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Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Misadventures in Paleo - Diet Update

I have been doing the Paleo-thing for nine days now, and wanted to give a little update. So far, it has been a successful venture! When I started the diet, I decided to try it for 21 days. At the end of the 21 days, I will decide if this whole "Caveman" lifestyle is something I want to adopt permanently. So, here is my update:

Progress: As of this morning, I am down 8 pounds. Not bad for only 9 days! I haven't measured myself, but I feel and look better. According to Mr. Duh and some other friends, you can see a difference in my middle and my face. 

Sticking to It: I've done a good job of sticking to the Paleo/Primal guidelines. Mark Sisson (of The Primal Blueprint) recommends between 50-100g of carbs per day to be in the weight loss "sweet spot". I track my meals on My Fitness Pal, and have not gone over 75g of carbs per day. My fat and protein intake has increased. I'm also able to stay within my 1550 calorie/day limit. 

Cheats: My main cheat is probably the small amount of dairy I eat every day. The Primal Blueprint does allow for some dairy, as long as you aren't intolerant. I put a little creamer in my morning coffee, and I sometimes have one small Babybel cheese in the afternoon. Luckily, I don't have any digestive issues with dairy.

Saturday was my official "cheat" time. I went to the Alamo Drafthouse to see a movie on Saturday, and I was a little bit of a bad girl. I ate buffalo wings (not breaded, so no completely Paleo unfriendly), and dipped them in delicious ranch dressing (not-so-paleo). I also had a glass of 1% Milk that day... but those were my only serious cheats! I'm proud of myself, because I didn't go nuts on bread, pasta or potatoes... I was able to avoid them, even when I cheated. 

Favorite Recipes: I have been able to make some amazing food!! My favorites so far are the Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs, Cauliflower Rice, and Salmon Cakes (like crab cakes). My main go to for recipes is a my Practical Paleo cookbook, but there are lots of good recipes online.

What a Typical Day Looks Like
Breakfast - Two Eggs and three slices of Nitrate-Free bacon
Lunch - Salad with home made salad dressing (usually balsamic)
Snack - Babybel cheese and some pistachios.
Dinner - Meat with a veggie side
Snack - Handful of raspberries and a couple squares of 72% Cacao dark chocolate

The Hardest Part: So far, I've notices two difficult things about this diet. First, it's an expensive diet if you are going to follow the guidelines strictly. They recommend all organic (locally grown, if possible) produce and meat. Before, I was spending $100.00 week on groceries; now I'm spending closer to $160.00. The organic meat is the real killer! I'm going to start researching what conventionally grown things I can get away with. I am eating out way less, though... so the cost might even out.

Second, I miss the convenience of the SAD (Standard American Diet). Before, if I was hungry, I could just heat up a Lean Pocket or grab some tortilla chips out of the cupboard. Now, almost everything I eat requires some kind of prep. I spend a lot of time washing, chopping, and cooking... and don't even get me started on the amount of dishes I'm doing every day!

I would have thought giving up carbs would have been the hardest, but it really hasn't been so bad. I still get to eat yummy food and I'm not starving at all!

Overall Rating: Nine days in, I give the Paleo/Primal diet an 8 out of 10. It's easier than I expected, the food is delicious, and I'm losing weight! Did I mention that Mr. Duh is loving it? He has enjoyed all of the meat, bacon and butter that has been brought back into to his world!





Monday, August 20, 2012

Shall We Paleo?


 Since starting my "work-cation" a couple weeks ago, I've done terrible with my eating and working out! I haven't done Crossfit since I got to Utah, and my running has fallen to the wayside. So frustrating! I know I'm the one to blame... I haven't been focusing on myself since I've been back home. I'll get back to my regular life on Friday, and there are going to be changes ahead!

For the last few months, I've been looking into the Paleo Diet. If you haven't heard of it, I'll give you the quick rundown. The basis for the diet is human evolution and our genes. Our caveman ancestors were genetically programmed to hunt and gather. They would only eat what they could kill or pick (think veggies, some fruit and nuts). As humans became more advanced, we started planting/harvesting grains and adding more sugar into our diets.  Although we have access to all of these "new" kinds of carbohydrate-laden foods, Paleo tells us that our genetic code has not advanced beyond our caveman predecessors. Our bodies are not evolved enough to process all of the carbs and sugar that we put into our diets, and this causes weight gain and all kinds of health issues.

You might be thinking the same thing that I'm thinking: NO CARBS? Yikes! I am a self-diagnosed Carbaholic and equal opportunity carb-lover! Pasta, bread, rice, popcorn, potatoes, etc... I love them all! I'd take a giant bowl of pasta over a juicy steak any day of the week! And this is why I have been only thinking about a Paleo lifestyle for the past four months and not actually doing it. I'm kind of scared...

I finished reading the Paleo-based book pictured above, The Primal Blueprint. It gave me some good tips, ideas, and also explained the science behind the diet. Now, I feel like I'm armed with enough knowledge to give this "lifestyle" a try. The author, Mark Sisson, recommends trying it for 21 days. I can do anything for 21 days... right? So, I'm going to kick off my 21-Day Primal Challenge on my birthday next month... and I'm going to use my blog to hold myself accountable! If I can actually see a difference, I might just stick with it!

Do you Paleo? (If so, tips are welcome) If not, would you ever consider it?