Day 21 - no cramps, bloating, or low back pain

SLEEP: 11 hours (ok so i slept in)

FOOD: my favorite breakfast 3 paleo pancakes overflowing with juicy blueberries cooked in the center, 1 egg w/bacon bits, 2 strawberies, chicken.

GYM: 5 pushpress (75#), 15 jumping squats(10lb. holding plate), 5 PP, 12 JS, 5PP, 9JS, 5 PP. Time = 4:12

REFLECTION: I know that it is only 1:30pm right now, but I have to say it right now - it's THAT TIME of the month and it's been 4 days i've not had any CRAMP or DISCOMFORT for the first time ever! I feel nothing at all, like it doesn't exist!! The only thing I've changed is fact i'm not eating GRAINS and DAIRY and SUGAR.

I googled the topic and found many testimonials about paleo diminishes or gets rid of cramps - and a little bit of exercise is all the better - I was trying to figure it out; which is it, the dairy? the wheat? or the sugar? I am guessing my gluten free diet is much to thank, plus a HUGE lack of sugar. I ALSO read (this is for my one blogger follower) from one woman's testiment that after 12 months on paleo her birth was not painful, but rather "orgasmic." We all need a little bit of that now and then.

Day 20

SLEEP:7.5 hours

FOOD: B AND E and some great italian roast coffee. Paleo Pancakes, chicken, and grapefruit.

GYM: nope.

REFLECTION: I had the most amazing paleo breakfast: BLUEBERRY PANCAKES!! Wow I can't wait to make every saturday pancake day! If you havn't had them, you have to. I used coconut oil for the first time and i was looking for something clear and runny, rather it was white and waxy in a jar.

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C coconut milk
• 1/2 C almond meal
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• coconut oil
*banana
*blueberries
*honey

Mix all of the ingredients except the coconut oil in *blender (just to mix banana in well). We added more meal than the recipe called for plus the banana to give it a thicker consistency. It was originally very fluid. Next, use a bit of coconut oil to grease a non stick skillet. Spread some of the batter into the skillet to form a pancake, then cook over low/medium heat. They won't bubble like normal pancakes but you should keep an eye on them and you should be able to tell when they are ready to turn. BEFORE FLIPPING i added 5 blueberries to the patty and i think this made it especially yummy when they were done!!! We also used honey for the syrup, but you don't need a lot of it to fulfill your sweet tooth.

Day ?

SLEEP:LOTS OF IT

FOOD:
Breakfast: Always B & E, baby - unless shaun makes it and it might have some kind of half raw, half cooked vegetable among the eggs.

Lunch: running late this morning, I only packed a small piece of chicken and a grapefruit *slap wrist

Dinner: Shaun made an incredibly tasty (to my surprise) pork and veggie meal. He seasoned the pork with chili powder and oregano. And Concocted steamed veggies (broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms) and toppeled the whole thing with walnuts.

Dessert with 300 movie! try heating almond milk on the stove and shaving paleo friendly chocolate in it!!! YUM!

GYM: abstolutely not

RREFLECTION: as you know, i've been sick since last Friday - no wonder last thursday's workout kicked my ass so hard. Having a fever for approx. 3 days last weekend brought me to an extreme low point with a paleo diet - you know - chicken noodle soup. Even the girl scout cookies roaming the pantry wouldn't have been savored as I've had no sense of taste or smell for six days. Either way, I still haven't taken a picture of my mid "before" picture. It's getting too late. I'm becoming "chiseled" with those dreamy crossfit Abs (never before earned) either because I was sick, and/or I'm eating like a caveman, and/or I'm enduring awesome workouts - and/or all of the above.

BY The Way! I made a plethora of food for Shaun on Thursday Evening taking recipes from Live Primal recipes (http://liveprimal.com/LPrecipes.pdf)! First I scrambled some butternut squash souffle & I substituted coconut milk with almond milk, boiled some broccoli, and cooked Zanibar Chicken which was ethnic, yet, tasty. I actually Jack Lalane-ed the orange to make the juice! Recipes below!

5.2.17 Zanibar Chicken
• 3 lbs chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 1/4 pepper
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed thru a press
• 3/4 c pure orange juice
• 3 T raisins
• 1/3 c slivered almonds
Season chicken with the spices. In a large fry pan, heat oil over med-high heat. Add
chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning until browned, about 10 minutes.
Remove and set aside. Add onion to pan. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and
cook 1 minute longer.
Return chicken to pan. Add orange juice and raisins. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15
minutes, until chicken is tender. Garnish with almonds.

6.14.2 Butternut Soufflé
• 1 c of butternut squash puree
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1/2 t mustard powder
• 1 t paprika
• 2 T coconut milk
• handful of chopped pecans
Beat together all the ingredients except the pecans. Spread into a small greased baking
dish. Sprinkle the nuts on top. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes. Serves 2-3.

Day 14

SLEEP: 9-10

FOOD: yesterday: Bacon/eggs, ate out at Rock Bottom Brewery and had medium rare burger w/ romaine lettuce/pico de gallo, guacamole w/ oil and vinegar salad topped with shredded carrots and cucumber, walnuts and raisins, some carrots, chocolate bar 77% cacao (ok paleo!) peach,
today: bacon/eggs/chicken/tomatos, some honeydew/canteloupe

GYM:absolutely not

REFLECTION: Unhappily missed the saturday morning team WOD due to pre-feverous conditions. Finally full blown fever around 7pm last night - unfortunately we were in the midst of the beginning of the Indy Supercross. Imagine being 5 rows from the dirt with BRAAAP engines and 13 year olds screaming like they are cool about something. . . When we got home around 11:30 at night, i was crying for chicken noodle soup, ready to give in - then and there! SCREW ice cream and doughnuts, i just wanted to be soothed with some extremely salty and slippery noodley soup. I straddled the temptation and went to bed without it!

Going to dinner, however, was a treat. Very little choices on the menu, though. Shaun ordered salmon with mixed vegetables. It came with salmon toppled on rice and beans, both unacceptable with paleo. UH. Mixed VegGieS?! he had to order another side because the salmon alone wasn't filling. The side of broccoli maybe included 6 little bunches (hardly enough for $3) and the broccoli came with butter on it. You MUST be specific and careful when eating out. My burger w/ no bun and no cheese and no chipotle mayo, but however included the guac. and pico, and lettuce was absolutely delicious. Oil on Vinegar instead of ranch was, still, very tasty!

On a side note, I wish I took a before picture 2 weeks ago. I feel my body has "shaped up" even after those two weeks. obviously i'm not snacking on sugar cookies at work anymore, and therefore not maintaining a certain amount of fluff around my love handles. I'm planning on taking a 2 weeks in picture to compare to the 45 days picture.

Day 12

SLEEP: 5 HOURS (can't help falling asleep to the olympics late at night)

FOOD: bacon, eggs, coffee, chicken, asparagus, blood red orange, walnuts and raisins, 1/2 apple, bacon and eggs, Almond flour "breaded" chicken w/ mustard powder and dill w/ a side of brussel sprouts. ** attempt at primal mayo and ranch dressing

GYM: Rest day

REFLECTION: I should have expected a sickness coming around the corner. ugh. Last night's workout would have been nice challenge. Having swollen glands in my neck with my nose confused as whether it's running or stopped up as i'm breathlessly screeching to get that last push press before bowing down to 4 burpees - - - it would have been a mess.

My first attempt at breaded chicken with almond flour was okay. Obviously there's no salt, so it was bland. The almond flour was actually delightful and the texture maintained well as the chicken was frying in olive oil. As for the mayo and ranch - a flop in my opinion. The ranch calls for coconut milk which made it sweet, but I also didn't slowly add the oil in the blender as the recipe suggested. I just threw it all in. perhaps another attempt is needed.

Day 11

SLEEP:7-8 hours

FOOD: scrambled eggs w/ 1-2 oz chicken, walnuts and raisins, apple, 1-2 oz chicken, 1/2 grapefruit, some egg/brussel sprout/ onion/mushroom omlett, and shaun's famous cereal (sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, raisins, honey, cinnamon, almond milk. I also treated myself to dark coffee at starbucks!

GYM: ***PERSONAL RECORD**** double unders = 14 consecutive!

Wod: amrap 15 minutes = 5 modified ring dips, 10 - 20 inch box jumps, 15 - 35# kettlebell swings
resluts: 6 rounds plus 5 ring dips plus 10 box jumps


REFLECTION: kick my ass. it was the first time i used the rings to dip rather than modified with a box dip or the rubber band. Although only 5, it killed me for the following, box jumps, as I felt dizzy and nauseous (you could probably assume from my food intake that i havn't been eating enough veggies for that energy). I still can't get myself to eat broccoli in the morning. I have a drawer full of new seasonings and will post a honey barbeque recipe soon!

Day 10

SLEEP: approximately 7.5 these last couple nights

FOOD: I've also eaten the same dinner these last couple nights

pork/chicken, brussel sprouts darkened in olive oil, and one avocado to make guacamole. Snacks have been mixed walnuts and raisens (my new favorite snack and I always have a raisen and a walnut in each bite!) my breakfast has been 2 eggs and either bacon or chicken.

GYM: If you didn't know already, I went snowboarding for the first time on Sunday, Valentines day. We hit the pow for about 7hours; needless to say I'm in day 3 of "recovering." I've missed some awesome workouts this week and can't wait to do the 300 workout to see how i've progressed since a few months back!

REFLECTION: so glad I have a favorite snack! so glad that I really enjoy brussel sprouts! I am very excited to try some new paleo recipes, especially spaghetti squash. There's also a mayo recipe that i'd like to try and perhaps mix in with tuna! results TBA!

Day 6

SLEEP: 8 hours

FOOD:
AM - 2 eggs, 3 bacon, 4 cups coffee
snack - 1oz chicken, 1 pear
PM Kristi's Bitch'n Beef Stew ;)
snack - cereal!! walnut, raisin, sunflower seed (no salt added to the nuts!) with 1/2 banana, sprinkle of cinnamon, with a mix of coconut and almond milk.
Wine in the evening.

GYM:
Group AMRAP 10 min - laura, sara, sarah, and me.
I completed 25, 50# snatch w/ laura. We accomplished 52 in 5 minutes. the next 5 minutes we headed for wallball. I completed approximately 65, 14# wallball in 5 minutes. I can't remember our team totals, but we beat the boys. OW OW!


REFLECTION: I felt good about today's workout, and convincing myself to add a bit more weight to the snatch could have been a good idea. The snatch is so much fun to accomplish! I am in transition to the 14lb wall ball, and at first I couldn't get a good throw. After doing 40 of them, I finally got my rhythm and that ball was shooting up to the 8ft (maybe it was the 10ft) mark.

This is how I know I'm not over my "paleo hump," I'm still thinking about all the foods I want to eat on day 46 - pizza, chocolate ice cream, and cereal! Although right now I am drooling at the thought, I am counting on the idea that I'll crave the epitome of "all natural" foods by day 45 rather than cheesy nachos - thanks for the smells, Adam. Some might wonder, why even go through this. And my only answer is that it's the right thing to do. I came across a health link upon signing out of my hotmail account today, and once getting inside, it non-nonchalantly disclosed findings that soda kills the kidneys and sugar can cause diabetes (no brainer). They were being so NICE about the idea that everday food we eat will break down our organs, and it appeared they were sugarcoating it like they were going to hurt someone's feelings. Food kills life and well being - I don't know what else to say.

Day 5

SLEEP: 4.5 hours! Damn late movie.

FOOD:
AM - 2 eggs, 1 bacon, 4 cups coffee
lunch - 3 strawberries, finished last of the chili
PM - 2 eggs, raw broccoli, 2 bacon, handful of bluberries
PM snack off and on - 1 apple, 2 oz chicken, handful almonds, handful of acorn squash

GYM:
rest day

REFLECTION:
AAAHHGH. I'm still hitting the fruit pretty hard. rather than making bountiful meals full of protein and fat, I'm sabotaging this whole paleo thing. I continue to have cravings, especially those awesome sugar cookies with the icing on top; the kids had them at school today for our Valentines party and i ALMOST CAVED. They ate the cookies as slow as possible and it was TORTURE. I've also been awfully grumpy, and have been unusually sleepy around 3-4 each day. I am 1/4 Italian, so those characteristics sort of run in my blood. On another note, I am very pleased with this new-found lifestyle because without it, I would not have had BRUSSEL SPROUTS for the first time with last night's dinner. My parents would be proud to know that my taste buds are maturing. Do you remember sitting at the dinner table for hours after everyone else was excused? Good memories.

Day 3

SLEEP
7 hours

FOOD
All I remember from Day 3 was that I picking food as if i were a lost pigeon. I scrambled some food for dinner consisting of romain lettuce, chopped raw onion, tuna, and a tomato. DO NOT MIX THESE ITEMS TOGETHER. The pineapple surely saved reflexes.

GYM
5 rounds:
12 - 65# pushpress
15 - 10# ball slam
25 - double unders

Time: 27 minutes

HOLY COW. The challenge of this workout was overwhelming. I blame the nap. My emotions ran high as I continued to abuse myself with the black jumprope and attempting 25 double unders amidst 100 singles in between. Although the many obstacles, the push and the prayer is what gets me to the next level.

Day 2

SLEEP: 7 hours

FOOD:
7:30 AM 3 cups coffee, 2 eggs scrambled with cilantro and topped with 1 small tomato.
1:00 PM chili (still spitting the beans and noodles)
5:00 PM chicken, asparagus, handful red grapes
7:00 PM 3 cups coffee (just for fun) with dark chocolate

GYM:
REST DAY

Italian Chicken Recipe - paleofood.com

chicken
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp pepper

Mix all. Add about 3-4 pieces of chicken, turning to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours for best results; turn it over
occasionally. One hour before serving, heat oven to 450F. Line a baking
sheet with foil, and put chicken on. Put pan in oven, reduce heat to 325F.
Bake 35-45 minutes.

OR, you can do what I did, not marinate over night, leave out the pepper, and bake on a George Foreman until it looks golden brown (err. black). I took laura Moore's advice and baked asparagus rather than, my typical, grilling it; i spread some olive oil around and baked in the toaster oven for 10 minutes (5 minutes was accidentally on "toast" at 350 degrees)- either way, toast or bake, TASTY! Below is a picture of my meal.

Day 1

SLEEP: 7.5 hours

FOOD:
7:30AM hungover from eating 1/4 of a cookie cake, 1 icing overflowing cupcake, 10 deliciously wrapped weenies via Adam, a scoopful of Jeremy's nachos, and 3 ice cold dos equis beers @ last night's superbowl party. Therefore, i made the rare decision to not eat breakfast and only make a few cups of tea.

9:30AM 3 slices of bologna and most likely will not buy more on PALEO, and a tangerine.

11:30AM 2oz chicken, 7 baby carrots, 1 grapefruit

4:00PM leftover superbowl chili *spit beans and noodles out!

8:30PM more chili

GYM:
REST DAY

REVIEW: Today was the first official paleo day. I'm saddened to look at the remaining chocolate cupcakes on the table from our superbowl party - knowing I can't eat them. I have had particular daydreams today, where i'm the cookie monster gathering multiple cupcakes and the icing dyes a blue hue among my cheeks. I fear that this will be typical over the next few days - getting all this sugar out of my system. I am looking forward to this, actually, as I feel like a slave to sugar and processed madness.

*note: yesterday I reached a Deadlift PR of 150lbs. and 10 consective jump rope Double Unders!

Day "-2"

SLEEP: 7hours

FOOD:
8:30AM - 2eggs, 2 strawberries, 3 bacon, 4 cups of coffee w/ almond milk
1:00PM - Handful of potato chips, 1 tangerine
6:00pm - 3 oz. Steak ,salad, MAC and cheese,cinnamon roll and ice cream

GYM:
Warm up - sampson stretch, KB work 18lb
Skill- PR: 6 consecutive double unders
WOD -25:xx minutes - group of 3 members completing 7 rounds of 7 burpees, 7 box jumps, 7 medball cleans.

Why Go Paleo?

The Paleolithic Diet is based on eating foods our Paleolithic ancestors ate. The "Paleolithic" refers to the Paleolithic Age, about 2,600,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago. The premise is that during the Paleolithic, we evolved a specific genome that has only changed approximately 0.01 per cent in these last 10,000 years. However, during this recent time span mass agriculture, grains/grain products, sugars/sugar products, dairy/dairy products, and a plethora of processed foods have all been introduced as a regular part of the human diet. Research shows that 70% of the average caloric intake of Americans is from foods that did not even exist for our Paleolithic ancestors. This discordance is having tremendously negative health consequences for our society as a whole. We are not eating the foods we are genetically and physiologically adapted to eat (99.9% of our genetic profile is still Paleolithic); and the discordance is an underlying cause for much of the "diseases of civilization", "syndrome X", obesity, and "diseases of old age" that are so epidemic in our society today. - "www.thepaleodiet.com"