Wednesday, June 01, 2011

an experiment in diet

Yesterday we had a drinks/apps reception THING, at work. Today, we have LEFTOVERS. This has led to me eating little bits of things that are bad for me but quite delicious. And it has got me thinking about how easy it is to eat things that aren't the best. And it got me on a little research kick.

This is actually nothing new, my curiousity about something called the Paleo diet. I was introduced to it via a blog I read (when it was still published) by Kristin D. She also does Cross Fit and generally kicks ass, but that's neither here nor there.

At first I thought, yeah, yeah, Paleo is another word for Atkins. No grains, no legumes, etc. But its not. Fruit is encouraged.

Let me take a step back. The Paleo diet, for those of you who haven't heard, is based on the human diet in the Paleolithic Era, pre-agriculture. You eat like a caveman, basically. Meat. Fruit. Veg. Honey if you are a LUCKY caveman. No salt, no dairy, no legumes, no grains (well, if you WANT to eat wheat, just as it grows out of the ground, maybe ground into a rough paste, be my guest). No butter. Olive oil is ok. Cause we are Greek cavemen =)

But you get the point. I am of mixed mind about this. Normally, I avoid any and all diets that are overly restrictive. I am much more of the Weight Watchers, you can eat what you want just not too much of it school. This school no longers works for me.

I HAVE seen success over the years with repetitive menus. This is supposedly one of the "Secrets of the Skinny". Oof, it hurts to write that I still am a skinny person...in my head. This appeals to me when trying to start to change your diet. One of the most frustrating things is figuring out WHAT THE HECK TO EAT. So, you hit on a combo that works for you, and you repeat. Once you see results, you venture. It works.

So, combining this Paleo diet idea and my fondness for repetitive menus, well, I made up a menu. It doesn't differ much from what I already eat, actually. Here goes:

Breakfast
2 eggs, scrambled with
Spinach
Turkey Bacon
1 banana

Lunch
Big-ole salad from Whole Foods salad bar with some grilled chicken breast, couple of tofu pieces, and balsamic vinegar dressing
Peaches

Dinner
Some kind of protein (the only part that i plan to switch up - grilled shrimp, grilled or baked chicken, steak, bun-free burger, veggie burger, etc.)
Grilled veg - generally squash and/or asparagus or roasted peppers and mushrooms

Dessert
Coconut Milk Ice Cream with Honey

Ok - sounds pretty good, right? Seriously.

So, curious, I plugged this day into Weight Watchers. Guess what? Bam. Exact correct number of points for a day.

Freaky.

So, I am eating this tomorrow. (And dinner tonight, but full day tomorrow). If I like it, I will eat it the next day. Etc. If anything good happens as a result, or bad, I will tell you about it. But we're not calling it a diet, mmmkay? Ok then.

4 comments:

dodom21 said...

i have been "trying" to do whole30 for the past 23 days. no sugar, grain, alcohol, carbs. It is VERY hard to maintain. after 2 weeks, my body hated me and NEEDED carbs. So I will do the diet for 2 weeks on, 1 week off, and go from there. I don't find it very sustainable for a long period of time. but good luck!!! I have some yummy recipees for lots of paleo friendly meals if you need some dinner ideas!

dodom21 said...

oh, and dairy. no dairy.

dodom21 said...

I will also say that whole30 is way more strict than the typical paleo diet. Only 1 serving of fruit is allowed, per day. I have, however, seen huge results from this type of eating. I have definitely leaned out, although lost no weight, but can fit into my skinny white jeans again, which was a huge accomplishment.

Sara said...

Hi Dana =)

yeah, its tough to do it 100%. But that's awesome about the white jeans!

I don't drink much anymore anyway, but the sugar...that's going to be hard for me!