To Paleo....or Not to Paleo....

Challenge COMPLETE!

Was it worth it? Not sure...probably leaning towards the "no" side...primarily considering the fact that even the most minute whiff of freshly baked French baguette will cause my mouth to uncontrollably salivate :)

9 weeks accomplished, not much measurable change (weight, bodyfat, etc).

Overall Positives:

1 - Initial positive energy surge (not sure if that sustained or not)

2 - Better rest at night

3 - Reduced heart rate (? - positive or negative?)

4 - Learning how to be creative with super "clean" foods!

Overall Not-so-Positives

1 - Nearly passing out after a busy Thanksgiving

2 - Missing my fun carbs :)

3 - The occasional occurrence of rambling and not having any idea of what's coming out of my mouth!

Here's what I'm thinking:

Paleo didn't seem to have much of an affect on my marathon training, which is a good thing. Keep in mind, however, that I still managed to do my own variations of "Carb loading" via lots of dried fruit and the occasional sweet potato before a long run. That's the good news. 

So, because I'm such a nerd, always in need of a purpose of some kind...I think my next challenge is to start introducing some of the "banned goods" characteristic of the Paleo diet. However, how it will work is I will intro one element, remove it, intro a second element, remove it, etc. to see how the body changes/reacts to the different combinations of forbidden foods. Dairy, grains, legumes....one at a time, maybe for a 4 week period each. We'll see. I'll keep ya posted....

Missing in (Paleo) Action...

Lordy Lordy, how time flies!

So I've disappeared for a while....no excuses, I know. Quite honestly...not a whole lot to update! Clients have been in abundance, free time lacking....therefore, not a whole lot of fun foods or earth shattering news to update you on!

Thanksgiving update: YES....Paleo Thanksgiving is possible!! Menu items included:

Maple Walnut Sweet Potatoes (sorry no pic...they were actually left in the oven 'til we started eating - lol)

Cider & Cinnamon Brined & Basted Turkey (Tommy the turkey weighed 14 lbs and was deee-licious!)

Green Bean Casserole (yes...PALEO!...and it was awesome!)

Raspberry Vinaigrette Radicchio Slaw

and, of course, cranberry sauce!

Roasted Brussels with Bacon and White Balsamic

Prosciutto Wrapped Pears

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

....and even the non-Paleo attendees were satisfied with their Holiday grub...SCORE!

Update on Paleo....
Ok, maybe the nasty side of Paleo is starting to show? Here it goes:

1 - super tired by the end of the day! Is it because I'm running more? (about 40 miles a week) ...literally, Thanksgiving evening, while excitedly awaiting the Lada Gaga special, I completely passed out, with absolutely no desire or energy to pry my eyes open. A bit if an odd feeling...

2 - starting to crave my carbs! You'd think that if I survived this long, I'd pretty much be conditioned to not want a big tub (maybe even bathtub size) of FroZenYo...man, it is tough these days though! Getting tired of telling myself "no!" to even a greek yogurt with granola or a small bowl of morning oatmeal.

I've been surviving my long runs, but wonder if I would have more energy afterwards if I had more carb fuel for the actual run. Not sure....I feel like I fuel myself enough (even with carbs) via fruit, dried fruit, freeze dried mango bags (Trader Joes is FINALLY open in Clarendon....woohoo!), etc. But This level of exhaustion that happens at the end of the day is strange. :-/

So...this is officially week 8...I've lost maybe 2 pounds over the 8 weeks, although some of that can be attributed to the increase in running....bodyfat percentage has essentially remained the same. Worth it? Not sure....still debating...

(somewhat) Permanent Paleo, Perhaps?

If you ask anyone @ Gold's Clarendon, they might express to you that I might be a paid Paleo spokesperson - lol. This stuff is pretty cool! Higher positive energy levels (today I even went without a coffee before my morning clients...whoa!!!), a fun & entertaining challenge to create Paleo-friendly delights, a conversation starter....gooooo Paleo!

Many apologies for the lack of postings on my behalf. Some fun tidbits from the past week:

More Butternut Squash Soup (all kinds of this....AWESOME!)












Lots of fun with Radicchio - so easy to whip together a delicious slaw with apple cider vinegar, walnuts, & sweet onion. Partnered with Mini Paleo Meatloaves topped with Caveman BBQ sauce.




Banana Blueberry Pancakes

Cauliflower mash solo...topped with freshly cracked black pepper and just a dab of grass fed butter. 

 Tuna steak with sesame balsamic and cauliflower mash 

Oh....and I can't forget to post the pic from my curried meatballs from a couple weeks back. These were fabulous with spaghetti squash.





After being horribly haunted by a Pumpkin Spice Latte in my nightly dreams, I decided to figure out how to enjoy a non-coffee/tea hot beverage, without being miserable. I came across a decent recipe for Paleo Hot Chocolate, that didn't use any honey/agave to sweeten it...basically, it's a concoction involving banana, coconut milk, almond milk, and cocoa powder. I tossed it all in the Ninja to get it as smooth as possible...then  used my handy-dandy steamer from my espresso machine (thanks mom, for sending it up here!), to create a chocolaty, frothy treat! For what it is....it's pretty fab! :) Not sure I'd take it over a hot mug of Angelina's hot chocolate...but it'll do for now ;)

Other noticeable changes:
Just continued "difficulties" in getting my heart rate up. Even walks to work have me running at an even lower heart rate than pre-Paleo...which technically means less calories burned. But...I figure since it is the fat calories that are being burned as the primary energy source...it's all good :) Marathon training has been coming along well with the heart rate training. 10 easy miles twice so far...looking pretty good!

Week Two - Check!

Paleo might just be alright! Energy levels high, and positive...food alterations aren't lackluster and disheartening by any means...anytime people overhear you saying anything "Paleo," they're always excited and/or intrigued...high five to cavemen! 

Fun foods to share:

Ginger Butternut Squash Soup (from "Paleo Comfort Foods")

      ......de-lish! Just got this book (high five to my buddy LAQ for suggesting this book!! AWESOME!) ... so I also did Apple & Mango Pork (served over spaghetti squash) from the same book. Definite recommendation for anyone looking to go Paleo, but 'comfort'ably :) 

...Arugula & Garlic Pesto Rubbed London Broil! YuM! Half was devoured (you like my caveman term, don't you?! ;) ) with some butternut squash soup and sauteed spinach for dinner...the other half sliced cold and tossed in a salad with homemade apple cider vinaigrette. 

Measurables to report: Eh...not much for me. My Paleo buddy, Lindsey, always reports in to me with pounds lost...but mine don't seem to go anywhere! Not that I'm looking to drop ... just wondering what the difference is between me and most Paleo's that shed pounds from week 1?!? Maybe I just need to poop it out (refer to my last post - lol). I'll give it another week or so and see if my weight or BF% has changed much. 

Excitement: Completion of my first 10 miler since being out of commission for 6 months, and only in "training" mode for 2 weeks! And...only stopped (2 intersections)....and managed to somehow maintain an 8:34 pace. Boom shaka laka! Although this is a mere hypothesis: I'm thinking that my pre-run carbs (consisting of trader joe's freeze dried bananas, and dried apple slices, and a phe-NOM-enal pumpkin paleo cake bar baked by the one and only Jen Crowe - thanks, Jen!) possibly gave my body a kickstart with some muscle glycogen fuel...which probably lasted me through the first few miles...and then the fat furnace maybe kicked in after that, leading me to last the duration of the run?? I'm going to test the theory next long run and see....

So...for now...off to check on my roasting pumpkin seeds that came out of these guys...

The TMI post....

I'm introducing this one with fair warning...if you don't feel like reading about bodily functions...find something else to do with these few minutes of your day. 

So...after giving this Paleo thing about 10 days to settle in...I think I can officially attribute a lack of #2's in my life to going Paleo! In my previous, carb consuming, endurance athlete lifestyle...I enjoyed my "regularity," which could be clocked with minute prevision, to my daily delight. Nowadays...woooh....no ma'am, not so much. Few and far between can best describe those actions. So what steps did I take to verify these newfound conclusions??? I....googled it : ) And...yep! I am not alone! So if you're thinking about going Paleo...don't be alarmed when your poop calendar becomes completely revised. 

I do have bad news to express....unfortunately, I do think that Paleo affects spin capabilities. Today was my 4th spin experience since going Paleo...and that same "oomph" that gets my heart rate up to a good 95% of my max, just isn't there!! Ahhhh....I try, dammit...but those little legs just won't spin!! The up side of that depressing Paleo tidbit is the fact that with a daily consumption of only 20% carbs and a whoppin' 40% fat (mostly good fats)..."maxing out" at a lower heart rate will burn more of that fat rather than search around for carbs. So ha! :) 

New menu items: 

London broil with a garlic arugula pesto rub

Seared balsamic tuna steaks over spinach & arugula salad

Roasted pork loin with peach-pecan glaze

Yum! :) Time to eat....I'm outta here

So I'm a Bit Behind...

But...hopefully I'll be able to catch everything up. Hmm...where to start....

"Long" (I use the term very loosely in this scenarion) 6 miler on Saturday. It went surprisingly well, no fatalities along the way. Decided to "treat" (again, loosely) myself to a small sweet potato as carb replenishment. Yum! I must admit, meals on the Paleo plan definitely have the potential to be quite delectable, as my meal, cortesey of Whole Foods, was phenomenal. Mango salmon with garlic lemon sauteed spinach and butternut squash soup. Before I take this any further, I've gotta give this soup some love. 5 Ingredient Fix, I LOVE YOU! Claire Robinson, you're not my favorite TV chef, but that soup was incredible! Easy, healthy, Paleo...I was in caveman heaven. Here's the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/butternut-squash-soup-recipe/index.html

YUM! Plus, one squash made a good 5 bowls of the mouthwatering goodness. Can you say Ballin' On a Budget?!?

I loaded up over the weekend on meats from Whole Foods...ground beef, stew beef, london broil, hake, salmon. This week is going to be meatfully delicious.


Aside from an all-day spin instructor certification course, the day was relatively normal. Paaaaaleo pancakes for breakfast!

I still can't quite fully evaluate if I feel early muscle fatigue due to lack of carbs. Only time will tell. I spend a lot of Sunday night trying to figure out just how long one's body takes to figure out to pull most of its energy from fat sources rather than carbs....primary for endurance athletes. BUT...can't find anything too helpful. Maybe that's what this mini blog can contribute to the great world wide web.

This week's challenge: (yes, week 2 already...woohoo!) Reduce fruit intake, because I feel like my body is still craving too many carbs, and fruit is the easy way out. Also...elimination of the sweet goodness of maple syrup, and honey to a bare minimum (only in baked goods, & only when I absolutely need it). Trying to reduce the major quick-carb foods. We'll see how cranky this week becomes - lol.

Spin class today...still felt a bit out of it. More like early muscle fatigue, rather than cardiovascular fatigue. Maybe it really is due to my muscles realizing they need to pull their energy from that meatball I just ate? Time will tell, time will tell...

Today's meal: curried meatballs on spaghetti squash! Can you say....YUM!?!? Super easy...
http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/05/03/curried-meatballs/

This'll last me a few meals. I can't WAIT!

Anyways...time to take care of some Paleo stuff in this cave of mine... 'til next time!

Fatty Friday...

So no complaints yet...still no major cravings...

--------->sidenote....had to bake cupcakes for a colleague's birthday today: vanilla almond with blueberry maple cream cheese icing....and not a crumb of it came even close to my mouth the entire process! so much so that I had to ask a friend to taste the stuff just to make sure it was acceptable. HELLO SELF RESTRAINT!

...but I feel like a major chub today for some reason. Am I imagining potential thigh cellulite? what...the...heck?!?! My legs have never been stronger, quads never more defined, and I actually have hamstrings now....but why do I feel like there may be a slight orange peel look headed my thigh's way. hmmmm...maybe it is low-carb hallucinations.

Decided to do some coconut flour today, instead of just sticking with almond meal. Note to all: it is super absorbant and ueber dense! Doesn't bake at all like almond meal, so don't even try that route. When you make a muffin with coconut flour, you need more eggs than the typical muffin...and it is going to be nearly a nut-butter consistency...but that's ok! Bake it anyway....and have a really dense muffin. Not bad though. I'll give it a thumbs up and a half.

Looking forward to more experiments with some sort of almond/coconut hybrid muffin mixes, to get almond fluffiness with less calories!

Still Kickin'

Day 4:

Aside from wanting a big hunk of french bread with tonight's turkey soup/chili dinner...the cravings aren't really there! Overall energy levels are doing pretty well...feeling better in the mornings, energy levels don't drop throughout the day...not bad! I'm surprisingly impressed! .... I will admit though, I may be developing a slight addiction to maple syrup. As you may already know, I've got a bit of a sweet tooth. Well...with nearly every form of sweetener NOT being part of this glorious diet, options are slim pickin'...I'm going to try my darndest to not fall into a maple-y trap though! All in moderation...right? So I'm assuming a liter a day isn't the healthy way...boo. ;)

yummmmmm

So thrilled that I get to maintain my love for fritatta's :) ... today's post-spin replenishment: egg/eggwhite fritatta with chicken sausage, red onion, zucchini, pepper, spinach, and tomato...with a bit of Trader Joe's chipotle salsa. ;) I sooooo miss my ranch (lite) sour cream of my old fritatta days. I REALLY miss that stuff. The fritatta still hits the spot post-workout though. De-LISH!

One sidenote: Spin class + Paleo day 4 was not a great combo. Heart rate levels were nowhere near as sky-high as they usually get in Laurie's killer class...I just didn't have it in me! Maybe I just didn't eat enough though...we'll revisit that next week @ Monday's spin class. Today's run (just a 3 miler) wasn't terrible either.

This thing might be easier than I thought!

Day Two!

....not catastrophic!

To quickly revert to the final hours of day one...life got a bit better. Appetite became relatively normal, dinner consisted of roasted chicken & vegetables...and dessert of half a pear, sauteed with cinnamon and a touch of honey. Not bad!

Day 2 began with an incredibly insatiable hunger (yes, more than my typical big-girl appetite)...and after eating 2 banana walnut muffins and a handful of freeze dried bananas, I decided to just give up on satisfying the undying tapeworm residing in my abdominal area. :)

No crazy cramps on the 3 mile run today. However, in the workout...I did feel a bit less "superwomanly." Strength didn't seem to be at the level that it usually is, for a good bicep/tricep workout. I'm not going to automatically chalk it up to Paleo though...possibly due to not having a bi/tri workout in a good 10 days or so. We'll see.

Got creative in the kitchen and made some interesting apple, coconut curry pork with cauliflower...it turned out pretty tasty, although looking like white porridge mush. We'll call it satisfactory for now. Not pictureworthy for sure...lol.

Overall, no crankiness (that i noticed, at least - lol)...and no uncontrollable cravings for a toasted everything bagel with a homemade honey butter 'schmear' ....yet. There's always tomorrow ;)

Dia Numero Uno

Ooooookay....so Day 1 started off nicely...woke up, got my almond meal banana muffins for breakfast/snack, headed to work. Got to work, nauseuos...ate a muffin and felt better. Maybe 'cause I was just used to eating shortly after waking up in my previous, non-Paleo life. :)

5 Mile run today, a bit of stomach cramping, as if the cinnamon walnut butter (excellent, by the way--take a look to your left) was in a ball in the middle of my chest. But...made it through alright.


No appetite at all after the run, so I showered and got a bit more settled in, and the hunger came on out and showed his nasty face - lol. Roasted chicken & veg for lunch...yummy delight, but I am soooo not satisfied. Hello cravings! I have absolutely no desire to eat any nuts, muffins, apple, banana, etc...but I'm HUNGRY!

We'll see how the rest of the afternoon and evening pan out. I suppose it's not as treacherous as my dramatic-behind is making it out to be right now. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (my stomach)...

Operation Crazy Diet Testing....Commence!

So...a brief introduction of myself. My name is Teresa & I am a personal trainer in Arlington, VA. As an athlete myself...I focus primarily on endurance running (marathons, half marathons, etc.)...although the former basketball player in me enjoys the occasional crazy speed and agility workout.

After battling a bout of loss of motivation, assumingly due to not really having any physical goals to work towards...I've decided to challenge myself in the realm of nutrition. I enjoy a bit of structure in my life, so following regimented nutrition schedules should make life easier...and over the next however-many months, it'll be a simple matter of changing nutrition habits based on which experimentation is taking place at whatever-given-time.

My goal is to attach each diet for a minimum of 45 days...hopefully more like 60. Reason being: in the initial phases of extreme contours in one's diet, the body takes a bit of time to fully transition to understanding what is being provided to it as fuel. So a lot of the "effects," are simply transitional effects rather than actual effects of the general change in nutrition. Therefore...I'm giving my body a full 30 days to complete the transition, and a minimum of 2 more weeks to really gauge how my body feels with the alteration of what's being consumed. All this while training for a marathon! Fun stuff! :)

Starting off with the Paleo diet! Some call it the caveman diet, consisting of hunter/gatherer type foods...nothing processed, no grains, no legumes, no dairy, yada yada yada.

So here I am, researching this caveman phenom, getting together my grocery list, and I'll be ready to start on Monday!! Paleo...HERE I COME!