I wanted to give people an idea of how I go through my daily routine and what keeps me motivated and informed about the Paleo/Primal Lifestyle. This post is strictly dedicated to some helpful websites, blogs, books and a little about each one to help you get started. I put in the work and you can take a peek and see what you think Paleo/Primal means to you.
1) The Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain. There is a revised and new version as of 2009/2010 (I believe). It has some updated research in the area and provides you a solid foundation for understanding what Paleo means. It explains the bad parts about grains, gluten, etc. It also explains WHY we eat what we eat and why we are meant to eat this way. Awesome read and I recommend it to all starters.
2) Mark's Daily Apple--when I first started this was my absolute "go-to" website. The FORUM is my favorite! People post questions daily on a variety of topics from exercise to eating certain protein powder to daily food journals of other Primal eaters. I also enjoy his daily posts--very educational, as well as Mark's post about why grains are bad. Mark has also written an awesome book that you can get from his website or the local bookstore, it's called The Primal Blueprint. I'm about 50 pages in and loving it!
Mark also hosts some awesome PAST seminars around the country where he educates others about the Primal way of life. I hope to attend one of these seminars soon. This guy really lives what he speaks and that's so inspirational.
Btw--if you have an iPhone he has an app that hooks you up to his site. It lists his daily posts which are my favorite things to read when I need to kill some time between clients or when I'm waiting to get an oil change.
3) Everyday Paleo is a great website for families who are trying to live the Paleo lifestyle. I am truly on there once a day and sometimes more! Sarah (the blogger) provides readers with real-life recipes that can be thrown together from the items in your fridge. She gives me ideas everyday and I haven't even had the chance to explore her entire website. She also has a friend/partner in crime, Chrissy, who writes the blog Growing Up Paleo , where she discusses Paleo living and pregnancy. It is possible to make this an entire lifestyle...something you WANT your kids to be living by every day.
4) I recently stumbled upon some yummy, Paleo snacks through Paleo People . I ordered a variety of their granola this week and I'm still waiting for it's arrival. It looks amazing and I cannot wait to fill you guys in on how it is.
5). Robb Wolf is one of the world's leading experts in the Paleo way of life. His blog is super informative! I have just begun to explore it. At the moment, my favorite part about his blog has to be the Podcasts. I pull these up on my phone whenever I have the chance and just listen to what he has to say...tons of info!!! He has written a book that I hope to read soon called The Paleo Solution. He also owns and operates one of the Top 30 gyms in America called Nor-Cal Strength and Conditioning. There is a lifetime of information on his blog.
6). There will be more to come I'm sure! But these books, blogs and websites have given me a pretty awesome start!
Cheers to LIFE!--Bree
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Coconut Chicken Tenders with Chive and Green Onion Dip
Soooo, I felt like making some yummy Coconut Chicken for dinner tonight! Primal, of course! And it is turning out pretty awesome and it was WAAAAY easy with very few ingredients. I thought I would throw the recipe your way if you are interested! This is enough for 2 people approximately because I'm single people...and I like leftovers!
2 chicken breasts or 6 chicken breast tenders (If you have chicken breasts I recommend cutting them into three pieces so that you can make chicken tenders. I also used organic, free-range chicken
1 Omega-3 enriched egg
1 cup UNSWEETENED coconut flakes or shavings (I used shavings and it's turning out great).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the chicken pieces and dredge them in egg or egg whites if you desire. Then roll them in the coconut flakes and pop them in a pan and cover with foil for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the coconut begins to brown. FYI, It took my chicken tenders about 30 minutes to brown up.
Serve these with my yummy green onion and chive dip.
1/4 to 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
1/2 a green onion finely chopped
1 fresh chive finely chopped or you can use dried chives as well. I used about 1 teaspoon dried chives as this was my trial run. Toss all of it in a bowl and mix it up. I ended up adding a little onion powder because I enjoy the flavor. I use this dip a lot to replace Ranch dressing.
This dish smells amazing when cooking, so be prepared!
Cheers to LIFE!--Bree
2 chicken breasts or 6 chicken breast tenders (If you have chicken breasts I recommend cutting them into three pieces so that you can make chicken tenders. I also used organic, free-range chicken
1 Omega-3 enriched egg
1 cup UNSWEETENED coconut flakes or shavings (I used shavings and it's turning out great).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the chicken pieces and dredge them in egg or egg whites if you desire. Then roll them in the coconut flakes and pop them in a pan and cover with foil for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the coconut begins to brown. FYI, It took my chicken tenders about 30 minutes to brown up.
Serve these with my yummy green onion and chive dip.
1/4 to 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
1/2 a green onion finely chopped
1 fresh chive finely chopped or you can use dried chives as well. I used about 1 teaspoon dried chives as this was my trial run. Toss all of it in a bowl and mix it up. I ended up adding a little onion powder because I enjoy the flavor. I use this dip a lot to replace Ranch dressing.
This dish smells amazing when cooking, so be prepared!
Cheers to LIFE!--Bree
Friday, March 11, 2011
A Day In the Life of Primal Eating!
Since Primal eating is technically a 'restrictive' diet/lifestyle I thought you all might be curious to see just what people who eat primally eat everyday.
Here is what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast: 1 pork sausage and approximately 1 1/2 cups of steamed broccoli (I don't measure it--I just eyeball about how much I want to put in my tummy).
Lunch: Leftover Shrimp and sweet potato concoction made with asparagus, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts and some coconut oil.
Snack: I ate some trail mix (raisins and nuts--mostly almonds and cashews)...I'm guessing I ate about 1/4 cup here.
Dinner: One grass-fed beef hamburger with some manchengo cheese and asparagus cooked in coconut oil with some garlic and lemon.
Now today here was my meal plan:
Breakfast: 2 eggs cooked through in coconut oil and three slices of turkey bacon. I topped the eggs off with 1/2 an avocado
Lunch: Canned tuna mixed with a little mustard, a splash of olive oil mayo (not Paleo/Primal so I kept it to a minimum. There is a way to make Primal mayo but I haven't attempted that yet) and mixed in a few almond slivers for crunch because I have a texture thing with tuna from a can without the crunch from bread. I was still hungry so I made a Primal Protein shake with a banana and some frozen strawberries and a cup of almond milk.
Dinner: I made the most amazing Sun-dried tomato chicken with brussel sprouts and bacon.
Dessert: a few dark chocolate covered blueberries.
I've been eating like this probably 90% of the time over the past month and I'm telling you that it works. The last thing I feel is RESTRICTED. I'm feeling great, my clothes fit and that gets better everyday. I notice that my stomach is just flatter than it was when I was eating grains. On top of that, I build muscle quickly when I eat this way. I got sick a couple of weeks ago and I bounced back within about 5 trips to the gym--muscles and all!
I hope this gives you all a glimpse as to what I eat and do everyday...if you are at all interested or need some info on where to go just send me an email at bree.noback@gmail.com. I would be more than happy to email you my favorite websites and book titles to help you get started.
Cheers to LIFE--Bree
Here is what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast: 1 pork sausage and approximately 1 1/2 cups of steamed broccoli (I don't measure it--I just eyeball about how much I want to put in my tummy).
Lunch: Leftover Shrimp and sweet potato concoction made with asparagus, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts and some coconut oil.
Snack: I ate some trail mix (raisins and nuts--mostly almonds and cashews)...I'm guessing I ate about 1/4 cup here.
Dinner: One grass-fed beef hamburger with some manchengo cheese and asparagus cooked in coconut oil with some garlic and lemon.
Now today here was my meal plan:
Breakfast: 2 eggs cooked through in coconut oil and three slices of turkey bacon. I topped the eggs off with 1/2 an avocado
Lunch: Canned tuna mixed with a little mustard, a splash of olive oil mayo (not Paleo/Primal so I kept it to a minimum. There is a way to make Primal mayo but I haven't attempted that yet) and mixed in a few almond slivers for crunch because I have a texture thing with tuna from a can without the crunch from bread. I was still hungry so I made a Primal Protein shake with a banana and some frozen strawberries and a cup of almond milk.
Dinner: I made the most amazing Sun-dried tomato chicken with brussel sprouts and bacon.
Dessert: a few dark chocolate covered blueberries.
I've been eating like this probably 90% of the time over the past month and I'm telling you that it works. The last thing I feel is RESTRICTED. I'm feeling great, my clothes fit and that gets better everyday. I notice that my stomach is just flatter than it was when I was eating grains. On top of that, I build muscle quickly when I eat this way. I got sick a couple of weeks ago and I bounced back within about 5 trips to the gym--muscles and all!
I hope this gives you all a glimpse as to what I eat and do everyday...if you are at all interested or need some info on where to go just send me an email at bree.noback@gmail.com. I would be more than happy to email you my favorite websites and book titles to help you get started.
Cheers to LIFE--Bree
Just Living the Primal Dream!
Well, everyone is pretty curious about the Primal/Paleo thing and how I seem to be doing with it. Well, I would say “so far so good”. Will I ever go back to the way I ate before? The answer is without a doubt, 100%--“NOOOO! I WILL NEVER GO BACK!” This lifestyle is UNBELIEVEABLE! I cannot explain to you the difference in my mood, my body and my overall attitude towards life. I went Primal people and I’m NEVER going back.
So here are some of the pros for me, personally. They include better sleep, no more tummy troubles, no more lactose intolerance pills (more on this later), fitting into my size 4 jeans (yep, pretty kick ass if you ask me) without worry, skin is clearing up, my workouts are intense and excellent almost every time and a pretty cool feeling of endless energy. I am also learning about how to workout Primally and that has been a huge shift for me. I truly have found no downsides to this life change. It’s excellent on every level.
Some things I continue to struggle with include: temptations of COOKIES and sweets at night, difficulty explaining to others what I can and can’t eat and why, some of the pre-planning I have to do to make it through a day and accessibility and cost of grass-fed meat. Other than that—I love it. I’m not going back and I have recently “Primal-fied” my kitchen…it was sad to throw out my Smart Start and oatmeal, but it’s been worth it in every way.
Now, I know many of you are wondering why it is that I eat this way and what I have referred to in order to make this change. I will do my best to explain in this post.
I started this after trying to learn more about Cross-fit training and stumbled upon a pretty rockin’ blog: Mark’s Daily Apple hosted by Mark Sisson. At about the same time I took a trip to the good ole bookstore and dropped a few bucks on the Paleo Diet Book by Dr. Cordain. Armed with the information in these books, I went to work and I haven’t stopped, only stumbled. Let me just say that stumbles are a part of this process. It's all a part of learning how to make a lifestyle change. I just get back on track ASAP and chalk it up to “Life”. No stress.
For me, living this lifestyle is entirely stress-free because I know WHY I’m NOT eating certain things. This understanding alleviates that feeling of deprivation that most people feel during a change and it does so ENTIRELY! Sure, if I want a cupcake—I’ll eat one and the same goes for a cookie, because those are the foods that keep me ‘cool’. (I don’t usually feel too well afterwards and tend to avoid them more and more everyday). I would say in the past 3 weeks I’ve had about 5 dessert-y type of things—pretty killer for a cookie-holic.
So back to WHY I’m NOT eating certain things…Well, let me give you some info from one of my favorite Primal gurus, Mark Sisson. In his book, The Primal Blueprint, he compares the Conventional Wisdom (CW) and Primal Blueprint (PB). I want to give him as well as Dr. Cordain all the credit for my understanding of eating Primal/Paleo. Without their books, websites I would be completely lost. They put it in real terms and leave the readers to make the decisions.
P.S.--Mark is amazing—he’s one of those dudes that is NOT a doctor, a scientist or a salesman. He has lived and cultivated this lifestyle for over 20 years and has worked hand in hand with researchers, doctors, evolutionists, geneticists, paleontologists, coaches, trainers and a bunch of talented and knowledgeable individuals to show people the TRUTH about what our bodies need and WHY! And answers the WHY in some pretty awesome ways!
So here goes the Bree-version of Conventional (Neolithic) eating versus primal eating according to the “rules,” (and I use that term loosely) of Primal Blueprint. I will highlight just a few of the ones that really hit home with me. There are so many more if you check out the book.
Rule #1: Step away from the grains! Grains include: wheat, rice, corn, bread, cereal and pasta. According to CW we should eat 6-11 daily servings of this stuff as it provides the energy to feed our muscles, brain, etc. CW also states ‘whole grains’ are somehow the gods and goddesses of the grain world—I call B.S. and so does PB. Whole grains are still PROCESSED and we are not doing our bodies any justice by consuming them.
In reality, grains, even WHOLE GRAINS, promote excess insulin production in EVERYONE! YES, even WHOLE grains! In addition, they promote fat storage and (gasp) heart disease (Booooo). Not to mention the inflammation they cause in the intestines and what they do to suppress our immune systems. If you are sick, take a good look at what is on your plate and there is your answer as to why you feel like crud.
Rule #2: Eat some fat! CW tells us that it causes heart disease and that eating it will make us fat. Uhhh, not so fast! Saturated fat is NOT associated with heart disease risk. Yes, this is true. In fact, it should be a large calorie source for bodies as it has promoted the advancement and development of brain function for millions of years.
It provides us with stable energy and WEIGHT CONTROL! Um, hello—fat is not the culprit here. It’s the combination of fat with grains with sugar with over eating that has brought about the epidemic of heart disease in our civilization. Our ancestors didn’t struggle with heart disease—we pretty much invented it along with the invention of the drive-thru, the automobile and everything else that makes us kinda lazy on occasion. Sure I enjoy these conveniences, but with modern convenience comes modern problems as I’m learning.
Rule #3: Eggs are ok!?
Yep! They are! CW teaches us that they contain artery-clogging cholesterol and we need to minimize them. PB teaches that there is really no correlation between heart disease and cholesterol levels. Yolk is good and should be considered nutritious, not unhealthy.
Rule #4: Eat your fiber!
CW teaches us that we need fiber, mostly from grains, to achieve the best possible gastrointestinal function, to speed up your digestive tract and to lower our calorie intake. Not so true…In PB we learn that you get ALL the fiber you could ever need from healthy fruits and veggies and even the meat we eat. In fact, too much grain-based fiber leaches important nutrients from our bodies! So eat your veggies!
Rule #5: Eat when you are hungry…Eating is optional.
So CW teaches us that eating a few times a day is best for optimal health. It teaches us that skipped meals are bad and promote a slowed metabolism. PB teaches us that we should eat when we are hungry, eat as much as we want of the right things and then fast when you feel like it. Fasting can help to lose weight or just speed up the metabolism. Heck, our ancestors fasted for hours, days, when food was scarce or when on the hunt.
Rule #5: Weight loss is achieved through eating the right things not limiting fat/carbs or calories.
CW states that we need to eat high complex carbs and low fat diets to achieve weight loss and it’s all about “calories in and calories out.” If you watch The Biggest Loser you see this type of methodology. It works for those people to drop the weight. I imagine if you asked the contestants if they were hungry, tired as hell or just plain sick of measuring their food, you would probably get a resounding “HELL YES!” Hunger sucks. I hate being hungry more than I hate the Shane Co. guy’s voice and that’s a lot of hate (or as my mom would say “strong dislike”). When we’re hungry we make poor choices in the food arena and we end up sitting in a drive-thru somewhere buying something because it sounds AMAZING at that particular moment. It’s not amazing and the last thing it is going to be is HEALTHY.
Let me tell you, I’m no longer the ‘hungry’ girl all day long. I eat probably 3 to 4 times a day and I’m totally cool with it. Sometimes I will make an awesome dinner and then sit down and eat only half because I’m simply not hungry—my needs have been met. In addition, I’m almost never tired in the afternoon. If I am, it’s because I’m bored and it’s not really because I feel like I’m in a food coma or an afternoon slump. Also, I don’t have lactose intolerance problems anymore—unless I happen to eat bread or a cookie. If I mix the two—there is trouble. So I’ve pretty much just stopped doing that altogether. Lastly, I am no longer counting a single calorie. I eat what I want when I want and I don’t waste a single second worrying about how it’s going to impact my waist, thighs or butt. I eat healthy so I can take the worry out of it. Who wants to worry about what they put in their body? It sucks. My personal self-talk includes this phrase, “Eat right Bree. You have control over what you put in there.” Corny, I know, but it works for me when I’m struggling.
So anyway, this is my lifestyle now. I know the answers to the WHY questions and I eat Paleo and Primal by choice—everyday. I love it. In fact, I love it so much that I researched Primal eating for dogs. I’m happy to announce that my furry giant, Guinness, is now transitioning to a grain-free, Primal-doggy diet as well. I hope he knows how much his mama loves him…it’s more than I love cookies, that’s for sure!
Cheers to LIFE!--Bree!
Cheers to LIFE!--Bree!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Step Away From the Cookies!
If there was a food item on this earth that could make me sabotage my entire Primal/Paleo lifestyle change, it would be the cookie.
Dang those soft, squishy, warm chocolate chips and sweet goodness. They are so awesome! I wish that cookies tasted terrible! I wish they were made out of dirt because I can say "No" to just about everything but a cookie.
During the past few days (Super Bowl Sunday EXCLUDED) I feel that I've done a pretty rockin' job on staying on the Primal Path. I've eaten like a champ and I have eaten no grains, no dessert, other than fresh fruit and I have been feeling great. I also joined a group that gets together to talk about the Paleo/Primal lifestyle--so exciting. Buuuuut, on the downside, I have to say that I have eaten a couple cookies, two to be exact...Darn it. Ugh.
So this is my goodbye post to cookies! For at least one month! After that, a cookie here and there won't be an issue. Let's be honest, I feel like crap every time I eat one and every time I eat bread for that matter. It's just bad news all around.
So, I quit you cookies!
Cheers to LIFE! --Bree
Dang those soft, squishy, warm chocolate chips and sweet goodness. They are so awesome! I wish that cookies tasted terrible! I wish they were made out of dirt because I can say "No" to just about everything but a cookie.
During the past few days (Super Bowl Sunday EXCLUDED) I feel that I've done a pretty rockin' job on staying on the Primal Path. I've eaten like a champ and I have eaten no grains, no dessert, other than fresh fruit and I have been feeling great. I also joined a group that gets together to talk about the Paleo/Primal lifestyle--so exciting. Buuuuut, on the downside, I have to say that I have eaten a couple cookies, two to be exact...Darn it. Ugh.
So this is my goodbye post to cookies! For at least one month! After that, a cookie here and there won't be an issue. Let's be honest, I feel like crap every time I eat one and every time I eat bread for that matter. It's just bad news all around.
So, I quit you cookies!
Cheers to LIFE! --Bree
Monday, February 7, 2011
Primal Life Update
Oh wow...I LOVE PRIMAL EATING!
I have discovered so many things while eating primally and researching this lifestyle. I am so happy to say that my body is healing from my previous eating lifestyle and I'm on the path to Primal Living....even though I have to be honest, it has NOT been easy to make this switch. It has been a mental challenge and there are good days and bad days when converting to this lifestyle.
While reading about this lifestyle I have discovered that our Neolithic diet has done our bodies very little good and A LOT of harm. Who knew that the so-called 'healthy' things I thought I was putting in my body were totally harming my body at the same time and made sticking to a healthy diet nearly impossible. YES, IMPOSSIBLE!
In fact, I have so many girlfriends who are constantly struggling with their weight and saying things like "oh, I would love to lose 10 pounds but I'm just so unmotivated", or they are motivated but grasping at straws to lose 5 pounds. Let's face it, as we get older we get fatter, softer and saggier. Frankly, I'm not ok with that. I'm also not ok with getting heart disease, cancer, having fertility problems or suffering from hormonal imbalances. All of the above have been shown to reduce significantly when following a primal/paleo lifestyle. So I said "Why not? I have nothing to lose!"
In the past, on calorically restricted diets with calories in/calories out mindset, I would struggle....I asked myself CONSTANTLY "I eat 'healthy' but I still gain weight." "Why do I feel tired all the time?" "Why do I feel irritable and gloomy?" and "Why the heck do I want to eat every 2 hours????" HELLO! DIET, maybe?
It's true. It's our Neolithic, grain and sugar-filled lifestyle that exacerbates our unsightly 'squishy' look and bad attitude? I am living proof of that YES, it is our incredibly yummy, yet malnourishing diet of salt, sugar, grains, wheat, steroid-filled meats, processed foods and 'non-food' that is causing this problem. This traditional American diet is making us pudgy, round, saggy, sad, moody, irritable, infertile, forgetful, aloof, tired, SICK, medicine dependent and eventually, DEAD.
Awesome, huh? Are you scared yet? Because I was and I still am! I'm terrified that if I don't turn my lifestyle around and get with the program that I will sucumb to one of the many 'diseases' that ails our society and I really just don't have time for that. Do you?
So I guess I just decided to get with the program. It isn't easy. But good things in life don't come easy and if they did...well, everyone would have them. I literally read about this lifestyle daily...I live it the best that I can and I am seeing some serious results!!!
For the naysayers:
Please don't say that being fit and thin and healthy is just for people who are vain. Vanity is not the issue here, our HEALTH is the issue. I guarantee that everyone would chose to be fit, thin, healthy and alive, able to spend one more day with the people they love, than to suffer from diseases, pain and sadness. I don't know about you, but life is better lived when I'm healthy, happy and self-confident. You can't be healthy tugging around extra weight, struggling to tie your shoes and button your pants. You just can't. You aren't happy then and you definitely aren't healthy.
So after to coming to these realizations, I said "Wow. I gotta do this." I woke up and I started it and I'm sticking to it. And it's been over a month!
So friends...if you see me with a cookie...please tell me to read this to myself again...and to step away from the cookie. Thank you. And if we are out to eat and I don't eat like I used to...please understand. I'm just trying to be the best that I can be. Please encourage me!
I hope this inspires you guys somehow, someway to do the best that you can and to be the best that you can be.
Cheers to LIFE! Bree
I have discovered so many things while eating primally and researching this lifestyle. I am so happy to say that my body is healing from my previous eating lifestyle and I'm on the path to Primal Living....even though I have to be honest, it has NOT been easy to make this switch. It has been a mental challenge and there are good days and bad days when converting to this lifestyle.
While reading about this lifestyle I have discovered that our Neolithic diet has done our bodies very little good and A LOT of harm. Who knew that the so-called 'healthy' things I thought I was putting in my body were totally harming my body at the same time and made sticking to a healthy diet nearly impossible. YES, IMPOSSIBLE!
In fact, I have so many girlfriends who are constantly struggling with their weight and saying things like "oh, I would love to lose 10 pounds but I'm just so unmotivated", or they are motivated but grasping at straws to lose 5 pounds. Let's face it, as we get older we get fatter, softer and saggier. Frankly, I'm not ok with that. I'm also not ok with getting heart disease, cancer, having fertility problems or suffering from hormonal imbalances. All of the above have been shown to reduce significantly when following a primal/paleo lifestyle. So I said "Why not? I have nothing to lose!"
In the past, on calorically restricted diets with calories in/calories out mindset, I would struggle....I asked myself CONSTANTLY "I eat 'healthy' but I still gain weight." "Why do I feel tired all the time?" "Why do I feel irritable and gloomy?" and "Why the heck do I want to eat every 2 hours????" HELLO! DIET, maybe?
It's true. It's our Neolithic, grain and sugar-filled lifestyle that exacerbates our unsightly 'squishy' look and bad attitude? I am living proof of that YES, it is our incredibly yummy, yet malnourishing diet of salt, sugar, grains, wheat, steroid-filled meats, processed foods and 'non-food' that is causing this problem. This traditional American diet is making us pudgy, round, saggy, sad, moody, irritable, infertile, forgetful, aloof, tired, SICK, medicine dependent and eventually, DEAD.
Awesome, huh? Are you scared yet? Because I was and I still am! I'm terrified that if I don't turn my lifestyle around and get with the program that I will sucumb to one of the many 'diseases' that ails our society and I really just don't have time for that. Do you?
So I guess I just decided to get with the program. It isn't easy. But good things in life don't come easy and if they did...well, everyone would have them. I literally read about this lifestyle daily...I live it the best that I can and I am seeing some serious results!!!
For the naysayers:
Please don't say that being fit and thin and healthy is just for people who are vain. Vanity is not the issue here, our HEALTH is the issue. I guarantee that everyone would chose to be fit, thin, healthy and alive, able to spend one more day with the people they love, than to suffer from diseases, pain and sadness. I don't know about you, but life is better lived when I'm healthy, happy and self-confident. You can't be healthy tugging around extra weight, struggling to tie your shoes and button your pants. You just can't. You aren't happy then and you definitely aren't healthy.
So after to coming to these realizations, I said "Wow. I gotta do this." I woke up and I started it and I'm sticking to it. And it's been over a month!
So friends...if you see me with a cookie...please tell me to read this to myself again...and to step away from the cookie. Thank you. And if we are out to eat and I don't eat like I used to...please understand. I'm just trying to be the best that I can be. Please encourage me!
I hope this inspires you guys somehow, someway to do the best that you can and to be the best that you can be.
Cheers to LIFE! Bree
Friday, January 28, 2011
A Paleo "Experiment"!
Sooooo, I am guilty of just completely falling off the blogging train for the past few months. Please excuse me, I've been busy. Holidays, friends, family and now I am finally catching my breath. So, back to blogging it is.
As a couple of you might know, I decided to give a new 'lifestyle' a bit of a try. It's called the PALEO Diet. I would like to explain in MY words what it is, what it isn't, why I did it and why I want to continue it.
I stumbled across the Paleo Diet because I have been having some problems with my skin and I have this HUGE desire to be in really good shape for the rest of my life. I started researching ways to cut out bad foods and ways to cut out SUGAR because I think I'm addicted to the stuff. (Ugh...this has been the toughest part for me, especially after the cookie and bread-filled holidays.)
From my past experience with working out and eating healthy I have learned that in order for my body to drop weight, it's important that I stick to veggies and lean meats. When I introduce carbs and sugar, I don't maintain my weight and I constantly feel hungry, irritable and have all around 'issues'. So, I know my body well enough to know that these foods have to be out of my daily diet in order to maintain. So I started researching, stumbled upon some awesome and inspiring blogs and set a goal for myself.
I researched the diet and decided that I wanted to stick to it's core values starting Jan 1st. These values include: eat lean meats (including red meat), pay attention to what is fed to the meat (grass-fed is BEST), eat organic fruits and veggies when ever possible, include good fats (i.e., coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oils, eat nuts (almonds, macademia and others) in moderation and avoid GRAINS, DAIRY and SUGAR (all the crap that makes you feel like a slug, the stuff that makes us 'plump' and the stuff that causes major inflammation of the digestive tract/gut).
Paleo is a way of life, NOT a weight-loss plan. Frankly, I don't need to shed more than 5 to 10 pounds to be at my ideal weight and I just like to challenge myself. I chose to do it to see if I would FEEL better and see if my face would get back to normal. It has been hard. Way hard. But it's the journey and not the finish line that I am looking for here.
Let me tell you this: A) OMG! This is not the easiest way of life, B) It takes PLANNING and TIME, C) it's so hard to explain to your friends why you want to do it and D) I FEEL AMAZING when I follow it. and E)it is NOT as expensive as one would think (healthcare and failing organs is much more expensive I'm sure of it!).
I have definitely STUMBLED and fallen off the Paleo wagon since January 1st. I can tell you that even though I stumbled, ate sugar, bread and grains...I am committed to this way of life. I follow it about 80% of the time, but I want to follow it more closely to 95% of the time. I want to do it and I'm going to do it, even when my friends look at me like I'm nuts and offer me a cookie (so hard to resist).
I read about the Primal/Paleo way of life daily. I LOVE IT! It is sooo interesting to me and I love to learn how the body works. I have found the following books/blogs to be so helpful.
I have made the book above my BIBLE! And I browse the following blogs in this order:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://girlgoneprimal.blogspot.com/
http://www.paleonu.com/
So far, so good. My body feels great! I'll keep you posted on this journey!
Bree--Cheers to LIFE!
As a couple of you might know, I decided to give a new 'lifestyle' a bit of a try. It's called the PALEO Diet. I would like to explain in MY words what it is, what it isn't, why I did it and why I want to continue it.
I stumbled across the Paleo Diet because I have been having some problems with my skin and I have this HUGE desire to be in really good shape for the rest of my life. I started researching ways to cut out bad foods and ways to cut out SUGAR because I think I'm addicted to the stuff. (Ugh...this has been the toughest part for me, especially after the cookie and bread-filled holidays.)
From my past experience with working out and eating healthy I have learned that in order for my body to drop weight, it's important that I stick to veggies and lean meats. When I introduce carbs and sugar, I don't maintain my weight and I constantly feel hungry, irritable and have all around 'issues'. So, I know my body well enough to know that these foods have to be out of my daily diet in order to maintain. So I started researching, stumbled upon some awesome and inspiring blogs and set a goal for myself.
I researched the diet and decided that I wanted to stick to it's core values starting Jan 1st. These values include: eat lean meats (including red meat), pay attention to what is fed to the meat (grass-fed is BEST), eat organic fruits and veggies when ever possible, include good fats (i.e., coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oils, eat nuts (almonds, macademia and others) in moderation and avoid GRAINS, DAIRY and SUGAR (all the crap that makes you feel like a slug, the stuff that makes us 'plump' and the stuff that causes major inflammation of the digestive tract/gut).
Paleo is a way of life, NOT a weight-loss plan. Frankly, I don't need to shed more than 5 to 10 pounds to be at my ideal weight and I just like to challenge myself. I chose to do it to see if I would FEEL better and see if my face would get back to normal. It has been hard. Way hard. But it's the journey and not the finish line that I am looking for here.
Let me tell you this: A) OMG! This is not the easiest way of life, B) It takes PLANNING and TIME, C) it's so hard to explain to your friends why you want to do it and D) I FEEL AMAZING when I follow it. and E)it is NOT as expensive as one would think (healthcare and failing organs is much more expensive I'm sure of it!).
I have definitely STUMBLED and fallen off the Paleo wagon since January 1st. I can tell you that even though I stumbled, ate sugar, bread and grains...I am committed to this way of life. I follow it about 80% of the time, but I want to follow it more closely to 95% of the time. I want to do it and I'm going to do it, even when my friends look at me like I'm nuts and offer me a cookie (so hard to resist).
I read about the Primal/Paleo way of life daily. I LOVE IT! It is sooo interesting to me and I love to learn how the body works. I have found the following books/blogs to be so helpful.
I have made the book above my BIBLE! And I browse the following blogs in this order:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
http://girlgoneprimal.blogspot.com/
http://www.paleonu.com/
So far, so good. My body feels great! I'll keep you posted on this journey!
Bree--Cheers to LIFE!
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