Paleo Day 8-Bring On Week 2!

So I pretty much ate the same stuff today that I ate yesterday with a couple slight changes. I am loving eggs right now. I used to only eat them about once a week and now they are my go to breakfast.

Breakfast: 3 eggs (organic, cage free, added omega 3), a handful of baby bellas,  1 1/2 slices bacon & half a grapefruit.

I'm trying to focus on getting my omega 3 to omega 6 ratio closer to where it should be. At least 1:1 if not even closer to 4:1. It's hard, especially if I can't always afford to buy grass fed beef. Apparently grass fed meat (and wild meat like the venison I've been eating) has about a 1:1 ratio while CAFO (grain-fed) meat has closer to a 1:20 ration, yikes! Also need to get some good pure DHA & EPA supplements.

Lunch: arugula salad with 8 baby carrots (organic), 1/3 of a cucumber (organic),  1/4 cup macadamia nuts, 1 avocado & about 2 tbsp homemade greek dressing.

Dinner: MORE venison chili!!! 

Day 8 Nutrition Facts:
Fat: 84.4 grams 61%
Carbs: 59.9 grams 19%
Protein: 61.4 grams 20%

Matt makes THE BEST chili! Today I've started listening to Robb Wolf's podcast "The Paleolithic Solution" It's a free podcast on itunes where he answers listeners questions. I'm really enjoying it.

Paleo Day 7 (Week One Done!)

I can't believe I made it through the first week already!! So exciting! It's getting so easy now. Yesterday I wanted a cookie though...I didn't eat one. Instead I'm going to make some paleo chocolate truffles. Yum!

Oh yeah, and did I mention I lost 4 lbs?!? :)

Breakfast: 3 eggs, 2 slices bacon, 1 1/2 baby bellas, 1/2 a grapefruit.

 I was so full from breakfast (and it was delicious!) that I wasn't hungry again until 5pm.

Lunch, 1 cup arugula (organic), 7 baby carrots (organic), 1/2 cup cucumber (organic), 2oz ham, 1/4 cup macadamia nuts, 1 tbsp sesame oil.

A couple hours after I got home today and ate my salad I stretched, did some sit ups, push ups and squats.

Dinner: venison chili leftovers, 3oz venison 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/2 tsp green chilies, 1/2 tsp jalapenos, 1 tbsp full fat sour cream & 1oz cheddar cheese (there is A LOT left).

Day 7 Nutrition Facts:
Fat: 91 grams 60%
Carbs: 60.2 grams 18%
Protein: 76.5 grams 22%

Week 1 Nutrition Facts Average:
Fat: 73.3 grams 51%
Carbs: 70.5 grams 22%
Protein: 87.3 grams 27%

Took a mental health day for myself and spent some time at the beach. :) It was  an amazingly beautiful day.

Paleo Day 6

It's day 6! Almost finished my first week! Aiming for some more carbs today than yesterday.

Breakfast: 3 eggs, 1/4 cup asparagus, 1 1/2 slices bacon, 1 1/2 baby bellas, 1 banana.

Lunch: about 5oz venison, 1.5 baby bellas, 1/4 cup (if that) mashed potatoes, 1 cup mixed veggies, 1 tbsp bacon fat.

Dinner: venison chili, 3oz venison, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/2 tsp green chilies, 1/2 tsp jalapeno, 1 tbsp full fat sour cream, 1oz cheddar cheese, 8oz red wine.

Day 6 Nutrition Facts:

Fat: 72.3 grams 42%

Carbs: 113.5 grams 30%

Protein: 106.6 grams 28%

It seems like all I'm eating is venison!!! My mom gave us a bunch to bring home when we where there over Christmas. It's delicious! And it's not CAFO meat. :)

Paleo Day 5

Day 5 is done!! I had a bit of a headache last night and this morning so I'm going to make an effort to up my carbs a little today.

Breakfast: 1 1/2 slices low sodium bacon, 2 scrambled eggs w/ a little sea salt &
fresh ground black pepper, 1/2 a ruby red grapefruit.

Lunch: leftover venison cottage pie from last night. Mostly venison (5oz), tomato(1 tbsp) and 1 portabella, very little mashed potato on top (1/4 cup at most).

Dinner: left over roasted chicken from the other day (breast & wing), 1 cup roasted asparagus, about 2 tbsp olive oil & 1 tbsp butter, 8oz red wine.

Day 5 Nutrition Facts:
Fat: 68 grams 51%
Carbs: 49 grams 16%
Protein 97 grams 32%

I didn't really exercise yesterday...ok I didn't exercise yesterday ;) But I did do some stretching. I've been trying to stretch everyday. I should have always been doing this but I wasn't and now my muscles are so tight. I'm working on it! I also just found out a grocery store 5 minutes from me sells grass fed meat, yay!

I  need to go buy some more veggies!! I'm thinking spaghetti squash.

Paleo Day 4

Paleo Day 4!I wish the crossfit gym was closer to where I live. But at least they post the WODs online and I can do them at home. Matt's gunna get me a pull up bar! Super excited! Now I can have muscles like Alex! haha. (I know I talk about her a lot, it's because she inspires me!) Everything is easier when you have great people in your life to motivate you.

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 2 slices bacon, 1/2 a grapefruit

My husband has had to remind me that "this is not the bacon diet"... ;)

I'm starting slow and slowly branching out with new foods.



Lunch: leftovers from dinner yesterday, roasted chicken(today was a breast and wing), 1/2 cup oven roasted green beans with 1 slice of bacon, and 1 cup cauliflower puree



 One of the ladies I work with tasted the cauliflower and said, "Wow, it taste just like mashed potatoes!"

Dinner: cottage pie made with venison, tomato paste, baby bellas, portabellas
1/4 cup (if that) of mashed potatoes. (probably had 1 tsp whole milk, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp butter Also, had 8 oz white wine (not paleo, but it was the last of it!)

Day 4 Nutrition Facts:
Fat: 61.2 grams 51%
Carbs: 43.3 grams 16%
Protein: 90.4 grams 33%

I had a client today with PCOS who eats Paleo. Made me VERY excited! I also have a friend who has been asking me a lot about it and is going to try it out now! Happy day. :) See you tomorrow!

Paleo Day 3

It's the 4th morning of my paleo challenge and I'm feeling pretty good I must say. One of my favorite things about it is I don't have to worry about eating too much. I eat when I'm hungry and I eat until I'm full, and everything I'm eating taste delicious! I already knew fat slows down gastric emptying so that is definitely contributing to my fullness. Plus, I'm still getting lots of great veggies! While I love most veggies, they always taste better when you add some fat! You know it's true ;)

Another great thing is I don't have to measure anything or count calories or any of that non sense that's no fun. The only reason I'm posting amounts on here is so you can get an idea of how much I'm consuming. Nothing is really measured, I just eyeball things and say, "that looks like 3 ounces".

Breakfast Day 3:
2oz ham
1/4 cup pineapple
(left overs)

Dinner: 2/3 cup cauliflower "rice", 1/3 cup pineapple, 4oz ham, 1 tbs olive oil
(left overs from dinner)

So last night was kind of a first big "test" for me. My husband was making himself mashed potatoes and stuffing. (Potatoes are allowed just in moderation, so I'm trying to steer clear for now). Instead of mashed potatoes, I had mashed cauliflower. My husband must be a genius because they tasted exactly like mashed potatoes to me, I kid you not! And all the other food I had for dinner was freaking amazing I could have cared less about that stuffing!

butter roasted chicken (leg & thigh) w/skin, roasted green beans w/bacon
(they were really candied gb bc they got left in a little long-yum!), cauliflower puree
made to mimic mashed potatoes.

*A note on green beans. Mark Sisson says they are allowed. Not really like most other legumes, they contain no lectin, and very low in carbs.
 
Day 3 Nutrition Facts:
Fat: 63.2 grams 58%
Carbs: 34.8 grams 14%
Protein: 68.3 grams 28%

I have a list of things I want to make a part of my diet:

1. all organic produce- (from farmers market when open)
2. grass fed beef (there is a local farm right down the road)
3. free range organic chicken & eggs
4. unpasteurized whole milk (when I use cow's milk)
5. coconut milk, oil & flour

I'm also linking up with Jenn Peas & Crayons for What I Ate Wednesday. :) Lots over yummy stuff over there. Check it out!




 

My 21 Day Paleo Challange

I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll start with how I was first introduced to Paleo. Over a year ago I met, one of my now best friends, Alex @Cucumbers & Cowboy Boots while working at the heath department. When Alex first told me about this diet, I'm not going to lie, I thought the girl was off her rocker . As an RD, it's been drilled into me to push a low-fat, high carb, whole grain diet.  But after a long year researching paleo, gathering tons of info from Robb Wolf and Mark Sisson, and a few others, I started to think that maybe I was the crazy one!!!

Now I have no intention of going in to any serious detail, unless you ask of course :), about the nitty gritty biochemistry of it all; but what I am going to do is take you on my Paleo journey.

To take a quote from Mark Sissons' new book The Primal Blueprint: 21 Day Total Body Transformation: "...The decline in human health prompted by civilization occurred because we departed from what our genes were accustomed to for the previous two million years: meat, fish, eggs, plants, and constant activity. Instead, humans transitioned to brand-new agricultural foods (wheat, barley, peas, and lentils were among the first cultivated crops) and adopted a less physically strenuous lifestyle. The abrupt lifestyle change of civilization- what University of California, Los Angeles evolutionary biologist and Pulitzer Prize winner Dr. Jared Diamond refers to as "the worst mistake in the history of the human race" -dramatically altered which genes were switched on, and which were turned off.

I happen to love the science behind nutrition but I know not everyone does. I may drop in some of that fun stuff once in a while. :)

I'm already on day 3 now so this post is going to have what I ate days 1 & 2 (at the request of my always supportive mother). I didn't take pictures of everything, but I promise to do so from now on. Nutrition facts aren't exact but relatively accurate. It's a little more difficult without food labels! There will be occasional non-paleo things (there is an 80/20 rule) but I will try my hardest to stay close to 100%.

Paleo Day 1: Let the Journey Begin!

Breakfast:
1/2 ruby red grapefruit
2 cheese eggs scrambled cooked in bacon fat
2 slices low sodium bacon
7 oz sparkling white grape juice (not paleo)


Lunch: 1 cup cauliflower "rice" with tomato gravy made from beef drippings

Dinner:
6oz pan fried venison steaks (with smart balance oil-not paleo...need to buy coconut oil)
1/2 cup oven roasted asparagus (w/olive oil)
10oz red wine

Day 1 Nutrition Facts:
Fat: 73.9 grams: 51%
Carbs: 74.8 grams: 23%
Protein: 81.9 grams 25%

Paleo Day 2:

Breakfast:
2 cheese eggs scrambled (cooked in bacon fat)
1/8 cup asparagus (from dinner)
2.5oz venison (from dinner)
8oz sparkling white grape juice (I know, I know, It's gone now i promise)


Lunch/Snack: 1 small honey crisp apple & about 2/3 cup homemade almond butter (made with raw almonds and 1 tbs. smart balance oil-again need to get coconut oil)-husband said using olive oil would be too strong of a flavor??



Dinner: 1/2 cup cauliflower "rice", 1/3 cup pineapple, 4oz ham, 2 tbs olive oil,
6oz red wine. (I'm used to drinking red wine every night so I'm doing better )

Exercise: I stretched did some sit ups, push ups, and squats...trust me, not a lot.

Day 2 Nutrition Facts:
Fat: 101.9 grams 55%
Carbs: 111.7 grams 27%
Protein: 74.2 grams 18%

So far I've actually felt pretty satisfied and not much like snacking, which is great! I guess each day I'll post what I ate like this, if I did any exercise, and how I'm feeling. I'll also talk about goals I have for myself, one step at a time though.

I'M SO MOTIVATED!!! But I wish Alex was here!