Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Bonus giggle on the headline for you Archer fans ;-)

So here's a picture of my winner winner chicken dinner last night:

Spinach, kale, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, and nice fresh fried up chicken bits on top. A bit of olive oil, salt, onion powder and paprika for dressing.

UNBELIEVABLE, I'm telling you. My head was in that dish like a hungry horse in a troth.

So yeah! Life is going good! I have 10 more days of Paleo left, but I'm not scared.

It's funny, though. In this season of cookouts and summer fun, I feel extra-surrounded by tons of deliciousness I can't eat.

I have a few friends who are health-conscious, too, (shout-out to my Facebook homies!) who are trying to eat right and exercise. Not necessarily Paleo, but they're overall trying to live a healthy life. Being surrounded by potato salads and cole slaw and burgers and hot togs and mesquite sauces and chips at barbecues and cookouts this summer is a challenge! Cuz you know what? That stuff tastes good!

So one of these friends and I were talking about cookouts the other day. She was nervous because the fourth was coming up and she was worried about how she was going to stick to healthy options and resist temptation and not overdo it on the delectable naughty stuff.

It's a common concern for dieters and healthy lifers alike. Barbecues are the staple of summer. You're meeting with friends and family and so much of the fun is derived from collectively eating massive quantities of food that you don't often see outside that setting.

But so many things at cookouts are heavy, unhealthy, rich or otherwise sinful. So what does a poor dieter do?

I think I have the answer. And it's one I accidentally stumbled onto... It's a switch in my brain I didn't realize got flipped. I don't know how or when it happened... but...

I separated the food from the friends.

Let me explain.

I think part of the pressure of eating wrong at these gatherings comes from the fact that you're going to a place where naughty food is and you feel expected to partake of said naughty food in the company of those around you. I think we've collectively associated that as part of the cookout ritual.

I don't have that association in my brain anymore.

When I think "cookout" now, I think: friends, laughter, maybe a drink after sunset, summer dresses and flip flops. Do you see what's not on the list?

I do understand that food is part of the package, and I am definitely concerned with side questions like "what do I bring?" and "I hope there's steak". But, if it makes sense, I don't have the two ideas related in my brain in terms of translating a cookout into being forced to eat wrong.

I used to have the instinctual reaction like my friend does, like she was telling me the other day, ie. "I'm going to a cookout, watch out, waistline!". Now, it's so separate in my head. I think "I'm going to a cookout, how fun! I get to see so-and-so and so-and-so"... my focus changed and I don't even know when.

I suspect that practice with this Paleo diet, being "that guy" a little bit, did it. I think those trips to restaurants with friends when I had to say no to that delicious roll or the do-it-yourself taco line forced me out of thinking that I had to eat what my friends were eating... I think that changed how I think about eating in public.

I feel, in part, that this Paleo adventure started out like a joke or a shameful secret. Kind of like "look what I'm doing at home! Tee hee! When no one's around, I'm going to try this and this and this..." and now I feel that because I've been trying to stay healthy when I'm out and about, and I learned the real value of eating well, I realize that I don't have to feel bad about being different -- that's it's not wrong to label myself as a healthy eater when I'm in public.

It's kind of empowering. It's kind of invigorating. And now I see that it severed an association in my mind I didn't know I ever had.

Food is separate from friends.

If I go to a cookout alone, would I eat everything that's on the table? No. I'd eat like I eat at home, something lean, something with a salad, maybe some fruit for dessert. So, why does that change because there are people around me?

Now, I can answer, that it doesn't.

I'll never be worried about cookouts again. I love my friends and I love going out to barbecues and seeing the roar of fires and crackles of meat on the flame. I'll bring spring salads and cuts of ribs and desserts I invented and thought people would like. I'll bring a 12 pack of something for the grownups and I'll have a merry time.

But I won't be tempted by the potato salad drenched in processed mayo. I can't look at a S'more and not think of the chemicals in the graham cracker, the natural flavors in the chocolate, and the bleach in the marshmallow. I genuinely don't want any of that stuff.

Not because I'm above it, I hope that's not how it sounds, just because, that's not where my attention goes anymore. I love that people are enjoying those nom noms, I love seeing the smiles on the kids' faces, smeared with chocolate and joy. But I don't want that food anymore. I like the way I eat now. And after working so hard for so long, and really learning about how some foods are really bad for me, there are things I just know for sure I'll never want again. Going to a party where that food exists won't sway me off that mindset.

I wonder if that makes sense to you dieters out there. I hope it does. It was a very strange thing to learn about myself, that part of the temptation was rooted in a self-created sense of peer pressure... super interesting.

I wish all of you a merry cookout season!! And to my waist-line worriers out there... If you haven't found that switch flipped for you yet, keep on fighting the good fight! Make a battle plan before you arrive! Pick the things you know are good for you ahead of time and don't be tempted off your goals! It's hard at the beginning, but it's worth it in the end :-)

Enjoy barbecues for the company, the sunsets, the laughter.

That's where the real joy is :-D

PRO-TIP: Don't leave your lunch at home!

Empty belly. Neglected salad waiting sadly at home, wondering what it did to upset me. Disappointed dreams of a lunch plan not realized.

Cuz I'm special. I forgot my lunch at home.

Irony of ironies, today's the day I remembered to take pictures, specifically with you in mind...

Behold how nicely I separated the veggies and the spinach... everything's all washed and cut and seasoned...

Check out those colors. All that deliciousness. So so far away.

D'oh!

Ah well. At least I have dinner ready.






Last night I made Kale Chips, too. 6 batches worth!

I ate a bunch last night, I saved some for today in a great big silver bowl, covered, at room temp, to see how they hold.

Will they still be crispy? Will they still be salty and amazing? Ooh, the suspense is killing me.

I tried one this morning, a particularly crunchy fellow at the top of the pile....

It was divine.... :-)








And, finally, just for fun... Behold, my favorite breakfast!

Yum yum eggs. Oh yee sweet delicious egginess. All ready to go. Just add bacon.










So, in conclusion -- as I sit here, hungry, lucky that there was a bit of sushi lunch to be had at work to hold me over (octopus sashimi of all things, woohoo fishy paleo!)... my lesson and pro tip to all you Paleo dieters out there is....

DON'T FORGET YOUR DANG LUNCH!

:-D

The chicken on my pizza is Paleo...

That was my Facebook status a couple days ago. For good reason. Short version, full confession: The deck was completely stacked against my diet and I caved.

We had a pizza party at work, a meeting with delicious baked goods, and a filming weekend coming up. I had no prep done, I was busy and drained. So I had a cheat day.

I don't feel too badly about it, I do feel bummed that I broke my streak, obviously, (I was at 11 days!) but I don't really feel like a failure. I hadn't planned right, I had literally nothing else -- but starving wasn't an option. My spirits also were just not up for such a fight because of the sheer busy-ness of the day. So I had some pizza, and a delicious slice of a coworker's baked creation, a strawberry sweet cake. It was divine. It also filled me up for the rest of the day.

I promised myself to make up for it by adding another day at the end of the 30. I did the math, I cross the challenge finish line on July 13th. I'll make it the 15th because I'm a superstitious gal. I think there's something finite and official and lucky about the ides of any month. (Even March. Hail poor Caesar.)

So. For good luck, I'm calling it on July 15th. At that point I will re-evaluate what this diet means to me, how I feel, and most importantly, what I will plan to do next.

The oddest thing on my cheat day was, that whenever I had a non-paleo meal, I felt sluggish. It's weird, because it was so subtle and completely not noticeable unless you're looking for it. I certainly never noticed it before I started eating salads for days on end and realized by stark comparison what bread made me feel.

I think at least some of what they say about wheat and diary is true. They are heavy foods. If you're used to eating them all the time, it makes sense that you get used to feeling a bit slow after every meal. But now that I've been eating better and obsessing over labels, the difference is clear.

In that observation, I've achieved the real goal of this test. I saw for myself how it feels to eat clean and then compare the feeling to what happens when I eat what I previously regarded not only as normal food, but in most cases, as healthy food. My life is changed forever by this experience.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I know now, because of this challenge, that wheat is going under the 'treat' category of my life. It really truly is low in nutrition and high in sloth content. I felt the difference for myself, there's no question.

Gone are the days of sandwiches several times a day and toast on the side of my eggs and bacon. I'm genuinely concerned with things like vitamins and proteins and healthy ways to fuel my system. It's like my view has changed on what gives my body the best bang for its buck.

I've learned to shop in the produce isle. I've found a good groove for dealing with meats and prepping my kitchen. I love fruits and veggies so much, I can barely understand the sweetness levels of candy anymore (I had M&Ms on my cheat day. Even a Twizzler. Holy pajama pants, what a jolt! Fun, but you know what? I would have traded them for raspberries in a heart beat.)

I feel re-synced with the natural order of things. I feel great. That said, I won't cut bread out of my life completely when this is over. Doesn't everyone deserve the occasional buttered roll? And I still believe that rice and oatmeal are healthier than the rap they get from Paleo aficionados. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

For now, I've got my eyes on the finish line. July 15th, here I come! There are more bumps ahead. I have filming today and two endurance races that stand between me and the final goal.

I feel like I'm going to need these next two weeks to figure out the balance I'm looking for.

Diets never work. It has to be a steady constant life choice, that's the only thing that will stick and work for anyone.

It's that way of life I'm trying to figure out now. I'm testing and tinkering -- and ultimately choosing what I'm going to commit to. That stretches way past the reaches of this challenge. I'm not thinking of these next 14 days anymore. (I've got these two weeks in the BAG!)

No, I'm thinking of what happens after that.

:-)

RIDICULOUSLY CLOSE CALL!

WOW, was yesterday fun. But bad news bears in food land!

Let me explain.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure and privilege to go to the "Children's Grownups Museum Party", which, on top of being awesome in and of itself, was also 80's themed this time!

I got to blow bubbles, climb a pint sized rock wall, jump rope (I won the contest!), do a crazy photobooth with my friends and siblings, double-dutch, put together a puzzle in the kindergarten room (why did we grownups ever stop playing with blocks???), mess around with water dams and buckets, sit on bird statues and dance the electric slide. It was a top night, one for the record books!

But food-wise, I came SO ridiculously close to breaking the diet, it's not even funny.

So I had a good 6 hour gap between lunch and dinner -- plus a bike ride commute in between -- I was, therefore, hungry when I got to the museum. I had no emergency stash on me, even the granola bar I keep in the car for hunger emergencies has oats and grains in it :-(

At the party, they had a make-your-own-taco bar. Fantastic! It was also literally the only easy food option for miles (not counting precious-time-sucking sit-down restaurants). All the cafes and shops in that area close at business end times. Even Au Bon Pain right next door was closed at 6:30. Their loss, they would have made a killing last night.

Anyway, to the taco line I went. Here were the options, in order:
-- Hard/soft taco shell
-- Chicken/Beef
-- Rice/Chili/Black Beans
-- Tex Mex salad (corn, tomato, cilantro, onions, & who knows what else)
-- Sour Cream/Cheese/Verde Sauce
-- Tomatoes/Onions/Lettuce

Yeah. Delicious, right? The problem is that only the last line and the meat options are Paleo compliant. But I was with a bunch of people, and they were hungry too, so I quickly formulated a master plan.

I built the best taco ever (soft shell, chicken, chili & rice, bit of corn salad, sour cream, cheese), then on the side, I PILED (and I do mean piled) on several scoopfuls of tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. The plan being, I eat the greens and one of my cohorts takes the taco I wish I could eat. Two folks eat for the price of one! Genius, right?

For a bit, I thought my plan backfired! My buddies were horrified that I had built the dream masterpiece and planned NOT to eat it. What a crime! they said. "Go on, just today, it's not that unhealthy!" They were right of course, it really wasn't unhealthy food, but I whined about my streak and how I had 6 days under my belt and really wanted to make it to 30 without having to start all over... It was really hard!

My sister finally stepped up. Just in time, too. I was milliseconds away from caving. I'm not exaggerating, my next forkful was aimed at the chili - beans and all.

Saved thusly from the woeful abyss of failure, I happily enjoyed the rest of the night. The veggies were definitely no dream-taco, but they held me up pretty well :-)

Later on, I won a free drink from the jump rope contest. I really wanted a beer. But I wasn't going to break that easy after my recent willpower win, so I picked the red wine -- the healthiest alcohol "allowed" on Paleo. (Though, question, since Mead is made from honey, can I have that? Short answer - yes! Here's a full list of allowed adult bevies if you're interested.)

After the party, we found a nice place for dinner. One of those places that doesn't serve burgers and where the chef signs the menu.

There came my second challenge! I looked over all the delectable offerings woefully. All of them sounded divine, but most came on a bed of bread or with special cream sauces or cheese spreads...

I wound up ordering a side. The ONLY side that was Paleo friendly was the beets/cauliflower/greens/horseradish dish.

After we all ordered, the wait staff came out to each of us with a specialty roll, warm from the oven, with butter on the side. This was a gourmet mini-bread, specially made for individual consumption. It smelled amazing. It looked really good. I had a hard time saying no. (Don't worry, it definitely got eaten. :-p)

Out came the meals. My side came out in a tiny dish, looking small but smelling like heaven. It was late, I wasn't in the mood for a full meal anyway. My friends shared a bit of their giant chicken with me, too, so I was very soon legitimately stuffed! I was surprised by that :-)

So. Thus ends the thrilling tale of my brush with dietary failure. Yes, readers, I dodged many a bullet yesterday! I am super pleased with the outcome :-) I ate well, I wasn't starved at all, and - most importantly - I hit day 7 today!!! :-)


WOOHOOO!

The Swings of the Pendulum

Ooooooh, dramatic title! I feel like it could grace the cover of a Romance Novel or maybe a Grisham thriller....

ANYWAY.

Earlier on in this diet, I went though the phase of wanting to inhale everything under the sun. Now the pendulum seems to have swung the other way.

For the past 5 days, I've not been very hungry at all. It's the weirdest feeling.

Friday I ate 3 eggs in the morning, a pint of raspberries for lunch, some snow peas, and then some strawberries and a banana for dinner. I drank coffee and tea with honey. That's not a lot of food. I used to comfortably eat that much in one sitting.

Saturday, I ate pretty normally. 3 light meals - a strawberry & banana shake in the morning, chicken & peppers stir fry for lunch and again for dinner. (I was all about the chicken stir fry that day :-) )

Sunday, filming day, I ate very little but I didn't feel too hungry. I had some red cabbage in the morning, a couple carrots and a celery stick for lunch, a Larabar, a baked potato, a bit of tomatoes and peppers, and some snow peas for the midnight drive home. It's a lot of ingredients, but the amount itself could seriously fit onto one plate and have room left over.

Monday I had a bit more, 3 eggs in the morning, a steak (small -- I fried it for myself to take to work with me), and dinner was at a seafood restaurant where I had salmon and artichoke hearts. It was a very good meal.

Tuesday was scary. I woke up, ate nothing, rode my bike into work (6+ miles), ate nothing, drank some coffee, felt hungry, ate a small plate of mixed fruit, some water, long break of nothing, then Larabar for lunch - but I couldn't finish it in one sitting. I literally had half at noon and the other half at like 3. Then there was a salad and smoothie for dinner, after which I went kickboxing with a friend, after which I rode the bike 8+ miles back home.

And I wasn't hungry at all at the end of all that. Most of the time when I work out for 2 hours I feel like a food vacuum. Yesterday, nothing. Not the slightest pang of hunger.

Today is just as bizarre. This morning I had 2 eggs (3 is too much now), a handful of mixed nuts & seeds for a snack, and 6 small bits of sashimi for lunch. I know there's a light dinner somewhere yet to come, but I don't anticipate it being a big affair.

All I can say is WOW.

It seems a bit low in calories, which worries me. I'm terrified of triggering the starvation reflex. I think my total caloric intake these past few days ranges between 600-1200 a day... but I'm choosing to listen to my body on this one. I literally don't want to eat more, so I won't.

Maybe it's the summer? I can't be sure. I don't know what's going on, but I do know that I feel wonderful. I'm eating super clean and I feel fueled and happy.

I wonder if the pendulum is doomed to swing back to super-hunger territory again... I should squirrel away some nuts just in case. ;-)

Getting Help

I'm being strict in my tracking, so it's technically officially day 4 of this challenge since I started properly COUNTING. I know I'm going to make it to day 30 (Goonies never say die). But even so, I had a nightmare last night that I broke my streak again.

I was out with friends and we went to a fair, there were tables set up selling and giving away all sorts of goodies. I was doing fine resisting temptation, but one table had gluten-free muffin/donut hybrid pastries that were coated with a nice sugar-glaze and someone pulled me into taking not one, but TWO of them. Gluten-free doesn't NOT mean Paleo, I knew as I took the first bite. I devoured both of them and immediately felt guilty for breaking the diet.

Worse nightmares have been had, right? But wow. I woke up feeling so relieved that it was only a dream!

Yesterday I was up in Maine helping my friend film. I was a bit nervous. Not about the long shoot, but about what I'd eat while I was there. I had to plan. I was determined not to break. 

So I packed a fruit bar (Larabaars have amazing stuff that really is Paleo, and Trader Joe's recently started making dried fruit bars that only have two ingredients. Both brands really have no preservatives. Just dried fruit.) and some pre-washed veggies for the road. It was an early morning drive, so I stopped off to get some coffee. I refused the temptation of cream and sugar and pastries and just asked for a large black coffee.

I felt very proud of myself :-)

My friend's mom cooked for us film hands. She took amazing cares. There were loads of goodies. Sadly, I very much felt like this:

Still, there was a lot to pick from and I didn't go hungry. I had an amazing baked potato with bacon, salt, and two types of green onions. I know that doesn't sound much without, say, sour cream or butter, but I'm telling you, it was it a real treat. 

(For the record, if it weren't for bacon and salt, I legit would have lost my mind on this diet by the second blog entry.)

A friend last week told me another key to actually succeeding in this challenge was to tell people that I'm doing it. There are impromptu sponsors to be had when you're facing temptation. If folks know what you're trying to achieve, they'll help keep you both sane and honest.

That's so true. It was pretty noticeable yesterday, for example, when I couldn't make myself a sandwich or have any of the amazing homemade chili. So I told my peeps why. I was really afraid of being "That Guy", but it actually made for fun conversation and I got a lot of support. :-)

I feel good :-) I have my goal and I have support.

This is going to be a fun 26 days :-D

Number of Days Since Last Incident

We all know these signs, right?

I need one. It should read "___ Days Since Last Incident". So far, I think my record is... five days? I'm not sure. This is why I need the sign.

So, I mentioned that Empty-Fridge-Monday was a bit of a scrounge day, but since then it was Paleo and fruits and all good things. Until yesterday. My boss took our team out for lunch. I sinned hard. Pretty dumplings in noodle soup. It was divine, I refuse to repent. But I did break my streak of 3 days, which makes me feel a bit bummed out.

I heard a report on NPR this morning about rehab programs. I feel like I'm a wheat addict. I can't quit it completely and I'm constantly surrounded by temptation.

When I'm fending for myself, it's not a problem. I've even learned how to order smart at restaurants. Some restaurants, I mean. You know you're in trouble if you go to a noodle place or any cultural food establishment. But I can deal with any place that has salads and steak tips and fried chicken. I went to one yesterday. I didn't eat the mashed potatoes that came with my dish, I'm very proud of myself :-)

I prefer cooking for myself because I know what goes into my food and I can really play with spicing if I want to live it up. I'm planning to toy more with dehydrating recipes and I eventually want to make my own beef jerky. THAT would be such a win. I miss beef jerky. I used to think it was healthy before I started reading labels more closely.

I didn't really have a goal set in mind when I embarked on this food adventure. I was thinking I just want to try this out, as well as add benefit to training for some races I have coming up.

Now I'm thinking I should try the proper "30 Day Challenge" that I hear everyone tries. I'm terrified at the prospect. I have a lot of busy people-filled traveling weekends coming up, and I just don't know if I'm going to be able to keep the diet, strictly speaking from a logistics perspective. I mean, I guess I could stuff home-made nut bars into a fanny pack....

So here I sit, starting again with Day 1. Contemplating my surroundings.

I don't know how I'm going to make it 30 straight days.....