Paleo Challenge Blog – Week 3:
Thoughts:
I saw the following post on “stupid easy paleo” and thought the wisdom was too good not to share:
Now that you’ve got some experience under your belt, it’s time to chat about what the upcoming week is likely to bring. (Of course, you truly are a unique snowflake, so individual experiences may vary.) By this point, you should be over everyone’s favorite, the Carb Flu, and on to some of the more pleasant effects of this nutritional reset: more energy, better sleep, a better relationship with food and perhaps even some changes in body composition. It’s been my experience that the beginning of Week 3 tends to come in gently and, in some cases, ends on an unexpected note. You see, it’s not unheard of for folks to fall off the rails, particularly at the end of Week 3. And for some reason, Day 18 seems to be a really common number. What the heck is going on? Why would you make it past the halfway point and then give in?
Cravings.
For some reason, they tend to start acting up during this week, remnants of bad habits past which try to convince you that you’d be so much better off with just a smidge of that cake or just one glass of wine. The solution? Tell your brain to shut up. Seriously. Whole9 often says if you’re not hungry enough to eat steamed fish and broccoli, you aren’t really hungry…you’re experiencing a craving. Most cravings pass within just a few minutes, so find a way to distract yourself until it passes.
And then, there’s sabotage via boredom.
My own theory on why this happens goes sort of like this:
Week 1: “Look at this huge challenge ahead of me! It’s game on, self!” Everything is new, and you’re on the lookout for any food saboteurs, ready to squash them in a moment.
Week 2: “Heck yeah! I’m finally feeling better. This is AWESOME.” You start to enjoy the benefits of kicking crappy food and eating habits to the curb. You’re thinking, “I’m going to ride this wave to Day 30.”
Week 3: “Scrambled eggs for breakfast and grilled chicken for lunch? Again?” If you’re not careful, your wave riding can turn into a wipe out. Boredom and complacency, in combination with cravings, can ruin your clean streak if you’re caught unaware.
There’s also a tendency to think, “I feel better so I can just stop and keep feeling good even if I go back to old ways.” In many cases, you may not start to feel all the positive effects until you’re IN Week 3 so don’t give up. Why? If your gut really needs some intense healing, it may take longer.
What to do?
Don’t get caught by boredom. Mix it up and make some new recipes (suggestions for that below). Buy some new ingredients that you’ve never used or try going out to eat. (I suggest you check out the menu at home and have a plan for making some modifications to your order.) With a little awareness, you can sail smoothly into Week 4.
Don’t forget on Saturday January 30 I am meeting with anyone who needs to at 11:00 for a “shoot the s%#*” with Amy session. Basically venting, celebrating, measuring, and whatever else you need to do to remain successful in the next three weeks.
Workout’s of the Week (Homework):
Workout One: 30 min. run intervals. Strap on those sneakers, grab a friend and go enjoy being outside getting healthy. Set a watch for 30 min. and alternate each minute between a fast and slower pace. (min. 1=fast run/min 2.=jog or walk) When you are finished try to accumulate 3 min. of a plank hold. You may come in and out of this hold of course, but don’t count rest time towards your total of 3 minutes.
Workout Two: 10 Rounds: 10 burpees, 10 situps, 10 lunges (can make these plyo for challenge), 10 dips off a chair.
Recipes for the Week:
Meals this week with the exception of dinners will remain close to the same. Breakfast for me will involve eggs, broccoli and spinach, bacon or avocado with some black coffee. Lunches will be grilled chicken, fresh turkey burgers or lean meat with more fresh veggies, or salad with lots of avocado. Lunch tends to be a time I like to have something sweet so I will be prepared with a small serving of fruit like berries or an apple. Snack will be a smaller version of lunch, or leftovers from the night before. Dinners will be the following attached recipes.
Recipe 1: Paleo Chicken Tortilla Soup
Recipe 2: Paleo Crockpot Jambalaya
Recipe 3: Paleo Pulled Pork Sliders
Recipe 4: Crock Pot Roast
Recipe 5: Avocado Stuffed Burgers
*Snacks I will keep on hand just in case at the house are hard boiled eggs, lots of cut up veggies and some fresh fruits, and cut up strips of chicken. I don’t do too many nuts or nut butters because I feel like I have a hard time controlling my portions with those.
Goal of the Week:
The goal this week is a random act of kindness for someone you love. Take your thoughts out of the kitchen and food and do something nice for someone. Do a chore for your spouse that they hate without asking, pay for someone’s meal, help a co-worker or neighbor, and so on. The focus on someone else will keep you from the bored feelings we talked about in the beginning of this post (: Make someone smile and feel good doing it!
Keep Pounding!
~Amy