Good morning + happy Friday Eve!
Who is ready for the weekend? I know I am! I plan to have a very low-key one with another trip to the farmer’s market and a photoshoot with Lauren! More details coming soon!
I also plan to stay strict paleo. Week two of my Fall paleo challenge didn’t go as well as week one because I went a little wild on my birthday. Nevertheless, I’ve seen progress! Here’s a look at my food diary… #nojudging
Day 8: Fried egg, hamburger patty, salsa, and watermelon. Costco kale salad with evoo, apple cider vinegar and an avocado blended for dressing- so yummy! More watermelon. CrossFit. Banana + Larabar. Chipotle double meat (steak) salad bowl with veggies, salsa, lettuce, and guac.
I teleworked and loved being able to make an elaborate breakfast! Having a stove, microwave, and full kitchen make a huge difference on this diet.
Day 9: Coconut chai tea, watermelon, 3 hard boiled eggs + bacon. A Larabar + salad club salad. I worked out at work with my trainer. Ate an orange and a banana, then went to Ted’s Montana Grill for dinner! I ordered the 8 ounce steak, sweet potato, and sliced tomatoes. I had two more glasses of wine than allowed! -4
I was getting pretty annoyed with black coffee so I switched to coconut chai tea in the morning- it’s delicious! I especially love the way it smells! (Weird?) Anyway, I’ve only had it plain but I bet it’d be good with coconut milk (Karyle’s idea)!
Day 10: Cabbage and grassfed burger- I tried the whole lunch for breakfast thing, didn’t like it. Then ate a banana and larabar. Had a salad club salad for lunch, then headed to California Pizza Kitchen for an office happy hour. I had one glass of red wine, but it totally got to me because next thing you know, I’m ordering a salad with feta cheese and the dressing! -5.
This is when I started to feel like, “Hey it’s my birthday! I will eat what I want!” Lol.
Day 11- My Birthday: Started the morning with CrossFit. Then it was one cheat after another! I had a chai tea latte from Cosi and three mini donuts from the farmer’s market. -5 (They were Mac’s famous stick-o-donuts; totally not necessary except on your birthday!) You can see what I ate for lunch here! -5
Day 12: Getting back in the groove was hard! I had a non-paleo breakfast the morning after my birthday and felt SO full and gross afterward (it was a two egg breakfast with toast and hashbrows; a small diner where ordering a la carte would have been expensive). I only ate half of it. BUT STILL -5!
That night I went to my dad’s for another celebration dinner. He served pork ribs, mac and cheese and cole slaw. Thanks Dad. Lol. I also ate two chocolate chip cookies and a cupcake… like I said, #nojudging! -5
I did burn a few calories doing burpees with my dad!
Day 13: Back at work and trying to get back in the groove. My will power was low and I had creamer with my coffee. For breakfast I had bacon and scrambeld eggs with bell peppers. For lunch, a kale salad with cucumbers, avocado and chicken. As a snack, a larabar.
For dinner, I made some awesome buffalo chicken sausage over onions and peppers on bib lettuce- so good! We bought the buffalo from the farmer’s market and I think it’s really cool we know where it came from, which is right over in Culpeper, VA!
Day 14: Coffee with creamer (couldn’t kick it!), larabar, then Zumba. I had a salad club salad with a hard boiled egg for lunch and a banana in the afternoon. Yoga. For dinner, I made some preseasoned trader joes chicken, a half a sweet potato, broccoli and brussel sprouts.
Day 15: I went crazy eating ants on a log for breakfast. This is one of my favorite snacks, ever! I probably ate too much. Banana and more coconut tea. Salad club salad with a piece of trader joes chicken. CrossFit. For dinner, I had the most delicious kale salad with leftover sausage, sweet potato, and cucumbers.
Quick Thoughts:
- I’ve lost weight! I wasn’t going to weigh myself but this girl in my crossfit box told me she lost 9 lbs and I got curious about whether I’d lost anything! Low and behold: I’m 6.5 lbs lighter!! Crazy!!
- Despite the weight loss, I don’t feel as good as I did last week. Obviously I had tons of cheats this week and that’s probably why. I’ve also been using creamer again and I think ingesting the sugar/additive/crap first thing in the morning makes a difference.
- It gets easier. I haven’t been to the grocery store as much this last week. I made a run to Trader Joes on Monday, spent about $40 and I’m good for the week. I no longer feel like I need to go to the store everyday.
- Buying local makes a huge difference. It just tastes better! The food we got from the farmer’s market has been delicious, buffalo included and I hope to continue to shop there.
Moving Forward:
- I WANT TO KICK THE CREAMER!! I feel like a slave to it. 🙁
- I want to meal prep! I did a mini prep on Tuesday night and it’s been so great to just open containers, heat food, and eat! I need to establish a system for doing this more often (I feel like I say that a lot)!
- On that same note, I’m looking forward to exploring some non-egg breakfasts! I’m so over eggs!
Tips for you:
- Don’t cheat. Stay on track 100 percent if you can. Cheating once makes cheating a second, third and fourth time that much easier. It’s also likely you’ll crave the bad crap again.
- Explore eggless paleo breakfasts! Carrots ‘n’ cake just posted about this! I’m so over eggs.
- Get some Larabars, they’re a lifesaver. But only buy a few at a time- cause you will want to devour them! Apple pie is my favorite flavor but I also like the cherry and cashew cookie flavors.
Did you decide to start a Fall paleo challenge too?
What have you been eating lately? Do you buy locally?
What are your favorite paleo recipes?
So I am not on the paleo challenge, but since I shop locally for the most part. I have been eating gluten free due to it making me feel a lot better and having a lot more energy. When grocery shopping yesterday I realized that if it had a whole lot of ingredients, or I couldn’t pronounce something I would put it back because nothing I eat has complicated ingredients as of late. I have had many slip ups with my gluten free diet but always end up going back to it because the way I feel is so much different. Since January I have lost a total of 40 lbs. Just by eating healthy and changing my eating habits. I have found that I like it this way because it becomes a lifestyle vs. a diet when you add changes slowly. This week I made the goal of going to the gym 4 times a week. (I start today eeek)…this is not to lose weight it is to reduce stress and increase my healthy life style.
I’ve been looking at the ingredients a lot more with the paleo challenge and it’s amazing all the random foods you’ll see added sugar in! Congratulations on your 40 lbs girl! That’s GREAT progress! It’s definitely a lifestyle, I agree, and such a process! The gym will make you feel great! WAY TO GO!
I posted early so it didn’t delete what I had written. I would like more information on the “salad club” and man do they look delicious and yummy. Can’t wait to see you Saturday! I have so much catching up to do on your blog. Congrats on the healthy eating and weight loss…remember the feeling you have when you don’t cheat and that will motivate you to stay on track at least it does for me and I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!!! Also remember drink at least half your weight in water which is usually more than the recommended 64oz. Another tip, the more you stay away from the additives, sugar, wheat etc the more you will not crave it. I no longer crave bread or pasta, but as soon as I ate one slice of pizza it’s all I can think about…everyone should watch “Hungry for change” it’s on Netflix, or online. It’s hard to believe but there is so much addictive product and food these days that make us feel sluggish, tired, and make us want more and to overeat. Happy healthy eating! I love you and see you very soon!
Sorry I’m so late responding, Em! I love all your comments! I love your tip to stay away from the additives and sugar! I’ve done that with the Paleo challenge and it helps SO MUCH! I haven’t seen Hungry for Change but I’ll look for it. As far as salad club, I’m working on an ebook! You’ll be the first to know when it’s done! Woo hoo!
[…] It’s hard to believe I’m starting the sixth week of the Fall Paleo Challenge already. I have to say that I have truly enjoyed eating this way, and while some people might question a whether Paleo, as a lifestyle, is feasible, I can say that for me, it’s working. You’ll notice based on my food diary below that I haven’t been perfect, especially when it comes to coffee creamer (it’s my weakness), but beyond that, I have kept up with the challenge, which was one of my main goals after all. (See my food diary for week one here and week two here.) […]