Day 15 and 16 (salt, turkeys and basketball)

I made it up to CT to visit my family.  I was out of bed yesterday at 4:30 AM so I could catch an early morning flight to Providence.  I thought I was organized (really?) but of course I left the house without making anything for breakfast.  We turned around and I gathered cherries (because you know I am a hunter-gatherer now) and ran out the door.  Oops.... no protein.  So naive me thought sure they'll have hard boiled eggs somewhere at the airport.  Ah.... no.....  I did manage to find a place that had scrambled eggs.  However, when I opened up the container the eggs were slathered with seasoned salt.  Have I mentioned that there is no salt on the Paleo Diet? 
The flight was uneventful. I arrived in Providence and my mom picked me up at the airport.  She had to go to work, as did I, so I dropped her off at work and continued on to my childhood home.  Of course it's around lunchtime and all I've had so far is scrambled eggs covered with salt and a bottle of very expensive water from the airport.  Bless my mom's heart that she stopped at the grocery store before picking me up and bought some salad stuff and fruit and eggs.  But bummer... no meat.  So there is a lonely package of sliced chicken breast in the fridge.  Oh well... have you ever read the ingredients on packaged deli meat?  I think salt is the number one ingredient, followed by sugar.  I had a couple sliced because my only option is a slice of knockwurst (oh gross) and a slice of ham (can you say salt?).  I also made a little salad and I ate the cherries I gathered from home (the Florida home).
Later I was wandering about the house trying to find more Paleo food to eat and I look out the window and there are these two strange birds by the bird feeder outside.  Big birds...  then a few more come by... what kind of birds are they?  Then two big old birds come by and I realize they are turkeys!  Wow, wild turkeys in the backyard.  I wonder what wild turkeys taste like...  I wonder if I could shoot one (darn there are no guns in the house) ...  I wonder how hard it would be to clean a wild turkey.  If I lived up here, it would be perfect... wild turkey, bunnies (I've seen a bunch of rabbits in the yard), deer (yes they roam around the backyard too)... all Paleo food!  Woo Hoo!
I digress (or regress).  At any rate, after the shock of seeing the turkey wears off, I retreat to my temporary cave office and work until the rest of the clan arrives home so we can go venture off to see the Connecticut Sun play basketball.  I love women's basketball.  Of course, we didn't plan very well and didn't eat anything before going to the arena.  I told my mom that I would find something.  I lied (sorry Mom).  I don't think there was a vegetable to be found in the whole arena.  And can you say processed meat?  So I got a hot dog and salted peanuts (man, there is that salt again).  Needless to say, I woke up this morning and my feet and hands had swollen up to the size of small balloons.  Salt is evil.  I've managed to avoid any added salt today but my swolleness has persisted.  Maybe tomorrow will be a better day (or I could call in sick and go sailing -- I'm sure that would make the swelling go down!).....

Day 14 (temptations)

The chicken cacciatore was awesome! I'm going to have to try some of the other recipes in the book. All in all, the weekend was pretty good. I got on the scale this morning and the number hadn't moved much (although Kay thinks my pants are getting baggy). I keep telling myself I'm not really in it for the weight loss.... But some weight loss would be nice. Since I'm leaving to go to Connecticut to visit the family for a week, Kay thought it would be nice to go out to dinner -- to Bonefish Grill. Can you say Bang Bang Shrimp? Needless to say I politely declined. I had visions of an order of bang bang shrimp going by and me tackling the waiter to eat it all up.... But bang bang shrimp should be the least of my worries. Tomorrow I face grinders and pizza and Buford's Family Restaurant (or what Kay calls pork fat heaven) and Sea Swirl (the best soft serve ice cream on earth) and mussels with butter... Wait, I can have the mussels without the butter. Maybe there is hope for me.....

Day 13 (bottomless pit)

The paleo fish tacos from last night were a success. The only issue I had was that I packed the lettuce wrap too full and it fell apart. No mind though because I've been embracing the paleo diet 100% and I'm practicing eating with my fingers at every chance I get! For breakfast, before the bike ride, I had fish and fruit. I have to say, eating fish for breakfast will take some getting used to. And since I didn't leave myself enough time this morning, I had to eat it cold in the car (have I grossed you out yet?). We did 55 miles on the bike today. I think it was my longest ride this season... I didn't bonk (for all you non-endurance athletes out there, bonking is when you don't eat enough and you run out of fuel to move your legs or arms or whatever) but I can't say that I felt all that wonderful. Right after the ride, I had fruit. Then I ate chicken and salsa lettuce wraps. Then I ate more fruit. Then I ate nuts. Then I ate some veggies. I can't seem to fill up.... So I chopped veggies, skinned chicken and assembled the chicken cacciatore for tonight's dinner. The recipe called for two whole chickens cut up. I guess these cave people had large families... I got my first whiff of it cooking and I'm thinking we should skip World of Beers tonight before dinner (Seriously do you think I could skip my Sunday beer at WOB?).

Day 12 (creative Mexican)

The adventure run went well last night. Aside from the mosquitoes that were lined up in bombing formation and the rain that came to get things just wet enough to produce an abundance of mud, it was rather fun to run around the island, including slogging through the mangroves and wading out chest deep into the bay. And as a reward, we stopped at Jimmy Johns for an unwich. Man I love that place!
This morning after my run, I went on my hunter-gatherer trip to the local grocery store. I did get the stuff for chicken cacciatore. But I was inspired by my unwich last night and thought I might try using the lettuce wrap concept for fish tacos. I made up a big bowl of pico de gallo and doused the fish with Mrs. Dash's southwest chipolte seasoning and am about to cook now. Of course I'm going to miss the tortilla wrap and tortilla chips....

Day 11 (dinner anyone?)

I got home from my hair appointment last night (yes cavewomen need to visit the hair dresser) and I didn't really feel like cooking.  So without cooking, it's kind of hard to eat meat -- unless it's sushi (which is fish mostly).  I opted for almonds, raisins and cucumber slices.  It was a very interesting dinner...  Oddly enough I didn't wake up starving.  I had eggs and fruit for breakfast (that is really getting boring...) and guess what for lunch?  Yup, you got it -- chicken and salad.  This weekend I was hoping to try the "Chicken Cacciatore" recipe from the book. 

Tonight I'm going to run in my first adventure run. Kay has done a few (I've gone with her to be the photographer) but I think it's time to try it out.  Of course I doubt they'll have any caveman food at the end of the race -- are hot dogs paleo food?  No of course not!  Salt, fat, processed -- all no no's!  Maybe I can coerce Kay to stop by Jimmy John's for an un-wich after the race!!

Day 8, 9 and 10 (beer, sleep, and pizza)

So I missed a couple of days.  I really didn't think anyone was reading this until Kay said last night "You didn't post yesterday".  On Tuesday night, I brewed beer with Bruce and Tory.  Yes, beer is not on the paleo diet.  But I'm guessing that those cave people probably were brewing something back then.  How else would they be able to deal with the stress of getting eaten by dinosaurs?  I stopped by Jimmy John's for sub sandwiches and I'm so excited that they have un-wiches (sandwiches without the bread).  Of course I'm going to have to remember to ask for extra meat because I think I had one slice of turkey and some sprouts (oh no, those aren't on the paleo diet) and cukes wrapped in a honking big leaf of lettuce.  I did have one beer -- how can I brew beer without consuming beer?  It just wouldn't be a brew day without tasting the reference beer to make sure the beer we're brewing is on track.  Needless to say, beer brewing went quite long and I got home after 11:30 PM.  Of course I couldn't sleep (I should have written on the blog then).  I finally got to sleep at about 1 AM.  Then I was up at 3 AM to take a natural break (if you're watching the Tour de France you'll know what I mean).  Then I was up at 5:30 AM to start the day.  So I know I read briefly in the book about the importance of sleep....  I got on the scale and I had gained a pound.  Let's see -- no sleep, one pound.... no sleep, one pound...  Could they be related?  I'm going to read that darn chapter on sleep tonight! So I did manage to get in bed last night early (9 PM) but I think I looked at the clock before falling asleep at almost 10 (I should have written on the blog last night when I couldn't sleep....).  I was up at 5 to go to the gym.  I tried working out extra hard because I knew I would be having ... PIZZA!!!!!  The cafe at work lost their contract and today was the last day for breakfast pizza.  Ever had breakfast pizza????  Pizza dough layered with a white sauce (probably the same stuff they use to make SOS), ham, sausage, bacon, eggs and cheese.  It's a heart attack waiting to happen!  The first bite was ok -- I think my tongue forgot what salt tastes like.  After about 4 bites I was in heaven.  However, now as I write, my stomach feels like I ate a concrete block and all I want to do is lay down and sleep.  I think eating like a cavewoman might actually be a good idea....

Day 7 (it's been a week already?)

WOW! I made it through the first week! I got on the scale this morning but didn't really pay attention to the number. I know I've lost 5 pounds but if I could remember what I weighed when I first started, I might have some idea of the exact progress. This to me has been more about finding a way to eat that makes me feel better, not just about losing weight. I have to say my feet feel better. I'm serious! When I eat really badly, my feet seem to swell. I still need to figure out eating for endurance sports and obviously losing 5 pounds in a week might be a little too much too fast. Imagine that, I'm going to have to eat more!!!! So now I'm off to cut veggies and fruit and get my chicken cooked and ... (no cheetos please)

Day 6 (ride cavewoman ride)

So, who had the brilliant idea to ride 48 miles to Fort deSoto in the Florida heat on the morning after a party at Michelle and Kay's house? Oh yeah, that was me... The party was lots of fun and I managed to avoid the chips and pasta and those pesky cheetos. I wasn't tempted by the desserts (thankfully) but I did eat a hot dog --- definitely not paleo food! My two beer quota was surpassed... doubled even. Mental note - limit beer consumption the night before long rides.... I am finding that it is a little harder to consume beer when I'm not eating anything but paleo food. Of course the ride didn't go so well. First, eggs and blueberries definitely weren't enough of a breakfast before the ride. Then raisins and almonds were a little hard to eat while riding and didn't seem to help me from bonking. Kay's comment was to read the book and find out how to fuel for endurance sports. And then there was the heat -- at one point I thought I would burst into flames (and not because I was going so fast)... Gotta love Florida summers!

Day 5 (run cavewoman run)

Today was my first long run on the paleo diet. Our prehistoric ancestors ran and ate meats and veggies and fruits so I was feeling pretty confident heading out. I didnt feel too bad for the first mile or so. But then I remembered I live in Florida. If you think it is humid where you live, you should come to Florida in July after two straight days of rain. It's like running in a sauna. Needless to say my walk breaks got longer and my run segments got shorter. I think I might have lost five pounds sweating. But I managed to do the whole five miles. My recovery meal was leftover fish and watermelon. Now it's time to start preparing for the annual 4th of July party (9th of July because we were in ATL running the Peachtree Road Race on the 4th). Today I am going to use one of my free meals to have a couple of beers!!!!!!

Day 4 (blueberries, beer and cheetos)

Me the cavewoman survived another day on the paleo diet. I had every intention on having leftover tuna for breakfast but I just couldn't do it... So I got scrambled eggs from the cafe in our building. If I could just stomach hard boiled eggs, I might not have to worry about all the salt and who knows what else is in those scrambled eggs. I did have blueberries with my eggs. One cup of blueberries has 83 calories and 1 gram of protein. Do you know how much a whole cup of blueberries really is? I ate so many blueberries that I thought my teeth would turn purple.
ANd just so you know, this is a modified paleo diet. I call it the paleo plus beer diet. Yes, I know fermented beverages (especially those made from grains which are a big no no on this diet) are prohibited. But did you really think I could give up beer for a month?? Come on now -- I have almost 400 beers on my World of Beer (WOB) loyalty card... I love beer (and you can see that on my plaque at WOB)!!!!!
But I did not drink a Friday after a crappy day at work beer tonight. I stopped at the grocery store and picked up some fruit and vegetables and fish and mussels (oh yes, shellfish are paelo foods!!). I sat down to my lovely fish, mussels and salad dinner and Kay brings over her plate and what does she have??? CHEETOS!!!!! I'm surprised she didn't stop at 7 11 and pick up a Mountain Dew to tempt me with. I couldn't concentrate on my fish and mussels and salad with all that cheesy salty mouthwatering crunching going on. Thank goodness for the cell phone and the texts from CS to distract me!

Day 3 (or not chicken and salad again...)

If I had more time and energy, maybe I would actually follow the menu plan in the book. Instead I had leftover chicken and fruit for breakfast and chicken and salad for lunch. Chicken for breakfast was quite an experience... Thankfully I switched it up for dinner and had broiled tuna and stir fried veggies (no sauce, no salt). Guess what I'm having for breakfast and lunch tomorrow???? Kay thinks I'm crazy for eating this way but in three days I've lost three pounds! And really it isn't much different than when we were on weight watchers except I ate dairy and grains on weight watchers. Of course it has been a little difficult at mealtime because Kay is a vegetarian and I'm a cavewoman. There is really little that we share in common eating wise except vegetables and fruit. Oh well... So far it is only a 30 day experiment!

Day 2 (or how am I going to live without cheetos?)

I managed to avoid the cheetos last night but all night my stomach made the most curious noises. At about 10 AM today my body started to get the hint that I wasn't going to be feeding it any processed foods or sugar. So I popped an ibuprofen for the migraine and snacked on something green. Lunch wasn't bad -- chicken and salad. But I had a mid- afternoon meeting so I missed snack time. I had to go to the tire store after the meeting to get my new tires checked ( they were wobbly, sort of like the way I was feeling) and wouldn't you know it, there was a whole refrigerator of Mountain Dew to tempt me. I managed to get out of there alive. Next came the lawn. By now I'm starving (really!) and it takes me almost 2 hours to cut the lawn (mental note, do the lawn before going on a holiday weekend trip). So of course, now I'm ready to eat a horse (I wonder if horse is on my approved list of foods?). Thank goodness for Kay, my vegetarian girlfriend, who offered to throw the chicken on the grill while I was finishing the lawn. Now I'm full of chicken and salad so I'm a happy camper! I'm looking forward to day three -- more chicken and salad... Maybe I should take some time and read the recipes in the book.

Day one of the cavewoman experiment

Cavewoman? Not really... I was out riding my bike with a gal I know and I was complaining about my weight. My brain knows how I should eat but the rest of my body takes over and before I know it, I've eaten a half bag of cheetos and had two Mountains Dews for lunch. But back to the story. She was telling me about the Paleo Diet and how it has helped her health and performance on the bike... So I read a sample of the book by Robb Wolfe on my kindle (thank goodness for samples) and thought it made sense. In my typical pattern, I stewed about the decision to buy the book... Then a few weeks ago while I was out on my bike and feeling like crap I knew something had to change. So I bought the original Paleo Diet book and started reading... Today was the first day of the diet. It wasn't too bad until breakfast -- what the heck was I supposed to eat? I got scrambled eggs (I wonder how much salt they put in those?) and fresh fruit (I wonder if they put sugar on the fruit?). That wasn't so bad... Lunch and dinner weren't too bad either. However I'm hoping to make it through the night without raiding the half of bag of baked cheetos leftover from our road trip this weekend....