30 Day Paleo Challenge: Week 1

8 whole days following a Paleo diet….unbelievable! I haven’t talked much about it because honestly, I don’t want to “talk it up” then “fail” after like, 3 hours (its’ happened before so don’t put it past me), then have to report back to you guys with the disappointing news. I’m not making it a big deal, because it’s really not one.

I’m not sure what’s changed this time around, but so far, it hasn’t been too bad. My original intentions were to follow the Whole30. Well, after like, the 2nd day I realized that I had already “blown it” by using certain foods that aren’t technically Whole30 approved. Well, oh well. Shit happens. So, I’ve decided to give myself a break and try to focus on Paleo/clean eating.

I think because I’m sort of giving myself more slack than I have in the past, I’m actually doing better this time around. Does that make sense? Like, somehow I’m not focusing as much on what I can’t eat but what I can eat. That helps a lot!

My goal for this “Paleo challenge” is really to clean up my diet. I don’t really have digestion problems, or skin irritations, or celiacs (a few reasons why people switch to Paleo)….I just want to clean up the diet. It almost feels like a reset for me. I’m sure some of you are wondering, why don’t you just eat clean carbs? Honestly, I feel better when I don’t eat processed carbohydrates. I feel less weighed down and groggy. I’ll probably add them again after these 30 days…but we’ll see.

Anyway, here’s a mini breakdown of how I’ve been feeling so far:

Days 1-3

Easy days!! These days may be some of the easiest because I was in that beginning stage and the motivation hasn’t worn off yet. I felt like I had plenty of energy too which is great. I had most of my meals planned so I wouldn’t side track. I also did tons of research on new recipes I wanted to try which makes it fun.

Days 4-8

Ugh..getting harder. I can’t believe I still have a couple more weeks of this! I’m starting to notice little habits of mine, for example, I typically eat most of the food off my daughters plate if she doesn’t finish. Well, not lately!! I’ve thought about it several times though…Another example, COSTCO!!! I went to Costco today and wanted all the snacks. They had mac and cheese and those delicious fig bars as samples….I could eat those fig bars all day long. I was good though! Showing a little discipline…

I noticed the past couple days my energy levels have been a little lower. One thing I’m finding on this Paleo challenge is I have to eat enough. For example, last night I made an awesome dinner (roasted chicken thighs via NomNomPaleo) and mashed cauliflower. The dinner took me so long though, I never made a starchy carb like sweet potato. So, I ate some chicken and cauliflower. I definitely felt like something was missing.

It’s easier to get enough food when you’re eating carbs because they are relatively filling and convenient foods. Since I’m not eating those though…sometimes I think I haven’t eaten enough (I can only eat so many turkey slices at lunch). That’s when food prep comes in.

Today, I did a terrible job at having food prepped. I ate some eggs this morning, but then got back to the house late (like 3) and had nothing ready to eat. I literally ate like 10 slices of turkey, a little avocado, and an orange. That probably doesn’t sound too bad to you, but it was a pretty weak meal and I hadn’t eaten much beforehand because I didn’t have any snacks prepped. Fail.

 

Overall, I’m feeling pretty good. I actually feel like I can finish this challenge. Whether or not I’ll continue following a Paleo diet afterwards is still up in the air.

Some things I think that are necessary to succeed at following Paleo are the following:

Food Prep- I already mentioned this, but food prep is pretty much a necessity. It’s just too hard otherwise. Some easy prep ideas are cooking a bunch of chicken breasts, roasting sweet potatoes, chopping vegetables so they’re easily accessible,  boiling some eggs for snacks, and planning out your meals in advance.

Take Time- This goes with food prep. Food prep takes time! It’s so worth it though, Paleo or not!

Eat Enough Food!- This sounds so obvious and awesome, because, well, eating is awesome. It can sometimes be a challenge though if you don’t have enough food around.

Try New Recipes- One thing in particular I’m really enjoying about this challenge so far is trying new recipes!! I’ve made several new recipes this week and just ordered two new cookbooks. I’m busting out my good kitchen supplies (food processor, kitchen-aide mixer) and throwing myself into the kitchen. I think cooking new foods makes the whole challenge a little more interesting. You could absolutely eat grilled chicken breast, sweet potato, and avocado the whole time but how boring would that be?

(Delicious roasted chicken thighs with bacon and apple…highly recommend it! Recipe is here.)

Don’t Beat Yourself Up- If you eat something that’s not technically Paleo, so be it. It’s okay. Dust yourself off and try again! You are not a failure.

 

This post is sort of a ramble. Hopefully it makes sense! I’ll check back in next week with an update for week 2!!

 

Have you tried a Paleo eating challenge or Whole30? How did you do?