Week 1. Ups and Downs, but we're still rollin'

First, I want to thank you for reading and commenting on this blog. Knowing there are people keeping tabs on this whole experiment is keeping me motivated and honest. And your comments and questions are really appreciated. Thank you.

Secondly, I know that all of my posts thus far have revolved around getting crispier when it comes to just food. I want to tackle other issues, too: exercise, stress, family time, hygiene products, spirituality, and other things that define a happy, healthy, fulfilling life. But I feel like our diets are the cornerstone of all of this. So that's where I'm starting right now.

We just completed our 1^st week on our Paleo diet. PHEW! In a nutshell, there were some definite road bumps, but some awesome rewards. Here are some observations and lessons learned:

The bad… 

1. Pick a low-key week. I chose the absolute worst week ever to start this diet. Our normally slow-paced summer was kicked into high gear with multiple kid camps, my son’s birthday party, my oldest daughter’s belated birthday party, a busy work week for Jon, Dr. appointments, work being done on the house, and a midnight movie premier. I was operating on all cylinders from 5:30 am until I crawled into bed around 12am. Throw in a completely new way of eating and I was overwhelmed and stressed. Dumb move on my part. 
2. Have support. I pledged from the beginning to be completely honest on this blog. So I will admit that I almost quit this diet 3 separate times this week. (I’ll go into why below.) But each time, my awesome husband pulled me through. Had he given me the slightest hint that we could cheat, well…I would have.  However, now that we made it through week 1, I feel confident that we can sustain these changes. I owe this to Jon. He’s cooking with me and deciding on meals. He’s been great. It’s inevitable you’ll face similar doubts if you try something like this. Have a support - either a spouse, friend, or even an online friend or website that inspires you so that when things get hairy, you can turn to that resource to pull you through. I also reread a lot of the research I initially found to bolster my resolve to make these changes.  
3. BE PREPARED. I can’t stress this enough. This was the first thing that made me want to quit. Even though I had planned meals and snacks, there were a bunch of times when the snack I prepared wasn’t well received. Or it wasn’t portable. We had an hour layover between pick-up times at camp each day and I ran into snack problems. It was stressful…especially when kids were hungry. Shopping at stores was tricky, too. I'll admit that I bribe “store compliance” from the kids by giving them snacks so I can actually pay attention at a store. But I couldn’t use the usual pretzels or cheerios, etc. as a crutch. Preparation for this is crucial to make the transition away from processed, insulin spiking foods nice and smooth.  Along with this, plan for dinner in the morning. Even if that means just mentally having your game plan as to what you will do and when. Two nights I was such a wreck from our non-stop day that I wanted to just order pizza or whatever instead of cooking the food I had already planned to make. But the evenings where I had previously prepped (like cut veggies at 3pm when the kids were playing, etc.) were so much more enjoyable.  Avoid starting from scratch at 6pm when everyone is starving.
4.  Don’t battle with the kids. This was the 2nd part of the week that made me want to give up. But now I realize, it’s not about the battle - it’s about the war. One night, I actually got up from the table because I was so frustrated trying to coax my 4-year-old (the most stubborn of the bunch) into eating. She loves chicken. She loves broccoli. But that night, she refused both. Grr. However, I've since learned to not fight or bargain an let her decide what she wants to eat at a meal. But when it was snack time, guess what was reheated and waiting for her? Yep. Her meal. Guess what she eventually ended up eating? Yep. Her meal. I also learned to change my outlook from "how did they eat each meal" to "how did they eat during the day." If they ate a good ratio of protein, fat, and carbs(veggies & fruit) over the course of the day, then that is success. If they passed on one meal, but devoured the next, that’s success as well. Basically filling them up with whole foods (as opposed to grains and sugars) until they were satisfied is SUCCESS.
5. Paleo Pizza = FAIL. The recipe I had did not work at all or I totally screwed it up…this is probably the stronger possibility. Either way, this was our worst meal of the week and the kids let me know it. It was a confidence kicker and coming off a long hard day, it was the 3rd time I questioned if we can do this. I think it was just a down night. 
6. My budget. I’ll be honest. I spent a lot of money this week. Need to work on how to shrink that. Some of the spending was purchasing herbs and pantry stock items that hopefully last a long time. But still, curbing the price is on my agenda. 
7. Working out. I was just too overwhelmed this week. Jon was good - he got out biking a few times. Unless you count vacuuming, I didn’t do any intentional exercise. Would like to change this as well.

Now for the good….

All the kids DEVOURED these Paleo Enchiladas.

1. I lost more weight. I am now the lowest I’ve ever weighed since college...3 lbs. lower than was my initial goal back in May!! Everyday I’m eating until I’m full. I’m still losing weight. I’m eating delicious foods and lots of healthy fats. I’m still losing weight. I put cream in my coffee, cook with butter, and eat bacon. I’m still losing weight. If this isn’t proof positive that eating whole foods works, I don’t know what is. I’ve been mostly sugar-free, but I’m not a zealot. I don’t eat high-fructose corn syrup and sugar filled foods nor do I drink soda, etc. But I put a bit of sugar in my coffee, have dark chocolate squares for pick-me-ups, pour agave syrup on Paleo muffins, and have had a teacup worth of ice cream now and again. I’ve lost weight without really exercising, calorie counting, or portion restricting. It’s surprising how eating real foods in unlimited quantities vs. eating processed foods in controlled quantities has resulted in weight loss.  As I’ve admitted, I’ve struggled to lose the “mom-pudge” for a few years now. Pounding the treadmill didn’t really make a dent. But I remove most sugar and all grains and BAM! Bye-bye muffin tops.
2. Jon has lost weight. He is down just shy of 12 lbs. (he started going sugar and grain free 2 weeks ago). Can you get over it?!  Again, this is without steady exercise, calorie counting, etc. He’s very inspired! 
3. We feel FANTASTIC. I wrote in a previous post how I felt great just giving up processed sugar foods. Shunning grains has only increased this new level of well being. But I think the best thing that happened to me this week is Jon proclaiming how great he feels. It completely renewed my determination. He says it everyday and it makes me feel so happy. Sure he is still stressed/tired from long days at work, but he gets home and he is enthusiastic and “peppy." Yes. I just called Jon peppy...which I'm sure he won't appreciate. :) But I don’t know how else to describe it. Both of our mornings are smoother and more productive and we don't have the 9am-post-cereal-must-have-another-cup-of-coffee crash. 3:00 pm rolls around and we're not dragging. There were a few days immediately after the switch where we felt sluggish. I've read this is normal. But then one day, the switch flipped. Energy and overall feeling good everyday.
4.  We don’t really miss the grains. To those who say, “I’m too much of a sugar addict” or “I could never live without bread or pasta” – you have to give this a try. I said the SAME THING. But I swear. I don’t miss them. Initially, those first few days after I went grain-free I definitely did. But now, even the thought of a bowl of spaghetti makes me feel gross bloated and gross. A sugary snack is not the least bit appealing. I’m not kidding. (Plus, the nutty cookies I made totally fulfill the sweet tooth craving). The only part I miss about grains is the convenience factor. There is no denying they are easier. I’m still working on breaking that dependency. 
5. Most importantly, the kids are doing a-okay! I will admit – the first 3 days were really rough. Like really rough. They were looking for their usual foods – cereal, granola bars, crackers, etc. and I even felt guilty a few times for denying crackers and bread when they repeatedly asked for them – even though I know these things were harming them. But by day 4, things were looking way up. Now even our toddler is eating whole foods like a champ and thriving without macaroni and cheese or cereal – imagine that! I read on another blog the same thing. That mom said it took 3 hairy days to break the grain and sugar habit. In our case, I removed the grains and put them away so they are out of sight. (If we continue with this Paleo lifestyle after our 60 days, I will donate it all. Though it’s weird to think that the food I put away will look exactly the same in 2 months as it does today….that’s just not right.) I encouraged eating full meals. I did not allow snacks to take the place of meals like I used to. (I admit I was one of the moms that would let them load up on snacks if they didn't eat a meal just to get what I thought was “good stuff” in their bellies.) But this week I offered unfinished meals for snacks. We ate every meal together and had fun music playing. Jon and I were a team and stayed positive and encouraging. Loads of positive feedback and praise was given for trying new foods. Proclaiming “I don’t like it” before trying it was prohibited. We even had fun desserts – berries with fresh whipped cream and a few chocolate chips, pineapple skewers, etc. Everyone LOVES the homemade granola balls, apple muffins, trail mix, and healthy cookies. All in all, my kids are doing pretty darn good. Things that I know will be challenges on the horizon - restaurants, eating at friends' houses, parties, and school lunches. 
6. Not one "my belly hurts" complaint from my son. NOT. ONE. I’ve got to think this has something to do with no grains, but I’ll wait to see what the coming weeks bring.  But I am very proud of all of them. They are eating REAL foods – not processed foods from a box with preservatives and chemicals I cannot pronounce that I had allowed. They are full and happy and their intestines are on their way to being healed from the grains they’ve eaten their whole lives.

Spinach & pepper Frittata - super easy and delicious

So now that we've finished week 1 and I've got some confidence under my belt, I'm excited about week 2. This week’s menu is all new - no repeats - and fun. I’m still using Everyday Paleo for recipes, but I also took out Primal Blueprint Cookbook from the library which has some awesome recipes. I’ve discovered some new websites with neat ideas (paleoplan.com) as well. I’m trying no-oat oatmeal tomorrow morning and looking forward to giving the eggs a rest. I’m also placing another order on iherb.com (I’m very impressed – use code JED751 for $5 your 1^st order!) Also on the horizon are some kitchen purchases: a mandolin (for vegetable spaghetti and such), a dehydrator (to make fruit roll-ups and homemade no-grain granola), and maybe, one day a Blendtec. Gotta save up for that one, though.

I apologize for another long post, but there was a lot to share. Will keep updating during the week. And thanks again for reading and keeping me honest.  As always, all questions or suggestions are definitely welcomed!