Let's play a game.
You've been working this with me - and the group - for the last month. You've been posting questions, posting your thoughts, researching and reading and experiencing these concepts for yourself. You must have learned SOMETHING in the last month, right? So, answer your own questions.
- What do you think I'm going to tell you if, at the end of your 30 days, you're still craving McDonald's, jelly donuts and stuffed crust pizza? (Like, all you can think about at the zero hour is loading up on as much junk food as possible and having an entire weekend full of decadent "treats"?)
- What if you're not having those extreme cravings, but are still looking forward to relaxing your diet on your 31st day? How would I recommend you approach that?
- How do you think I would advise you to proceed on a go-forward basis, applying everything you've learned during this 30 day process into your "real life", for long-term success?
55 comments:
I would say if you feel you deserve a treat, make sure you choose something that won't destroy your stomach. Don't buy a large portion, or a big box of ice cream cones. Single small servings or nothing at all.
As for the future. I've decided to adopt Paleo as my way of life, minus a few things that don't trigger any cravings. I'm still not going to keep bread or grains in the house, I'm keeping my fat intake as high as it's been for this challenge. I'm not drinking milk, in my coffee or in smoothies. Coconut milk just tastes better anyway! Cheese has lost it's appeal to me entirely! Which is shocking. The F off foods for me are; Peanut butter(all natural) The very seldom beer or scotch; and that's about it....everything else that is gone might make the odd appearance for special occasions, but my body doesn't need a monster bowl of steel cuts in the morning, or a sweet potato b4 post WOD. Thanks Melisaa.
"CHEAT SMART"
I THINK THATS QUOTING YOU =)
1. If you're still craving crap, sign up for another 30 days. we're trying to break unhealthy habits and old crutches here. if 30 days didn't do it, try for 45 or so.
2. cheat smart. have a norcal margarita or three when you go out with your friends instead of 6 beers. Reintroduce potential irritants one at a time. Don't eat an entire pie of pizza and a piece of chocolate cake washed down with a glass of milk. you WILL feel like crap and you won't know what caused it.
3. reevalute your healthy vs. F*** off scale. You know what 100% paleo feels like now, so figure out where you want to make sacrifices. 85% paleo is still strong nutrition
I think if you had to write out what we should do for any of us, we should have to do the 30 days again hardcore because no lessons were learned.I think that each person is different, there are some of us (me, me, me) that will continue the hardcore because one slip up and we know we will land face first into a whole day of McDonalds. However as just written above many will just know their limits and what they can and cannot afford to do. I learned how many products have ingredients I do not recognize. I learned my body acts funky when I introduce dairy even in SMALL amounts. I learned I lost total desire for sweets but still battle comfort foods, I learned how happy I am losing weight and feeling good and what other parts of my life that benefits.
Lastly, I learned to shut up and stop bitching...just do it. I will be on for the next 30 days!!!!
Let me take a shot...
1. The main point of this 30-day, no-cheat, 100% paleo challenge was to experience how our body reacts when we eat clean and whole foods. MB, I'm going to steal a bit of what you said in the comments from Friday. I don't think it would be sensible to overload our bodies with cheat foods, especially because we've gone this far. Also, if we ate dairy, grains, and sugar all in one sitting and we felt like crap, we wouldn't know what exactly made us feel like crap. I think for some of us dairy wouldn't affect us as much as others. So, for those people including a bit of cheese or milk in their diet isn't going to unleash a gastric Armageddon. Body awareness is important and that can only be achieved if we don't overload our body after eating clean for a month.
If you're going to cheat after the 30 days, take baby steps. A scoop of ice cream or a beer. Just don't go buck wild.
2. The above would apply.
3. Personally, I'm going to take the 90/10 approach. The 10% will be allotted to the days when I want a glass of wine with dinner. Or, if I'm celebrating a special event and I want a dessert. I don't think I'm going to have an entire cheat day. If at most, a cheat meal or dessert per week.
DAY 28!!! Woot!
Today is my last day and, outside of the first few days, this is easily the hardest.
I can't wait to have a big bowl of ice cream with caramel and marshmallows.
And then I'll go 90%/10%.
Last day here too! I had to make TWO birthday cakes last night and I didn't even lick a finger. I also have to attend a birthday dinner at a pizza joint so I plan to go home and eat before I head out.
I don't have craving for things anymore and we even planned to eat fresh fish and veggies again tomorrow night. I may have a little scoop of icecream for desert to see how my body reacts.
Thanks for everyone's support! I can't wait to see what happens another 30 days from now:)
I"m curious to see what the individual results were. Before and after stats if you will. Other than a new, clean and healthy way of living, what were your training gains? Don't sensationalize. Concrete results.
Hello, Alex here.
Well day 30 for me too. Like Michael said above it seemed very hard. Maybe because I was fighting the urge to self sabotage, which is something I always seem to do. But i stayed strong and inline.
So i made my decision, i'm going to stay clean 6 out of 7 days using the 7 day to enjoy a slice of pizza or something that contains chocolate till my half marathon (labor day) at least. Then I will revisit my eating again.
Everyone behind me, stay strong you can do this.
This blog will remain my inspiration and my guide.
Thanks to everyone who cheered me on!
@Peyton I set a new two rep PR in bench press.
And I lost about 8 lbs, most of it muscle. Melissa says this means I did not eat enough fat.
But know that the purpose of this 30 day trial has, over the short term, nothing to do with training gains.
Hi everyone.
Could I join your Paleo challenge? I have been following along for a few days. Today was day 3 for me. So far so good, although I really miss diet Mt. Dew. Congrats to all of you who have made it 30 days. Thats swesome. Can't wait till my first 30 are complete. I'm hoping to think of food in an entirely new light.
Julie
Julie: This really can change the way you think about food! I just finished my thirty days, and after the hard first week the cravings really died off. If you've been clean three days you've over the hump! You can do it! Hang in there.
As for Moxy Boss's (i spelled it right!) three questions, other people have had great answers, but I'll throw my two cents in.
1. If, at the end of your 30 days you're still craving everything that you were before, I'd sit down and do some serious contemplation. How honest have I been with this? What habits might I still be stuck in that are shooting me in the foot?
An example: About on week 3 I had no problem walking by brownies or pizza, but that didn't mean that I left them out where I could see or smell them. There's no reason to needlessly set temptation in your way. Eating out as well. I could settle for ordering something passably paleo, even when my friends were eating all of the things I would normally love. But at the same time, I would rather just eat beforehand, so I'm not hungry. It's all about setting yourself up for success by setting up new, healthy habits.
2. If you've changed your habits, but still are looking forward to that one special treat... I think Melissa would say (and I would totally agreee!) that you should have it. Just. Be. Smart. Have a cheat dessert, or a cheat meal. Don't have a cheat day. Just think of 1. How much worse you would feel the next day, and 2. how long it will take for the effects of that cheat day to wear off. I'm personally drooling at the thought of a slice of homemade pizza right now, but I won't be having it until next week, because I've finally got everything where I want it, and I want a few more days before I introduce anything else that could mess it up.
3. Take the habits you've learned and reinforce them with continued action. Create a long term sustainable level of commitment, and rock with it!
Finally, congrats to everyone who has made it. And welcome to everybody just starting! Remember, all of us who just finished were exactly where you were a month ago: reading the blog and making a personal decision. Hopefully it turns out as well for you!
Jesse
P.S. Sorry for the wordiness.
Melissa!! No. Spoon feed me your thoughts! I already know mine. Can you warn me next time you need me to think for myself. I am more comfortable with your words than mine ;)
Peyton - First off, I'm a hardgainer. I lost 2 lbs and 1% body fat. I lowered my Diane time from 9:07 to 7:02.
Morning, y'all! I've missed you people! Hanging with my family and the corporate overlords has been taxing. Whew. But I'm back... yay!
This was the first time I visited with my family since starting Paleo. They're all obese and my dad owned a restaurant when I was a kid, so food is a big part of our family dynamic.
On the plus side, I made dinner on Friday night, and they all loved it. Grilled chicken, turkey sausage, and steak, with a huge raw veggie platter, snow peas sauteed with sesame seeds, and strawberries with Sunbutter for dessert. They didn't even realize they were eating dino-chow. This is my safety dinner for times when I'm cooking for people who think they don't want healthy food. I've posted this link before, but for newcomers, here's all you need to trick dinner guests (and yourself) into thinking they're indulging:
http://theclothesmakethegirl.blogspot.com/2009/06/best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever.html
On the down side, I drank a lite beer or glass of wine for liquid courage on the days I hung out with them. AND I ate a big ol' bag of popcorn at Sea World on Sunday. Popcorn is my favorite food, and I hoovered it down like the old days. Some habits die really, REALLY hard.
But I'm back on my game and back in my own environment.
In case you're new-ish to the Moxy-Boss blog and are done with your official 30 days, be sure to check out Melissa's Guide to Eating Dirty, Parts I & II, if you're ready to start incorporating some "sometimes" foods into the mix.
Part I - http://www.byersgetsdiesel.com/2009/06/byers-guide-to-eating-dirty.html
Part II - http://www.byersgetsdiesel.com/2009/06/byers-guide-to-eating-dirty-part-ii.html
Carry on, Cave People!
New recipe alert. 5 easy, delicious pesto recipes that are a) paleo and b) can go on just about anything to make it taste delicious and c) take less than 5 minutes to make.
Think you can't cook? Think again.
http://theclothesmakethegirl.blogspot.com/2009/08/presto-pesto.html
Musings from Paleo day 20…
There is not a single bag of jerky of any kind at Central Market that doesn’t contain sugar or corn syrup.
I found a good use for my big bag of refined sugar: foot scrub!
I’m still struggling with Paleo. Some have told me that I’m not eating enough, but I don’t think that’s it. I assure you, I eat! I’m working on the (slightly heretical?) theory that I’m not getting enough carbs, so I’m going to really load on the veggies for a few days to get those carbs up. I don’t Zone. So, I’m thinking of trying that out as well.
Keep those tips and recipes, coming, 30 Dayers!
@Bernie LOL on the beef jerky. I found the same thing when I went on Paleo. Do you know about grasslandbeef.com?
On not eating enough: Have you tried avocados? An avocado has lots of fat: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=calories+in+avocado
I started eating avocados when I mentioned in this forum that I was losing weight and Melissa told me to eat more fat. They definitely help. They also took away hunger.
Hi All!!! Congrats to everyone who has completed the 30-days and welcome to those who are starting/mid-way through the 'challenge.' It's the best decision you have ever made for yourself!! I PROMISE you!!
I started eating paleo July 3rd and it is a lifestyle change for me. I have made my own "rules/exceptions" like most of yall have (I chew gum and I rarely ever drink, but if I'm at a social event, I might drink)
I have some questions I was hoping to get some helpful answers for...
I have read that you can find kelp noodles at whole foods, but all my attempts to find them have been FAILs. Anyone know where I can find some??
I am confused... I've been searching for raw foods and paleo recipes, and some have buckwheat flour... buckwheat flour isn't paleo, right.. or is it??
I know for the 30-day challenge we weren't suppose to have agave nectar or stevia, but many recipes have these as ingredients... what are yalls thoughts about agave and stevia?? are they paleo/non-paleo/okay in moderation/not to be consumed at all??
thank you all for the unconditional support and for all the yummy recipes!!! Please keep em coming!!! Stay strong and I hope we all have found a new sense of happiness!!
Much love,
Mindy =)
Hello All!
My name is Jen. I'm on Day 13 of the strict Paleo challenge and feel amazing.
Let's see...stats: 5'5"/154.0#/17.66% bf/127.2 lean mass/40yr. I would be beyond ecstatic if I weighed 145. then that stupid bmi, which I know damn well does not accurately reflect anything, especially since I lift, would say I'm normal, not overweight. I don't aspire to normalcy in any other aspect of my life, but can't I have this one thing?
I've lost 200 lbs naturally (diet and exercise)over the last 7 years. I've also been eating pretty clean since January, when I realized that gluten was not my friend. Then I segued into the Zone in March, when I drank the Crossfit koolaid with no regrets! Eleven days ago I started this strict paleo challenge: no dairy, no gluten, no legumes, no sugars, no nothing except the basics. And I'm doing great with it...so much energy and I deadlifted 185# the other day, which is like a frickin' 100 lb pr! : -) And the first time I've ever lifted anything that weighed more than me. And two things happened in the last couple days that really have me convinced that what I'm doing is exactly what my body needs. Last night I was re-organizing the cupboards and was putting the chocolate pudding in order. That's it, folks. Chocolate pudding. CHOCOLATE PUDDING...yes, a little orgasm in a cup. One of my all time favorite foods. And I had absolutely, positively no desire to have any. Mind-boggling! Stupifying! Utterly unbelievable! And I can't even begin to describe to you what a RELIEF that was. It has no control over me. If I choose to eat a chocolate pudding at some point, it will be because I truly want to. Not to satisfy some craving. WOW! And, in the interest of brevity, I will just say that the second thing was exactly along the same lines, but involved the 7-grain banana blueberrie pancakes I made the kids the other morning.
But I digress...I am also an instructor in a globo gym and just trained my first personal client the other week. So this is a month of growth for me. I love to cook and if I were stranded on a desert island and could only take two spices it would be cumin and cinnamon. Since I'm not stranded, I will admit to being a bit of a spice whore and using things most people haven't heard of. But I digress - which I'm prone to do...
I'm here...I can't wait to see what the next two weeks hold! And I thank all the people who put in their thirty days and are still here going strong - we have so much to learn from you guys!
I'd apologize for the book I just wrote, but an apology would look like I feel bad and it won't happen again...and I know me well enough to know THAT'S not true! ; -)
Have a fantastic day everyone! I'm glad to be part of such an awesome group! Thank you Melissa~!
So I woke up this morning with a beautiful thought and thankfully recognized it. I realized my 30 days were over and my thought was "now to get serious". :) WOW. 31 days ago I was wondering how many cookies I would be shoving in my mouth at this point. So now that I know what to eat. Now to work on how many calories to eat, what percentages I want fat/carbs/protein, etc as I try to maximize the nutrition I am eating. Oh, and to also work on how to cheat! :) Sweets which were my downfall, out, don't want them. But now big homecooked meals which were NEVER my weakness, now are. Quite the learning experience. Starting my NEXT 30 days (because I feel like I need one personally) on Sunday. I am going to eat 90/10 till then.
For those of you just starting, I just found an email from May when my friend Brandon first talked to me about this. I was so confused,so frusterated, NO OATMEAL, less fruit? I wrote across the print out "I AM FRUSTERATED". :) Now I couldn't be happier! Stick with it!
Mindy~
Don't know about kelp noodles but if you get a spiralizer(sp?) you can create "noodles" out of any squash or zucchini.I see amazing dishes on the "raw" blogs and raw isn't to far from Paleo.
You guys are doing so amazing!
B
@Michael Thanks for that URL. I went to grasslandbeef.com, loaded a few packages into my cart, and discovered that their minimum order is… 7 pounds! For kicks, I added 7 pounds worth of jerky to my cart, which brought my order total to $139, at which point I choked on my (black, no sugar) coffee. Then, I went looking around online and I could not find a single bag of jerky without sugar. Granted, there were several sites that sold “natural” or “organic” jerky that didn’t list the ingredients. So, maybe those were okay. Anyway, next I called Whole Foods and made the guy in the meat department go read the labels on their jerky. He came back with the news that every single one had some form of sugar. So, has anyone found jerky for sale online somewhere that doesn’t cost as much as, oh, a really cute pair of boots?
Also… I love the avocados! And the nuts. And the coconut. Getting fat and calories is not a problem for me under Paleo. I dunno where my lack of energy is coming from, but I don’t think it’s from lack of fat.
@Soulrich: RTFO!
Hey Barbara!
Thanks!!! The guys at whole foods in the raw foods area told me about a spiralizer too!! I bought a mandoline, but I think a spiralizer would be a lot faster. Thanks again!!!! (I had totally forgotten the name of the tool they told me they used, u saved me!!) =)
Best,
Min
Hey Bernie!!!
Mel(icious) said she found some Applegate Farms Joysticks at the new Natural Grocers on Guad. I duno what the ingredients are tho, I'm hopin to go check sometime this week. If I go before Saturday, I'll bring some to ATX high school for our "weekend tribe" WODs. =)
I think most people try to make their own beef jerky. I've never tried tho. I think there are recipes on some paleo sites, I'll let you know if I find any!
Hugs,
Min
Applegate Farms Joy Sticks = no junk.
The ingredients:
Pork, Salt, Spices, Sugar, Paprika, Garlic, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (Not From Milk).
They cost about $1 a piece.
Get 'em online or user their store locator to find a store: http://www.applegatefarms.com/Bullseye/default.aspx
Bernie, i got mine in Austin at Vitamin Cottage on Guadalupe.
Bernie, jerky's really easy to make yourself. get a eye of round roast (or some other very lean cut of beef) from your butcher, have the butcher slice it for you, marinate/rub it and then lay it out on racks in your oven on ~160 or the lowest temp you can (my oven only goes to 170), and let it dry for ~6 hours. Jerky's done when it splinters when you bend it, but you don't want it to snap.
We made our own beef jerky this past weekend. Granted we have a food de-hydrator. I would imagine a de-hydrator is much less than $139, and you can use it over and over. We took the Jerky Recepie from http://www.thepaleodiet.com/nutritional_tools/recipes.shtml#Dried%20Meat
It is pretty tasty, not your ordinary jerky with all the salt/sugar, but pretty darn good. FYI: might want to keep it in the fridge even after its dried since it is not preserved.
Trey
Hi everyone. I am glad to hear how well everyone is doing. There has not been too much whining on here at all which is great! Yeah, b/c Moxy Boss will kick your a** if you whine, so don't;)
I am on day 20 something I think around 23 or so, but it is so easy I don't obsess about counting down the days. I had my 38th b-day on the 2nd and made Son of Grok's Gorilla cake, and realized that even paleo baked goods without the gluten, still cause me to bloat and feel pretty crappy. I have to say, while I love the foods I am eating I don't FEEL a whole lot different than before. The only thing is my stomach is flatter - less bloated from dairy and gluten. Otherwise I don't feel a surge of energy or any less fatigued by the wod's. I have set a few pr's but I was doing that kind of consistently before too. So while I am sure this is the best way to eat, I don't FEEL it.....yet. Maybe I am still detoxing?
I wanted to lose weight, but other than a flatter tummy and a bit more def. in my legs I havent lost a pound.
Melicious - I did your zucchini with toasted cumin almonds.....delish!
One more thing - I am worried that I may HAVE to zone to lose weight. I have about 12-15 pounds I'd like to shed. I just can't zone. I get very weird about weighing and measuring and monitoring every day's consumption. That is what is so great about paleo - the freedom of eating good food. I think I will require more teaching about how to tweak this later on to get good results. Is it about staying around a magic number of carbs a day to maximize glucagon, and minimize insulin, or is it about calorie count overall? I can tell I will be confused later.
What? We have to write about what we think YOU would say? Kinda like WWJD? But WWMD?
Hello everyone. I am finishing day 2 of my strict paleo challenge, and so far, so good! I tried to zone before this and found that it brings up some old disordered eating habits. I like how I can eat what I like, and really, how bad is it to over eat on broccoli? I love vegetables so this is all fairly easy for me. Planning things ahead (namely lunches to bring to work) makes things much easier as well. I'm going to look at getting a crockpot this weekend for some big roast dishes.
@Bernie
I had a similar problem with finding jerkey and then I found the recipe Trey mentioned. So I hunted down a dehydrator at my local Bed Bath & Beyond for $59. Can't wait to make my own jerky soon.
Hi Melissa,
It was so good to meet you tonight! I'm not going to add my 2 cents because you hinted at what you would say! Hope you made it home safe and in good time!
Welcome to you new people. I highly recommend reading the earlier posts, as they helped me a lot.
At day 13 I feel great with tons more energy and sleeping much better too. Feeling this good now, I realize how bad off I was when I started and I never ever want to feel that way again. I have struggled very little with cravings. The minute I want "something" I down 5 or 6 almonds and a big glass of water and I'm good. My husband and kids have their sweets, fries or pasta salad but I don't have a problem. I KNOW those foods hurt me and I have no desire to let that happen again. Like, why keep smashing your finger, right? Actually, my family has been very supportive of my new way of eating. They're eating lots of new things with me and I LOVE it. There are nights our dinner is all Paleo and other nights that I'm having an omelette while they're having lasagna and breadsticks.
Everyone have a great week!
@Oh what have I done: I'm having the same issue too. Would like to lose weight, but have only lost 1/2 a pound on the first two weeks of this. BUT I have to say I do appreciate having lost that 1/2 lb with a full tummy and no cravings and not being cranky! I can't wait to see if any of the wise ones on here have some hints. I did find the 'don't eat more than 4 oz of nuts or 1 oz of dried fruit' if weight loss is an issue...but still not sure how that fits in with oils, avocados, the fats in the meat, etc. Is there somewhere where we can figure out how much fat we should be getting? When I zoned it was about 50 grams I think...but this is more! Is it too much? When I started worrying about it last week, I unconsciously cut back my fats and then had NO energy the next day. So I'm sort of stuck here with you!
@ Renee and Trey...thank you for the jerky recipes. I didn't realize it was that easy!
@Audrey: you'll LOVE your crockpot! Such a time saver!
@Cheryl: thank you for the 6 almond and water tip. I'm going to try it. Right now I seem to be binging on fruit when I get a craving...though it's funny that it's fruit and nuts that are almost the only things I crave now! But definitely need to work on that whole 'some fruit' part.
@Melicious: thank you so much for your blog. Besides making me laugh my butt off, I've tried a lot of your recipes and they are amazing! And you use spices like I do, which rocks!
For those of you looking to lose a little weight I found that I lost most between week 3-4 (90% of what I lost I lost in these last 2 weeks). I did cut back to 2 servings of fruit (a quarter cup to half a cup each serving) and only berries. I cut back my nuts anywhere from 20-40 grams (half almonds half walnuts with a pecan here and there :)). I also cut back to a quarter cup of avacado a day. I found I was getting plenty of fat between that amount of nuts, avacado, and the fat in the meat I was eating. By cutting back on the fruit I had to up my veggies which is always a great thing! I am going to be upping my fat and upping my workouts so we will see how that goes!!! :)
Oh and btw, I found I saved a ton of money buying twice as much veggies and half the amount of fruit. A plus! I also used a website to make sure I was eating enough calories which I found I was NOT eating enough of (I was SHOCKED).
Paleo question. I haven't bothered with almond milk before because I never bothered with actual milk before starting paleo. I found myself craving something creamy so I picked up a carton of Unsweetened Almond Breeze at TJ's. I got it home and read the packaging. There are a LOT of unidentifiable ingredients in there. One of them being Soy Lecitin or something like that. Is there a special almond milk I'm supposed to get or is this okay?
@ Charity - If you want to drink almond milk on the Paleo Challenge, you will have to make your own. Almond Breeze is not okay on the challenge. I tried to look for other brands but they all had ingredients that were not acceptable.
I tried making my own almond milk by soaking raw almonds overnight and blending it with water. It worked, but it was so time consuming and not worth the effort. So, I just drink water or add coconut milk to my coffee.
@ Soulrich: Thank you! I'm on day 14 today...so getting into that three week period. I'm going to use all your recommedations that worked for you and give them a whirl. Thank you so much for the concrete advice!
Jen
@ Soulrich (or any of the women out there!): What is your general serving size of protein? And how many times a day do you eat it? Only with the three main or do you include it with your snacks? I'm thinking I've went overboard on the whole protein issue because I was so excited about eating more of it! My servings were probably about 8 oz, three times a day. Before paleo, I'd do 3-4 oz. Did I swing too extreme?
Thanks for any tips or advice!
Jen
Hey, Soulrich. I eat about 3-4 oz. at meals (3X a day) and 1 oz. or so with snacks (2X a day). I try to make all my meals and snacks with a base of protein, then a little carbohydrates and fat. You're welcome to look at my FitDay log if you want to see how I put stuff together.
The last week or so has been a little wonky, so for "science," I recommend you scroll back to the 2nd week of July.
http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=melicious11
@Jennifer~
I try to zone my meals(3p,0-1-2c,3 or more fat depending on carb intake). I eat about 3-4oz protein (3 times a day) and 1.5oz or 1-2 blocks of protein for snacks (1-2 times a day). Last night I ate a TON of protein (maybe about 8oz?) (made the delicious sloppy joes from http://www.performancemenu.com/recipes/index.php) and no carbs and some fat. I had also not eaten much throughout the day so I was starving. I base my meals on my protein, then add some carbs, and eat fats til I'm satisfied. Hope this helps some!! Oh and I rarely eat fruit. For me, decreasing my sugar intake helped me lose weight. (My carb intake use to primarily be fruit and I would overeat it, so it IS possible to stop overeating fruits, it can be hard, but its possible! =) )
Best,
Min
@ Melicious - I don't mean to pry, but it would help me figuring out what I need to improve on in my own diet. How tall are you? I want to compare my own fitday journal and see if changes need to be made. If you want, you can email me at: winniplove@gmail.com
You and Moxy Boss are my Paleo Gurus!
Thanks!!
winnipeglove... I have no secrets from you people! I don't mind sharing my stats.
5'4" of fury
145 lbs.
23.7% body fat (as of mid-June)
@ Melicious Thanks for sharing it's really helpful.
Thanks Melicious!
Hello all,
Day 32 here, still going strong. But I may have had too many grapes today. they are so sweet. Urgh!
Doing well, people keep asking me what I am going to break this "diet" with, but they don't understand that I am making my lifestyle.
Hope everyone is doing well.
Today is Day 7 for me...I feel pretty good other than I am eating WAY too many nuts and fruit. Going to try to cut back to no more than 3 ounces of nuts per day and 1 serving of fruit. Hoping that will help me to increase my protein and vegetable intake instead.
Good job everyone and keep it up!
I am with Melicious.. I have been trying (and this is all based on stuff people have posted this month and trying to learn from ya'll) to base my meals on the following in the following orderfor three meals:
1. Protein
2. Veggies lots and lots of veggies
Then two or three snacks a day
1. Protein
2. Nuts
3. Fruit
I am 5ft 7 and weight 132 (down from 140). So just a bit of fruit and always blueberries or cherries or raspberries (just my preference). And I use fitday to, but watch out on the choosing preset food. I chose fresh spinach cooked and it showed like 10 grams of fat??? lol, I have been making my own custom foods just in case.
And everyone here has been an UNBELIEVABLE help to me... thank you!
Thank you soulrich, Melicious, and Mindy...I have been eating way too much protein, fruit and nuts. I guess the though of eating what I wanted, when I wanted, was too too tempting after the last seven years of measuring and journaling every damn bite I put into my mouth. I got giddy thinking of just eating. So I had my two weeks of wanton gluttony, enjoyed it immensely, still lost 1/2 lb...but if I want to break that 150 mark again, I need to buckle down. I got down there once before, but didn't have any energy because I basically had to starve myself to get there (it was while I was still eating processed carbs, low fat, etc). I'm willing to measure a bit more if I can get below 150 again and still feel this amazing and strong!
Thank you for posting your fitday url, Melicious...I'm off to go take a look! and hope you didn't have another crappysuckynogoodday! ;-)
Heya Moxy-B, Melicious, fellow Paleo Challengers,
Today is Day 12 out here in the heat of the Iraqi desert. I'm in Basrah now, where it's 10-20 degrees hotter than Mosul (my last residence). Even through all of the travel and chaos, I'm still holding true to my commitment. Like I said before, some things I can't control as I have to eat in the Dining Facilities, and I have no access to a supermarket (and the PX is dismal). So no raw or organic anything--or even nuts, as the PX is out and not expecting a shipment for weeks. Meanwhile, the other guys in my unit are cooling off with ice cream and popsicles at least once a day. Temptation is a bitch!
Fortunately, the salad bar and fruit are there for me to dig in to. Some days it's pretty pallid. But, like Melissa says, "it's only 30 days! It's not that effin' hard!" If I can do it here, I can do it anywhere!
Cheers!
Day 37 for me :)
The only cheats so far have been a few light beer at camp,parmesan cheese on my spaghetti squash pasta, omelette with a little cream. Oh and olives (find them too salty now though )
I think the most difficult thing is convenience. As said before prep is EVERYTHING. However I managed to do some unintentional intermittent fasting yesterday cause I had nothing to snack on while running around staying away from the workers at my house. Ate a lara bar and olives and cherries. The temptation was there a few times but NOTHING like before this challenge started.
working nights all weekend.......need to go start prepping now :)
Have a great weekend all ;)
Karl, every time you post, I sit dumbstruck, trying to figure out how to respond. I'm just.. in awe. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. Holy crap! Makes me feel like a big ol' whiner. Congratulations on staying strong in unbelievably challenging circumstances, and thanks for sharing. Hugs and gratitude from Austin.
Hi Karl!
I'm a military brat myself, and my dad served in Vietnam. Thank you so much for what you're doing over their for us! And I can't even begin to imagine how stinkin' unbelievably hard it must be to go paleo when you're at the dietary whims and vagaries of the US government. Doubt you pop open a MRE and find fresh veggies and olive oil! Listen...my kids and I make up boxes for our soldiers and send them out. Would you be willing to let us feel like we're doing something to help protect our country by keeping at least one of our soldiers amazingly fit and strong? If you give us your address, you'll have some goodies! : -) Just a thought. Either way - good luck, stay strong, thank you, and God bless!
Jen
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