Paleo Granny

The other day I sent an email to the Paleoista [click here to see the entire post] asking “I lost 12 lbs right at the beginning of going Paleo and have been “stuck” there for 10+ months. I definitely feel better and have lost all my puffiness and stomach aches so I am happy about that, but still have more weight to lose which is just not coming off.  What am I doing wrong?” 

She came back with some things to look at - commonly made mistakes when not losing weight on Paleo.

• How often are you eating?
• Are your meals balanced according to the Paleo macronutrient ratio of roughly 40/30/30 in favor of complex carbohydrate coming predominantly from vegetables?
• Are you eating the proper portion sizes?
• What does your sleep look like?
• How much water are you drinking?
• What is your exercise regime?
• Are you taking any medications that could cause weight gain?
• Have you checked all supplements and supplements for hidden non-Paleo ingredients?
• Are you fooling yourself into thinking that desserts or treats you’re making out of foods that may have once been healthy, Paleo options are a good thing to eat every day?

As I went through the list I realized that I am (unintentionally) missing the mark in some areas - not enough water, not enough exercise, medications that could be causing weight gain, and too many Paleo desserts.  Yes, they are Paleo desserts but they still should be occasional treats, not a daily event (our house).  I am still fighting the sugar monster after ten months.

I decided I was going to start a Whole30(R).  If you haven't heard the term before, a Whole30(R) is a program developed by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig (the authors of It Starts With Food), an easy to read, motivating book on the Paleo lifestyle and the Whole30(R) that I keep re-reading as I learn something new every time I do.  Despite reading about the Whole30(R) many times in the book, on their Whole9 Life blog and other Paleo blogger sites, I have never actually done a Whole30(R).  I thought I was doing pretty well but obviously there is room for improvement.

I went on-line and signed up for Whole30(R) support on the Whole9 Life site for $14.95 (I have spent more money at Dairy Queen - therein lies the problem).  When you sign up you give them a start date and, every day, you get some new motivational information and you have to tell them if you ate "clean" for the day (sort of like an AA for Paleo).  If the answer is no, you have to start all over again!  It has to be 30 days in a row. Officially, my start date is tomorrow but as we eat pretty much this way already, I made today my first day.  At the end of the 30 days, I want to see if I lose more weight and if I feel even better so Paleo Grandad (who has to go along with most of this as I am the chief cook), and I took a before picture and weighed in.  

At the end of the Whole30(R), we will do it again and I may even publish the before's and after's. I am going to be blogging every day and posting what we eat to keep on track and see where we may be slipping.  So, for anyone wanting to join us, here we go.

Ghee, rutabaga, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato (all my favourites), and onions with two fried eggs

  

Breakfast! (eggs got more done than I like this time)

Out to take care of errands and back home for lunch.

Dill pickle wrapped in mortadella, carrots sticks, red and yellow tomatoes and avocado.

I am trying to not drink so much kombucha, so I made this drink from cucumber, parsley, ginger, lime juice, water and Tabasco and whirred it all up in my NutraBullet.  You could juice everything and it would be a clear drink, but I like the extra fibre.

Pour over ice and drink.

Dinner time...

Marinate thin pork chops in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and dried thyme for about two  hours.

Brown the pork chops for about three minutes on each side.

At the same time, saute some mushrooms in ghee in a separate skillet (do them separately so they brown a bit - tastier).  I seasoned them with NomNom Paleo's Magic Mushroom powder.

Remove the pork chops from the pan and cover with foil.

Add one large apple (peeled, cored and chopped) to the pan the pork chops were cooked  in and saute until soft (about 5 minutes depending on the type of apple you use).

Add the mushrooms to the apples and, as I have it in my Paleo Pallet Garden, I minced up some fresh sage and added that.

I sauteed Brussels sprouts and carrots and dinner was done and delicious.

Now I am off the finish the day with some fresh strawberries with a dollop of thick coconut cream.  My first Whole30(R) day - so far so good.