30-Day Paleo Challenge Weekly Update - Confessions of a Carb Addict ...

Well, this week has been decidedly NON-paleo for me.
I jumped right back on the whole "Oh, this won't hurt me - not this once!" bandwagon - but I jumped on it EVERY DAY THIS WEEK.
Yeah - it's been THAT kind of week.
It started when I got results back from my blood work with my primary doctor. According to him, I'm one of those people that is not only not effected by dairy, but actually NEEDS it in order to produce certain necessary vitamins and enzymes in my body. As a result, I added back in cheese and yogurt to my diet.

Now, cheese and yogurt are not bad things. But I never thought they'd be my gateway drugs into a path of destruction ...

Monday - I ate a half of a biscuit I had made for my kids. I had an allergic reaction! It was as if I had eaten an entire handful of pollen.  My nose stopped up, my eyes started watering, and my ears even started to act as though they were closing up. One step farther and I might have gone into anaphylaxis! So this tells me that I have some kind of reaction to wheat. Which I guess is good to know . . .

Tuesday - I took my children to the doctor for their check up, which actually ended up going very well. And it was a pretty good eating day as well, for me. It was all meat and veg that day - and I even made up a batch of hard boiled eggs that my daughter and I snacked on.

Wednesday -  I was having a BAD day. It was one of those "pity party" days where I just didn't feel good enough. I didn't want to get up and do anything. I was feeling like a bad mom, a bad wife, a bad EVERYTHING. Then my parents took us to lunch. I had a flauta and a few bites of rice and beans. I did NOT have a reaction to these things. But still . . . two days off the wagon in ONE WEEK??

Thursday - I was snacky. And the pediatrician had told us to clean out our cabinets this week of all unhealthy foods. So we did. And I had popcorn. And rice cakes. And a handful of gluten free snack crackers (my kids eat a lot of gluten free foods because they like them). And some cereal. Good heavens. My carb monster came out to play.

Friday - Friday was grocery shopping day. And another lunch with the fam. Which meant another flauta. I didn't eat the rice or beans - is that an improvement . . ?

So where did I go wrong? What was it that led to this inevitable downward spiral this week? Stress? Lack of will power? I'm not 100% sure. I know it's not the group - there is an AMAZING group of people that are very supportive there. I think it's something inside of ME - there's a reason I was up to 300 lbs. I am a food addict, plain and simple. This is something that I obviously need to work on for myself.

So as a result, this week I gained back the four I'd lost last week. Yeah, see what carbs does??
So how am I going to handle this next week?

Better planning, for one thing. I already have every meal planned to a "t" for the next week. Most of them are not, unfortunately, on Leanne's plan for the week, but that's only because we are on a very tight budget and the cuts of meat I can get are different from what is in the plan. But that's not going to affect my eating plan. I did shop this weekend and bought fruit and veggies, plus I still have carry over veggies from last week, so I'm good there. And all the carby snacks that were tempting last week? They're out of the house now, so those won't be a problem.

So here I go. Back to square one.
Next week should -
WILL -
be better.  I know it.

How was your week? Sound off below!

30-Day Paleo Challenge Weekly Update

In case you missed this post, I've decided to give Paleo eating a shot. My friend Leanne over at Saving Dinner has issued a challenge! A 30-Day Paleo Challenge, to be exact. This challenge is a STRICT Paleo eating plan for 30 days. It began Monday and ends Wednesday, June 5th. Haven't joined yet? It's not too late! Run over there now and get signed up!

So how did this week go for me?

Well, I have a mouthful of canker sores. Not sure if that's b/c of something I'm eating or another reason, but it's NOT FUN. I can't seem to get rid of them. I was hoping that Paleo eating would help with this issue, but so far . . . notsomuch.

That being said, I do have GOOD news. I have lost about four pounds this week. Which means that AWFUL stall (you know - bouncing between 198-200?) is DONE. I am at 194! Whoop whoop! SO excited about that.

Do I feel better? Well, no. Honestly, I can't say that I really feel any different than before. But then, the only thing different I'm doing now than what I WAS doing is that I cut out dairy. I wasn't eating grains before, and it's been a long time since I've had any beans or other starchy veggies. I've also eaten more sweet potatoes than I have in a long time. Found that we REALLY like them. Maybe too much . . .

So what did I eat this week?
Lots of eggs. Bacon, ham, pepperoni, roast beef, pork tenderloin, moroccan spiced chicken legs, really good vegetable soup, lots of roasted and sauteed veggies. I also made some great paleo friendly pumpkin muffins. REALLY great.

Is it easy? Yes. Super easy. A lot easier than I actually expected, honestly. And fun! I am using spices that I've never thought I'd ever use (think coriander, curry, rosemary . . .). I am actually taking the time to MAKE my lunch (like sauteed shrimp and asparagus with cilantro-cashew pesto!). I am enjoying food. A lot. And watching my portion sizes to boot. Which is super important for us sleevers (ever heard the term sliming? Yeeaahh . . . You don't really want to know what that is . . .).

What do I miss? Sucralose. Stevia's just not cutting it for me.
                          Surprisingly, popcorn. I wasn't even THAT into popcorn (did you see my nose grow just
                          then?) Okay. I confess, I LOVE popcorn. Everything about it. But I can't figure out a
                          viable substitute . . . Yet. Just wait. I'll figure one out.
                          CHEESE. I. LOVE. CHEESE. A lot. And I miss it too. A lot. *They* say nutritional yeast
                          is a good substitute for cheese, but I'm sorry it's not. Not when you're craving a nice chunk
                          of a good aged raw-milk cheddar . . . Mmmm.

What I don't miss? Coffee creamer. I really thought I would. But I don't. I found a great one that is made
                              coconut milk. So Delicious Coconut Creamer. So far I've found plain, French vanilla,
                              and hazelnut. My favorite is hazelnut.
                              Peanuts and peanut butter. I am HOOKED on almond butter. It is the BOMB. Slather
                              some on a piece of celery and . . . Fuggitabowtit. SO delicious.
                              Crackers.  Who needs 'em when you've got so many other really yummy crunch things
                              like cucumbers, carrots, and celery. OMG, did I just say that? Yes. Yes I did.

So, challengers, how'd your first week go? Successes? Messes? Moments of "Oh my God what the heck am I doing??" Chime in and tell me how you're doing!

*Note - I was GOING to do a link up party, but the service I used - Linky tools - is now a PAID site. Bummer. So if you have a blog, please leave your link in the comments and I will be sure to visit!! Thanks for joining me in this journey!*

30 Day Paleo Challenge! Starts MONDAY!!

So I am stuck at 200 lbs.
I hate being stuck.
I have this HUGE fear of being stuck since I was at 285 for TWO YEARS.
I've been toying with the idea of changing my diet plan, and researching different eating plans for some time. One that really draws me in is the Paleo style eating plan.
What is Paleo? Well, in a nutshell, it's a diet with no grains, no legumes or beans, and no dairy. It sounds really weird, and very "fad" diet-ish. But it's backed by science. A LOT of science.
Now, as far as some of the philosophy ("This is what the caveman ate!") as a Christian Creationist that's not something that I buy into (but that's another blog post). But reading the research behind it has been a very interesting activity and one that I'm really glad I've done.

So what CAN you eat on paleo?
Meat. LOTS of meat.
And fat. Animal fat. You know, lard, bacon grease, chicken fat, pork fat, butter. . .
And other fats too - coconut oil, palm kernel oil, dende oil, olive oil, walnut oil . . . (just no peanut oil).
And lots of veggies - even sweet potatoes (in moderation).
Even fruit - apples, berries, mango, kiwi, citrus . . .
So, there's not a whole lot of  "denying" one's self.

What are the no-no's? Well, of course theirs the obvious - no dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese, etc. - butter is the one exception), no grains at ALL - including corn, wheat, rice, etc., no beans, no legumes, no peanuts, no peas. Also excluded are starchy veggies like peas, white potatoes, and fruits with a very high sugar content (bananas, etc - although they are not 100% excluded in every version of Paleo eating).

So, as you can see, there's really a whole lot more you CAN eat, than you CAN'T.

IS IT HEALTHY?
Well, you're eating a low carb diet filled with protein and vegetables. It can't be UNhealthy . . .

So what I'm leading up to is this.
My friend Leanne Ely runs this AMAZING website called Saving Dinner. If you've never been there, you need to go. NOW. Go on . . .  I'll wait . . .
. . .


. . .


. . .


. . .

Oh, good, you're back! See! Isn't she AMAZING??
Well, she is doing something wonderful. She is starting a challenge that will last for 30 days.
It's called the 30 Day Paleo Challenge with Saving Dinner. If you have been thinking about eating Paleo, or wondering "what's all the hub-bub, bub?" about it, this is the PERFECT opportunity for you to try it out. And the best thing? You get emails, videos, and encouragement from Leanne DAILY.

Your mission, if you chose to accept it, is to FLY over to Saving Dinner and TAKE THE CHALLENGE!!

Every Friday I will do an update with a LINKY PARTY! So if you are taking the challenge (or even if you just want to link up!) you can come join in the fun! The Linky Party starts NEXT FRIDAY! And you have until MONDAY to sign up for the challenge. It will be the best $15 you've ever spent - seriously!

By the by - let it be known that I am NOT getting paid for this plug! This is a product that I 100% believe in and I think that you can benefit from it!

See you Friday!