I have been eating a plant-based diet for over a month now….well actually it has been about 5 weeks. So far, I love it. I have been learning to make lots of new meals and recipes. I really enjoy cooking so that is a plus. Two of my favorites so far have been vegan chili and black bean burgers. I joined a couple of vegan groups on Facebook and get lots of ideas there. I have also eaten at my local vegan fast food place twice. I have to say that the food was fresh but tasted a little bland compared to the homemade stuff I have made. The recipes that I have made at home include different spices like cumin, oregano, turmeric, rosemary, etc. They also include lots of veggies such as carrots, celery, tomato, onion and garlic. I have always been one of those people who enjoyed vegetables even when I was a meat eater so the transition to eating this way has been very easy for me. I have decided that I can probably eat this way most of the time, but I do want to give myself permission to still indulge a little occasionally because I know when Thanksgiving rolls around, I will want a piece of turkey on my plate.

So today is day 14 of my new way of eating; plant-based. So far, I am really enjoying it. I haven’t gone too far down the rabbit hole as I haven’t had any tofu yet. I have been focusing on eating lots of legumes, nuts, veggies, fruits, rice, lentils, quinoa and pasta. I made homemade lentil soup and it was delicious. I also did try a veggie burger which was surprisingly good, as well. My favorite thing about eating this way is the carbs. I am enjoying healthy carbs like fruit, whole wheat pita bread, and baked yams. Eating this way gives me a lot of energy and it’s quite tasty, too! The only negative thing about it so far is I had two days where I evidently had too much fiber and didn’t drink enough water and got really bloated and I was actually in pain. So now, I make sure to drink plenty of water and try to eat a little less cruciferous veggies each day. I think I will continue this journey. I am looking forward to learning to make new recipes. Furthermore, a vegan friend of mine and I are planning to meet for lunch at a vegan restaurant in a few weeks. I am looking forward to that experience as well since I have never been to one before.

After reading and hearing about the benefits of plant-based eating, I have decided to try it out myself. I don’t have any ethical reasons for doing so. My reasons are health and curiosity related. I am one of those people who loves learning about health and fitness. I am especially intrigued with nutrition related topics. I have tried several approaches to my own nutrition including diets that are high protein, low carb, low fat, and different combinations of these approaches. One approach that has always intrigued me was the vegan/vegetarian diet but that is also the one I have never tried. I come from a family of meat eaters. From the time I was a kid every meal was built around meat. If it didn’t include meat, it wasn’t really a complete meal in my world. But as I have learned, meat doesn’t have to be the star of the show. Some even advocate that meat is detrimental to your health and may lead to heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. I am not a nutritionist nor a medical professional so I am not suggesting that this is true or untrue. I am also not willing to go strictly vegetarian nor vegan because I am not willing to give up eggs and dairy at this point on my journey. So for me, I am just going to try a plant-based approach which means I am not eating meat but will continue to eat eggs, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products. I also don’t know how long I plan to do this yet. I think I will at least try it for a month to see how it goes. After that, I will decide if I want to continue. I have decided to start this plan tomorrow and today I did some food prepping for my lunches for the next two weeks.

Well, I finished up my 30 days of Paleo and I have to say my results were good.   Here are the results:

Total weight lost= 4 lbs

Total inches lost= 4.5 inches

Total body fat lost= 2%

The inches lost were from chest (1 inch), waist (1 inch), abdomen (.5 inches), hips (1 inch), and thighs (1 inch).  The only areas measured that I didn’t see a loss were neck and calves.  I am happy with the overall results.

I will say that the diet wasn’t too bad to do for 30 days but I found it way too restrictive to live on permanently.  I didn’t like having to give up artificial sweeteners, legumes and cheese.  I also started craving sugar on day 5 and pretty much craved it throughout and ended up trying to satisfy my cravings with fresh fruit, fruit smoothies and dried fruit such as raisins.  I didn’t really crave bread, pasta, chips and other salty snacks….just the sweet stuff.    The good news is my digestion did seem better.  I had much less bloating and gas and still seemed to have plenty of energy for working out doing CrossFit.  Anyway, I don’t plan to try to live on this diet because I would feel way too deprived.  However, I may try a similar plan that is less restrictive such as the South Beach Diet which does allow legumes, artificial sweeteners and low fat cheese.  I think that would be more sustainable long term.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I have been following this Paleo diet for 5 full days and everything seemed to be going great until today…Day 5.  I had a very strong craving for sugar and it took all of my will power not to eat some candy or go get a soda from the vending machine in the staff lounge at work.  Yesterday, I easily turned down cake, but today I wanted something sweet so badly, I almost caved.  I am happy to report that I didn’t!  I tried to occupy my mind with other things, texted my husband to see how his day was going, took care of some emails and other work related items and eventually it was time to go home, eat a sensible snack and head off to my CrossFit gym for a grueling workout.  I have 25 more days to get through this and I am hoping that the sugar cravings subside soon.  I am determined to stick with it for my 30 day personal challenge.

After much thought and consideration, I have decided to try the Paleo diet for 30 days. I am very interested in finding out if this diet will help me shed some body fat without losing too much lean muscle. I don’t really need to lose any weight, but I am now 50 years old and feeling soft and flabby. I want that lean and toned look. I exercise 3-4 days per week at my local CrossFit gym and have been active for most of my life, but still not able to keep my body fat percentage down at my desired level. So after reading about others who have tried this approach, I am giving it a go. My goal is to lose about 5% body fat.
For those not familiar with this nutritional plan, Paleo requires you to eat mostly organic whole foods such as grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts and healthy fats and oils. It excludes dairy foods, grains, legumes, vegetable oils, refined and processed foods. Proponents of this style of eating say that it reduces inflammation, regulates the immune system, supports hormone regulation and healthy digestion. Many people following this plan also have been able to lose unwanted body fat and with the addition of strength training, build and/or maintain lean body mass.
Since I have been eating a fairly healthy diet for quite a while, I don’t think it will be too difficult to modify my diet for the next 30 days. I will need to sacrifice a few things that I do enjoy having such as artificial sweeteners, cheese, bread, and legumes. You cannot have peanuts or peanut butter on this plan. Luckily, I am only committing to 30 days for now just to see what my results will be. I have taken my body measurements and will take them again after the 30 days and hopefully see some positive results.

Paleo Dinner Day 1   Kobe beef patty, broccoli, orange slices

 

 

I usually do my food prep every other Sunday and I prep for 2 weeks of lunches. I sometimes will do 2 or 3 different meals and make a few of each, but this week I just made my favorite meal of turkey patty, sweet potato and mixed veggies.   I started out by gathering all of the ingredients:  5 sweet potatoes, 2 1/2 lbs of ground turkey, 1 bag of mixed veggies, salt, pepper, garlic powder and storage bowls w/lids. 

    

  
I started making the turkey patties by mixing ground turkey with salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl.  This time I used 2 1/2 pounds of Jenny-O lean ground turkey.

  

Then I formed the turkey into 10 meatballs.  Each meatball will be used as a patty. 

  

 I cooked the patties in a large skillet using a little Pam cooking spray. It takes about 15 minutes or so turning them over once to cook on each side.
  

For the sweet potatoes, I covered them with plastic wrap and I baked in microwave oven using the potato setting.  I buy large organic sweet potatoes and cut them in half (lengthwise) after they cook.  So I used 5 potatoes for these 10 meals.

    

For the mixed veggies, I just use frozen ones and I just pour them into the storage containers and add a little salt and pepper.  
  

To finish the meals, I put a sweet potato half and turkey patty in with the veggies. I also seasoned the sweet potatoes with salt and pepper.

  
  

Then I added the lids and then put all of meals into the freezer to be used for my lunches for the next two weeks.
  
 

Each day I take one to work with me.  At lunch time, I unseal the lid, pop in microwave oven and heat on high for 3 1/2- 4 minutes.  It’s tasty, healthy and fast.

  

      

So, if you are one of those people who did make new year’s resolutions, now what?  As a school counselor, I teach my students that a goal without a plan is just a dream.  It’s one thing to say you will do something and another to follow through and actually do it.  It’s important to set realistic goals that you can actually accomplish.  One way to do this is to set goals that are SMART–Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.  To say you want to lose fifty pounds in the next 30 days may be specific and measurable, but for most people…not achievable, realistic or timely.  But to lose five pounds in the next 30 days could be considered a SMART goal for many.  

     After setting your goals, you need to have a plan that will work for you.  You don’t have to overhaul your whole life….but you will need to make some changes to see results.   For example, one of my resolutions for the new year is to finish reading the bible.  I actually started reading it last year.  In order for me to finish it and accomplish my goal, I will need to read a little each day…following the reading plan I have chosen to use.  This goal is a SMART goal because it is specific:  I will finish reading the bible.  It is measurable:  I can track where I am using a bible app and I will know when I have finished it.  It is achievable:  It can be done easily if I read 15-30 minutes per day following the reading plan on the app that I am using.  It is realistic:  I have time to read a little each day and if I miss a day I can read extra the next day to catch up.  Finally, it is timely because I have given myself a year to do it.

    If you don’t know how to make a plan for accomplishing your goals, here are some basic steps you can use to get started:

1. Decide on a goal you want to work on.   Make sure it is a SMART goal- Your goal should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

2. Decide on specific things you will do to help you reach your goal.  What changes are you going to make in your daily routine to help you reach your goal?  What resources do you need? 

3. Imagine yourself successful.  Visualize yourself successfully reaching your goal.

4. Expect no less than the best for yourself.  Don’t let failure be an option.

5. Ask for help and advice.  Find a friend or expert who you trust to guide you.  Or join a support group of people working towards the same goal.

6. Remember a mistake only as a guide to doing better next time.  Don’t give up if you have a bad day.  Get back on plan as soon as possible.  

7.  Think positive!  Reassure yourself that you can and will achieve your goal.

8.  Enjoy your accomplishments.  Celebrate by doing something special for yourself.

        

     

   

     It’s a new year so many of us have resolved to make positive changes…such as eating healthy, losing weight, quitting smoking, getting more sleep, exercising more, etc.  I am one of those people who get excited about new year’s resolutions.   For me, it’s a new start, new opportunity….. a time of renewal.  My husband, David, would say, “Why wait until the new year?  Why not start today?”  He doesn’t believe in the “I will start on Monday or on the 1st of the month” mentality.  That is where he and I differ.  For me, I like the “fresh start -wipe the slate clean – out with old in with the new” way of doing things.  He is more of a cold turkey kinda guy.  Some like to write down their resolutions and/or share with friends for accountability purposes (me).  I have my list of new year’s resolutions typed up and posted on the fridge.  Others keep quiet about their goals and accomplishments (hubby).  And some people just don’t make resolutions at all for their own personal reasons.  In my opinion, there is no right way or wrong way.  I do feel everyone has room for improvement, but people have to do it in their own time and own way.  They have to make it work for their personality and lifestyle.