Paleo: What I Hunt and Gather

Happy Monday Everyone!  I love Mondays.  It's a shiny new week and the chance to make some great changes in your life.  I mean, sure if you are a big fan of any of the other days of the week, that's awesome too...it's just for me, I can implement changes better if they happen on a dedicated day.  For me, that's always been Monday.

The 10th of the Month is always important to me now.  It's the day of my monthly comparison photos after making this whole Paleo Lifestyle change.  I have learned to not rely on a scale to decide how much progress I am making towards gaining health and wellness.  I am more of a visual person.  It is what works for me.

As of this past Saturday, I have lost 73.8 pounds and have dropped 10 sizes since April 28, 2013.  I have lost countless inches and have gained so much of my health back.  It truly amazes me.  I am forever grateful to those who have helped guide me and be there for me as I re-educated myself about nutrition and learning the principles of a Paleo Lifestyle.

If you are just starting out with Paleo or are thinking this might be something that you want to try, I am whole heartedly behind you!  I not only want to be an example of what can happen, but to help guide people through the first month because it can be daunting.  You will need to do lots of research, you will make lists, you will be confused...I understand all that because I was once at that place.  I was just learning how to get through a day like a toddler taking his first steps.

I'm not gonna lie...that first week was HARD, but I got through it.  You will, too.

Thinking back to the beginning of Paleo for me (3.5 short months ago), I remember eating a lot of grilled chicken breast, bacon and eggs, stir fried meats, vegetables and some fruit.  As I became more comfortable with the "cans and cannots" of a Paleo Lifestyle, I slowly added in more and more nutrient rich foods to my daily repertoire.  I was learning.

Learning is good for you.  It makes you more responsible for your own success.  It gives you accountability and honestly you will need that mind frame for your own journey.

What Does My Plate Look Like?

Look at this example from Fit Bomb DOT com (great site, by the way).  It's broken up into two halves. This is how I eat literally every meal.  This is how I think....this is how I get the results above.

Meat/Protein and Vegetables

There is no weighing portions or counting calories.  I eat until I am full.  Some meals I eat more than others, but that depends on my physical activity level or my hormone levels.  I eat to fuel my engine.  Pretty simple.

Breakfast Selections include: Eggs, Avocado, Bacon, Sausage, Beef Steak, Paleo "cereal" with Almond or Coconut Milk, Bulletproof Coffee, Dinner from the night before, sauteed spinach or other greens, or a Kale/Berry Smoothie.

If I am hungry for lunch (which I never am) I might make Turkey or Chicken Roll Ups on Crisp Romaine, a fresh salad with chicken or tuna crumbles and a Paleo Dressing that I make, a bun free burger, or I just nibble out of my garden.

Big Point Here, Peeps....I only eat when I am hungry.  I listen to what my body is telling me.  I don't base my food decisions on a clock.  Just because it's noon, it does not mean I must shove something into my mouth.  This has been the most freeing concept to me. 

Dinner is once again choosing a protein source and lots of vegetables.  I keep things real simple.  This is also when I have my fruit for the day.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I eat only one serving of fruit each day to maximize my health plan.

I choose from berries, melon, and other high water weight fruits.

I do not snack.  Ever.  Just because nuts and fruit is listed as acceptable does it mean that you can go hog wild and eat a bunch if weight loss is your primary health goal.

They are "treats".

This IS the way I eat now, Monday through Friday.  Because I have some time put into this lifestyle, I do eat a little more liberally on Saturday and Sunday.  These are the days I allow for a more "Primal" diet.  I increase my carbohydrates and good starches on these days to include more fruit, full fat/grass fed dairy, Paleo approved adult beverages, snacking on Pork Rinds, and sweet potatoes.

I love it like this because after working hard all week on my nutritional needs I always can look forward to some wiggle room and relaxing things a bit.

When a new Monday rolls around, I am right back to the strict Paleo plan.  This is what the 80/20 rule is.  It is not living Paleo 5 days a week and then going back to a Standard American Diet on the weekends.  That is counter productive and will get you no where.

A cheat day is not having a couple slices of pizza, french fried potatoes, or commercial ice cream.

Wrong!

It's really pretty simple, it just seems complicated because as a world we have been taught some pretty convoluted thoughts on what is acceptable to put in our mouths.

Simplify your food and it will simplify your life.

What about ALL those Paleo/Gluten Free treats that you see on Pinterest and Facebook?  They are just that...TREATS.  These are meant to be eaten once in a great while if you are looking for weight loss.  At this point, my brain is just not ready for replacements of the things that got me to 300 pounds.  I do not need them, nor do I want them.

My body and brain crave REAL food in the form of meat and vegetables.  Boring?  Hell no.  I have never been more excited about food in my life.

High Fat/Low Carbohydrate is where I wanna be.

We have bacon...

~
This is Home Girl and I'm forever a Cave Girl.  Nothing can stop me now.

Please feel free to join me on this journey at Living In The Paleo's Paradise!  If you ever have questions or I can help "Pay It Paleo Forward", do not hesitate to shoot me a message.  Please know, you are never alone.

Need more inspiration?  "Like" The Paleo Miracle on Facebook and read about other incredible transformations!!

Things Paleo Doesn't Fix

I have now been living a Paleo Lifestyle for more than 3 solid months.  The first 60 days were strict, no "cheating", hard core Paleo eating.  After I had become firmly entrenched in the diet by detoxing off sugar, wheat, other bad grains, beans, and other allergen causing foods, I then added back in full fat dairy for two days a week.  This is what we call "Primal".

Now, I use the 80/20 rule where I eat Paleo for 5 days and then more primally for 2 days.  I live for my grass fed cheese and organic heavy cream.  I also increase my carbohydrates on those days to include one more serving of fruit or some sweet potatoes.  This is what works best for me.

I am happy to report that I love it.  I absolutely adore eating and living this way.  It's like something finally clicked for me.  This is the way my body has been wanting to eat all the time.  I just wasn't listening.

I was too busy shoving crap into my mouth and living under the delusion that it was okay.  I never really understood the connection between health/wellness and food.

Over the last three months, I have learned the difference very well.

Last night, I was watching Extreme Weight Loss with Chris Powell, where transformation stories are told every week.  There was a part of the show where Chris went off his clean eating plan and ate junk and crap food for one whole day to show the client what effects poor food choices can have on you.  He could barely make it through half the day after eating McDonalds, Donuts, sodas, and then more McDonalds.  Very similar to the story of Fit, Fat, Fit who also did a cameo appearance on the show.  After consuming all those bad calories and toxins, Chris had to go lay down because he felt like he had the flu.

This was not a staged stunt.  It happens.  In real life.  I know that if I were to go back to eating a traditional Standard American Diet (SAD), I would experience the same effects.

A month into my Paleo journey, I was caught in an emergency food situation and the only choice I had was eating a Pop Tart or going hungry.  I should have chose to fast, but I ate the damn Pop Tart.

It made me so sick within an hour that I was forced to go home and get into bed.

I never made that mistake again.

Grilled Chicken Breast with Butter Sauteed Vegetables and Sauerkraut 

The positive changes that Paleo has provided me far out weigh any reason for eating something processed or on my allergen food list.

Paleo has given me:

healthy hair and nails
gorgeous skin
natural tan without using sunscreen
vitality
energy
better joint mobility
loss of fat and increased muscle mass
great sleep schedule
mood stability
resolved health issues like blood sugar, blood pressure, heart health, and chronic pain
want for simplicity
need for being outdoors
and lastly....
weight loss.

Paleo BBQ'd Beef Ribs with butter fried Green Beans and Smithfield Ham Bits

Did you notice that I said, weight loss last.  Honestly, a Paleo diet has changed my life so much for the better, by the way I feel, that I really am not obsessed with numbers on a scale any more.  There is no magical number I am hoping to achieve.  I don't weigh myself obsessively.  I know where I started and although I do weigh on my monthly anniversary to get a more complete picture of my progress, it is not the biggest indication of my achievement.  To me, I see the most in my monthly update photos and by how loose my clothes are fitting.

In three more days, I unveil my 3 month comparison.  I'm completely happy with where my life is headed.

There are good days and there are bad days.  Just because it's Paleo, it's still called life.

Bacon Veggie Omelet with Fresh Sliced Oranges

There are things that Paleo does not fix, as hard as is it to believe, but I am working on it.  I try to spend as much time fixing my thinking as I do about learning real nutrition skills.

I am a work in progress.

Paleo Does Not Fix:

Stupid
Introversion
Weather, although this is the FIRST Summer I have loved in a long time because Paleo's are more heat tolerant.
Financial Problems
Bones
Osteo-arthritis Damage
Frustrations
or
Problems

Paleo is however, showing me a different way to seek solutions.  To seek happiness and self love.  To be absolutely okay right where I am currently.

I get excited when my life becomes a little unsettled because that is usually when something really awesome is getting ready to happen.

I really like awesome.

This is Home Girl.  Paleo.  No Fear/No Excuses

Paleo Chicken Salad and Other Musings On a Sunday Morning

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, then you will already know that I am self-proclaimed Chicken Salad Snob.  Before the big Paleo Lifestyle change in my diet, I had perfected a Chicken Salad recipe that was my pride and joy...it had become the favorite of several other people too.  

There is nothing more pleasing in life than a well crafted Chicken Salad.  

You can imagine my fear that I would have to give it up completely, because I had convinced myself that it would never be the same without my beloved Dukes or Hellmann's Mayonnaise.  

Unfortunately, the makers of Dukes and Hellmann's both utilize GMO and Non-Paleo ingredients in the preparation of their products.  The main offenders are Soybean Oil (will kill you), Oleo resin (plant based oils and resin extracted from Pine or Fir trees), and Calcium Di-sodium ETDA (which believe it or not, is used to dissolve Limescale).  Yeah, I don't want bathroom cleaner in my food.  

To resolve the situation, because there is no way I can live without a good Chicken Salad, I had to create a palatable version that was made with real, whole foods.  

True to my standards, I hit the proverbial nail on the head.  

~

First things first.  You have to get over your fear and make your own mayonnaise.  It's really not that hard.  In less than 5 minutes, I can have more than enough "Paleo" mayonnaise to make not only a huge bowl of this loveliness, but a few salad dressings or condiments for that bacon burger you have been craving.  

I am not going to go into "how" to make Paleo Mayo because it's that easy and there are already 14 gazillion recipes out there for it.  The only thing I will add is that when it says to drizzle the oil in SLOWLY, that you MUST do that.  You are making a suspended emulsion....unless you have an immersion blender, then disregard the slow drizzle, my shnizzle, and just add all the ingredients at one time and just go for it.  

Here is the link for the one I feel is the best.  I experiment with different oils.  Sometimes I use Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, or I get really gangsta and use bacon grease.  I just love me some Nom Nom Paleo.  Her shit's on point.

Okay, so now your mayonnaise is chillin' in the fridge. Avoid eating it right off the spoon...although you totally could and it would be fine.       

Next, let's make Chicken Salad.  

Here's what you'll need:

~I used two HUGE chicken breasts that I had baked for about 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven.  You can season it any way you want.  Then cool and rough chop.
~1 cup chopped celery.
~1 cup chopped onion.  (I used Red Onion for this batch)
~1 teaspoon minced garlic.
~Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste.  Not too much, not to little.
~1 cup Paleo Mayo whisked with 1/4 cup cool water.
***Sometimes I get adventurous and add in some chopped pepperoncini, green pepper, chopped bacon, diced grapes, chopped apples.

Mix up and chill in the fridge until you are ready to devour it.  Give all the flavors a chance to become friends.  It'll be more of a party for your mouth if you can do that.

It makes a perfect accompaniment for these baby girls, right down here.  I grew them in my garden.  I know, be jealous.

I grow a lot of our food.  It's like printing your own money.  

In fact, I need to get outside and harvest some goodies this morning.  

I wanted to add that I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Stacy and Matt from Paleo Parents yesterday at their book signing for "Beyond Bacon" at Whole Foods in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  It was an honor.  Their book is stunning, chock full of awesome recipes, and they dispel the myths revolving around the fact that most people believe that pork is bad for you.  It's not.  Get your own copy.  You will be so glad that you did.  It's not only great food porn, it's a classy and enjoyable read.

This is Home Girl and I'm off to enjoy my Sunday.  I hope you have a great day.  If you want to follow me on Facebook, please feel free to join me there.  

I have three month comparison pictures coming up on August 10th.  You don't want to miss that!

Stay Gangsta....

Home Girl

How in The Heck Did I Get Here??

Paleo Lifestyle...Caveman Diet...Eating Clean...

Who am I and where did "Home Girl" go?

It's no secret that I am a "Foodie".   According to the Urban Dictionary (because you know that's the best source to find out what shit means), a "Foodie" is a person that spends a keen amount of attention and energy on knowing the ingredients of food, the proper preparation of food, and finds great enjoyment in top-notch ingredients and exemplary preparation. A foodie is not necessarily a food snob, only enjoying delicacies and/or food items difficult to obtain and/or expensive foods; though, that is a variety of foodie.

Or more simple put...a "Foodie" loves to eat.  

My Daddy was one before the phrase was even coined.  He gave me a deep love and appreciation of all things cuisine.  Unbeknownst to him, he also passed down to me a severe allergy or more rightly called an intolerance of one of the major components of our diet.  

Wheat Gluten.  

No, I do not have Celiac's Disease.  That is a whole different ball of wax, but unfortunately gluten intolerance can be just as destructive and equally debilitating.  (Read this shit, yo)

I have always been a thick Home Girl.  I had junk in the trunk and it was well packed.  I have struggled with my weight for what has seemed like forever.  Up and Down, Up and Down, Success and Failure, a friggin' roller coaster.  I thought this was the only way.  It was either Feast or Famine.

I blamed my weight on genetics, on a slow metabolism, on me not working out, on finances.

Because the USDA guidelines state that I should eat a low fat diet that includes 6-8 servings of grains a day, I tried to follow as closely as possible, but the weight would not stay off and with each sizable loss, I would quickly gain it all back and more.

Just like most Americans.

I ate crappy and my health just kept on deteriorating.  I could not explain it...or maybe it was the fact that I refused to understand what was really going on in my body.  My vehicle.  My car.

Realize this:  most Americans, scratch that,  MOST PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, would rather put high quality gasoline and oil into their cars and crap into their mouths.  How convoluted is that concept?

By the time I was 49, I was experiencing some serious health consequences.  I was having TIA stroke symptoms on a daily basis, I had numbness and pain on my left side, I could not walk for more than 10 steps without being breathless, I dealt with chronic joint pain and swelling...I was figgin' miserable and a part of me knew that death was knocking on my door.

Loudly Rapping....like the ATF on a drug dealers house.

I didn't have health insurance (like most everyone else) and now I see that as a blessing, because when faced with this decision whether to live or die, I had to quickly choose a different solution.

Home Girl pushing close to 300 Pounds before "Waking Up"

Call it an intervention from God or whatever, but two very special women (Mama and Miss A) spoke gently to me and told me there was something that could save my life.  They called it Paleo.  

They took me by the hand and walked me through changing my life.  I ditched the wheat, white sugar, and all other allergen food sources. I went cold turkey.  It hit it hard.  

I refused to let what I was putting into "my car" be the determining factor on the legacy I was leaving for myself and my children.  

I was determined to do everything I could to ensure I was around for my kids and future grandchildren.  

I have now been living Paleo for 11 weeks and my life has changed in so many ways.  Yes, the weight loss is dramatic, but it only proves that I should have been fueling myself with healthy choices all along.

I have gone from a size 24-26 to a 16-18 and am getting ready to move down yet another size.  My health problems are slowly resolving.  It will be a long road, but I finally feel that the GPS is reset and I know where I'm going.

There is nothing that can or will stop me from achieving my health goals.

Living Paleo has given me the gift of life again.

Am I still a Foodie?  Oh, most definitely, it's just that now I'm cooking with fresh, mostly organic, REAL food.  There's super high test fuel in my sports car.

I need it so I can race on the Monster Mile Track.

~
This is Home Girl and nothing can stop me...