Paleo Here we Go! & Tuesday Topics {Link Up}

 

Here I am at 3 am finally getting my second wind at work! The lovely Theresa made some fresh Folgers coffee so I'm ready for the remaining 4 hours of work!

Some of you may remember that I was doing a low carb diet. I heard about it from a co-worker and thought I would give it a shot. It did teach me some self control but I found myself tired a lot of the time and honestly really missed fruit! I have always been interested in "clean eating" and have heard a lot about the Paleo or Caveman diet. It honestly makes a lot of sense and I always wondered about the fat content when I was doing the low-carb diet and eating endless amounts of cheese.

2013 must be the year to try all different diet fads because I gave up chocolate during Lent, tried the low carb for about 6 weeks and no am on to the Paleo diet for 30 days (and if I like it and see some results then I will try to stick with it) But I guess this just means 2013 will be the year I find out what works for me :)

 

So here's the deal...I've done my research. And after stupidly questioning what "legumes" were (they are beans if you didn't know) I feel like I'm educated enough on this eating lifestyle and have prepped plenty of boiled eggs and frozen fruit but I think I will end up going back to the store in the morning for some almond flour, ground flax seed and almond butter. The biggest goal of this challenge is to do the Whole30 thing, which is 30 days with unprocessed foods. The first 5-7 days are the hardest but once you get over that hill and your body no longer "craves" junkfood then it gets much easier. Here is the website I am following. I love this paragraph on the site....

[[ It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your “struggles”. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime. ]]

And that is the mentality that I will have for these 30 days. I will think of my dear loves in Africa that do not have the luxury of "choosing" a diet plan that is right for them. I will think of the terminal cancer patients that I take care of that can't bear to keep down any type of food because the chemo is just so strong. If they can do it, I surely CAN!! So follow me as a drink my weight in water, eat more lettuce than Peter Cottontail and oh yeah..add yet another pinterest board entitled Paleo // Whole 30.

 

- Disclaimer - My Cheats -

1. Dash of milk in my coffee 2. Gum (the program states that gum confuses your brain and also has processed stuff) 3. Salad Dressing (I use the slightest bit on my salad and if I'm going to be consuming a ton of lettuce I'm going to need to spice it up a little) 4. Saltine crackers occasionally while I am at work...sometimes I feel like passing out if I can't sit down to eat and instead only have time for a 2 pack of crackers while I'm passing meds.

1 // I believe in a Thing called Love by The Darkness - One of my favorite songs to workout to and always reminds me of high school when I was obsessed with this song and would always request it at school dances. The middle of the song has a killer guitar solo which I would rock the air guitar during!

2 // Mambo #5 by Lou Bega - Senior dance finale song for my last recital! The costumes were great, I had a small solo part in it and the dance was tons of Latin fun! I still remember bits and pieces of the dance sequences

3 // Thriller by Michael Jackson - Halloween Halftime show in college where our dance team dressed up as zombies and perfected the exact choreography from the Thriller music video! The audience loved it and we always text each other whenever we hear the song because it brings backs so many great memories.

 

 

 

Zombies!!

 

4 // Streets Have No Name by U2 - Senior year of college Jazz routine where we got 2nd place at state and performed the routine at Nationals in Minneapolis. The choreography was amazing and intense. We cleaned this routine over and over and our hard work showed off!

 

5 // Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath - This song always reminds me of my trip to Tanzania. The lyrics describe my trip and how I was able to see through God's eyes and witness a group of people that were hurting. I often think of this song and remember how God uses us for specific works we are set out to do.

Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see