Paleo style eating

I've long been a believer that whole foods in their natural state are the best for you.

The less processing the better. Eg: cold pressed oils, whole fruits and veggies, free range hormone free meat, eggs and wild fish, soaked wholegrains, rice and nuts, limited amounts of natural sugars like honey, molasses and palm sugar, raw or at least unpasturised milk, butter, cream and cheeses.

I've taken on board the nutritional guidelines from the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Paleolithic diet. And since almost cutting out sugar completely, I have been feeling so much better! More energy, less moody and I'm sleeping very well. The first few days were hell on earth, but I'm determined to do the best thing for my health.

My rule of thumb is: KEEP IT SIMPLE and eat as little grains and sugars as possible. At the moment I'm being very strict, I'm having one apple a day only and no wine, no bread, no fruit... you get the idea. LOTS of veggies and protein, with some fats on top for satiety. Feel great and the sugar cravings are becoming less each day. Goodbye Candida, headaches and tiredness!

I’ve just started weight training again after about four weeks break (slap!) and am loving it. I’m going to be doing two sessions a week again and I’m really looking forward to it now I’m sleeping better and have more energy.

In September the company I work for is moving into our new office which is only 3kms from my house. I’m planning on riding my bike to and from work each day (how very French) which will make 4 days biking in total (ooh and 24kms). So between the weights and the biking I should get pretty fit (and save petrol)! It means I can skip my lunch hour walks and use the time for relaxing over my lunch and unwinding, instead of scarfing it down and rushing to the park! I’m still going to be doing that until we move, but hey, there’s only so many hours in the day and I’ve got to find time to move it. Right now, there is no way I’m getting up in the dark! Dark is for sleeping right?

Food and mood

Well I have to report that my IF experiment didn't go too well. If anything, it has fuelled my food anxieties and started pushing me backwards into the realm of ana. So here I am, over 30 days later struggling to regain sanity. It didn't help me reach my goals and improve my health, it made me obsess all over again.

The whole point of this blog was to prove that I'm bigger than this, I can let go of all my food fears and reach a place where I'm happy with who I am and well enough to deal with life's hurdles, not go diving for cover in the safety of an eating disorder!

So I've taken positive steps towards a complete about-face. I've been seeing my naturopath and she's got me on B12, 5-HTP, cod liver oil, chromium, glutamine, zinc and magnesium to help with my anxiety, insomnia and depression which seem to be working... thank goodness. I feel like I'm constantly popping pills! But I'll do anything to feel better. She's also got me on a muscle building diet (so I can lose fat and tone up easier) eating 3 meals a day plus snacks to help me regulate my hormones, which will help my anxieties and moods. NO SUGAR (arrrgh it's killing me), no grains or alcohol for the time being... at least until I start sleeping and feeling better. Here's a sample of my daily diet mostly protein and veggies:

Brekky: 2 whole eggs (scrambled) and tomato or eggplant
Snack: Handful of nuts
Lunch: Fish and big salad
Snack: Handful of nuts
Dinner: A Protein and steamed or stir-fried veggies
Dessert: Baked apple with natural yogurt or cream

I was VERY SURPRISED I haven't gained eating this way and it's triple the calories I was eating! At first it felt like a lot of food but I'm getting used to eating more, I'm trying so hard not to be negative about food and weight. I've stopped weighing myself because my naturopath does body fat analysis with a special machine, so as long as I see muscle mass go up and fat mass go down, I'll be happy. At the moment I'm 22% fat which is under optimal by 2kgs, but the worst part is I'm under on muscle mass by 4kgs!!! Gotta fix that or I'll end up weak, sick and with osteoporosis!

My next visit is in a couple of weeks so I'll fill you in on how things go, I'm really trying hard not to stress out about this, treating myself gently. I'm barely able to just get through each day right now! I still want to lose weight but I can't risk my health anymore. I'm hoping I can reach my goals in a wholesome way. As long as I get somewhere close to my weight when I was 20 (around 56kg), even if I never reach my goal weight, I want to be able to accept myself the way I am.

That's only about 7kg total, quite doable. If things don't change soon though, I'll go crazy! It's a fat loss diet I'm on, that has worked for hundreds of people of all ages, so I'm confident if I keep with it SOMETHING will change. I hate being ruled by food and obsessing about every single thing that goes in my mouth. I hate having a one track mind, like there's nothing else in the world to think about! I'm not creative, I'm bitchy, I'm anxious, depressed, an emotional wreck that can't cope with life... that is NOT ME!

So, fingers crossed... hope everyone out there is doing better than me and achieving their health and fitness goals. If you have any advice or encouragement it would be much appreciated.

IF Challenge Day 2

Oh yeah! How great do I feel today?

I decided to do 15 hour daily fasts during the week with the weekends off. So that means daily dinner Mon - Fri, with 'up' or high calorie days on the weekend. Got and hour walk in today and yesterday.

Dinner is Swordfish, salad, avocado, raspberries and yoghurt. Mmmm.

Starting to think this is a very achievable goal.

Intermittent Fasting

There's been a lot of talk about Intermittent Fasting.

In a nutshell you just alternate eating days. The plan combines the benefits of fasting (better insulin response, detoxifying waste tissues and metabolising fat) with a Paleo-style eating plan. Check here for IF and here for the Paleo low down.

I'll be doing a 30 day challenge over at The IF Life, and posting my progress here. I've let my nutrition go of late and am going to snap back into my old healthy habits. I could also use a kick in the pants to get my exercise happening more regularly. I'm using this month to refresh and refocus.

Here are my goals for the 30 days.
1. Lose a few kilograms and gain some muscle tone back
2. Walk an hour each day and do a weights session twice a week
3. Treat my body with respect and give it HQ nutrition
4. Increase my cardio fitness to the point where I can easily run 2kms at full speed (not a big deal I know, but huge for me! I'm strong, but unfit.)
5. Feel more energised!

There seems to be a number of different intermittent fasting regimens that work well. I'll be setting up my cutoff time at 7pm. On the day I start, I'll eat until 7pm, then fast until 7pm the next day. On the next day I'll eat supper right after 7pm and breakfast and lunch (and a few snacks) the next day, until 7pm when I start fasting again.

The advantage of this regimen is that I'll be able to eat every day. One day I'll eat supper–the next day breakfast and lunch. On no days will I abstain entirely from food. This plan looks like it will work the best for me.

The method may seem a bit confusing at first. To summarize:

Day 1: eat bf & lunch (eat before 7pm)
Day 2: eat dinner (start eating after 7pm)
Day 3: eat bf & lunch (eat before 7pm)
Day 4: just like day 2... & repeat....

So basically it goes like this - / dinner-lunch-breakfast / fast / dinner-lunch-breakfast / fast /
Simple.

I've taken some before snaps to help keep me motivated and I will post them here when I complete the challenge.If anyone wants to join me, feel free to comment and I'll buddy up with you!

Pro-Ana Fairytale

Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time there was a healthy young girl who lived a perfectly happy life.

One day, while walking through the forest of glossies she spied a magazine. This magazine was a special magazine. It told her magical secrets. It told her that she could become the most beautiful princess in the land. Inside its pages shone a magic apple.

This apple was called "The Apple of Perfection". It was shiny and delicious, it made you stare. Crunchy, sweet and tempting, the girl took the apple to discover it's secrets and become a beautiful princess.

Little did she know, the apple was cursed. "Whomever shall eat The Apple of Perfection and seek to become a princess shall suffer a thousand years of torment. They shall be cursed with the burden of unworthiness, the horror of the scale and the dagger of hunger. Every flaw will be magnified to such an extent that only the flaws will remain. Few are the ones strong enough to break the curse, for they must seek the chalice of contentment, which lies beyond the valley of self-hatred."

Slowly the girl changed. Where once was a healthy glow, now was a veil of pallor. Where there was vitality only bones protruded.

Lost in a fog of darkness and despair, a light suddenly flashed forth!

"Young girl! Why are you crying?"

"Because I am mud. I am nothing."

"Hush! You must now listen. You are loved. You are more than your outward appearance. Look inside yourself and see the girl you once were. You are a good person."

The girl opened her eyes. She saw the ravages of The Apple. She remembered how long ago she would run on the sand of the beach and laugh over coffee with friends. Where was that girl now? Who was this shadow of herself that remained?

Standing up she lit a torch. Placing the burning ember on the mountains of media entombing her she cried...

"No more! Never will I believe in The Apple again! I was born as I am, nothing can change that! From this day forward I vow to be content with what I was given. A strong body that will serve me well all the years of my life. A focused mind that can overcome the most insurmountable obstacles. A face that can smile, laugh and tell my story. I am me."

As the flames roared behind her, finally the girl began to smile.

Little 'ol Me...?

Hey there cyber peeps! I'm no longer a virgin! In blog terms that is... This is my very first post, how exciting!

So you are probably wondering:

1. Who is this chick?
2. What is she on about?
3. Where does she come from?
4. Why is she so annoying?
5. How do I be more like her?

Well, the answers my friends are simple.

I'm a self-confessed OCD foodie who has a penchant for dried figs and 80% dark chocolate..... (drools)

I'm out to change the world, one plate at a time! I want people to find real answers to diet and nutrition questions in the fog of media hype. I want YOU to help me find that truth.

From Queensland, Australia, but no slinging off at Aussies! Lived here my whole life, love it.

Annoying, hang on, did I miss something? I thought I was interesting and engaging. If you think I'm annoying better not read any of my posts, they'll only get worse.

The only way you're going to be more like me is practice. Lots of practice.