My 30 Day Nutritional Challenge-Paleo Eating

You may know this about me (or not), but I love to get sweaty, lift heavy things and generally feel like I could kick someone’s butt if I had to. It’s the little girl inside of me, ready for the day I need to defend myself.

But, working out isn’t enough for me, or for anyone. Diet is 90% of what makes your body look the way that it does.

Don’t like your body? Look in the fridge. Whatcha got in there? Some ice cream, frozen pizzas, nitrate-laden meat, sugary condiments and dressings?

What’s in your cabinets? Crackers, pastas, sugary cereals and processed/packaged foods?

That’s going straight to the hips, ladies (and men).

Biceps and I already love to eat healthy-for the most part. (Let’s just say-cheese is awesome). However, we enjoy our veggies, lean protein, and fruit without reservation. That’s one of the main reasons that I love to have my own garden-I call it my “veggie wonderland”.

So, when it came to participating in a Paleo nutritional challenge my Crossfit group was doing, I was excited…but hesitant.

I don’t do diets. I don’t do hungry.

So, what did “Paleo” mean, exactly? Was this just another fad like Atkins or HCG? Would it mean feeling hungry all of the time, having no energy, and generally hating life?

I did a bunch of research, read the good and the bad and the ugly.

So-what is “Paleo”, exactly? Succinctly, it stems from a belief that we should eat like our ancestors did-cutting out all of the junk, the processed food, dairy, grain products and legumes.

This meal is considered Paleo and took me about 10 minutes to make. Paleo means eating a lot of:

• lean protein throughout the day (chicken, turkey, eggs, beef, fish, etc),
• coupled with a few good fats (avocado, coconut, nuts, olive oil, etc),
• and a ton of non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, etc).

But you can’t eat:

• dairy (eggs are not dairy, even though that’s where they are in a grocery store),
• sugar or sweeteners of any kind,
• rice, grains or beans.

I started this challenge last Monday and I’ll be eating a Paleo diet for the next month. I’ll periodically give you updates on how I’m doing and I’ll tell you the truth as to how I’m feeling–and if my workouts are suffering.

Here’s a quick look at this last week for me as I voyaged into the Paleo world.

Day 1. “Yeah! This is fun and easy!”

Day 3. “I WANT POTATO CHIPS!”

Today.

“I feel like a happy brussel sprout.” Which is hard to do.

I disagree with some of the philosophy of Paleo-no beans or rice, no honey, and no dairy. But, I can do anything for 30 days. Right? RIGHT?!

And, I will tell you that I am sleeping better-like through the night. And, I’ve already noticed a change in my body as I’ve deprived it from bad fats and sugars.

But, it hasn’t cured my weirdness at all. I think that’s here to stay.