Day 21...and counting

Well here we are at day 21. 3 weeks into the whole 30. I've heard it takes 3 weeks to start a new habit. I've had many habits that started right away...I shan't go into that. Anyways, it is getting much easier for me. I do not miss sugar anymore. I'm even liking the cocnut milk in my coffee..wow! I did a crossFit workout called "Diane" the other day. That is a workout we do every now and then. I had my fastest time ever..by almost 2 minutes. That's badass. I know that the quality food and nutrition I am getting helped me get my best Diane time. I've noticed less joint soreness too...especially in my shoulders. Sugar is definitely inflammatory to our bodies. I have had some pretty good meals and I will share some pics. I have learned how to use spices. Many of the pre-mixed spices like Montreal steak seasoning has artificial preservatives and soy so I have not used them.
As the 30th day approaches I have a bit of trepidation. I am someone that likes a challenges and does well with discipline. I definitely have an ice cream AND flavored creamer addiction. Now my plan is to eat and drink those occasionally. I haven't quite figured out how often and I know I need to plan it out. Going into it without a plan is asking for disaster. It's funny because I am not missing them right now.

Tonights dinner, steak, sweet potato, scallops wrapped in bacon, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes saute'd in olive oil and garlic

my nuts!

Jambalya

Ok..well stay tuned and find out how crazy I go after day 30. Here's a picture of my nuts...OMG...did I just say that? Yeah...almonds, pecans, macadamia, dried raspberries, raisins, dries pineapple (no sugar added to any of the dried fruit).

Home Sweet Home

Omg I'm home. Omg I'm not eating rubbery chicken cutlets for dinner. No joke I pounded a whole steak tonight. #cavemanproblems

Day 11..Imma tough mudder

Here we are at day 11. So far so good. I am really not craving anything. I haven't eaten too much today but I will admit I probably have been overeating. I don;t get home until 9:30 or so many nights. The other night I was starving. I normally read my Nook and eat ice cream or something before bed...so...I decided to make a bowl of chili...well..my eyes decieved me and it was a serious bowl. Long story short I woke up at 1:00 am and didn't feel too good. I can abstain from sugar but I still behave like an addict sometime. I am still at the office and it is 9:00 pm and I am hungry....uh oh! There is still some chili in the fridge (all paleo)....Lord help muh!

Valentines Day

I want chocolate.






That is all.

What is my life?

I worked through dinner at the commons AGAIN and was forced to fend for myself in my room. Tonight's dinner? Two hard boiled eggs with sea salt, a little bit of unsweetened applesauce and 1 single slice of ham. College, eh?

Sick

Being sick sucks in general, but being away from home while your sick sucks so much worse. And being on this diet is really the cherry on top, isn't it? I want soup and carbs and more than 4 hours of sleep.
But on another note, joe and I grabbed lunch downtown at a soup and salad joint called Fittlehead. It's like subway for salads! Totally awesome!

Dang Fruit...Gunga Galunga!

Surprising Health Hazards Associated with an All-Fruit Diet

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic

 

I think this is a little ironic that this was todays post by Mercola after I consumed all that dried fruit yesterday from T.J'.'s.

sunday dinner

we are about one week into the whole 30. Feeling pretty good. I went to trader joes today for the first time and found all the delicious dried fruit without sugar...whoa i gotta be careful of that. Anyways we had grass fed london broil and made a sweet potato/apple/raisin/pecans/cinnamon and allspice casserole. we had it  during the holidays with maple syrup on it. that is disallowed during the whole 30....coconut oil it is...and it was very good. We all agreed we didn't even miss the syrup. steak was good as always. Here is the pic.

Eating Out in a College Town

I'm hungry, but I'm also poor. I guess that Lifeguard wage isn't so substantial. To mix it up for a fun date night, Joey and I went out to dinner. Too bad I can eat practically nothing at a restaurant without breaking my diet or the bank. We decided on Panera. Good/Terrible choice. I mean, have you ever had a bread bowl? It's heaven. Needless to say, temptation ran wild. I settled on a salad. I ordered the Fuji Apple Turkey Salad, but with Balsamic dressing (I asked, completely free of corn syrup.) It was actually really good! The only downfall was that I forgot to order it without the cheese! So I spent the first 10 minutes picking out the Gorgonzola cheese pieces out. Rather than come with actual apple pieces in the salad, it came with apple crisp things, and I was 100% sure they had added sugar. Thankfully, I ordered an apple as my side, so I cut it up and threw it in my salad instead of the sugary alternative! After a little bit of work, I got to enjoy a fresh, yummy paleo salad!

dining out

well you will be glad to know that shant discuss my lavoratory accomplishments. Last evening my daughter allison and i were looking for a place to eat and the shortest wait was at uno's. Chicago pizza....one of my favorites. Well this trip was going to be sans pizza. I ordered a cobb salad minus the garganzola and creamy avacado dressing opting for olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was really good and whole 30 legit. see one can go paleo even at a pizza joint if they try.

Did My Dad Really Just Post About Poop?

Before I begin, I would just like to say that the apple does not always fall far from the tree. Please excuse my father, he's new to the blogging world.

So...day 6. I'm hungry. But I'm okay. The biggest complaint that I have is that because I live in a dorm, I am restricted to dining hall food. I don't think it's a surprise when I tell you that the majority of our all you can at section isn't paleo. Even the fruit they lay out has been canned. Joe and I have been forced to eat flavorless, rubbery chicken cutlets for the past 6 days. There's a salad bar, too. So we eat a lot of that. This morning's breakfast was "protein on deck" as Joey calls it. Protein is all that I can eat here, really. Chicken and hard boiled eggs.

We found these at Wal-Mart! Yum!

We have found ways to make snacking a little easier, as well (particularly for those late-night study sessions). We took Tupperware containers into the dining halls and stole literally a dozen hard boiled eggs and  a pound of deli meat. I know that due to the preservatives deli meat isn't totally paleo, but let's be honest, we're working with what we've got. We've also found this awesome freeze dried fruit snack called "Crunchies" that are so good!

Lunch the other day! Sweet potato, grilled chicken, kale, and hard boiled eggs!

My cravings are slowly starting to fade, but don't get me wrong, I'm dying for a Panera Bread bowl.


Good luck fellow cavemen!

xoxo

5 days in

I just wanted to talk about my poop..LOL. I have always been pretty regular...3 times every morning. The first one was usually the best and most solid...the next 2 were...well...lets just say not as solid. Since Monday there has been a slight change in this "dookie" department...if you will. I am only going once..maybe twice in the morning but the quality has changed dramatically. If you are from upstate NY or been through this area you must have heard Fucillo car commercials. Their "catch phrase" sums up my new morning constitutional..."HUGE..UH"!
Why am elaborating so much on this somewhat social taboo conversation...because GI health is probably the best marker of your overall health. The ability to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste is tantemount to health. Not only that, but the balance of intenstinal flora is so critical to your body being able to forify itself for normal function. This new change has me pumped.
Honestly, the change to total paleo was not that hard for me. The thing I cut out most was sugar...in the form of Ben and Jerry's cinnamon buns ice cream. I ate some most nights before bed. That has wheat, dairy and sugar and the repeated interaction between my GI tract and ice cream was not helping it's function. Now...my hope is to be able to control my sugar cravings better but I do not plan on never eating C.B again...it's just too delicious.

College Cavemen

This is us. Joey and Julia. We're freshmen at Penn State University and both attempting to make college eating healthier. It's not going to be easy, but we're determined to keep off that freshmen 15!