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!