Day 9 - I Don't Want to do it Wrong!!!

The Paleo Diet Rules: Eat Fresh... That means I can grab a Subway right??? ummnotsomuch!!!!

As I wander down this "strict" paleo road again, there are so many opinions, thoughts and practices regarding eating this way, it's enough to drive me CRAZY!!! Not that that's hard to do!!! And while I get hung up on food, the Paleo mindset also includes getting rest, getting exercise, stress management - which has scientific/chemical reasoning behind it, just like sleeping in complete darkness!!! It's a lifestyle to aspire too, but here's where I get in trouble... I DON'T WANT TO DO IT WRONG!!! And that is causing me stress! I mean c'mon, people are watching! I will be judged, not to mention I am a pretty critical judge of myself!!! You should hear my little inner voice...it's NASTY!!! It will tell me things like;

you're stupid!!! you don't know everything, you're probably doing it wrong!you have dimples on your butt! other people are way stronger and healthier than you!!! who do yo think you are?? oh shit you just ate a banana you are a total failure, bananas are paleo right? if you have to ask, you ARE stupid!!!

that little voice needs to STOP...AND BTW...

I'm not stupid.

I may not know everything there is to know about the decline of political power in the nation of Calcutta (is Calcutta a nation)?
I don't actually know how to dissect an aorta or even fix a weenis, but I'M NOT STUPID!!! I am human and alive and in search of as much junk (good junk) as I can fit in my head!!! (Unfortunately, sometimes older junk falls out or gets put up in the attic in an unlabeled box and I forget what is in there or where I put it exactly, but hey, it's in there!!!)

So here is my plan... I will continue to be as strict Paleo as I can possible be and if I have a question about something I want to eat, I will continue to google, text and read books and then make my best educated decision about the healthiest possibility at my disposal...FAIR??? Fair! (What I am saying here is I might use butter and it might not be clarified grass fed butter, but mostly I use coconut oil so DON'T JUDGE). BTW how does one feed grass to butter??? Hmmm???

Some of the areas I have heard varying opinions on include fruit... Some say fruit is fine. Many preach the importance of keeping the sugars low for insulin resistant folks... Here's a little quip I found:

"If you are very much overweight or are insulin resistant, I recommend that you initially limit high sugar fruits (grapes, bananas, mangos, sweet cherries, apples, pineapples, pears and kiwi fruit) from your diet until your weight starts to normalize and your health improves. Try to include more vegetables in lieu of the high-sugar fruit.... Note that some fruits (avocados, lemons, and limes) are very low in total sugar and should not be restricted."

found at http://thepaleodiet.com/nutritional-tools/fruits-and-sugars

I HAVE A CONFESSION... I had a kombucha!!! I hemmed and hawed over this decision!!!

Kombucha is an effervescent tea-based beverage that is often drunk for its anecdotal health benefits or medicinal purposes. Kombucha is available commercially and can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible, solid mass of yeast and bacteria which forms the kombucha culture - totally got this from wikipedia

So, this tea has SUGAR in it!! I was so distressed about making this choice cuz it's HEALTHY, it's hippy dippy and granola-y (WITHOUT THE GRAINS OF COURSE)... I was talked off the ledge and assured that the "beasties" (aka the probiotics) eat the sugar and so the level is very low... WHY AM I STRESSING ABOUT THIS???? Prolly cuz I want you to think I'm so smart AND pretty ;) And I really to want to get the maximum benefit out of these first 30 days. I want this to be a true DETOX of all the crap that I put into this little machine... (Well, slightly enlarged machine due to personal holiday food management issues) ;0l

So, the goal is... and I reiterate... to CHILL OUT!!! But, to maintain a high standard of healthy fresh food choices that include:

meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds

And does not include:

added sugar, real or artificial, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, white potatoes

http://whole9life.com

I bet you're wondering how I'm feeling??? Aw, that is so sweet, you are so thoughtful :) Thanks for asking! Well, I actually have been fighting some sort of undertheweather bug since early December... I've done a round of antibiotics (pre-paleo, not that that matters, I would never worry about that...yesiwould). So mostly I feel like my head is under water and that I may have swallowed a golf ball...or two, but besides that, I feel less icky in my tummy. That is a very scientific description of not feeling so bloated... it's VERY NICE! Also, not that you asked, but the BM's are much smoother in their execution...knowwhatimean?? I mean I'm not so constipated!!! Sheesh, make me spell it out why don'tcha.

AND THAT REMINDS ME... I had a delightful conversation about just this, BOWEL MOVEMENTS and my buddy Kremer came up with a STELLAR idea!!! He says "we should invent an app that tracks BM's. Make sure the bowels are healthy. We could call it a cr-app." Get it??? a CR-APP?!?!? God that's good!

ANYHOO, to get back to ME, I have more energy, an actual bounce in my step if you will! And my joints don't hurt as much. A lot of times, especially after a particularly ugly binge on ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS tasting food or beverage, my fingers and all my little knuckles will be tight and achy. That seems to be diminishing the farther along I get on this road.

Here is where I started 9 days ago...this is embarrassing for me, please do NOT point and laugh at my love handles or my bubble butt, or my stocky stubby legs. Here are the before pictures I promised...stupid stupid stupid

On January 2, 2012

weight: 128

Height 5'0" (I don't think even a Paleo diet will change that)

bust nonexistent 35 in

waist 28 in

hips 38in

guns 18 in...JUST KIDDING :

As you can see by the expression on my face I clearly LOVE these pictures and was so excited to show you how over the course of 8-10 weeks I was able to undo much of what I had worked to hard for over the past 2 years. BUT WAIT!!! (Here comes the nice voice, the one that tries to counter act the nasty voice). I haven't lost the strength that Crossfit has given me. CrossFit is the wonderful training/gym cult/family that has given me a boost in ALL aspects of my life. If you are not a Crossfitter, I STRONGLY encourage you to check out a box near you. It can and will change your life if you let it. Whoops another tangent...go figure. SO, what I was saying was I haven't gotten so far off track that I'm just gonna give up and eat a box of doughnuts, which we all know leads to heavy drinking and that in turn can become drug use... NO!!! I have not thrown my life away! And this time I don't have to come back from a six year hiatus from working out (it's true, I did let my kids' lives run my life for a looooong time without putting any time in for my health or sanity. They still are my priority, i just try to juggle in a little time for myself now) and I don't have 30 lbs to lose to be in a good place it may be just 10-15 depending on how and or what my goals for training, eating and life are... Isn't that cool??? There doesn't need to be ONE set number, ONE set goal??? At different times in our lives our focus can be on any number of avenues and that can be OK?!?!? SAY WHAT?!?! Hold it now!!! I am on some sort of path of self discovery here...gimme a minute... ahhh that's better, thanks :)

YOU and I, none of us, have to be ALL things to ALL people at ALL times!!! And perfect is an illusion! Perfect is doing you're very best given the circumstances placed in front of you/me at any given time! I realize I am writing this, I also know that when I wake up in the morning I will be holding myself to a standard that may not comply with these thoughts, because I (and probable you to) have been conditioned to believe that anything less than THE RIGHT WAY (whatever that may be) is acceptable... but let's revisit this self acceptance thing as much as possible 'til I get it through my THICK SKULL!!!

"A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes."

Mohandas Gandhi (he probably meant girls too) :P

I am not doing this paleo thing wrong!!! I am VERY aware of every calorie I put in my mouth and it's nutritional value. I have not had any added sugar although I have had a banana here and there which I totally weigh and measure and process through my little brain that MY personal needs are for the potassium and the carbs and that insulin resistance (although possibly an issue) is outweighed in this instance for THIS body!!!

Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh huh.

Up next time Banana "Pancakes" and how that is wrong and yet so right :) Plus other easy foods and recipes I use.

See ya next time... Don't be afraid to share this with your friends :)