Summer!

I think one of the greatest things about Paleo nutrition is taking advantage of seasonal foods. Melon, is SO much better in the summer, don't you think?

I have been experimenting on myself a lot the last few weeks, and I think I am on to something. Following the Whole30 challenge didn't do much for me, unfortunately. I even gave up dairy to no avail. I suspect that it had something to do with the calories I was consuming. It is very easy (for me at least) to overeat protein and fat. I was keeping my calories to between 1700 and 1800 calories a day which is what my doctor said should work for me for easy weight loss. I was also walking about 4 miles a day. As a result, I gained about four pounds. This was really stressing me out, so I did something that really helped.

One thing I noticed during the Whole30 experiment was that I was ravenous most of the time even though I was eating a fairly low carbohydrate diet. Afterwards, I felt that I needed to get my appetite under control, so I spent two weeks fasting. It wasn't a complete fast, I ate about two meals each evening, and I did have coffee (with a little cream) in the mornings. I would get home after work, and have a snack, then do my 4 mile walk, then eat dinner. I ate as much as I wanted, and discovered that the calories I consumed rarely went over about 1600 calories. After two weeks of this, I started eating more regularly, but fewer calories--I wanted to keep my appetite small so that hunger would not overcome me and derail me.

I have been following Cordain's Paleo Diet guidelines pretty closely for the past week. I do have 2 T. of half and half (organic, no additives, unfortunately not raw though...) each morning with my coffee (2 cups, 8 oz. each)

I had breakfast several days this week--one or two poached eggs with steamed/stir-fried vegetables (mushrooms, onion, zucchini, cooked with no fat). Lunch was a chopped salad with celery, cucumber, tomato, green onion, sweet pepper, and chicken breast, dressed with 1 tsp olive oil, and 1 T. balsamic vinegar. Dinner has varied, but has been a mixture of meat and veggies with avocado mostly, and fruit for dessert. On Wednesday I went to my cousin's for dinner, and so that day I skipped food all day, and ate what she made me for dinner--Caesar salad with avocado, ice cream for dessert and three glasses of wine. Thursday I ate breakfast and lunch, and Friday and Saturday I fasted until dinner. So, as you can see, I am mixing it up--not being very consistent--and it seems to be paying off.

I have been slowly losing those four pounds I gained back, I have been spending very little money on food, and I have been able to socialize without feeling like I will lose control. I have noticed that I have been eating far fewer calories than before. One day I had to struggle to get to 1500. I am doing "phase one" of Cordain's paleo diet, which allows me to have three "open" meals per week. I am not using these as "cheat meals" really, but rather I am trying to restrict especially fatty meals, high fruit consumption, or non-paleo meals to these open meals.

I am only drinking wine during my open meals, and usually on those days I fast until dinner. I am slowly coming to terms with how my body reacts to food. Today I had a large breakfast of two eggs, and two slices of bacon, and am going to skip lunch and have a light vegetable-heavy dinner with some melon for dessert. I feel good. I feel like I am finally getting to the point where I control my body and my appetite, rather than feeling like it controls me.