Diet Overhaul: Brought to you by the Paleolithic Era

I mentioned that I’ve been working with a group of trainers this Spring, rather than just my normal, awesome, usual kick ass trainer. It’s been great working with these other 2 guys as they have a lot to teach me and challenge me in different ways. One of the trainers is also in school for nutrition and has lost a great deal of weight. At one my sessions we started talking and he recommended a Paleo Cleanse for my diet. At least 30 days of straight up Paleo eating. I considered it for a long time. I did some planning and I picked my date to start.

That day was last Monday after returning from a trip to Northern California that I called “My Farewell to Carbs (and Booze).” I was also nursing a very sore back that had been angry for a week. But, jumping in full force was a bit too much for me, and I didn’t have a lot of structure in place to make it happen. So I ate as Paleo as I could without being totally committed for 4 days. Basically, I had something non Paleo each day, but tried to keep the rest in check. I did some research, I asked questions, I solicited advice from Paleo masters and ended up signing up for the Whole 30 plan and bought the book “It Starts with Food.”

I’m on Day 4 and I was able to walk into the grocery store today and not feeling like gravity is bringing me over to the bakery. I’m not going to lie, this is hard. Obviously I miss being able to eat whatever I want without much thought, but I also miss things that I always consider healthy and this program has you avoid for 30 days. Yogurt, peanut butter, soy products, corn, beans, and potatoes. Okay, I knew potatoes would be banned, but I’m Irish, so it’s basically like telling me to loose a finger to not eat a potato.

Okay, why am I doing this? There’s a million diets out there, and untold other healthy eating options. Why so extreme? Well, I’m really sick of my GI trouble. I’m lactose intolerant and while that knowledge has been a big piece of my puzzle, I still have issues even when I avoid dairy. I can’t keep Iron and Vit D levels up. My colon is kind of like a water park. Things go through really fast, too fast. The purpose of primal eating is to get back to basics and let your body do the healing that it needs to do. I’m looking forward to reintroduction – not gonna lie! But also to figure out what else makes me so sick. I’d like to see how much weight I can loose. With no additional sugar and starch in my diet, am I going to turn in to a fat burning furnace?

I also am doing it because it’s hard and I want to conquer it. I’m a badass in the gym, now I want to be a badass in the kitchen. I hate being a slave to food. That’s my #1 complaint about all the diets I’ve been on in my life. To be successful, I have to pretty much be obsessed and breathe the program. This plan emphasizes cooking for yourself in a whole new category. So yes, I’m volunteering to be in the kitchen most of the day, and to be obsessed with my food. But this time it’s healthy food. Sure, it’s easier to make up my mind 20 min before I eat about what I want. But now I’m giving myself what I need. And I want to see what happens.

Friend Makin’ Mondays: 10 Simple Questions

Yo! It’s that time again. Things you never thought to ask me! Back for another round of Friend Makin’ Monday. Tomorrow I have news to post about my recent developments.

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Ten Simple Questions

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? I honestly can’t remember looking in the mirror this morning! It was probably a thought about my hair as I changed the elastic position from pineapple ponytail for sleeping to pull through bun for showering.

2. Do you prefer to pay for things with cash or plastic? Plastic. Way easier. I hate change, I don’t have room for it in my wallet and it smells funny.

3. What is one word that you use too often? “RIGHT!?!” This is totally my fault. 2 of our friends say this all the time when you say something they agree with, and my husband and I started saying it to each other gently in jest. And guess what? It took. Gah!

4. Who is the last person outside of your family who said “I love you” to you? Probably my dear friend Amber over text. The two of us have been in a support vortex lately with each other.

5. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone and mailed it? Probably, Amber! She was my college roommate and since then we always have written letters to each other when we are apart. Sometimes they are epic letters with many pages, taking place over a series of days. It’s just our thing.

6. Have you ever been called upon for jury duty? I’ve been called to the jury pool, but not selected for service. Here in CA, you WILL get called, along with hundreds of other people on the same day. On my day no trials started so all of us went home. It was like a bizarre waiting area in an airline terminal.

7. How many keys are on your key ring? Just 4, an d 2 dongles. Car, mailbox, house, storage area. I don’t like lots of keys on a ring.

8. List two characteristics that you want to change about yourself. My employment status would be a good change and maybe the state of my fingernails? I know this is weird, but this is what I came up with!

9. Do you bring your own shampoo and conditioner when you travel, or do you use what the hotel provides? I use WEN, so I bring that in a special little travel bottle that squeezes it out perfectly. My hair only sees shampoo when I go to the salon. I’ve been a WEN girl for 2 years now, and my hair has never looked better.

10. What is your birthstone? Do you like it? Mine is a diamond and of course I like it. But, it’s also annoying because it’s a diamond and it’s expensive! And if you got a birthstone ring, it looked like an engagement ring. I like colored stones too. I always wanted emerald or ruby when I was a kid.

Why the hell have you been so silent?: Recap of the Spring

My posts folder is actually pretty clear that I have tried writing what I’ve been up to. I just haven’t been all that successful at publishing the posts. Maybe I haven’t finished my thoughts, maybe I was waiting on a photo. Either way, they never saw the little blue “publish” button hit, and that’s sad. Let’s take a moment to say sorry to the posts I abandoned.

So what HAVE I been up to? Well, the foot saga is ongoing. I’ve taken the new orthotics back to get further cushioned because I just couldn’t adjust to them. I also bought a pair of neutral running shoes. Those actually feel pretty wonderful. I’m at a loss of what the RIGHT answer is for my feet, but I’m just going to have to do what I think is best everyday and hope that it works out. I’m under no illusions. A lot of my issue is extra body weight. When that is lower, the feet will be happier, but it’s a Catch 22 in the meantime.

Me and my friend Michele at the Encinitas 5k

I’ve been doing 5k races. I did the Carlsbad 5000 in April and Encinitas 5k in May. I went home to Maine for a couple of weeks and did the Urban Runoff 5k with Portland friends. And I made new friends, as I tend to do. I have the Bolt to the Q upcoming. I’ve been focusing less on time and just on completion without injury. Funny enough, my times actually haven’t been that bad. I had signed up for the Rock n Roll San Diego Half Marathon this month, but I dropped out of the race. I didn’t get my mileage up with all my foot issues. I could have just walked it bloody, but I really didn’t want to ruin the rest of my week with hamburger feet. So, I supported my friends instead! And my partner in crime for this event got food poisoning the night before, so I would have been solo in my wave anyway.

My personal training regimen has been going well. My trainer is the gym’s fitness director and he’s been working on a group circuit training class, and I’ve been his guinea pig. So, there’s 3 trainers for the class and me. So far I’m the only student that has stuck. The good thing is, it’s all been free for a trial period! So basically I’ve been getting 2 -3 hours of personal training every week. It’s also been good to work with new people. They each push me in a different way and have their own style. I’ve had the chance to learn a lot and do things I didn’t know I could do before.

I’ve been surprised at the things I can do.

I also ATTENDED a triathlon. Make no mistake, I haven’t forgotten the reason for the blog. My husband did the duathlon and I went to support him. It was sobering. Even if I sign up for a super sprint, it’s still a big deal. This is still my goal, but I think that I have a lot further to go to get there than I thought.

Friend Makin’ Mondays: How do you celebrate?

Stayed tuned this week for some posts! I’m up in our Palo Alto place and I have a lot of ideas swirling around and a lot to update you on. Granted I’m on my laptop and I’m sorely missing my mouse, but I will have stuff to say, be sure!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: http://www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

How Do You Celebrate?

1. When is your birthday? I celebrated mine on April 24.

2. Do you like to celebrate it or do you prefer to keep it quiet? I’m an annoying birthday person, really. I use it to get away with anything and everything that I can. But, while I can happily “pre-celebrate”, once the day comes and goes, I’m over it for the most part.

3. Have you ever had a surprise party? Yes. I’ve had 3 but only 1.5 actually surprised me. I’m very snoopy and stuff.

4. What sign are you? Does it represent you well? Taurus here, more or less on the Aries/Taurus cusp. I’m very well represented by my sign. Stubborn, loyal, fiercely protective. My Vietnamese astrology sign is Fire Dragon. That’s fairly true, too. When I get riled up, watch out!

5. Do you tell the truth about your age? Yes, although people tend to not believe me. I’m in my late 30’s and I don’t look it. I thank my mom’s genes. She was carded at 54.

6. Share your best birthday memory. I was in Greece and I was pretty homesick. I didn’t do well being away from my parents. I was turning 16. They called my hotel to wish me a happy birthday but I was at dinner down the street. Somehow the message got to me at the restaurant. Barely. The translation was choppy. I ran back to the hotel, but my parents weren’t on the line anymore. I think I looked tearful, and the hotel staff let me call my parents back on their main line. I was so grateful to hear their voices.

7. Share a few item that could be on your birthday wishlist. Oh wow. Well, as long as it’s a wishlist… I’d like a new car. A small SUV would be nice. We moved out Scion xB up to our place in Palo Alto this week so I’ll just have my little sporty del Sol down in San Diego. Sometimes you want a bigger car. Sometimes you want a car that’s bigger than a Prius. I also love the Disney Jasmine palette from Sephora.

8. What is your favorite kind of cake? Undoubtedly, I’m a cake fan overall. I can say my favorite cupcakes are chocolate with white frosting. I make a mean raspberry lemonade birthday cake.

9. If you could be anywhere on your next birthday, where would you be? That’s tough. I love being home in Maine with my parents. My dad and I have the same birthday, so it’s really special. But, that usually means I miss being with SD friends and often, my husband, who can’t travel as much as I can. Since I went to Maine this year, next year is probably a good year to celebrate in California.

10. Do you make a wish when you blow out the candles? I sure do!