Almost a Paleo Girl

So I only have about a stone or so to lose, and Ive been on Minimins since 2011 - messing around with Slimming world and faddy diets which never seemed to work for longer than a fortnight.

10 months ago I moved to Australia – and naturally I started to eat healthily on my own.

Now, im not one of those people who thinks eating "healthy" is a low fat yoghurt, iceberg lettuce and a "low fat” microwave meal - when I decided to eat healthy I ate plenty of fresh fish, avacado, coconut oil, nuts, chia seeds and fresh fruit and veg.

I didnt weigh myself or even concentrate on the calories, I just ate well and tried to go organic wherever I could - I tried to cram as much nutrition as possible into every meal.

A week rolled by and after the heeadaches and cravings subsided, I felt amazing. The horrible cravings that had haunted me for years had gone. I could look at chocolate and genuinley not care for it. I took a swig of pepsi max and almost choked on it – it tasted of poison to me.

I carried on like this for a few weeks – getting compliments, feeling better – me and the OH (who is super fit & healthy) started going to farmers markets, bought a herb garden, and tried to find a supplier in Western Australia who sells Grass fed beef at a decent price.

Christmas rolls around and I gave in to the pressures – started to eat the odd chocolate here and there – and - im not joking – to me if was like injecting heroin – the sugar coursed through my veins and I started to crave it night and day!!

So its been 2 weeks since Xmas and Im ready to go back. I only just discovered, through nosying around on the web – that im pretty much already doing Paleo anyway!!

So thought I would join the thread, do it properly, and make it a lifestyle. Any tips, receipes, advice is welcome.

Thanks Cavegirl

Im still researching it and trying to figure out a realistic lifelong approach to eating this way. Unfortunatley being very much the 21st century girl, it will take me a couple of weeks to get completely and utterly paleo - for example - I read in the 30 day challenge you cant even have organic honey...why is this? isnt honey a natural product from bees? I can imagine cavemen shoving their hands into bees nests and licking their fingers hahah.

Anyway Im not going to list everything I eat every single day, just when I can be bothered, and if anyone spots anything obvious that they thing could hinder my process, let me know. I know that Im still having a couple of things that arnt strictly paleo, but Im getting there slowly.

Yesterday:

Breakfast - 2 organic eggs, chopped avacado, tomato.
Also I had warm water with organic honey, lemon and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.

Lunch - Pork loin (about 100g) - chopped and cooked in coconut oil, with a salad of tomato, spinach, mint, parsely, cucumber, capsicum, red onion, lemon juice & rind, 3 tsp olive oil.

Snack - Smoothie made with berries, almond milk, honey, banana, ice.

Dinner - Chicken breast cooked in coconut oil, and tumeric. kale, carrot, green beans, broccoli (all organic)

Hi, hope you don't mind if I subscribe to your diary?
I've just (today) started trying to eat paleo/primal. I've been doing SW for almost a year now and it has worked for me but the more I discover about paleo the more I think it's the way forward.
I completely empathise with what you say about the sugar cravings, I had the exact same experience myself over Christmas and have found it so very hard to get back to eating normally, the cravings have been worse than 12 months ago when I quit smoking!
Anyway, thanks for putting up your food, I'll definitely be on the lookout for ideas. Think I will have to visit the recipe thread too.
If you have a spare couple of minutes and wouldn't mind, maybe you could have a look in on my most recent diary posts and give your expertise about whether or not you think I'm doing this right? I'd be so grateful for any help as I'm just feeling my way at the moment.
Hope you have a great weekend.
Andrea xx

Thanks Cavegirl - I agree, 80-20 rule is a great one to live by, and I dont think I will give up my honey, its just such a welcome part of my diet.

Andrea - Hello, welcome to my diary To be honest I am still in transition mode myself really, Im just trying to eat as "clean" as I possibly can - and honestly it makes me feel so energised and happy, its not really a "diet" at all.
I would scour the web for tips and there are some great threads on here with info about what to eat etc - my number 1 tip would be - Go at least 3 days of protien only to start with. This is what helped my boot my cravings...you will feel *****, you will have a headache and you will CRAVE sugar like nothing youve ever wanted more - but when the 3 days is up it will honestly be like riding a bike downhill.

Well its Sunday afternoon and ive had another wonderful weekend eating clean.

We went to a friends for dinner last night but luckily it was a BBQ - I stuck to salads and meat and ate slowly and conciously and felt great.

Afterwards she brought out a big trifle and glass bowls for everyone - she started dishing up without asking if anyone even wanted dessert....

I dont even LIKE trifle but I felt rude so I ate 4 small mouthfuls and then gave it to my OH to eat.

This morning I was on and off the toilet for an hour with just awful cramps - 4 mouthfuls of trifle after no refined sugar for ages = :sign0131:

Anyway todays food (and yesterday was pretty much the same) :

Morning: 2 eggs. honey lemon and apple cidar vinegar drink.

Lunch: toasted sandwhich with : turkey breast, avacado, tomato, spinach and 20g cheese on spelt rye wholegrain bread. (its the healthiest bread i could find and i will have it now and then, maybe once or twice a week as a treat)

Tea: salmon (sprinkled with tumeric, chia seeds and coconut oil and a little wheatfree tamari sauce) with kale, spinach and capsicum.

Snack - if hungry later I will have some almonds, mixed berries or fresh orange.

I also bought some 1.5kg weights today and a yoga mat. Next week (for the first time, like, ever) - Im going to try and incorporate excersize into my routine...starting 3 nights a week and increasing.

Last night I had to run to the supermarket for some emergency supplies, and I decided I would get some ingredients for a fancy tea instead of the usual kale, carrots etc.

So I grabbed a healthy recipe off my iphone and off to the shops I went.

I ended up having salmon for tea, but with blueberries, feta, red onion, cucumber, spinach (raw), tomato, and a raspberry vinegarette which I made with blended fresh raspberries and extra virgin olive oil.

It was absolutley fabulous, and whilst the feta wasnt strictly paleo (im going to stop writing this soon and just accept I will have the odd treat each day as part of the 80-20 rule) - It was so satisfying. I couldnt even finish it so I brought the rest for lunch today.

Its weird because I had a whole peice of salmon (like a 350g peice) - but because I made it with the huge salad, I must have only eaten a quarter. So it stretched over into today, which is great.

Oh - and another top tip which I just love....I went to the reject shop (aussie version of poundland) - and bought some icelolly moulds for $2. I made sugar free lemon dilute juice, poured them into the moulds and shoved them in the freezer.

After tea I had THREE of them - they tasted like lemon ice lollies, but with absolutley no guilt. In fact - it was the equivilent of me drinking a glass of dilute juice but it took my about 40 minutes to work through them. Brilliant!!

Wow - Amazing idea with the ice lollies! Mind you - you need them over there!

I tend to agree with the 80-20 mix!

Good for you!

Thanks hun x

Last night I decided to make sweet potato chips for the first time ever. I rubbed them with coconut oil, chilli flakes, salt & pepper, then baked them and had them with 100g of seasoned chicken breast and some kale (which im getting sick of!)

They were delicious!! And I felt really full afterwards, like I had a treat

I weighed myself also - something I said I wouldnt actually do as im on this journey for health not weight loss, and weighing just stresses me out - but low and behold I lost 2.5kg!! *about 5lb for people in UK*

And It got me thinking, how sometimes "fat" is painted in a bad light - (Im not talking hydro/trans fats - im talking avacados, salmon, coconut oil etc) - all the fats that are clearly good for your body and nourish you. Its a shame people dont realise the difference.

Have a great day all x

Good afternoon all!

Nothing new to report today, mid-week and im already raring for the weekend.

Im really learning the absolute seriousness of pre-preparing what I eat through the day, I know some people can just open the fridge and choose what they fancy - but for me, I like to know what im having.

It almost makes me feel safe in the knowledge that I wont stray. Its not that I dont enjoy a treat now and again, because dont get me wrong, I do - its just I know what a slippery slope it is when you stop eating paleo and go back to refined sugars - trying to wean yourself off - well i just HATE it - so I try to ensure im always in control.

Anyway last night I didnt plan my dinner, so ended up having these healthy chickpea burgers I had frozen a couple nights before. They were OK i guess, healthy enough but I missed meat.

Todays menu has been;

Breakfast - 3 eggs, scrambled

Lunch - Wholewheat rye wrap (1) - with avacado , turkey, tomato, cucumber, red onion. I also had an orange & a peach

Tea - Chicken breast (with coconut oil and tumeric) - and veggies.

I think im going to try the creamy tumeric tea I saw on one of the earlier threads. I have about a cup of almond milk left and it looks like it would be a lovely round off to the evening.

Hiya!!!

And welcome!!!

X

Hi Dee xx

So last night I tried the creamy tumeric tea and im not that impressed...I thought I would love it since I love all the ingredients individually but for some reason it tasted...gritty and overly creamy!

Tommorrow night (friday) im going to cook something really special, bot sure what yet - but ill be googling "delicous paleo recipes" to see what I can find.

We are going out for dinner on Saturday night with friends and I have to admit what a wonderful feeling it is to not be filled with dread at the prospect. Whenever im on some faddy diet or another I always blow it when I go out for tea - but this will be the 3rd time ive dined out on paleo and i manage great. Sticking to meat and veg is often a winner. But if i want a treat ill have one - 80-20 remember

Have a great day all x

I'm making Meatza tomorrow night!!! Have missed pizza so much since paleo..... Cant wait!!! X

Ive heard of this meatza thing...is it tasty? have you tried it b4?

So, tonight we are having seasoned steak, green beans with lemon and garlic and some sweet potato fries.

Im not doing so well on the old cooking front this week. I tried to make a paleo friendly berry slice = what an ordeal!

Went to my local IGA - bought 3 coconuts ($4.00 each!) - got them home, they were bad - went to take them back - shops closed. Went to another shop = bought another 3 (diff brand) - for $3.00 each - they were perfect. Bearing in mind I have now spent $20 and its not even made yet. Anyway spent an hour de-fleshing the coconuts, messing around, using every utensil I possess and just generally wrecking my kitchen.

I finished making it - and it is mediocre at best. Its kind of like sloppy nuts and fruit and coconut....so I put it in a container for OH to put on his cereal!! Fail!!

Anyway, Looking forward to dinner tonight - and its kind of my unofficial weigh in tommorrow morning - just to see if I have lost anything, so Ill see how I go.

Have a great day all

Laura250blue said:

Ive heard of this meatza thing...is it tasty? have you tried it b4?

So, tonight we are having seasoned steak, green beans with lemon and garlic and some sweet potato fries.

Im not doing so well on the old cooking front this week. I tried to make a paleo friendly berry slice = what an ordeal!

Went to my local IGA - bought 3 coconuts ($4.00 each!) - got them home, they were bad - went to take them back - shops closed. Went to another shop = bought another 3 (diff brand) - for $3.00 each - they were perfect. Bearing in mind I have now spent $20 and its not even made yet. Anyway spent an hour de-fleshing the coconuts, messing around, using every utensil I possess and just generally wrecking my kitchen.

I finished making it - and it is mediocre at best. Its kind of like sloppy nuts and fruit and coconut....so I put it in a container for OH to put on his cereal!! Fail!!

Anyway, Looking forward to dinner tonight - and its kind of my unofficial weigh in tommorrow morning - just to see if I have lost anything, so Ill see how I go.

Have a great day all

Click to expand...

I've not tried the meatza before but a friend of mine made one and put the pic on fb.... looks amazing!!! Will post a pic!!!

Awwww I hate it when a recipe doesnt go to plan.... especially as some ingredients are quite expensive.... x

Morning Morning.

Well im a bit fed up today. I weighed myself on Saturday morning (exactley one week since my last weigh in) - and Id lost nothing. Im not primarily doing this to "lose weight" - obviously there are health benefits involved and i enjoy eating a primal diet but the fact my weight isnt moving is annoying as I do still have a stone to lose. SO...We went out for dinner on Saturday night with friends and I just had whatever I wanted, and again on Sunday...and now I feel rubbish.

I guess not seeing a shift on the scales really dampened my motivation and made me annoyed. So this week - I have 2 goals.

1- excersize. five. times. a. week. - even if its just 20 minutes. I need need need need to move myself. Im not creating a calorie deficit big enough to burn any fat.

2- try to eat as clean as possible. today ive already f***ed up as I had cheerios for breakfast and I have protein shakes for lunch and arvo snack - but I will get to the supermarket tonight and plan my meals for the week.

I want to lose 1-2kg this week.

Thanks CG thats somewhat reassuring - did you get to your target weight doing Paleo? Or did you switch to Paleo to maintain?

Ive just planned out my meals for the next week - Im doing the Whole30. I figure im "pretty much" doing it anyway and theres no time like the present, plus Feb is a quiet month.

Its going to be hard without my honey and the odd wrap/sprinkling of cheese but Ive gone from eating junk - to healthy - to whole 30 so its not going to be a HUGE wrench.

Im going shopping tonight for a weeks worth of food - I think im going to keep it really simple and make a huge batch of chicken soup (using real stock, veg and chicken) - for lunches. Hopefully this is allowed?

Im also going to a boot camp session tommorrow - now this IS daunting as I friggin hate excersize but its exactley what I need to shift some kilos.

Well, today is the first day of whole30 and im feeling ok.

Last night I made THREE soups (butternut squash, chicken and tomato) - then portioned & froze them fo lunches for the next 2 weeks. Im pretty sure disorganisation will be my downfall - so im not leaving anything to chance.

Today Im having:

- Ground Beef & 1/2 a sweet potato

-Tomato soup - large portion but made with all natural ingredients

- 2/3 chicken drumsticks (seasoned) with a mountain of steamed veg

I also have a medium handful of pecans and walnuts - I wouldnt usually eat these types of nuts but Im doing bootcamp tonight so need the energy lol.

So did bootcamp last night - wow - will be going back on thursday but I hate excersize sooo much. Its just SO hard! As soon as ive started i want to stop, its mental. There are women 3 times my size at the group - kicking absolute BUTT - I should be ashamed of my fitness levels. Hopefully I will see a decent loss on the scales now though, as this will be the first time ive incorporated excersize into my life.

Today its more ground beef & 1/2 sweet potato

Lunch is tomato soup again, and tea is same as last night. I might try and just do some yoga later - nothing cardio or strenuous as I have bootcamp tommorrow.

Have a great day all

You'll get used to it hun!!! Keep at it!!! X

Exercise is hard at the start but you'll soon get the buzz and be addicted doesn't take long