Personal Paleo Challenge Day 1: Fighting!

In the last few months, I've gotten really bad about wanting to start a Paleo Challenge and actually doing it. It seems like a really good idea on Sunday. But come Monday morning, I'm still headed toward to my chocolate Rice Chex and sugared flavored coffee creamer.

It's really easy to think about all the things you want to change and all the things you need to do differently. At least it is for me. I can come up with a good plan for what I should be doing in a heartbeat. I'll research it until I could be a professional. But execution is something very different.

I could blame a lot of things, bad habits, lack of willpower, no self-control, tasty tempting cupcakes. Whatever the excuse, it's still just an excuse. It's a matter of me just not doing it.

Today is different. Today, I have a team. The family is getting in on it the plan. And while we aren't doing a Whole 30, the plan is about 90% Paleo, which is more reasonable for us.

For me it's about weight loss. I need a plan that will keep me motivated and something I feel I'm capable of sticking to. It's no good coming up with a great plan, starting, and then realizing it's just too much for me to take on long term. For me to get the best results without getting frustrated, I have to start with a few extras. My big one is peanut butter. I just don't like almond butter. It's not a good substitute for me. And an apple with peanut butter is a staple in my diet. My other big extra is rice. While a grain, it has a weird 'not as bad' thing about it. At least that's what I keep telling myself. And it's better for me to include it while I dump all the other processed things and then worry about it after I'm in a more comfortable place with all the changes.

And really that's the best way to come up with a plan. Some people are the type that can make a big change all at once and not look back. Some people need to do things slowly, building a foundation and working from there.

Mad Men Tricks

I started watching Mad Men last night. I'm a little late to the game, I know, but there was something I noticed right away that I feel the need to point out.

Ad people are trickesters.

It isn't new knowledge. We all know that commercials and ads are designed to get us to buy the products they are peddling. But the first episode of Mad Men shows exactly how much they can't be trusted. Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen it.

In this episode, smoking had been outed as causing cancer. (Common knowledge now, but in the 60s when 'everyone' smoked, it was ground breaking.) The ad guy and the cigarette company is in a panic because they are about to lose business, and suddenly they aren't allowed to promote smoking as being healthy.

Enter the tricks. How can big tabacco convince the buying public that their product is safe, even if it isn't? They decide to by pass saying it's healthy (because legally they can't) and they decide to play up how naturally it's made. They decide on the slogan, "It's toasted."

It brings to mind breakfast toast or fresh nuts, doesn't it? Both are things most consider healthy.

It makes me realize how much faith I put into advertising. I'm pretty skeptical to start with, but I still fall for the "part of a healthy breakfast" line from time to time. Or the milk and cookies routine. Milk's healthy after all, why not spice it up with a cookie (or 6)? Hmm. And I'm hard pressed to turned down cake with love baked in. Who doesn't want a little bite of love? It'd be down right rude to turn it down.

Luckily, I have DVR and can record any TV I watch and skip right past the ads. But they are starting to crop up other places now. The web is really starting to get a good method to advertising. And it's getting harder to avoid someone trying to convince you their products is the best.

When it comes to food and your health, do your research. Obviously don't trust the people trying to sell you their product, particularly if they are adamant about how healthy it is. Apple farmers don't have to convince you to buy apples. Truly healthy foods don't come in package. They are made by nature.

The only way to know if you are eating right is to learn about your food. The more you know...

Eating Clean

My family eats pretty clean. Some people don't really understand what that means. And it might be partly because it means different things to different people.

In general, it means not processed foods. The edges of the grocery store. Nothing out of a box.

You can add to that, organic. It makes it a bit more complicated. Harder to shop for. And if you aren't following sales, more expensive.

You can add to that Paleo, vegan or some other label. And once again it gets a bit more complicated.

Source

At my house, clean means Paleo or a version of.

Eating Paleo isn't like what the media wants people to think. It isn't a meat based diet. It's very much a veggie based diet but always with a good helping of fat and protein. The easiest (and in my opinion tastiest) source of healthy fat and protein is meat. Yum. But to eat Paleo you have to give up a handful of things that have been proven to be harmful, like grains, specifically gluten but all grains are cut out if you eat Paleo.

I also cut out dairy. Most Paleo types do. Some call themselves Primal instead of Paleo and they keep dairy. Really it's all a matter of semantics. And finding where you fit on the eating clean scale.

For me, it isn't about fitting into a label. It's about getting away from cheap, unhealthy food. It's hard to know these days with media shoving down everyone's throats what is healthy and what isn't. After all, all cereals are "part of a healthy breakfast", never mind their sugar content and the fact that their nutrients are added by chemicals, not nature. Kool-aid has less sugar than soda, don't mind the Red 40 or Yellow 5. Then there is the whole grains vs enriched wheat flour. High fructose corn syrup. Brominated Vegetable Oil. Aspartame. Nitrates.

And yet everyone still wants you to think you can eat their food product and still be healthy. But it's obvious that's just not true.

*sigh* So how do you know what's healthy? What makes a clean food?

My rules of thumb.

1. If it can be sold without a nutrition label. It's clean.
2. If the food will go bad before the end of the week, even if kept in the refrigerator. Then it's probably clean.

The rest should be eaten sparingly or not at all.

I very firmly believe that our country's obesity problem would start to resolve itself if people ate clean. No more boxed food. No more fast food. Learn to cook for yourself. By the time you wait in line at the drive through and get your meal home, you could have cooked a healthy clean meal for your family at home. And there is a lot less waste from all those packages.

When you eat better, you feel better. And you lose weight wether you mean to or not. Bonus.

Hitting the Weigh Loss Wall

Why is it if you indulge over a weekend you can put on 5 or more lbs, but if you eat clean for a whole week you might not even lose 1?

I am proud of where I am right now as far as working towards my goals goes. I love my gym and my coaches. I'm eating pretty clean. I'm not perfect. Sometimes I don't plan. But even then I eat the lesser of the evils option. And I'm pretty happy with the choices I've made.

Still the weight is not melting off like butter, like it has in the past. This whole losing baby weight is a kick in the pants.

I should say I've lost just over 20 lbs since having my baby. Most came off really fast, as having the baby is usually 10-15 lbs of weight right away. Then there was Christmas, where I didn't bother to try to watch what I ate so much. So really, where I'm counting from is January. Since January, I've lost 10 lbs.

I'm not winning the Biggest Loser at this rate. *sigh*

I need a plan.

I'm trying hard to not get too disappointed. After all, I'm trying to get healthy not necessarily skinny. It isn't a race. I'm not actually competing in the Biggest Loser. Plus, I've been overweight for years. It isn't realistic to think I'll just not be after a few months of work.

Man, I wish it worked that way though.

Back to my plan... I don't have one. Anyone have ideas?

I think I'm going to have to give up and start weighing food and counting calories. I'm nursing so that has to be factored in when picking a target range. And I'm going to have to write everything down. Keeping a food journal is the best way to find the flaw in the system.

So if you are like me and have hit a bit of a wall, maybe it's time to start a food journal too. There are a lot of online resources where you can type in your food amounts and it'll count the calories for you. And some will give you carb and fat totals as well. Or you can go the old fashion route and just write it down on paper. Having it there to reference will let you know exactly how many times a week you've been eating fast food, or skipping the veggies. It's very revealing.

I'm a little nervous I'm going to find out that I'm not eating as clean as I think, which I'm guessing is the case.

But I just CAN'T give up bread?!

I have this conversation a lot:

Them: So what is Paleo?
Me: *insert party line about eating like a caveman and clean foods*
Them: So I'd have to give up bread and cheese?! That sounds great, but I just CAN'T give up bread.
Me: *polite smile*

Well, just so you know, you CAN give up bread. You are just choosing not to.

There are a lot of things in life that just happen. But what you pick up with your hand and put in your mouth is completely up to you. No excuses. You have no choice but to own that fact.

I have no choice but to own that fact.

This photo of Inn at Narrow Passage is courtesy of TripAdvisor

So that said, let me introduce you to my Paleo Wagon. Aint she a beaut.

The ride is bumpy as hell. I fall off all the time. But luckily, I'm not racing. I go slow so when I fall off I have time to dust myself off before I hop back on.

That's really what it's all about. It isn't about if you can give up bread, because you can. It's about making the decision to dust yourself off and get on the wagon.

I can give you all kinds of science about the evils of grains and dairy.  And about how soy shouldn't be a food. But you can research that all on your own.

In the end you are going to decide if you want to make a change for yourself or not. When you do (See, I said when, I'll convince you eventually.), I want you to know it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Somedays are really easy. Sometimes it's plain ol' hard. Mistakes happen. But it isn't a race, you'll have plenty of time to dust off and get back at it.


Steak with a side of broccoli and carrots? Paleo
Pulled chicken on a giant bed of leafy greens? Paleo
Bacon with a side of bacon? Paleo
4 scrambled eggs and two pieces of sausage? My lunch!


Now, if I have you convinced, there are some great resources in my side bar there. Click away and learn all you can.

If you still think you just can't give up bread or cheese then how about try for a balanced diet. You know, like adding in the rest of the food in the breakfast cereal commercial. After all, grainy-o's and skim milk is not a balanced meal, even the commercial says so. Get out your fancy new First Lady good plate and fill it up appropriately. That means barely more than a 1/5th of your meal should be a grain.

Plate of spaghetti? Not balanced.
Whole grain bagel with low-fat strawberry cream cheese? Not balanced.
Turkey sandwich from Subway? Not balanced.

(Funny how those companies pushing their products would really like you to think otherwise.)

If you really want to see a difference in your waist, your mood, and your energy level. Clean up your diet. It's as simple as that. Go Paleo for 30 days. Join my Whole 30. Do Mark's 30 Day Challenge.

Whole 30: Take Two

So my Whole 30 quickly turned into a Half 30 then went downhill into a, well at least I'm not eating out every other day anymore.

*head shake*

I make the excuse that my diet is better than most people's. I mean all those people that pick the worst foods from all the worst fast food places everyday... I eat better than them. And I don't do dairy (casein intolerance for me and the baby) and very little gluten, so I'm steps ahead of most Americans... right?

It doesn't matter when the scale isn't moving, despite all the new exercising I'm doing.

Oh, I hear ya. But muscle weighs more than fat!

Um, well a pound is a pound. I don't need my son's homeschool kindergarten math book to teach me that. And the fact remains I still have entirely too many pounds to lose to be playing the muscle vs fat card.

Yes, my body is changing shape and I can squeeze into my pre-pregnancy jeans now. So yahoo! (The muffin top is something to behold though.)

But here's the thing, those used to be my fat jeans. And I would like them to be my 'before' jeans. You know the ones where people pose in front of a door and hold their old fat jeans in front of them and take a picture to show how they aren't fat anymore.

So I have some work to do.

Here's the plan. Some ladies from my gym said they started a Whole 30 yesterday. I said I'd restart today. Done and done.

The fine print:
1. I will not allow myself to give one slip or slide as an excuse to blow the whole thing.
2. Eating out is not an excuse to eat bread. (Bread makes you bloated and being bloated makes you feel like you've blown it.)
3. Feeling like I've blown it? refer to #1.

Anyone else want in? I'd love to have someone to complain with. Especially around day 3 when the 'low carb flu' sets in. You have to agree to the rules in the fine print (and the rest of the Whole 30 for that matter). But anything is do able for 30 days!

Drink Water!

You know that feeling when you've been outside in the hot summer sun. Maybe you've been gardening, running or just watching the kids play in the sprinkler. Whatever the reason. You head back inside to the crisp A/C and make yourself a tall glass of ice water and drink the whole thing before you walk away from the sink. Yeah, that feeling. Why is it that water tastes so good? Why can't water taste that good all the time?

I'm one of those people that generally likes water. Unlike my son, who would rather go thirsty, I have no problems drinking it. Sometimes, I order water at the restaurant because I want it, not because I'm broke. Then why is it so hard to drink it all the time? If I have other beverages available in the house, I'll always drink those first. Diet Dr Pepper is a weakness. But iced tea or coffee will work. Is it the caffeine?

I'm not convinced it's the caffeine. I wont deny I have an addiction. I suspect most of the globe does. But I generally keep my dosing low.

The fact is, I just don't drink that much to start with. One 20 oz bottle of soda will last me a whole morning. A same size glass of water will last longer. I just don't get to it. Maybe it goes back to my scheduling issues. I am a mother of 3 after all. I don't even get to go potty without someone hunting me down needing something.

As I write this, I have a cup of iced coffee that I made 6 hours ago sitting next to me that I haven't finished. Although, I have to admit, I'm one of those strange adults that isn't all that fussed about coffee. I'd rather have soda. (Which is why I'm having coffee, I quit buying soda so I wouldn't drink it as much.) But instead of finishing my cup for the morning caffeine, I've just sipped at it all day and I've never moved onto the water portion of my day.

So...

I'm going to try to drink more water. I've fessed up to my problem. It isn't just that I need to drink water, it's that I need to drink more fluids period. Water is cheap. It's clean. And it's good for me.

Whole 30 Starts Today

If I put it out there, I'm accountable, right?

The Whole 30 isn't so much a 'diet' as a set of food guidelines. It's just eating clean. You take out all the foods that are scientifically known to be harmful. When you stop to look at it, it only makes sense as the way we should all be eating. It just isn't what all those processed food makers throw at us through TV commercials and other flashy ads.

It isn't hard. At least not any more than keeping a clean house is hard. It's work. You have to think about it. Then you have to do it.

I know. I've done it before. I had great results. Weight loss, of course being the biggest deal to me. But also more energy, high self esteem, better quality sleep, and better moods (it makes a big difference during 'that week', ladies!).

So why didn't I stick with it?

Well, I can give you every excuse under the sun from pregnancy to moving across the country. But it comes down to lazy decisions. It's the same reason I have 4 laundry baskets full of clothes waiting to be folded. I thought, "Oh, I'll just let it slip this one time."

I'll just eat this fast food now because I'm hungry and didn't plan...

I wont eat the bun...

But I'll just have a couple fries...

Doing the Whole 30 is a way to get back on track. I can do anything for 30 days. 30 days isn't a long time.  But it is long enough to start making new habits.

And I'd really like to fit in my pre-baby clothes again. Also, my brother is getting married this summer. I'd like to recognize myself in the family pictures. Plus, the bonus of just being healthy.

It's time.

Cutting Carbs

A little heads up for anyone who is about to change their diet. Cutting carbs will make you crabby. I've never come across anyone that can say they didn't notice. Crabby and it can make you feel like you have the flu. Your body just plain aches. Everyone gets on your nerves. And likely you might start looking around for your favorite starch/sugar filled treat.

Don't give in!

It will pass.

Day 3-5 you will feel like a new person.

I promise.

Which makes me wonder, if your body has to detox itself from gluten and processed sugar (all sugar is processed), why don't more people recognize it for the drug it is?

If it were good for us in the first place, we wouldn't react so harshly, don't you think?

Anyway, I'll see you in a few days after my detox. Even though I know how bad it is for me, I still fall into the evil traps of grains and sugar.

Bacon, it's what's for dinner!

My biggest starting obstacle is food.

Some people claim the way to weight loss is exercise. I call BS on that. I know full well the more I exercise the more I eat. Who wouldn't be hungry after a 3 mile run? In fact, you should eat after exercise. Something with protein, it helps your muscles heal. But my weakness is comfort food. Gluten coated and fried, please and thank you. Or something completely gluten and covered in processed sugar. YUM!

So my first wave of attack at being the best I can possibly be is starting with what goes in my mouth.

And if you are like me and live in a backwater country town with only that small local grocery and a Walmart, you know how hard it is to get good clean food. It just isn't always available.

But it's about doing the best you can. I'm reviewing my Paleo/Primal food resources. Reminding myself about the values of clean food and proper fuel.

And when the going gets tough, I'll just remember there is always BACON!