and exercise routines, and somehow managed to put on 80 lbs within about ONE year! :( One of my biggest regrets, obviously. Since I ballooned up, I have found it very hard to lose the weight. A year ago I managed to get down to 200lbs, but wasn't able to crack the barrier to get back below 200.
In August of 2010 I met with a sports dietitian, to have her analyze my caloric intake and exercise , to see if she could see what I was doing wrong and try to figure out why I wasn't losing much weight, despite heavy exercise and eating mostly clean and restricting calories. The dietitian was just as surprised as I was. Her suggestion was that I get my thyroid checked to see if there was an underlying metabolic issue. She also mentioned that I try a gluten-free diet. So immediately after this, I got bloodwork done, and my thryoid levels were just fine. As for the gluten-free diet suggestion, I considered trying it, but then never ended up attempting it. I was sure that my thyroid was probably low because my mom has hypothyroidism. I was really hoping that I did have low thyroid levels, in hopes that getting put on medication would be my answer to losing weight. After finding out that my results were fine, I got very frustrated and upset, and basically just "gave up" with eating clean and exercising. I stopped running and biking for a few months, and put back on 30lbs.
Once the new year came in 2011, I started back eating clean and exercising, although my weight continued to fluctuate, as did my eating and exercise routines. I just couldn't figure out what else I could do to get rid of this weight that I had put on 4 years ago. I was so lean before, I knew that I could get this lean again, just could not find the answer to how to do it.
I had heard about the Paleo diet years before, but never gave much thought to it. It's basically very similar to the Atkins diet, which I had always thought was bad for you (conventional wisdom teaches us these things!) After talking to a cyclist friend, he suggested that I give the gluten-free diet a try, so I started to research online and came across www.marksdailyapple.com and from there I read Mark Sisson's book- The Primal Blueprint. What a life changer!! After reading success stories on this website as well as the Wheat Belly book blog and Facebook page, I was finally convinced that red meats and fats are actually good for us...it's the "healthy" whole grains and wheat that are the culprits!!! Our society makes fat look bad and grains look good. This is why so many people have a hard time accepting the paleo or primal diet (which by the way, primal is very similar to paleo, although it allows a little slack in the diet, such as allowing dairy, and some red wine and dark chocolate on occasion).
Long story short, I read The Primal Blueprint, as well as Wheat Belly, and am now fully convinced that I should live the rest of my life eating like a caveman. No wheat or grains!!
I ate Primal for about 6 weeks and lost around 8lbs. I did allow myself some cheat meals about once a week- beer and pizza, etc. Then, of course the holidays came around and that set me back, as I allowed myself cookies and ate some wheat and grains. I definitely noticed a difference- my energy sunk, skin flared up (acne, eczema), and I gained some weight back. :(
So I decided I would start off the new year right, and accept the Whole 30 challenge (http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/)
Every day I will be recording how I do with this diet, as well as my exercise. Although The Primal Blueprint doesn't suggest doing chronic cardio (marathons, long distance cycling and triathlons, for example), I will be training for a marathon (only because I've wanted to run one and now is a good time for me to train for one!) I will be doing so by continuing to eat paleo/primal, and avoiding the Gatorade and gels during my training. Instead, I'll stick to water and use sweet potatoes as my carb source pre-workouts and during long runs. (I'll make sweet potato chips with my new food dehydrator!)
I hope you will join me on my 30 day journey on this Whole 30 Challenge!! My goal is also to convince YOU to change your life by cutting out the wheat and grains in your diet! I highly encourage you to visit the Mark's Daily Apple website, as well as the Wheat Belly website, and read the books. Seriously- I lost 8 lbs just by cutting out wheat, and that was with basically very little exercise! I have finally found the answer to weight loss, as well as preventing acne and eczema flare ups!!
Start 2012 with a healthy start!!!!!!
Livestrong,
Tina
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