Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Food Overhaul

Last week I made homemade caramels - some sprinkled with coarse sea salt and some plain.  They were the tastiest morsels of buttery, creamy goodness ever.  To test my candy making skills further, I made homemade gourmet vanilla marshmallows the very next day.  Then I decided I couldn't have s'mores made with gourmet marshmallows on ho-hum graham crackers from the grocery store, so I whipped up a batch of those too.   I ate to my heart (and tummy's) content.  THEN I got on the scale. We won't say how much weight I've gained since last time this year.  It's so easy to hide behind thick sweaters and coats during the winter, but when the weather warms up and the clothes start to come off, well, let's just say it's not a pretty sight if you've been eating comfort food for 4 straight months.  In anticipation of our beach vacay coming up next month, CD and I have decided to do a MAJOR food overhaul.  I won't say diet, because I don't do diets well.  Really.  If I'm told not to eat something, then that is all I crave until eventually I give in, feel guilty and give up.  I'm calling it a food overhaul, but it's also known as the Paleo Diet which is especially really big right now with hardcore Crossfit fans.  Essentially it's a "diet" meant to mimic the way that our ancient ancestors used to eat - no sugar, no carb, no dairy, high protein, and lots of veggies and fruits.  And supposedly it helps the body to avoid debiltating diseases like cancer, Alzheimers, Parkinson's, and Diabetes - I don't know how much truth there is to that, but it doesn't hurt to eat better anyways.  We're following the Paleo guidelines pretty closely - we're definitely doing lots of lean protein, veggies and fruits, but we're not cutting out the dairy. When it comes to sugar and carbs, we're trying to stay away from those as much as possible too, but I refuse to go hardcore on this because sugar and carbs are my weakness.  I'm a carb-a-holic and a chocaholic -  if I don't outright ban them, it's easier for me to limit them. It's hard to replace the bread with salad, and it's even harder to walk by the pantry without reaching in for one of the delicious caramels taunting me from inside their jar...BUT...I've been doing well. Somehow I lost 3 pounds this week.  I'm not sure how that happened - we're not counting fat or calories and I've still got a bruised rib, so I haven't been able to work out quiet yet.  I'll give it another month and see if I notice any more changes in weight or an increase in energy - which I'll really need since school will be out and I'll have three crazy ones at home ALL day.  If you're interested in the Paleo diet, below are a few websites to check out. CD ordered cookbooks as well, but I don't think you need them since there is quiet a few recipes on line.  The only thing you need is more cash - fresh fruits, veggies and meat is expensivo!

http://thepaleodiet.com/
http://www.earth360.com/diet_paleodiet_balzer.html
http://paleomama.com/

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