60 Day Paleo Challenge

While my blog usually discusses running, races, or other adventures, I'm going to do something different for the next two months!

I am about to embark on a new adventure. This "adventure" has to do with how I fuel my body. Nutrition has always been a confusing topic for me. And who wouldn't be confused??? Every week there is a new book on how to "lose weight and keep it off forever!" Or, some crazy fad diet where you supposedly can eat Twinkies every day and still lose weight. Of course, there's the tried and true "calories in vs. calories out" mantra we've been hearing for years. . . but what exactly are those "calories in" supposed to be? If your daily diet consisted of 1,800 calories from prepackaged, processed, junk food, my guess is you would look and feel a lot different than if your diet was 1,800 calories of lean proteins, fresh fruits and veggies, raw nuts and seeds.

My interest is not just in changing my body composition or achieving a certain look. I also want to improve the way my body performs. I want to perform better when I am out running or lifting weights. I want to recover faster. I want to sleep better. I just want to feel better overall!

So my quest to find the best way to fuel my body began when I was 18 years old. I became a vegetarian. I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 5 years. Growing up, I was never a big meat eater. I only ate it because it was one of the 4 main food groups--meat, grains, dairy, and fruits/vegetables! (Remember the old food pyramid?) I remember there were a bunch of kids in my high school who were vegetarians. It was kind of a cool and trendy thing to do. I read a book on vegetarianism and one day just quit eating meat. I didn't miss it. I lost 5 pounds within that first month that I quit eating meat! It was easy.

Most vegetarians don't really eat all that healthy anyway. They get
too many carbs and have poor muscle tone.

After 5 years of consuming no meat, I gradually started eating fish, and then some chicken. I can't even really remember why I began eating chicken and fish. I guess I felt that my body needed more protein. This was while I was in college. I remember deciding to get at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in my diet every day, a habit that my body quickly adapted to and something that I easily continue to do to this day. My body loves fresh fruits and veggies!

When I was training at CrossFit Marina back in 2009, I heard a lot of buzz about the Zone diet and the Paleo diet. If you have ever set foot in a CrossFit gym, you will know that those athletes are deeply concerned about elite fitness! They are concerned about the best way to work out, the best way to lift weights, the best way to run, the best way to achieve body fat loss and lean muscle gain, AND the best way to feed the machine! Both Barry Sears and Robb Wolf were frequently touring different gyms and giving seminars on the Zone (Sears) or Paleo (Wolf) diets. I never attended one of these certs, but learned a lot from some of the trainers and fellow Crossfitters about what to eat. I'm not going to go into the details right now about these two diets. But what I'll say is the Paleo diet sounded too extreme, cutting out all grains, dairy, and legumes. However, the Zone diet sounded more reasonable and more doable, so I tried it and found it really hard to stick to. And the whole "block" system was too complicated and more than I cared to learn about.

I wish that was me running in this pic!

So over the past few years, I've had quite the epic exercise routine. I've been busy with lots of running, strength training, CrossFit, yoga, spin class, and some crazy, long hikes. I have fueled myself with a mostly non-processed foods diet. Common staples include: oatmeal, apples, grapefruit, spaghetti squash, eggs, egg whites, raw almonds, blueberries, strawberries, green smoothies (kale, collard greens, swiss chard, spinach, celery, ground flax seeds, rice protein powder, apples), salmon, mahi mahi, chicken breast, salads, tomatoes, string cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, and protein bars. My favorite "junk" foods that frequently found their way into my diet include: tortilla chips, protein bars, frozen yogurt, chocolate chip cookies, and diet sodas and diet energy drinks.

Mmmmm! So yummy, but sends insulin levels thru the roof!

I know I haven't been a perfectionist with my diet, but I had found a way of eating that helped me maintain a super active lifestyle. But something that always bothered me is that I was never able to achieve as lean a look as I wanted. And I always craved caffeine (diet sodas) and sugary treats (froyo and baked goodies).

When I was getting ready to make a road trip to San Francisco last December for the NFEC 50K, I was browsing around iTunes for a new podcast to listen to when I stumbled across the Paleo Solution podcast by Robb Wolf. I downloaded that and a couple other podcasts that sounded interesting. The Paleo Solution was the first podcast I played and I ended up listening to that podcast for the entire 7 hours to, and the entire 7 hours from San Fran. I was hooked! Robb Wolf and Andy Deas are interesting and entertaining. I learned a lot about the reasons why humans should be eating this way. Their "6 listeners" write in with questions about nutrition and exercise programming. I was definitely intrigued.

I continued to listen to the podcast, and in January, I cut out all grains and dairy. I allowed myself to have cheat meals on the weekend and have my favorite frozen yogurt. But the aftermath of those cheat meals was much like having a "food hangover!" It is really interesting to see, when you eat super clean, how the body reacts to dairy, wheat, and sugars. I have come to the conclusion that many of us have some level of lactose- and gluten-intolerance. So I have kind of played around with a "Paleo-esque" kind of diet this last month. I really notice a huge difference when I am following strict Paleo after a few days. I keep thinking, "Wow, I wish I could feel this good ALL the time!" Just a brief, and stint on this eating plan was enough for me to realize that there is something to it.

Probably one of the most entertaining books on eating like a caveman!

So. . . the whole reason for this post! I have decided I am going to go on a strict Paleo diet for the next 60 days. There are several books out there with slight variations on what is and is not allowed to eat on this diet. I am going to stick to the recommendations by Robb Wolf in his podcast and his recent bestseller "The Paleo Solution." Every day I am going to log my food and my workouts into this blog. I am going to try out recipes and post them here. I will also write about the Paleo diet and discuss A LOT more why I am doing this.

Here is the plan: lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish, pork), eggs, vegetables, berries, raw nuts and seeds, and some fruit. Just so I am not a complete weirdo, I will allow myself to have 3 "cheats" per week. Cheats are limited to the following: one meal (like when I go out to eat with friends), one frozen yogurt with no toppings except for berries, or 2 cookies (because I love cookies!) From previous experience, I might not even take advantage of the cheats because of the aftermath pretty much makes me feel like death.

I am SO looking forward to looking, feeling, and performing better. Now, I'm off to sleep in my pitch-black room! Will write more manana!