Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Week One of the Primal Challenge - The Good and The Bad...

I've been avoiding this recap for a few days as really don't know where to even begin but I guess I'll start with the progress...

I've lost 2.3kg (5lbs) in a week.

The first time I saw this change (Monday), I didn't believe it and so I weighed myself again last night and the number was the same.  I'm a bit shocked by this as I didn't feel like I was making any substantial changes to my diet but apparently there was more crap to be taken out than I'd expected.  Two more weeks to go.

Things I'm Loving about Primal/Paleo*
-The fact that there are a bunch of us from the box in this together
-I have lost 2.3kg in a week
-I am being forced to be more creative in the food I prepare
-I'm finding lots of really wonderful (and easy!) recipes that I wouldn't have looked for without this challenge and that I'll continue to use when done with the challenge (Almond Milk!)
-There is a lot of recipe sharing going on amongst those at the box and it's amazing
-Managed to go out for breakfast on the weekend and eat easily with a few substitutions
-My appetite has changed - I'm not constantly hungry or looking for snacks
-I know that I can overpower my sweet cravings but having a drink of water or something and ignoring them for 5 minutes then they're gone.  I don't have to cave into my cravings.
-There seems to be less waste eating clean.
-I was out last weekend and got hungry and easily picked up some almonds and a pear rather than a pastry.
-There is an abundance of primal/paleo friendly products in stores everywhere here - not just select ones and the markets are amazing
-My spice cabinet has swollen in size and it's awesome

Things I'm Finding Difficult about Primal/Paleo
-I miss coffee.  I really, really miss the comfort of coffee especially on the weekend.  That being said I really don't ever want to experience the headache I had when I stopped drinking it
-I don't know that I feel any better or worse.  I know I'm treating my body better, seeing the weight drop off the scale but I still feel tired and I'm not really sleeping any better.
-I miss coffee
-It takes a bit more planning and time to eat this way - I spent a good portion of sunday afternoon cooking up things for the week - however I did have food for the week afterwards
-I miss coffee

It's funny in writing this - I'm quite surprised that there are so few difficult things about this.  It hasn't been that hard in fact.  I know when the three weeks are up I won't be as strict however I've already learned a lot and I'll definitely be a lot more conscious about what goes into my mouth and where it comes from.

*It's technically a Primal challenge however I've decided to also strictly given up dairy, coffee and chocolate (at least so far).  Note also that I know that coffee and chocolate are allowed in moderation but I have chosen for these three weeks to not have them solely to see what effects they have on my body along with this clean eating.

1 comment:

  1. Great stuff Jac. Your comments are insightful and inspiring!
    I went down this track with Crossfit a year or more ago and haven't looked back. (But I had coffee on my side - Gee you're brave!) Can't rave enough about the Paleo approach.

    Robyn (Cooee and Birkenhead Crossfit)

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