Paleo: Week 1

I'm still on board!

Day one and two I was feeling a bit hungry towards the evening hours. Pre-paleo, I would normally cure this with a bite of peanut butter washed down with some milk. I certainly was craving that (remember, I really love dairy!), but I just turned to fruit or veggies as a midnight snack.

Day three was a bit rough, as I'm pretty sure my body decided it was the clean-out-Hannah's-bowels day. It actually had me a bit worried, since I haven't experienced diarrhea for a few years.

Day four the bowels were back to normal, and I was feeling fit and tight. Actually, day four marked the loss of 5lbs since I started paleo. Seems a little quick.

It's been easy for me to reject grains and legumes, but so far it's still really hard to say no to dairy. I mean, I still have maybe a tablespoon of 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee (which I'm trying to wean off), but other than that I've not given in to that delicious gallon.

Something I've noticed is it's hard to get in the amount of calories that I need in a day's time. Since I'm still lifting and doing cardio, I know I need to support that muscle with some quality food! Here are some foods I've been eating:
- Tuna salad: tuna, apples, celery, nuts, mayo
- Eggs (we went through 2 dozen in ONE week)
- Pistachios
- Curry (endless possibilities!)
- Almond butter (expensive, but it's my treat)
- Cauliflower 'pizza': cauliflower crust, candied onions, figs, spinach

This week I'm trying some new curry recipes as well as Hungarian beef stew. Honestly, it's nice to have an excuse for new recipes!

Goals: 2013

Sometimes it's best if I just make lists.

1. I haven't blogged for a while. Not because I'm unmotivated, but because I've had some unexpected events come up this winter (not to mention holidays!) and quite frankly, with the time I had, blogging wasn't top priority.

2. While I haven't gained weight, I haven't really lost any in the last 3 months either. I know why, and the only person stopping myself from changing that is me. I've been lazy on watching my sugar intake (especially from dried fruits!) and I've had some meals that just were full of simple carbs.  During the holiday travel, I didn't get to the gym for 20 days. I tried to incorporate exercise while I was out, and I know that helped, but I really missed my routine with food and my gym at home.

3. I've been thinking about going Paleo for a while. I'm still not sold on it, because I really love dairy and can't fathom it being bad for you. I mean, I'm created to make milk to nourish my children! I know breast milk isn't what we're buying by the gallon, but I've come to find out that goat's milk is similar to ours, and on Paleo you can't even consume that. Sounds like I've got some research to do.

4. I've also been thinking about how I can be encouraging to my friends and family in regards to nutrition and exercise. Whether they say it or not, I'm sure most of my friends desire good health. We all do, right? I'm thinking of ways we can accomplish goals together instead of feeling like no one else has 25lbs to lose. Specifically, one thought I had was starting a yoga night at our place. Possibilities are endless!

5. I went to a CrossFit event here in West Lafayette and it just filled my heart with joy. There was a guest speaker who talked about nutrition (specifically Paleo) which was really informative. I learned/realized that I'm not alone- there are more people in this town that are working towards holistic health. Don't underestimate your community!

Goals for 2013

1. Cut bread out completely
2. Weigh under 200lbs by March 1st
3. Try Paleo diet (and be strict!) for two months
4. Find a scary challenge to accomplish
5. Limit of two coffee drinks a day
6. Group exercise or cooking days? 

Mister

At work the other day I had an unexpected connection with one of our patients. I asked if anything had changed in his health history, and he said that he had lost 40lbs this year. Naturally, I asked how, of which he responded by telling me he used a fitness calorie tracker online to start watching what he eats. (He used myfitnesspal.com!) He said that he didn't realize how much he was eating until he started tracking it, and was suprised to see how quickly it added up for him. He stayed on track, and now no longer has to take his cholesterol medicine, and is not at risk for diabetes. In fact, the day that I met him, he woke up and weighed 201 that morning and therefore was only one pound away from his original goal!
The meeting with him inspired me to believe that even if I was 65 I could put my mind to a goal- and with hard work, could accomplish it! Our bodies are so much more capable that what we give them credit for.
Thanks, mister for inspiring me, and I was so happy to meet you on the last day that you are in the 200s!