So first, let me say a BIG THANKS to Stephanie & Nick @ Ross Valley Crossfit for doing the Paleo Challenge for all of the members that want to participate.
Here is how this challenge works: everyone tosses $40 into the pot. Why? Because this challenge comes with perks and incentives in the way of money & prizes - OH YEAH! That alone is a strong motivator, right? Let's sure hope so. Fitting into my jeans is also an added bonus. Everyone is working on a point system - we start the week with 100 points and get bonus points for doing the WODs and for getting enough sleep (8.5 hours). Realistically, I know that I can only do 2 WODs a week and can only bank on maybe 1 day a week of getting 8.5 hours a sleep (sadly, it's true - 7 hours a night is generally where I land if I can get to bed on time.), so I will never get more than 3 bonus points per week. That means that I have win points on being as strict as possible with the Paleo diet.
For me, I have found recently that I have allowed two things into my diet that have thrown me off: dairy & excess calories. I have eliminated the dairy, with exception to the single scoop of the Whey Factors undenatured whey protein, which I have decided to stay with for the convenience of my smoothies. The excess calories come at night. I usually get home and am starving and start picking and grazing from dinner for the kids before I eat my own dinner ~ not allowing that 20 minutes for my food to settle and my brain to register that I am full. I am determined to do a better job. How? More water and grabbing those cut up fresh veggies until I can sit down. I am also going to force myself to go to bed earlier so that I don't do that snacking that is really just a substitute for exhaustion - food won't give me energy at that point, sleep will! I preach it; now I need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
I am going to log my daily progress and post regular recipes that I use during the challenge. Hopefully, blogging my progress will keep me on track. As a first recipe, here is my daily breakfast smoothie:
- 8 oz water
- 5 oz of either unsweetened almond or coconut milk
- 1/4 apple (I can't do bananas, but 1/2 frozen banana adds a nice smooth texture and kills the "green" taste)
- 2-3 cups organic spinach
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp hemp seeds
- 1 tsp dried goji berries
- 1 tsp Maca root powder (my preference is MacaForce brand)
- 1 tsp unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup frozen organic blueberries
- 1 carrot
- sometimes I toss in kale too and spirulina if I feel that it is needed.
- 1 scoop of whey factors undenatured whey protein (less than .5 percent lactose, no sugar) - you don't have to add this. You could swap this for a pasteurized egg or two.
Here is where I landed for day one (yesterday, the 6th) with food, drink, sleep & exercise:
| 6-Feb | |
| Early AM - 4:30(am) | coffee w/ unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon and vanilla; 4 walnut halves |
| Post-Workout 8(am) | 1.5 carrots, 1 celery stalk |
| Breakfast 9(am) | shake: undenatured whey Protein (less than .1% lactose), maca, hemp, chia, 2.5 C spinach, 1/4 c. blueberries, 1/4 apple, 5 oz. unsweetened almond milk, 10 oz water, goji berries, 6 ice cubes |
| Snack | None |
| Lunch @ Noonish | egg + whites, spinach, olives, salsa, coconut oil, zucchini, squash, mixed greens + broccoli |
| Snack | snap peas (raw) + 5 raw walnut halves |
| Dinner | apple crepe w/ apples, blueberries, unsweetened almond milk, eggs + whites, coconut flour, cinnamon, vanilla, coconut oil |
| Snack | braised greens in coconut oil, minced garlic, himalayan salt & coarse ground pepper |
| carrot, jicama, celery and 3TBSP of raw coconut chips | |
| Water Intake | 4 liters |
| Exercise | Teach 6(am)/4(pm) |
| Wake Up Time | 4:15(am) |
| Bedtime | 9:26(pm) |
Let's see how I do on Day 2! Inspired? Let's sure hope so. Feel free to ping me if you have questions or suggestions as I am still learning and enjoy learning from others.
~ Amy
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