Friday, September 30, 2011

Plans for next month

I'm hoping for great news when I weigh myself tomorrow morning, but however it goes, I'm not sure I truly did this Paleo experiment justice. First of all, I was extremely sedentary the whole month. I did go on a yoga kick where I attended classes for six days in a row, and I've gone on a few walks, but really, in between, I've done nothing but sit at the computer. Secondly, I think I ate way too many nuts. The more I read about them, the more I see that they're really not all that great for you. Plus they can be used to make sneaky fake-carb, easy-to-overeat, dessert-type items (like the yummy banana bread I made today and have already eaten half a loaf of).

So I'm giving these dietary changes at least another month to work their magic, hopefully with a more balanced diet and some more moving around. For October, though, I'm going to switch things up a bit to more of a primal style of eating, and also make some adjustments that seem reasonable and convenient for me. Here's what's in and what's out:

  • Grains: Mostly out. Okay, I'm convinced that grains are evil, but I'm going to make an exception for quinoa, partly because I went on a quinoa kick a while back and bought a ton of it that I need to eat up. But also partly because it seems to be a reasonably healthy grain, especially if soaked overnight before eating. And it's high in protein.
  • Legumes: Out. I don't think they're horrible, but they're carbs, and I don't even like them that much.
  • Dairy: In, in moderation. I think eating a bit of dairy (for example in a decent homemade ranch dressing) will actually make it easier for me to eat more vegetables. I don't plan on going crazy with it, but since I've never had any intolerance that I know of, and because I really like it, it's back in for now. Let's see if I can handle moderation in one area of my life.
  • Sugar: Mostly out. This is pretty much a no-brainer, but I'm going to make one exception. Dark chocolate is good for you, I love it, and it has a bit of sugar. (I have built-in moderation on this, because my husband is already in charge of doling out the dark chocolate squares.)
  • Potatoes: In. They are not all that nutritious, but they are certainly natural, and I don't think they do any harm. My not eating potatoes actually causes major inconveniences to my kids, because they love my husband's beef stew and my mashed potatoes and cauliflower.
  • Soy: Out. The only soy I remotely missed was soy sauce, and coconut aminos are a perfect substitute, so no problem there.
I think I can easily do one more month with zero cheating, and then I'll see if I have the willpower to transition to a 90% primal diet. Odd that 90% is probably going to be harder than 100%, but there it is.

So that's the plan. Did I forget anything?

3 comments:

  1. a couple of thoughts ...

    legumes, 1/2cup/day can really take the edge off if you find you are STARVING. I find lentils or chickpeas way easier to eat than beans.

    potatoes, actually have the same insulin spike as plain white sugar. just sayin'.

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  2. OK, Jen, I defer to your superior knowledge of potatoes and will reserve them for pre-workout. Still don't care much for legumes.

    I love that I'm debating the nutritional merits of beans and potatoes rather than, say, having a second slice of pie.

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  3. wait'll you start getting po'd at yourself for craving then overeating kale chips. oh. right. not so much on the kale chips. ;)

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