So I found a whole body workout online, and tweaked it to fit my needs. Stella and I tried out last night at Memorial Park, and I'm feeling it today! My abs, back, and lower half are sore. My arms aren't as sore. We only went through the set once because I was starving and seriously couldn't make it through 3 times without any food.
Here is the workout that we did.
After Stella and I got some dinner, we headed back to the park and walked 3 miles. It was chilly outside but we warmed up pretty quickly. I'm not sure how some people were out there in shorts and t-shirts though.
We must repeat this workout. I'd like to do it atleast 2 to 3 times a week.
So challenging myself to exercise and be on a strict diet for 30 days was a big fail! With my schedule, planning is a must and I failed to do that, therefore I totally failed my own challenge.
So my friend, Stella George, decided that after researching the benefits of the paleo diet, she wanted to do the Whole30 challenge and asked me to do it with her. I said no to the Whole30 challenge, but that I'd do the Paleolithic Diet. Well let's just say, she didn't make it through Day 1. She decided that Whole30/paleo wasn't for her and that she would just stick to Weight Watchers because it worked for her before and she didn't have to give up her beloved grains.
Thursday morning, Stella sent me a text, challenging me to a Weight Watchers VS Paleo duel! Okay, now this is what I'm talking about. I can do this. I am 9 lbs down from my post-Awesome Adventure road trip weight. Which is amazing! My friends have noticed the weight loss. :) Anyway, I accepted Stella's challenge! I believe that Paleo is a healthier lifestyle than Weight Watchers because while you are on the paleo diet, you are eating nutritional food - meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts, and on Weight Watchers (WW), you can eat anything you want as long as you stay within your points for the day/week. I don't see how WW will help you achieve a healthier lifestyle. Yes, you may lose weight on WW but what happens after you lose the weight? You were able to eat anything you wanted while on WW but following their point system. After you lose the weight, you are still craving/addicted to foods that don't have much of a nutritional value and without your point system, will you mindlessly eat these bad foods and gain all of your weight back? Will being on Weight Watchers become a lifestyle for you? I tried WW before and it worked for about a month and then I hit a weight plateau. I stopped subscribing to WW, only to gain back all that I had lost. No bueno. I'm by no means huge but I'm not skinny mini either. I'm curvy....which I like, but maybe a more toned version of that. I would love to get into amazing shape, like Jennifer Nicole Lee, bikini fitness model shape. That is my goal. I believe that following the paleo lifestyle, will help me achieve my goals. On paleo, you aren't allowed the bad foods, which yes at times can be hard but allowing yourself one cheat item a week/month won't kill your diet. And after a while, you will feel so good - mentally and physically - that you won't care about those 'bad' foods as much anymore. Oh and did I mention that you just eat when you are hungry, no counting calories or points?? Sounds nice, right? You will lose the cravings and addictions to the bad foods and lead an all around healthier lifestyle. This sounds way better than WW to me. I have seen that some people try to do WW while on Paleo. Interesting concept, but I don't think it's for me. I hated having to count points and I'm not even sure if I counted them correctly half the time anyway.
Stella, I accept your challenge.
WW(Stella) VS Paleo (Petunia) guidelines -
Follow your assigned diet/lifestyle.
Weigh in each Friday morning and send your challenger a picture of the weigh in.
Winner for each week: whoever loses the most percentage body fat for the week.
Our goal: lose 5% body fat. Whose diet will get them there?
So does the winner get something? I'll have to discuss this with Stella.
Stella August 2012
Pictures of us at our starting weight.
Want to see comparisons for WW vs Paleo? Check out this link
I love the way I feel when I stick with the Paleo diet and I love the way my body is transforming. I've been trying to stick with it and at times I could have tried harder to stick with it. I don't think I can go to Paleo cold turkey. That kind of blew up in my face. So I'm thinking I will try to stick to Paleo 80% of the time. That seems reasonable and doable. In time, I would hope I can raise that percentage to 90% or even 99%. But for now I'm going to take baby steps. I still love my iced pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks but I will try to limit those to only a day or two a week and to use whole fat milk in them as no whip cream. Luckily, that latte is a seasonal thing!
Today I've been pretty good. I had a protein shake early, then had steak, egg whites and red potato mash from myfitfoods. They were out of the small size so I just bought the medium and didn't finish all the egg or mash. He steak was too good to not finish. If I pick up food from myfitfoods, I don't have too many options of food because a lot of their dishes have rice or pasta or oats, which aren't paleo friendly. Atleast they have started carrying items from a local chef that creates meals from raw products. I need to try some of those meals next.
Okay so since I challenged myself to not eat grains for thirty days....I've cheated a lot. I try to stick to paleo for the most part but when I'm tired and hungry and don't feel like cooking, that's when I cheat. Or when I'm super busy and running all over, I've cheated. But I have really been feeling the positive affects of the paleo diet and I want to see more results. My clothes are fitting nicer and looser. I've had friends comment on how I look like I've lost weight. It's a good feeling. I need to prepare more, especially for those days when I'm feeling lazy and do t want to cook.
I hate that I've been so busy and tired that I haven't been able to exercise much lately... Well at least not in he gym. I do seem to walk at least a mile a day because of school. I am all over that campus so at least it helps since I'm too busy to exercise. Im really not a morning person but i might have to start thinking about waking up early to exercise.
9/12/12
So I've made it through my first 30 days of paleo. It was rough and towards the end I definitely cheated more than I should have but I feel much better than I did before I started the paleo diet. I really love it, but it takes planning to really make it work. Maybe I cheated because I didn't plan well enough the last two weeks because I was so crazy busy. But 8 lbs down in one month, I love that. My clothes are fitting better, especially my jeans. My skin is clearer. I feel happier. And when I do cheat, let me tell you, my body tells me I've done a bad thing!! I also get full much quicker than before. Even when I did cheat, I'd get not even half way through my meal and I'd feel full....like overly full, about ready to pop full. I need to stick with it and cut out the grains again.
Last night I went out to a Mexican place in celebration of my new car. :) So happy about it. It's a 2008 Saturn VUE. I kinda feel like I have a grown up car now. haha. So anyway, I did eat chips. :/ BUT for my meal, I ordered grilled shrimp. It came with rice and beans but I asked for none of that and sub in grilled veggies. It was delicious.
Down another 8 lbs in the next 30 days? Let's see if i can do it. I'm challenging myself to stick with this and absolutely NO grains in the next 30 days. What better time to start than NOW. Call me out if I've cheated. I CAN do this. There are much harder things in life than no grains. This next year, I will get in the best shape of my life with the help Whole 9/Paleo Diet and Jennifer Nicole Lee workouts.
My 'On a Mission' Challenge: 9-12-12 to 10-12-12
NO grains - NO wheat and all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour, rye and all processed foods made with rye, barley, rice, oats and corn. So no more tortilla chips at Mexican restaurants, no more rice with Chinese food.
Exercise at least 4 days a week - Hopefully more, but that is the minimum. Follow Jennifer Nicole Lee's Fitness Model workouts. Make sure get to get full body workouts each month.
80% paleo 20% non paleo minimum. Meaning little to no sugar, no candy unless it's dark chocolate with 85% cocoa, little to no dairy or whole fat milk (use almond milk or coconut milk substitute when possible). Eat lots of veggies, fruits, meats and nuts!
I know I've missed a few days but school started last week and I've been so crazy busy. I enjoy everything that I'm doing, just wish I could focus more on school right now than working. I'll try to recap what I can remember.
I'm on Day 25 right now. I can't believe I've made it this long. I'm pretty happy with myself and the results that I've seen so far. I've lost 8 lbs so far and I've been feeling pretty great. I've also noticed that when I have cheated, I immediately feel horrible...I mean my stomach hurts, and I feel bloated.
While I haven't been 100% paleo every day, I have tried to stay 80% paleo 20% non paleo and I've been pretty successful at it for the most part. I've found a way to eat at my favorite restaurants and still stick to 80% paleo. On Day 22, I revamped my chili recipe to make it paleo friendly. I didn't have to do a whole lot to change it, switch out the kidney and pinto beans for extra veggies. I'll post the recipe for the chili later. It was pretty good although I did kinda miss the beans, cheese and cornbread that I usually have with it. I went for a 3 mile walk later that evening and then decided to go see Lawless. Bad idea on an empty stomach. Movie theater food is the opposite of paleo food....and I was sucked it. I was starving because I didn't eat dinner. I ordered a small popcorn and a small soda. I didn't finish either item and my stomach really didn't like me after that. :/ Next time I will come prepared with some munchies in my purse.
The start of my Bison Paleo Chili
Day 23. I had some left over chili for lunch. MMmmm. I have been craving sushi for a while now and I am finally getting to go! My friend that is also on paleo came with me. It was like a meat smorgasbord! We had a ceviche appetizer, then 4 different tapas plates and short ribs. The tapas plates at 6 piece of raw fish in soy sauce with added garlic or citrus and sprouts or onions. All very tasty. I know soy sauce isn't paleo friendly, but I haven't found the soy sauce substitute yet. Remember 80% paleo. It was all delicious and rice free.
I had a mini break down last night because I was stressed with my car, work and school. I had Cheetos AND noodles for dinner on Day 24. Talk about paleo fail!!!
I had My Fit Foods for breakfast - Steak, egg whites and red potato mash. It was really good.
I've been thinking more about the whole potato and paleo thing. Why are potatoes so controversial in this community? Is paleo just the name of this lifestyle or are they really trying to eat as cavement did? Here is the wikipedia defination of the Paleolithic Diet.... "The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the "Paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet. Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils" By this definition, I would assume that potatoes are ok. I don't think it's a bad thing to consume red potatoes, but I don't want all the extra carbs so I'll limit my intake.
