For the past 30 days, I successfully avoided sugar, flour, dairy, grains, processed foods, legumes, starchy vegetables, and alcohol. I didn’t miss any of these things and I felt great the whole time. Here are some random thoughts.
The standard American diet (SAD) is all about convenience - sandwiches, burgers, pizza, tacos, etc - wrap anything in bread and it’s good to go! Paleo is not convenient and requires advanced planning. This is a challenge when eating out.
When eating out, though, most places can easily accommodate a Paleo diet. You just have to ask. Everything seems to come with potatoes or rice or a roll or SOMETHING that you shouldn’t be eating. The guys at the deli near my office couldn’t understand why I didn’t want potatoes and toast with my eggs in the morning. “But it comes with it,” they’d say! “So keep it and charge me less” was my usual response. They kept it, but I always paid full price.
Most fast food places are right out since they’re just doling out processed crap. I did order salads from Chipotle a few times, but in order to make it filling enough to be worthwhile, I had to double the meat and add guacamole, which ended up costing $12, which is a bit much for lunch.
It also really pays to plan ahead - pack some nuts and portable fruit wherever you go since that place may not be Paleo friendly. I also found myself making more frequent trips to buy groceries since the shelf-life of Paleo friendly foods is short.
Overall, I think I will maintain a 90% Paleo compliant lifestyle. When I do cheat, I’ll make sure it’s worthwhile and in moderation.
- Breakfast: 2 eggs, almonds
- Lunch: chicken soup, brisket, asparagus
- Snack: strawberry & coconut milk smoothie
- Dinner: ka-choris*, chicken tikka masala
Ka-choris have chickpeas in em, which aren’t allowed. I was too hungry to be 100% and too busy to food shop all day, so I ordered Indian delivery and did the best I could - no rice, no naan. It feels good to be done with this challenge.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
- Breakfast: 3 eggs, mexican beef, asparagus, orange
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Snack: apple, almonds
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Lunch: 2 hot dogs, spinach
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Snack: apple w/almond butter
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Dinner: chicken, carrots, celery
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Dessert: 2 scoops coconut milk ice cream
The food supplies are running low. I need to go food shopping to increase my options.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
- Breakfast: almonds, apple, 3 eggs, sausage, orange
- Lunch: chicken, turkey, and roast beast sandwich innards (no bread thx), salad
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PM Snack: Larabar
- Dinner: 2 hamburger patties from Five Guys (no bun), asparagus, apple w/almond butter
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Dessert: 2 scoops of coconut milk ice cream
More lousy food at a company catered event today. I was forced to gut a few sandwiches for their precious meat innards and toss the bread and cheese.
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- Breakfast: almonds, apple
- Snack: banana/raspberry/pineapple smoothie, cashews
- Lunch: salad with chicken, avocado and stuff, roast beast
- Dinner: beef w/broccoli, beef stew, cashews, orange
- Snack: apple w/almond butter
Stuck at a training session for work all day with lousy food so I had to hork down whatever I could whenever I could. I was hungry most of the day.
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- Breakfast: 3 eggs, mexican beef, 1/2 avocado
- Snack: nose carrots, cashews
- Lunch: beef stew, apple w/almond butter
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PM Snack: cashews
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Dinner: more beef stew (gotta work on those leftovers)
- Snack: apple w/almond butter
I’m in the home stretch now. I’m not tiring of the paleo lifestyle, but I sure am tiring of logging everything I eat.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
- Breakfast: 3 eggs, sausage, orange
- Snack: beef stew
- Lunch: chicken souvlaki, salad
- PM Snack: almonds, nose carrots
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Dinner: chicken, spinach, cashews
Not much to say today. I didn’t have too much fruit and I was sorely missing it.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
- Breakfast: 3 eggs, 1/2 avocado, mexican beef
- Snack: cashews, taste of coconut milk ice cream*
- Lunch: beef stew
- Dessert: mexican beef, cashews
Lousy food day with almost no vegetables, but I was busy working and taking care of le bebe. At least I got a good breakfast in. I also ate around the potatoes in the beef stew, which broke my heart a little.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
- Breakfast: 3 eggs, mixed berry w/coconut milk smoothie
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Snack: cashews, taste of coconut milk ice cream*
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Dinner: chicken, nose carrots, asparagus, spinach
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Dessert: 2 scoops of coconut milk ice cream*, cherries
I know coconut milk ice cream isn’t strictly paleo but some paleo-heads rave about it. There’s the whole smoking candy cigarettes argument about creating paleo desserts, but it tasted surprisingly good and contains no dairy, so I’m ok with it as a rare treat.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
- Breakfast: 2 eggs, spinach, 1/2 avocado, apple, almonds
- Lunch: chicken salad from Chipotle: fajita veggies, fresh tomato salsa, guacamole, lettuce
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PM Snack: leftover chicken, nose carrots
- Dinner: plantain crusted chicken, spinach, kale, cabbage
Those salads from Chipotle are pointless without double meat. Haven’t been able to work out all week between work and home stuff. That’s going to change tomorrow.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
- Breakfast: 2 eggs, spinach, 1/2 avocado, apple, almonds
- Lunch: spinach salad with chicken and stuff
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PM Snack: cashews, apple, nose carrots
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Dinner: chicken w/broccoli, dumplings*
I ate three dumplings today, which is a foul. I’m shooting for 90% paleo, which I have definitely hit and looking to make my fouls worthwhile (make sure they taste good) and not too harmful (not going to eat a tub of cookie dough or anything). Sadly, the dumplings weren’t even very good.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
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Breakfast: 4 eggs, mexican beef, 1/2 avocado, apple w/almond butter
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AM Snack: cashews, nose carrots
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Lunch: mexican beef, spinach
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Dinner: chicken, spinach
- Late Snack: coconut milk + mixed berry smoothie
I’m hitting my paleo stride pretty well now. I’m feeling great, don’t have any problems with cravings at all, and even find myself wondering why anyone would ever eat sugar or bread.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
It’s easy to avoid non-paleo foods when you don’t eat! Started fasting at 10pm Monday, will eat again 10am Wednesday.
I was doing some intermittent fasting at least once a week (often twice) before the little one was born, but haven’t given it a try in a while. It always makes me feel sharp, focused, and surprisingly hunger isn’t an issue. Now that her sleep patterns are falling into a more predictable routine, I can start doing the same with my eating habits and work in more planned IF.
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
- Breakfast: 2 eggs, brussels sprouts, 1/2 avocado
- Lunch: spinach salad w/chicken and other good stuff
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PM Snack: almonds, cashews
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Dinner: rotisserie chicken, thai beef, apple w/almond butter
I cooked up a big batch of mexican beef and added a little too much jalapeno, so I diluted it with some coconut milk. Thai beef = mexican beef + coconut milk! Is there anything coconut milk can’t do?
Read about my current 30 day Paleo challenge »
