Over the years since I shed all that weight I’ve come to realise three things: 1) maintenance is more difficult that shedding the weight ever was; 2) I have a number of food intolerances that seem to get worse as I get older that need to be managed; and 3) I have some addictions that I need to deal with – specifically an addiction to refined carbohydrates (including sugar).
In preparation for an article on Paleo Living that I’m writing for InShape News next month I thought I’d do a 30 day paleo test and go 100% paleo for at least 30 days, testing my bloods before and after and tracking my weight and body fat. so with the tests done I’ve embarked on just this.
On reflection the diet I mostly used to shed all that weight was paleo: lean proteins, lots of vegetables, a few nuts and a little fruit. For the most part I ditched all grains and most dairy. And I exercised. Boy did I exercise. I went to the gym 3 days a week and most days I jogged 13kms (which is the same distance as the City to Surf). It was hell on my body during the maintenance phase and I eventually developed painful bursitis in both hips.
In recent years I’ve relaxed my exercise routine and my diet and the results have not been all that I hoped … not only has more than just a little weight crept back but in November 2016 I developed adrenal fatigue (also known as chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia).
So 2017 is time for change … time to rethink and recommit to a healthy eating plan that is not arduous, lets me socialise with friends easily, and a plan that I don’t have to weigh, measure and track what I eat to keep a stable weight.
Enter this Paleo Challenge.
To be completely transparent, I’ve been moving towards a paleo diet for many months, eliminating refined sugars and reducing grains, flours and dairy. But one of my weaknesses is bread products like fresh sourdough (often spelt or gluten free) and more recently I discovered an amazing French baker nearby that makes all sorts of delights (think brioche, almond croissants, pain au chocolate) from imported French flour – a strain of wheat that doesn’t bloat me (Australian wheat is very high in gluten and isn’t very well tolerated). It’s been a delight to indulge but the indulgences have been too frequent. And knowing all too well that food IS medicine, I need to clean up my act and walk my talk.
So today, Day 1 of the challenge I started on this journey. I felt really good today and was easily able to stick to my paleo plan. I skipped breakfast to induce glycolysis (the burning of glycogen stores) and began with a late lunch of sweet potato, carrot and avocado egg skillet. Delicious.
Dinner was a crock pot creation of aromatic coconut norwegian salmon and vegetables (no rice) inspired by chef and paleo king Pete Evans, and a raspberry coconut chia pudding adapted from Kari’s recipe at Get Inspired Everyday (I simply switched out the dates for SteviaSlim to lower the fructose count, and I didn’t have any dates on hand). I didn’t feel any need to snack or eat after dinner. Slept well.
Results:
Weight: OMG
Water: 2.5 litres
Stopped eating: 8.30pm
Added sugar: 0g
Sleep: 6h 08m
