Paleo progress-day 30

And we're back! Back with a 30 day report. I'll be honest and admit that I wasn't sure that I would make it this far, at least that was my opinion in week one.  So to just know that I actually stuck with this  paleo concept...that's pretty cool to me. 

Let's get to the humiliating pictures, shall we?

                       

Starting on day 10 and ending on 30, you can watch my progress. Taking these photos has been a huge sense of encouragement and motivation. When I'm tempted to eat something bad, I remind myself that I have a picture to take in 3 days. And I like seeing progress, so temptation avoided. 

I would say at this point, I've scratched the surface and have quite a bit more work to do. What needs to be added into the lifestyle change is a more aggressive workout schedule. I need someone to kick me out of the nest on that one!! 

All in all, day 30 is exactly what I envisioned: a semi noticeable change with a passion for staying on track. I will go ahead and put it out there that I am celebrating this milstone tomorrow with a friend with a slice of pizza from my favorite place ever. I've thought it though this whole time and really planned for this, so as much guilt that will come with that meal, I'm gonna treat myself. From what I'm told, I'll probably quickly regret it because my body isn't used to dairy and flour. But I think that will actually help keep me on track. Not that I'm a masochist, but I kinda hope it isn't as enjoyable as it used to be. That way I don't daydream about food that is off limits.

A common question I get is, what if you just don't want to cook and want to get something quickly? This is a challenge, but its totally doable. Aside from planning meals in advance, there are healthy options that make an easy grab and go meal. Take Whole Foods, for example. Go to their salad and hot bar. You already know everything is organic, so you're already doing better than a publix sub! But be careful what you pick. Just because its from Whole Foods, doesn't mean it's actually healthy and clean. So what do you pick?

                     

Go for the stuff with color that looks simple. 

Avoid all the premixed macaroni salads, etc.  Those are loaded with the bad stuff. 

Load up on those fresh veggies like that cucumber and tomato mix you see above. 

Read the labels. If it it's drowned in butter, it doesn't matter how much grass that cow ate, those beef tips don't belong on your plate. 

Remember, your eyes are always bigger than you stomach, so choose wisely and slowly. 

Keep in mind what you have eaten prior to that meal. Maybe you need a bit more protein or perhaps you really need more natural fiber.

                                   

And keep in mind, cooking paleo style doesn't mean you have to make elaborate meals. It can be as simple as a bunch of chopped veggies like squash, zucchini, red and green bell peppers- all tossed in a smidge of olive oil, sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper and some freshly minced garlic. Throw these in the oven covered with foil and pull them out about 30 minutes later while they're still crunchy. This is literally five min prep time to do several meals.

                             

I also baked some type of lean meat each night to serve with whatever fruits and veggies I have on hand. The secret I've found is  cooking twice as much  as I plan on eating for dinner. That way, as I'm cleaning up, I pack a plate for lunch the next day. And them  throw whatever meat I plan of cooking the next day straight from the freezer to the fridge. 30 minutes in the kitchen a day for fresh meals. It's that easy!