Hardcore Paleo-Day 2

I meant to post every night, but I am getting through the 3-day burn. You know the 3-day burn, it's where all those muscles you haven't used scream at you for using them. Anywho, things are going well. Breakfast: egg in a nest (leftover). Lunch: Ham, pastrami, pepperoni, brussel sprouts, cucumbers. After workout: Lg. orange. Dinner: Meatballs w/bbq, broccoli, green beans. Workouts: 5 minute plank routine (completed about 2.5 minutes). Day 2 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred Let's discuss. I am going a bit crazy on processed meats, and will adjust that. For me it's like a day without pork products is a day without sunshine. I have been doing well in keeping my veggies going. I made it through the day without snacking, which is a real accomplishment. The afternoons are my trouble time. Mainly boredom drives me into the kitchen, and to be honest, I did wander in and out a couple of times, but didn't snack, YEA for me!! I like to be alone for my exercise time. In the mornings, when I do my planks, it's quick and I do it when I get dressed. And, although I didn't make a good showing on Day 2, I am getting better, but have had to modify to being on my knees for a couple of moves until I get stronger. I do the Shred in the living room, with the kids (they gave out in the first circuit, and went to play in the dining room). I have managed to improve, even in just one day. Nothing beyond getting more Jumping Jacks in, but, hey, it's better than doing nothing, or even worse, giving up entirely! As I said earlier, I am suffering the 3 day burn. My thighs and shoulders are SCREAMING. I even flex my gluts to feel the butt burn. As much as it hurts, it's also sending a message that my muscles are alive and going to get stronger. Please note: This is normal, and doesn't stop me from everyday activities. I am hoping that Tuesday, when I weigh and measure, I will see some sort of results. I am going to attack Day 3 now!!!

Hardcore Paleo. Day 1.

Even though the day isn't quite over, it's been a smashing success! Here's my beginning stats (please be kind, this is embarrassing): weight: 224.4 Note: This is still reflecting 100 lbs. lighter than I was 2 years ago. fat %: 38.5 Note: My goal is to get to 33% or better. H2O %: 41.5 Note: As I increase muscle mass, this will go up, while the fat % goes down. Measurements (in inches): Neck: 13.5 Bust: 45 Calf: 15.5 Arm (upper): 12.5 Ribcage: 39 Ankle: 8.5 Wrist: 6.5 Waist: 45 Shoulders: 43 Hips: 49 Chest: 40 Thigh: 23.5 Total pear shape. I used to be an hour glass shape. My weight loss started at the top and culminated into my HUGE belly. My ankles and wrists are like sticks, everything else is fat and saggy. TMI? Probably. I will do weekly measurements, and see how things go. THE FOOD Breakfast: Eggs in a Nest (from: Eat Like a Dinosaur) and a berry mix. I didn't eat any berries, I don't need excess carbs. Snack: Paleo crunch. The Kids, not me. Lunch: Pastrami pieces, pepperoni pieces, spoonful of egg salad (with homemade mayo), kimchi, grape tomatoes, oranges. Dinner: Ham, brussel sprouts with bacon, green salad with honey mustard. The kids will be having mashed potatoes with butter. Exercise In the AM, I did about 2 and a half minutes of planks (in 30 second intervals). I was shooting for 5 minutes, but got weak sister. In the PM, I did Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, Level 1. WOW!! I have done it before, but I forgot how hard I work! I like this DVD the best because you are in and out in 20 minutes, exhausted and feeling good!! My mushiness is showing, as I pooped out every now and then, but did do the whole workout. The last time I did Jillian, I didn't see any results for 11 days, but I was also 350 lbs., so I am hoping that I will show better sooner. I did manage to keep up with 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks, with minimal strain. I may have to switch out my 5 lbs. weight for something lighter (maybe 2 lbs.), but hopefully, the heavier weights will increase my arm definition faster (if a little is good, more is better....?). Already, I am feeling better, not too foggy, content and generally happy (I am the eternal pessimist, but that is lifting). This is only Day One. I am keeping my portions reasonable, and not snacking, and keeping my carb count down. I am not starving, in fact, I am holding well. I have been eating off salad plates, and filling it full, but better than a dinner plate. The afternoons are the worst for me, mainly because that is my snack time (read boredom), but after my workout, I not only felt tired, but also fulfilled. I even abstained from smoking (a usual practice for me to workout, then run and have a cigarette, things that make you go "duh"), for more than an hour, and didn't even think too hard about it until my Colonel and the Littles came home (The Colonel is my smoking buddy). I am looking forward to tomorrow. Oh, and Happy New Year!!!

Hardcore Paleo and dragging the kids

With 2 years of Paleo eating under my belt, it's time to shake things up and tighten up loose ends. Paleo has been a life saver for me. I have been eating fast and furious under the guise of Paleo. I am adamant about staying away from grains (although, HFCS and corn starch will worm it's way in every now and then), legumes, no dairy (except for butter), but my down fall is sugar. I LOVE dark chocolate bars, bananas, and Heavenly Organics mint patties. So, it's time to get my home ship shape for the new year. Back to basics. With the holiday season coming to an end, I am deep in planning mode. I thought I would try to get the kids involved by letting them help with the weekly menu planning. My middle boy is 6 and he is very excited to help plan the menu and go shopping, not only that, he wants to cook too. I am thinking this will help the kids adopt better eating habits. My youngest is a sugar junkie. For him it's all sugar all the time. My biggest obstacles are going to be the other adults in the house. My beloved hubby, The Colonel, has some issues in eating Paleoized lunches, because he is on the road so much, he has to be able to eat with his hands, not only that, everything has to be served cold. He does like soup, usually the creamy type. He's is OK with dinners, Paleo or not, so that isn't a big hurdle. In fact, dinner seems to be perfectly wonderful for all parties. Another major barrier is going to be my In-laws. My FIL lives with us 24/7, and is a sucker for the kids. He also loves his cookies, cakes, candy and mocha coffee. Add to that a 1/2 gallon a day milk jones (Yes, 4 gallons of milk a week, all by himself). He is thinking about joining us on the hardcore Paleo plan, but doesn't want to give anything up. I did mention to him about going Primal instead (so he can keep his milk and the cheese he loves so much). I was going to give him my Kindle to read The Primal Blueprint, but then my Kindle went klaplooy. Top that all off with the fact that he won't sleep at night, and eats every 2 hours (usually toast). My grown son will just eat whatever he wants. I try to guide him more towards Paleo because he is autistic, and getting away from grains and sugar just might help, but he doesn't want anything to do with the whole idea. We will be using different resources for our menu. Whole Family Strong is a great place to get some great ideas, plus she has all ready put together a meal plan for 30 days! I also have plenty of Paleo cookbooks (too bad many are on my Kindle, but I can access my Kindle cloud with my computer and cell phone, so all is not lost). Not only will we be changing up our diet, but adding a daily exercise routine. In the mornings, we will be doing a 5 minute plank routine, and in the afternoons, use Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (which I have done a couple of times before). The best thing about the Shred is that you are in and out in 20 minutes. And since my kids are kids, we'll be doing plenty of park time as weather permits. We have a park about a 1/4 of a mile down a bike path behind our house, so it's a nice walk added to park play. For me, all this is to get a grip on the 15 lbs. that I gained since using hCG a year ago. For the Peanut (my 4 yo) it's an experiment to see if I can get him calmed down (he's pretty hyper), and for the Pookers (the 6 yo), strictly for health reasons, hopefully I can get some meat on his bones, he is super skinny. All this is going to start on January 1st. The kids are mainly going to be mad about losing their morning hot chocolate (quality drinking chocolate is very expensive and a bit out of our reach), the every now and then trips to MickeyD's, and the organic, but not good for you Honest Kids juice drinks. I will be posting our progress. Hopefully, with the accountability and support, we can stay the course to health.

Another year older...

I made it to 46! Yea!! I am 15 days into my 100 burpees in 100 days personal challenge. Yep, life is good. 2 years ago I didn't think that I was going to make it another year, now I am happy and healthy. I am still working on getting to my "ideal" weight, but the 20 to 50 lbs that I need to lose don't scare me none. I have found some great advice on making mayonnaise using a stick blender. Find your favorite mayo recipe (I have been using Melissa Joulwan's from her Well Fed cookbook). Use the container that you want to store your mayo in. Put in your eggs first (room temp please), add your lemon juice/vinegar (room temp also), your spices, and top with your oil (I use the light olive oil Great Value brand from Walmart, don't use extra virgin, it doesn't taste good, unless you are seriously into olive oil). Just let that mess o'goodness sit for a few minutes in layers, so everything will be the same room temperature together. Put your stick blender in over the egg(s). Just hold it down, don't move it, now let 'er rip. Just let the blender sit in one spot for 10 to 15 seconds, you will see the egg and oil start the emulsification process, now start the up and down motion that these are famous for. In about one minute you will have thick creamy mayo, with no preservatives, mystery chemicals or that nasty GMO soy oil crap. My thanks to the poster at Mark's Daily Apple for the tips (sorry, I couldn't find the post to connect a link or give due credit).

To Chocolate or Not To Chocolate...

...is that really a question?

Hard core Paleo folks will tell you that chocolate is not Paleo.  Yes, it's true, cavemen/women probably didn't eat a candy bar (or a Lara Bar for that matter).  Cavemen/women also didn't use indoor plumbing.

Paleo perfection is in the mouth of the eater.  Some folks just have to have their way.  Here's my take on "Choco-gate":  If you want it, eat it, with a few caveats.


*Read the ingredients.  Most "national brands" (Hi Hershey's!) use soy lecithin.  Most mass used soy products (besides being soy, ewww), are genetically modified (Hi Monsanto!).  Scary at best. 

*Buh bye milk chocolate.  Milk is dairy (in case you didn't get the memo), although, again, Paleo perfection....  I personally don't use milk or milk products (and yes, I do miss cheese) except butter.  The price that's paid, I guess, but then again, I don't weigh 300 lbs anymore, so it was a fair trade

*Stick to dark chocolate.  The darker the better.  Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, low in sugar (85% and above).  If you are just starting out in the Paleo world, you will find dark chocolate bitter.  Go on a sugar detox first, your poor taste buds are just used to HF CS and overtly sweet everything.

*Cost is a factor.  The less in your chocolate, the more it costs.

*It's a treat, not a meal.  If you find yourself sucking down chocolate daily, dark or not, you are doing yourself a dis-service.  A little should be able to go a long way.  If not, look into a sugar detox. 

Is it that big of a deal to eat chocolate?  No.  Not in the scheme of the world. In the Paleo/Primal world, stick with the experts first.  Who are the experts?  That's up to you.  The way I eat doesn't look perfectly like what Robb Wolf says, or what Mark Sisson says, or even Loren Cordain.  I eat what falls into the basic tenants of Paleo.  No grains, no legumes, no dairy, no sugar.  With a few exceptions.  I am not a Paleo perfectionist.  I don't tell people how to live or what to eat.  I know that I cannot have certain things, and there has been a side effect, in my case losing weight and keeping it off.  On the other hand, I shouldn't have certain things, but I do. 

I am not the end all and be all of Paleo (there's the understatement of a life time!), I am a mom, a wife, and a woman who is working at being happy and healthy.

There may come a day I write a book, but I don't want any disciples or detractors (the latter I will get anyway).  If what I say sounds right to someone, let them experiment and try, if it doesn't work for them, then it doesn't work.  They can try something else.

Chocolate.  I love it.  I stick to the dark stuff.  I would eat it daily if I could, but I can't.  It's a great treat, and a bit of a "pick me up" when I feel blue.