Day 20 of Paleo

Day 20. Another progress shot. Well, I honestly don’t see a whole lot of improvement but I guess we’ll just have to compare it to the first day shall we?

Here’s Day 1 and Day 20 in the same poses:

What are your thoughts? There’s a hell of a lot of you looking/reading this so you better say something. Honest or not, something is appreciated.

I’m going to be ranting here a little bit. I’ve been lifting for a good 3 years now. I must say I’ve seen a lot of improvement and whatnot.  Just that doing this all natural is really difficult. Actually, extremely difficult. A lot of people rely on supplements to get the ideal physique they want, but I wonder how they would look without it (it would also take a huge dent out of my paycheck…). I mean I was taking whey protein but that's it. I know progress is progress is progress, but I don’t know how much I’m changing. For example, my ass grew so I don’t fit a size 6 or 8, I’m back up to size 10. Now, I might be losing some fat so I’m back to size 8. Having multiple pairs of jeans in multiple sizes is frustrating. I might as well stick to sweats (at least I can wear sweats at work). I’m trying so hard to be consistent but, shit, working out by myself kinda sucks sometimes. There are times when there might be one or 2 other people in the weight room at work but it’s hard for me to ask them to yell at me and push myself. Ugh. I am trying to shove things aside and let my body do the work (literally). But when my conscience comes butting in things go sour (especially when hormones go batshit crazy on me). I have to remind myself that I’m doing more work than I was the day before so it can’t be that bad. Right?

On another note I’m glad that I inspire others. It’s nice to know that I can provide some motivation. At the same time being motivated myself can get difficult. Might I add that being consistent takes a lot of motivation and energy (physically and mentally). And I really appreciate for those of you who are taking the time to read my stuff, thank you so much for your support!

So after this 30-day challenge, ending on Feb 4^th, I’ve decided to do a modified lifestyle to have one cheat meal over the weekends. This diet is a good test to control what and how much you eat. My monthly visitor is approaching and my appetite grew this week, I guess my hormones haven’t changed much either. Which also may be the cause of my grumpy rant this time around. Anyway, I’ve got a busy afternoon/evening ahead of me. Last thing: comment or tell me if any of you care that I should post a video of one of my workouts (HIIT or weightlifting). Thanks!

Good luck and don’t give up J (I should listen to myself sometimes... working on it)  

- Marie

What I Eat In A Day

I've received questions about what I eat during this challenge. As I said in my "30 days of Paleo" entry, I make sure to change it up so that I don't get bored and dread what to eat.  I know what I was getting myself into. After reading Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution" he does a tremendous job getting to the nitty gritty of how certain foods affect your body and what kind of damage that some foods can potentially do from the inside out (such as quinoa, may be really good for you but it's really not... well only a sliver of it is good for you). I wanted to show you all what I've been eating in a day to keep me sated and NOT starved.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs w/ protein (chopped leftover burger, chicken, pork, handful of almonds etc)

Lunch: Spring mix salad w/ a plethora of fixings (sliced roasted beets, guacamole/avocado, boiled eggs, carrots, cucumbers, red bell pepper, some kind of protein, etc). I usually make my salads more and more interesting and colorful, might I add.

(Took this pic as I was eating it... I forgot to take it before I started eating. Whoopsies.) 

Snack: half an avocado (yummy good fats, good for skin and hair too!) and 2 boiled eggs.

Dinner: Sauteed kale and beet leaves, sauteed green beans with mushrooms, and grilled cod.

I don't weigh anything (maybe I should? buttttt I'm lazy...) The containers that I put my food in are actually a perfect size to hold whatever I'm going to eat. The portions are just right so when I finish my food I don't feel stuffed or gross after I eat. I'm very content and satisfied when I'm done eating.

Might I also add that all the veggies, (except for green beans), fruits, and eggs were purchased at the Alemany Farmers Market (Saturdays). This place is awesome except for people not realizing there is more parking in the back while they can afford to walk an extra 100 feet to the vendors. Perhaps the next entry will be on what Jon and I buy and how we spend a whole afternoon into the evening cooking, juicing, and preparing food for the week. Quite a system I tell ya.

I hope this helps those who are starting out and/or living a different kind of whole food lifestyle!

Hang in there! Stay strong, and take it a day at a time! <3

Day 10 of Progress

I've decided to snap photos of myself every 10 days throughout this lifestyle. Jonathan said he has last 5lbs since we started. I, for one, didn't weigh myself. My health and lifestyle isn't dictated by numbers, it's dictated by the way I feel, how my muscle tone is gradually emerging, and how my clothes fit. With that here is my picture from Day 1 (Sunday, 1/6/2013):

And Day 10, this morning (Tuesday, 1/15/2013) at 9am

Yeah, not a lot of changes, but it's very subtle. As the weeks progress we shall see how this lifestyle is helping me (or not?? who knows?)

I admit, I feel a little self-conscious putting these photos up every time... I do hope my transformation continues. To help with shedding more fat I am alternating my weeks of workout with lifting and HIIT. This week is HIIT. I haven't done these for a long time so I'm going to be "out of shape" for the first couple days. Next post will portray what I eat throughout one day to help others getting into this lifestyle too.

Work hard and don't give up! :)

30 Days of Paleo

I was going to upload this yesterday but I didn’t have enough time after I got off the train/forgot to do it. Anywho, yesterday was Day 5 of the Paleo 30 day challenge, so far so good, although cravings are hard to deter from. With the help of resources and Paleo friends Jonathan and I have been thinking and planning on what and where we can eat. We have decided to make Saturday as grocery days where we hit up the farmers market and Costco to purchase the things we need for the week. Then Sunday we spend half the day cooking up the veggies and meats to make our lives easier when planning our dinners and lunches. When we feel like eating out hot pot and Chipotle are ideal choices of eating oaut. Hot pot has no seasonings or greasy oils, just order as much meat and veggies while making sure the broth is plain. We’ve decided the clear broth as our weapon of choice. At Chipotle there has been a lot of praise (from Robb Wolf, and other hardcore Paleos) for their Paleo friendly menu.

Planning ahead of time is really key to this challenge (I sure as hell can’t afford to waste a lot of time in the morning). I work odd late hours along with my long commutes. So packing my meals the night before helps so much. I eat when I get on the train, then workout once I get to work.  I'll eat my dinner on the train ride home or in between basketball games. I can say that I do not feel starved without all the carbs. I have cut out whole wheat bread, brown rice, almond butter, dairy, salty foods, and dark chocolate. I will admit I have had some difficulty with cravings, yet Jonathan helps to remind me what we’re doing this for.

To be honest not having carbs is a little hard. I didn’t eat a lot of it, just a slice of toasted bread with almond butter in the morning and then brown rice at night. The killer is that I what I ate in between those times: snacking on unsalted pb filled nuggets and veggie root chips from Trader Joes, sweet potato chips, and the like. I mean, they don’t sound as bad is it could be (although those bag of veggie root chips can get pretty damn addicting), it’s just that these items were still processed. And I like feeling sated, and so does everyone else! How I’m managing my satiation is to eat my veggies first, from the least dense to most dense of veggies. I will always eat protein last. For example, tonight I ate sautéed kale first, then roasted Brussels sprouts, lastly, baked beef meatballs. I am also being conscious of chewing my food thoroughly and slowly. However, when it comes to my lunch it’s different… this past week has been a variety of salads. Always including some protein I make my salads more interesting each day just so I don’t get bored with it.

Is this lifestyle getting in the way of the quality of my workouts? I can’t say if it is, yet. I lifted yesterday and today, and I’m not dead from them. So I guess that’s a good sign. Now that I am starting a consistent workout schedule it’s hard to answer that question. Jonathan says he felt weak when he went back to lifting. I’ve decided to alternate my weeks with a week of lifting and the following week of HIIT workouts to improve my cardio and shed off some fat. After a 2 week vacay in Washington with family and Jonathan this is a great lifestyle to start off 2013 with.

Wait, what are your goals during this challenge?? Oh yeah… goals. Hmmm, my long term goal is to see what transformation I will see at Day 30 and compare it to Day 1. The other long term goal is, honestly, look good naked. Why? My readers, that’s a whole different issue. My short term goals are to maintain consistency with my workouts and food prep, remind myself to take everything a day at a time, and not give in!