Paleo hamburger

Bacon, avocado, lettuce, mustard, and a big fat juicy burger from the grill. Served with a side of sweet potato fries. Who said paleo can't be indulgent?

Sneaking in a calorie burn

Ok - this is going to sound a little netdy, but I am going to admit it anyway. . .although I do go to the gym pretty much every day, I am always trying to sneak in little bits of exercise wherever and whenever I can. 20 pushups every time I pee. 25 air squats or lunges on every tv commercial. A brisk walk around the block when I really want some caffeine.

I am not sure it makes much of a difference, but it makes me feel better.

Cardio vs. resistence training

I will admit that for the majority of my life, I have been the cardio queen - a slave to the treadmill. I had always believed that since I was burning so many more calories per hour by running than with any other form if exercise, than running was the best way to get thin. But, I wasn't getting thin. Cardiovascularly, I was fit. But, I still had a good 20 - 30 pounds of excess weight that would not budge. I was doing at least 6 hours of cardio a week - burning at least 3500 caloies, which should have resulted in a pound of weight lost per week, but I was stuck. Plateau-ed for over a year. And obviously very discouraged.

That is when a friend told me about crossfit. I was anxious to try anything. Crossfit is basically high intensity interval training. Each workout lasts less than 30 minutes, but they are tough. I sweat, gasp for air, and I am always sore somewhere. But, I am finally seeing results. I am running less but getting faster - and I have way more endurance. I am starting to get muscle definition in my arms and legs, and my butt is getting round and firm. Most of alk, I am developing a confidence that I have never before felt.

And this morning, I weighed in at 167.2.

Day 17

Just a quick post to say that I weighed in this morning at 168.2. I hurt my back last week and have really scaled back on my work outs - both number of work outs and the intensity. So, I hope the loss isn't from muscle lost, but from my body finally figuring out how to drop weight.

I have been so faithful with my diet. Typically, sugary treats and/or baked goods are my biggest temptation. In the past 24 hours, I have passed up a fresh cupcake and a divine-looking donut. Without regret. I love with paleo that I can eat any amount of food (as long as it is paleo) any time of the day. I just listen to my body and eat when I am hungry - some days I am ravenous while other days I can go hours without any food.

Paleo cookies

I made these paleo chocolate chip cookies today. They were just "ok". I think sweets were meant to be, well. . . sweet. And these were not sweet. But, I needed a bunco treat. I also made a pork roast in the oven. That turned out much better - tender and flavor-full. I'd post a recipe for that, but I actually buy it pre-seasoned in the meat department at Harmons, and just pop it right into the oven.

I weighed myself this morning, after breakfast with my clothes still on. 169.0. Not too shabby. Actually only 9 more pounds till I reach the top end of my ideal weight. I know I've not really been focusing too much on my weight - I think body fat and measurements tell the true story - but the number on the scale is a nice reminder that progress is being made. If you know me in real life, you know what a struggle it is for me to lose even one pound. So yay! Even though it is still a fat person's weight, its progress ;-)

Day 14

Well . . . I was doing well posting every day. Until I got the flu on Monday. It was weird. I woke up feeling fine, but as the day went on, I got sicker and sicker until I had a fever and I was throwing up. Let it suffice to say that its going to be a long time before I eat curry. . .

Being sick did make me fall off the wagon a bit, but only because when my stomach was queesy, I needed Coke and toast. And, I did have my birthday this week, so I indulged in some chicken enchiladas.

But, overall, I'm doing well and the diet is fairly simple to stick with. Tonight, I'm making homemade marinara with roasted tomatoes, onions, and carrots (shhhh - don't tell my kids). I roast them in the oven, then puree in the blender, then sautee with meatballs. I'm having mine over spaghetti squash - the kids will eat theirs over whole wheat pasta.

And yes, I have been exercising too (with the obvious exception of having the flu). Right now, my main form of exercise is Crossfit, but I also run and swim. My goal is to work out at least once a day, six days a week, with one day off. I Crossfit in the AM, and then try to add some type of cardio in the evenings three times a week.

Chicken curry

1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 yam, peeled and cubed
1 cup baby carrots
1 12 oz can coconut milk
2 tbsp curry
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste.

Saute the onion and chicken with the coconut oil. Once chicken is cooked add the coconut milk and stir. Then add curry powder and stir again. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat until carrots and potatoes are cooked. Serve over quinoa or just eat plain. If you love spicy, a little bit of chili powder is yummy too, but I left it off of the ingredient list.