Paleo Journey - Two Months In

So, the next step in the Paleo journey…

Here are some updates:

Read: 
In Defense of Food

By Michael Pollan

Tasted:

I tried Grilled Tilapia and Snapper. And I have to say, I really like it. Why was I avoiding fish my whole life? What a dick haha I am glad I tried it. Now I look forward to lunch every day at work, because I can get a salad that I really like, and it is great with the grilled fish. Yum. 

Robs new favorite meal is the tastiest ribs we have ever tried with cauli mash. It is so easy and the results are toe curlingly good! You have to try it!

I am absolutely in love with these tasty little gems from Nick Massie aka Paleo Nick on youtube. They are AMAZING! 

Shopping:

We officially love the Urban Harvest Farmers market in Houston. We got bags of beautiful happy cow beef and happy piggy pork. And so much beautiful fresh produce. And in bigger quantities with brighter colors than the super market. Plus eggies from Happy Chooks so that made us happy. I am not a preachy person, but I do think it is important for the meat we eat to come from happy animals. I think its because we raised our own animals on a farm for part of my childhood. And you know what, the yolks are more yellow and the meat is tastier.

Changes:

Endo - Well, I am still having pains but I am definitely in less pain this month than the last six months. I am using normal over the counter pain killers instead of the super strength prescription ones. Which is liberating. And obviously better for me. And, touch wood, I only had half a sick day this month for my tummy. So, well, it isn't perfect yet, but I take that as progress.

On a side note, I have been doing some more research and it seems a lot of women have success but that often the first month is harder. Maybe it is a detoxing thing. Anyhoo, it is only two months in and the fact that I didn't take the hard out painkillers is enough to keep me going. Hope springs eternal.

Feeling - I feel good. I feel clearer in my head, and I am having less "hormonal" mood swings.

Body - My skin is a lot clearer and my hair looks smoother. It is softer too. Yay. And, people always ask this one - what has paleo done to your weight? Well, at the two month mark I have lost 21 pounds. Which, I have said before, is not the goal, but I know that PCOS and being over weight are strongly connected, so weight loss is a relief.

Cheat Meals:

Well, two of my cheat “meals” were kind of cheat days, or what I like to call falling off the wagon. But I was able to recover and move on without hating on myself too much. One big thing from the last two months is that I have learned that I am stronger than I think, and also, it pays not to be so harsh on yourself. After all, I am only human. I was aiming for 80:20 Paleo, and am at what I would see would be over 90% so I am pleased with that. One thing that I find super important is that you have something totally delicious for your cheat meal. One of my first cheat meals was a weak moment and I had a cheap and gross pizza. I hated every bite and I was so sad, this month I went to my favorite pizza place and got the yummiest pizza on the menu – it just took a little more strength during the week, and planning for the weekend. That way I didn’t have food regret and was super satisfied with my choice for the week.

Cravings:

When I get really bad cravings I have a list of things I try and work through.

First of all I remind myself of my progress.

I try and remember that on my cheat day I can have what I am craving (except Coke Zero, I can’t let that back in or I am done :P)

Make sure I have eaten all my snacks for the day and gotten the right amount of good fats and carbs.

Try some berries or raw honey.

Drinking Kombucha or soda water occasionally is helping to fight my 'thirsty but am over water' feeling.
Oh, and my latest solution, is frozen strawberries chopped up in the blender. Its like sorbet, without all the sugar. So good!

So yeah, they would be my tips for fighting the cravings.

For an idea of what some Paleo meals I have been eating look like, check them here.

For my first month of Paleo, check it out here.

And for my key to an easy Paleo breakfast, check it out here.

Also I just want to shout out to Rob, my pals and my family for being so supportive, it makes such a big difference to my journey.

What do y’all think? Have you considered Paleo as a lifestyle change option? What are the ways you fight cravings?

Currently, or, My First Two Weeks of Paleo

For those of you who follow my Instagram, you would have seen a definite increase in the color green in the last fortnight.

Here is a super honest and personal confession, (which I try and avoid on this bloggy cos I like talking about the happy things in life)... I am sick of having Endometriosis. Absolutely sick of it. I don't want to be in pain each week, I don't want to be distracted from all the awesome things I get to do in life, I don't want to have to take sick days off work so often, and I don't want to get to 60 wishing that after a life of this that I had tried to do something about it.

And so, a couple of weeks ago I embarked on a pretty major lifestyle change. I went Paleo. After a lot of research into Endo and nutrition, here is where I am.

Today is Day 14 of my Paleo lifestyle. I never thought this was a lifestyle I would adopt, and I never thought I would actually be enjoying it. I am lucky that Rob is already a super healthy chappy, and completely supportive of me, because this would be really hard without his help.

So what have I been doing?

Well, first of all I stopped drinking coke zero. Which I would have daily with breakfast and then at least one other after lunch. So that was a little hard to get used to, but I am way better now..
(Although, as I write this I am in the middle of the most extreme cravings for it I have had so far!)

We got a crock pot and have been trying lots new recipes, here are a couple..
Garlic Stew, Cauliflower Mash
Buttercup Squash Stew

My Instagram has had way too many Paleo hashtags in the last couple of weeks..

I have been drinking green smoothies (this would have been my number one thing I never thought I would do)... I grabbed a recipe here, and have altered it slightly..
You can click here to see how I have altered it and what I do now! I have the prep down to a less than an hour to make a couple of weeks worth.

Yesterday I posted my favorite Green Smoothie recipe, so yum!

And, as weird as it sounds (even to me), on Sunday morning I didn't have one, and I was craving it, so I had one for lunch. I literally never thought I would ever crave a green smoothie. Also, Rob and I had sworn to never eat Kale, in a show of allegiance to non fashionable green veges. But I must say, its good. Very good.

Mmmmm... looks like, well, pond scum. But tastes yum : )

I have been coming up with new recipes, stay tuned to the blog for some yum new things I have been putting together.

I have tried Coconut water, and started using Coconut Oil - a Paleo staple (apparently. I had never heard of it a week ago)..

Rob and I have done three grocery shops and bought no packets. Like, no packets. Everything I have put in my trolley had one ingredient in it. I think that is one of the craziest feelings.

Meat. Veges. Herbs. Oils.

If you know me and my quirks, you know that I just can't do semi solid foods, and haven't eaten eggs for like 10 years. Well, I made myself eat egg this weekend. And I didn't puke. So I am very proud of myself.

I bought a Paderno-Vegetable-Noodle-Slicer-maker-thingy. And used it. The same day. I made Zucchini noodles and made a prawn and vege stir fry with them as the noodles. Oh my, that shit was good. I have been putting Granny Smith Apple through it and stewing it with Cinnamon for dessert. A Paleo friendly treat.

Here is how I have been doing it.

Thinking
I thought a lot about doing this, and the more annoyed I got with my tummy the more I got determined with this. I also sat down and thought about what things might throw me off the wagon. I came up with a plan to make my way into the lifestyle and try and anticipate things that might throw me.

Planning
We have a weekly meal planner up on the fridge with all our meals and snacks for that week. Currently we have two weeks up at a time. I was really worried that because I don't know anywhere I could get Paleo take out, that if we had a night where we couldn't be bothered or didn't have the groceries I would crumble and get a burger. We now know what groceries we need for when. It is a little extra time, but it certainly helps me stay on the wagon.

I have been out to dinner twice since I started this, but before I booked the restaurant, I did lots of research into what restaurants I can eat at and what foods are alright while I am out.

Trying new things
I get bored easily. If I was eating Steak and Broccoli every night, I would cheat and go buy cheese and crackers. I just would. So, we got a crock pot, started googling recipes and started experimenting. We have had more variety in the last two weeks than we have for a long time.

Getting support
As I said above, I am super lucky to have Rob, he is a gem. I also have my family motivating me and sending me recipes, and have friends and coworkers who are encouraging me and even suggesting pot luck meals so they can learn some Paleo recipes too. I have had people from home FB me with support and a blogging bestie texting me. The nicest thing so far, is that none of my friends have told me I am doing something dumb or had a negative reaction. I was really worried, as who knows, I may have been judgemental if someone told me they were doing it. I am pretty blessed.

Reading
I have been making my ass read a lot. Books on Paleo, books on Endo, recipe books, Paleo recipe blogs, Endo blogs, health blogs, you name it. Knowledge is power.

Setting Goals
I went cold turkey, but with a small provision. One meal or drinks with a meal each week can be non Paleo. Whether it is a burger or a cocktail or cheese and crackers at a friends place. I need to have that to look forward to.

Motivation
I have created a Pinterest page with research and recipes I am finding. Also, I have been reminding myself why I am doing this.

Being Patient with Myself
The first few days of this was - very, very hard. Day four was hell on earth. It sounds like an exaggeration, but I googled it, and apparently I got off lucky. Some people detox for 3 weeks. I think most of mine happened in the first week. Nausea, headaches, fatigue and mood swings. Bloody hell, I was crazy on Day 4. I literally cried at New Girl. Not for anything in particular. But just cos.

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If anyone is still reading, cos lets face it, this post got kind of long, I appreciate your support, and would love to hear any stories you have. I hope that by putting this out on my blog, and getting real for a minute, that I have another reason to keep going when things get tough.

This is not for me to drop weight. This is not a new years resolution. This is not to join a fad.

This is to stop being in pain.  This is to take my health back. This is to be strong and happy and healthy.

The difference is very important to me.  And it is what is driving me.