Just a little update on my Paleo challenge. My thinking is that this challenge was a way for me to get to my goal, and if it's not working or taking me in the opposite direction, it's ok to cut it short.

Starting on February 14 (which would have been day 27), I made the decision to take a slightly different approach. Not because I couldn't take it anymore, but because I started actually getting the opposite results on the scale. Go figure. I think just the idea of being on a restricted diet made me eat more of what was allowed. Just my guess. So as of the 14th, I'm going the < 20g of carbs and moderate calorie restriction. And yes, I'm weighing and measuring everything and keeping track in FitDay.

I'm generally sticking to all the original challenge rules, but because of this new twist, there are a couple of changes:

1. I am drinking a cup of yerba mate a day. My already uber-low pressure plus low-carbing was acting up. Feeling like you're on a boat the whole day is no good. Yerba mate seems to do the trick.
2. I bringing back a very small amount of macadamias for snacks, < 1 oz a day, to add a little variety to my fat intake.
3. I'm using ghee for cooking my breakfasts, and will probably use butter for some sauces for my seafood.

I also don't want to call them rules anymore, for the mental aspect of it. This is not a challenge anymore, it's an approach which will hopefully need to get me where I need to be. So there's no timeframe. Just try for a few weeks and reassess. Maybe start making more changes down the road: refeed days, pow meals, IF-ing... I'll see how it goes.

The bottom line is that perhaps I failed in my challenge, since I haven't completed it till the end. But I actually feel like I won. This challenge has shown that I can actually methodically stick to a plan (yeah, there were a couple of slips, but I was with it 97% of the time). And since I was doing it for long enough time, I can confidently see now what doesn't work, and try something else. I think it was a really good stepping stone to what I'm doing now. I don't think there's any chance I could start this new plan right away, without prepping myself up with the 27 days.

February 10-13.

There has been some decisions made over the weekend which were not entirely Paleo.
Grilled prawns led to melted butter, which led to a small amount or white wine (1/4 glass).
It's been 26 days of strict paleo so far (minus a small handful of slips), and looks like this experiment had zero effect on my weight. One thing that stands out is that without caffeine my energy level is pretty even throughout the day, but I would say it's on the low side. I could really use a little boost in the mornings

Next experiment after this is done will, I'm afraid, will involve lots of weighing and measuring. But I'm definitely bringing back butter, heavy cream, chocolate, tea/coffee and some fruit/berries. Definitely missing those things.

February 8 & 9. Uneventful.

February 7, day 20. All good.

February 4-6, all good. The only "slip" today was tasting the homemade buffalo sauce (butter + hot sauce) for hotness, and a buffalo chicken wing to see how the new wing recipe worked out for future reference. Otherwise, I made a special batch of lemon-pepper wings just for myself.

February 3, day 16. All good. I think I'll make some mean chicken wings for the Superbowl...

Febryary 2, day 15. No slip-ups. Thanks to Michael's friendly butt-kicking, no longer contemplating any cheats this Sunday.

February 1, day 14. No slip-ups. Starting to contemplate some pear cider or wine for Superbowl, since I'm inviting some friends over. Will make amends by adding 3 more days to my challenge.

January 31, day 13. All good.

January 30, Day 13. Back in the saddle again!

January 28. Day 10 of the paleo challenge. All Good.

January 29, day 11. Not so good. I was out of the house the whole day, from 9am till 11:30pm. I started out strong by bringing a salad to school. Then I kind of set myself up by bringing my friend to a Russian restaurant. Well, I haven't seen her in a long time, and I've been promising her the Russian restaurant forever, so... I decided that it will bee too much torture to watch her eat all my favorite foods, and I let myself off the hook for the night. And damn it was GOOD! However, I also decided to add 3 more days to my 30-day challenge as a consequence of this. Oh well, it was worth it.

January 27. Day 9 of the paleo challenge. Still on the wagon.

January, 26. Day 8 of the Paleo challenge. All good.

January, 25. Day 7 of the Paleo challenge. No cheats, all good.

January 19, 2010
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11am
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"Leftover scramble"
2 strips of bacon
cauliflower rice
bell pepper
1 egg

chicken hearts & mayo salad on the side


4pm
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1.5 small chicken breasts
5 meat balls
1 cup fermented veggies
1.5 bacon-wrapped scallops

12am
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5 meat balls
3 coconut-shrimp
1 cup fermented veggies