Saturday, March 8, 2014

TIGER BLOOD! March: Days 6 & 7


Well here we are, at the end of Day 7, our first full week of paleo! We are one quarter of the way there, hurrah! 

According to the Whole30 folks, days 6 & 7 are the "I just want a nap" phase, during which time your body is struggling to adjust to processing and getting energy from your new fuel sources (since it can no longer rely on the quick and easy fuels you used to give it such as grains and sugars, etc.)

I think Phil and I would say we both have felt a wee bit sleepy, but not significantly more than normal.  I think this whole time I've personally been about a half a day to a day ahead of this whole timeline... on the evening of Day 5 I passed out on the couch before dinner.  And that was about the most "I just want a nap" I have felt. 

I have noticed, however, that my workouts have felt just a tad more laborious, which makes sense. I feel a touch like I'm running through sludge.  And that's all I have to say about that. 

Yesterday, on day 6, I had the challenge of navigating spending a full day at a symposium in Denver which involved a catered lunch.  Not knowing what food would be served (but expecting it to be non-paleo friendly in some way or another), I tried to go into it as prepared as possible given I wouldn't have access to a refrigerator or microwave (and therefore many portable food options would be out of the question).  So I put together a little "paleo survival kit" for myself, to try to ensure no matter what the lunch option was I wouldn't starve...


My "survival kit" included:
  • raw broccoli
  • almonds 
  • a Lara Bar
  • an Epic Bar 
  • an orange.  
The catered lunch involved choices such as: a veggie wrap, turkey sandwich, potato chips, and brownies.  Not at all paleo friendly. So I deconstructed a turkey sandwich and MacGuyvered a lettuce wrap with turkey and tomatoes.  I know deli meat is not ideal, because it is so highly processed and likely pumped full of sugar, but I did the best with what I could.  I only ended up eating the almonds, orange, Lara Bar and half of my Epic Bar out of my kit, and while I was quite hungry when I got home, I was by no means uncomfortably ravenous. So I survived, hooray!

Day 7 has also proven to be the day I finally mastered delicious, creamy paleo coffee. I have alluded to this experiment I have embarked on many times already, and I will soon share my conclusions.  Get excited.... 



Now calm down. Imagine Zack restraining hugging you into a state of zen.

Since Phil's mom is in town, Day 7 has also involved experimenting with real-world-paleo aka eating out.  We went out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant with my parents, and we both got fajitas minus the tortillas-cheese-sourcream-etc. (similar to our day 1 dinner experiment).  We considered trying one of the more paleo-friendly restaurants in town for dinner, and did even waltz into Fresh Thymes, an all-gluten free restaurant that's known for having paleo friendly choices, but we ended up very overwhelmed by the place.  Instead of sitting down and having a chance to mull over a menu and chat with a waiter, it was more counter-style eating, and it just felt too overwhelming to deal with at the time.  We still want to try it someday, because it sounds delicious (particularly their gluten free mac-n-cheeseOMNOMNOM).  So we bailed, and hit up Whole Foods for some delicious steaks and headed home instead.  Never did I think I'd see the day that I'd willingly opt out of eating out in lieu of cooking at home. That's paleo, for ya, apparently.

On to week 2!!


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