26Jan

Paleo Update: Week 1

Posted by Tarable | Category: Real Food, Training | Comments

I’ve been doing the Paleo nutritional challenge (I mentioned that I hate the word diet, right?) for nine days now. Not a ton of time, but enough to begin to see some changes and feel some differences.

A few things I’ve learned this past week…

  • People like to talk about food. As soon as I mention what I’m doing, it raises emotions in people. Either they think I’m totally crazy or they’ve tried something like this in the past or they have lots of questions. But so far, not one person has heard about the Paleo way of eating and NOT had something to say about it.
  • Sugar withdrawals are real. And they suck. The worst episode (so far) happened to me on Thursday afternoon at the office. I was lethargic, tired, grumpy, achy and bitchy. Definitely not the best Tara that my co-workers have ever seen–in fact, probably the worst. It was so bad I had to cancel my dinner plans that night…with a friend who was cooking a Paleo dinner, no less.

mymistresses

  • Temptation is everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I can understand how Tiger Woods felt now. Except that unlike him, I haven’t cheated.  But I do want to send dirty text messages to every cookie I see, telling it exactly what I’m going to do to it. Baked goods how you taunt me!
  • We have way less recycling now. Funny that when you don’t buy food that comes in boxes or cans, you really don’t have much to put in the recycling pile. On the flip side, our refrigerator is overflowing and our freezer stocked. After a trip to Costco, our cupboards aren’t as bare as they once were but there are now filled with gargantuan bags of nuts. (Insert nut joke of your choice here.)
  • Coconut milk is a girl’s best friend. Fuck diamonds. When you can’t have any sugar or natural sweeteners, coconut milk poured over fruit tastes like heaven. The dessert of Paleo champions, I say.
  • Limiting yourself to only four drinks a week  makes you very picky about where and when you enjoy those drinks. If I agree to have a glass of wine with you in the near future, consider yourself honored. Because that’s a quarter of my weekly alcohol consumption right there. But if I do have a glass of wine, you can be damn sure I’m appreciating it. Slowly.

wine

  • Events can be difficult to attend. This past week, I went to an open house where I had to turn down hummus (my comfort food of choice) and many beers. The very next day, I attended a blogger meetup where the only options were fruity champagne drinks and cookies. Finally, on Saturday, I was at a full-day conference that had piles of chocolate in the middle of each table…that I tried not to make eye contact with while eating my nut & seed mixture. I’ve managed to hold it together at these events but I realize that I’m meeting new people left and right that are going to remember me only as “that crazy girl”.
  • I’m hungry. All the time. Even when I feel full, I’m hungry five minutes later. Gone are those days of carb satiation, where your belly is big and you couldn’t possibly eat another bite. Say hello to second breakfasts, second lunches and near-constant grazing.
  • My husband is amazing. I already knew this one but after the past nine days, I’ve never appreciated him more. He’s viewing this entire thing as a culinary challenge and simply put, he’s rising to the occasion. We’ve been eating really well and he’s kind enough to put up with me when I start getting cranky. (Babe, I think you’re really going to enjoy eating that mango off my six-pack abs in Belize when we’re done with this.) And besides, this challenge gave him the reason to get that meat grinder he’s always wanted.

paleosalad

  • Life doesn’t end without carbs, dairy or sugar. I’m still eating delicious foods and they’re actually tasting better than ever before. Meals must be carefully planned but the mindfulness that goes into the food preparation makes it that feel that much more enriching. To illustrate my point, here are a few of the things we’ve enjoyed in the past week: cauliflower mashers, buffalo steaks, beet salad, spaghetti squash, Cornish game hen, (many) green salads, roasted asparagus, sauteed brussel sprouts, meatloaf and an omelette with salmon, spinach and onions inside.
  • Eating out is a bitch. No way around this one. I can do Chipotle and the Whole Foods salad bar pretty easily, but for the most part, I’m sticking to eating leftovers from the previous night’s dinner for lunch. There are many, many lunch places that I simply refuse to step foot inside for fear that I won’t be able to eat a single thing they serve.

Stay tuned for more updates as I progress along in this journey. So far, so good and only 33 more days left…but who’s counting?

  • Amazing posts you got in your blog. Will visit again.

  • Good job getting through the first week (& now the 2nd), Tara! I have yet to join my CF gym's Spring LEANing challenge which features Paleo eating, though I know it'd do wonders for the results I get from working out. A few years ago I did Weight Watchers (pre-CF days) and dropped 32-pounds over 32 weeks. When you're watching what you eat, it is incredibly surprising how many social occasions revolve around food and eating. One of my friends started to encourage food-alternative ideas when it came to hanging out--definitely a lifestyle change!

    Hope the second week went better than the first! Can't wait to hear your progress!

  • Thanks for the support Laura! I'd like to say things are getting easier, but I'm not sure if that's just the sugar desperation talking. ;) It's amazing how the nutrition and the exercise fit hand-in-hand. I know people always say that, but I seem to have only done one or the other in the past. Doing both in conjunction seems to be the way to go...duh.

    And yes, there are some friends that I probably won't be seeing much of in the next month because all they ever suggest is happy hour. Can I get a hike all up in here?

  • greeblemonkey

    They remember you as "that crazy girl" for sooooooo many reasons other than your diet.

  • Yeah, like for being your friend.

    Just another reason I love you darling.

  • naomimimi

    hmmm. the constant hunger thing perked my interest. do you think it's your blood sugar getting used to the absence of spikes from carbs? you're getting (natural) sugar and fiber from fruit and veggies, fat and protein from the nuts and meat.... eeeenteresting. will you go off this diet after your trip or continue?

  • I definitely think it's a blood sugar thang. It's crazy how my energy levels are effected too...without that bump of an afternoon sugary treat, I'm definitely feeling it.

    And your question, my dear, is the million dollar one. I'm thinking we're probably going to reintroduce some carbs (I do like a nice piece of bread occasionally) but am wondering if perhaps I might stick with the low-sugar component of the diet. Although I really miss dark chocolate...

  • greeblemonkey

    Also, FYI - my diabetes doctor had me read the book "Potatoes Not Prozac" to understand how sugar affects the brain. Silly name and she had me skip the lopping section of the book, bc as a diabetic, I have to do 6 meals and conform to a different diet... but the technical aspects were really fascinating. I will bring it next time I see you.

  • Greebs, I'll try to remind you to bring it when you come over for dinner in a few weeks. Another book that was recommended to me was "Sugar Blues". I haven't read it yet but definitely experienced some in the past two weeks.

  • Way to go lady! I'm going to do a nutritional challenge in Feb. through my gym, Boulder crossfit, and we are following the Zone or Paleo...haven't decided which route I'm going to go but I'll keep watching for your updates to motivate me!

  • Awesome Melissa. Let me know if you need any help with recipes or meal ideas. We've been having fun with this challenge in the kitchen...because otherwise, you kinda want to cry when in there. ;)

  • AH this is so interesting! You're the second person I've heard of doing this now in my few short days of being in Boulder already. Your dedication floors me. I have a hard enough time eating pescatarian! I'm making step-by-step changes that I hope will lead me to a great reduction in processed foods at some point, but I started by eliminating meat and increasing veggies. You, my dear, are a freaking rockstar.

  • Thanks for the kind words. It's been an educational undertaking so far and I'm sure I have even more lessons ahead of me. Plus...I do have a honeymoon waiting for me at the end of it all. That seems to make it a *little* easier.

  • You? Are a rockstar. I felt so guilty eating in front of you at Gwen's (but apparently not guilty *enough* since it didn't stop me). I'm super proud of you and am excited to see and hear about your results. Or, I'm excited to see you forcibly remove a cookie from a small child on the street because you can't control yourself any longer. That would be sort of awesome. Good luck, my dear, and let me know where and when you want to meet so I can get some stickers from you. I'm totally down for a Paleo style meet-up!

  • A no-sugar eating, four-drinks-a-week rockstar? I think not. But I did enjoy coveting that delicious baked goodie you were eating at Gwen's party and had fun living vicariously through you.

    And in case you've forgotten, I have no need to forcibly take anything from anyone. You gifted me with a freakin' gift card to Tee & Cakes. Tell me that thing isn't staring me in the face and laughing at me. Out loud.

    I'll DM you for the meetup.

  • Go get them Tiger! Crazy proud of you. I went two and a half weeks without any kind of dessert, and then I crumbled in the Metzger kitchen eating stale gummy worms. You impress and inspire me. But that's par for the course with you.

  • Show 'em you're a Tiger, show 'em what you can do...

    Elaine, thanks for getting the Frosted Flakes theme song in my head. Real cool. But also, thanks for being a friend. I'm crazy proud of your adventures and in case I haven't mentioned it like three hundred times yet, I can't wait till you get back!

  • Jamie Landsman

    Keep up the good work--you are one brave woman!

  • Thanks Landsman. I'm curious to see how it goes when Faye and Lauren come to visit in mid-February. As foodies, they'll want to go eat at some delicious Boulder restaurants and I only hope I can go with them. ;)

  • binderwies

    Super commentary! My wife and I are in week 2 as well with ya. I enjoy reading your writings about Paleo and your style, especially your lolcat-style images!

    I share your sentiment that "eating out sucks" but I'm finding (especially in Boulder) that you can navigate your way though. Hold the fries, the bread, the rice... double veggies (or fruit) instead. Many places here gladly substitute. (Out of town is a different story.)

    It's a pretty disruptive, interrupt-driven way of eating for me right now. I've had to shake up a lot of habits and patterns, and I hate feeling like the "difficult" customer when eating out. But once one gets over that, even Paleo people can socialize.

    We had friends over last night, served them loads of beer and chips, and amazingly, I was able to roll with Marcona almonds and lemon-infused icewater. No doubt it's hard.

  • If this is someone from CrossFitRoots, you best identify yourself! I'd like to know who's reading as we're working our asses off very early in the morning...

    And your comment about Boulder is very true. Even as odd as Paleo might sound to some, there's always someone who is doing the vegan, raw, eco-whatever diet that puts ours to shame.

    I totally agree with your assessment of Paleo as a "disruptive, interrupt-driven way of eating". If I don't have something packed and ready every morning, there is too much opportunity for failure. Also? I'm a former waitress, so I hate being that customer. But I try to make a joke about the whole thing...and tip big. ;)

    And finally, we're having our first dinner party tomorrow night and I'm interested to see how it goes. Of course it helps that one of our guests is also doing the Paleo challenge.

    Okay, one more...have you tried lemon-infused seltzer water? I call it my cocktail...for the really hard times.

  • ericaprather

    I couldn't do it. Have you seen me eating 3 cookies a day?
    Proud of you and your (already) hot bod :)

  • Have I seen you eating 3 cookies a day? How do you think I'm surviving? Living vicariously through the sugar consumption of others.

    Besides, you're in your 20's...you can still eat like that. Talk to me when your metabolism slows down to the pace of a snail.

    But, as always, thanks for the support!

  • I'm curious to see if the hunger dies down once you've been doing it for a few weeks. B/c all the science-y stuff says that eating Paleo should decrease the hunger pangs associated with eating lots of high-glycemic carbs (the things that make your insulin levels spike and result in your body demanding to be fed more sugars very shortly after eating). Although I guess since it looks like your goal is to lean out, as they say in the biz, you're probably operating at a bit of a calorie deficit by design.

    Anyways, I'm enjoying following your journey, especially so since I'm only a week or two ahead of you in my own 30ish day Paleo challenge. Having to refuse so much good food has definitely resulted in some weird looks; many people around school know me as the guy who ate a 5 lb. hamburger in the fall, so that's causing a bit of cognitive dissonance, I think.

  • Thanks again Dave! I'm thinking that the always-hungry thing is resulting from the tough workouts I'm putting in at CrossFit. I'm pretty sure my metabolism is revving pretty high right now and judging from the limited number of calories I've counted, I agree with your deficit thought.

    Do the lessons I've listed above resonate with you? Did you experience the sugar withdrawals? Any other experiences that you can share?

    Also, on this diet, isn't a 5 lb. hamburger totally kosher? ;)

  • I was about to send you a link to the iPhone video my roommate made of the Burger Incident when I found out he deleted his YouTube account after he realized he was responsible for perpetuating the rumor that Bill Paxton said "I got beaten by cancer" when Michael C. Hall won an award over him at the SAG last weekend. Turns out "cancer" was probably "Dexter." Oops.

    So while I can't provide video evidence, I assure you that the burger was housed in a bun the size of one Prius tire. Probably not Paleo-safe.

    I'm not sure whether I had sugar withdrawals or not. I said in your last post that I had bad headaches for a few days once I went strict paleo, so I suppose that could be what was happening, although I didn't tend to eat loads of sugar to begin with. You're definitely spot on about eating out for lunch. In fact, I charred a big round of meatballs (beyond eatabilty) that I made last night and as a result am sitting at work until 4 without any Paleo-friendly lunch options. Portable lunch meat is an important part of getting me through the day w/o feeling like death, and when I forget to pack a lunch it's kind of an issue.

    Just about everything I can get near campus in <20 minutes comes wrapped in bread or is a really expensive salad. At some point I'm going to make my own cheaper version of the PaleoKits that lots of CrossFit gyms are hyping. I tried a 5-pack of them, and they're tasty as hell, but they're way too expensive to eat as a daily snack/small lunch.

    As far as eating other meals out goes, it hasn't been a problem at all. Breakfast gets covered by copious amounts of eggs & breakfast meats, and you can usually finagle your way into getting a piece of meat w/ some veggies for dinner at most places.

    I kind of resented coconut before starting to eat Paleo, but now I love it. I'm one of those people that wanted my Almond Joy w/o coconut. I guess that defeats the purpose, but as a kid I always hated rolling up to somebody's house on Halloween and being presented with coconut-based or -enhanced candy bars.

    I've been making a breakfast sandwich using homemade coconut griddle cakes as a substitute for an English muffin and it's AWESOME. In the meatballs that I burned yesterday I was experimenting with using a cup of ground unsweetened coconut instead of a second cup of bread crumbs. Can't tell you how that worked out since they're now charcoal at the bottom of my dumpster, but I suspect it would have been rather tasty.

    What do you think your diet's going to look like after the vacation? How much booze and carbs and whatnot are you doing to add back in?

    I've read posts from both you & Andrew Hyde about your first CrossFit workouts and have to say you both must have been in much better shape than I was. I didn't puke, but I felt absolutely horrendous after my intro session workout, the details of which are available on my own irregularly updated blog here: http://rictusofpain.wordpress....

    Anyways, if you (or you via your husband) feel like sharing any recipes that you're using, that'd be much appreciated. I'm always looking for new things to make that don't taste like sawdust.

  • I'm trying to get my husband to blog about the recipes he's making...but, well, it's much harder to nag about a blog post than one might think. ;)

    We had Paleo pancakes yesterday that were yummy and he's now on the lookout for some kind of Paleo birthday cake for me, since my birthday conveniently falls in the last week of this challenge. When he's got some posts up, I'll send them your way.

  • I'm so proud of you! And, I would like the record to state, you haven't been that bitchy : )

    Roar cavewoman ROAR!

    love you-J

  • Thanks for the support lovey. And judging by your comment, I can be way more bitchy and get away with it. I'm going to remember that!

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