Hungry for processed foods

The Paleo bunch (and Pushmore bunch) are a positive bunch, I've gotta give them that. That's always lots of optimism and good spirit going around.

Even on this Paleo diet, everyone have been raving about how great it is. But lets talk about some harsh realities around the Paleo diet...

Here's a round up of the bad, the good and the future.

Why it's getting harder

1. Eating out Paleo style is expensive because I have to order side dishes. On an average, it costs me over RM20 per meal in a foodcourt to have fish and vegs.
2. Cooking at home is time consuming (it's fun, but takes a lot of time). Not just the act of cooking, but buying stuff and cleaning up.
3. Grocery shopping is tough. All the processed food looks so delicious and EASY to make.
4. Feeling full on Paleo (plus being fishytarian) is tough. I have to eat almost every 2 hours to keep hunger pangs away. Now, that's a lot of jaw work going on.
5. My dates have been pretty depressing. The Boyfriend will guest blog about it soon.
6. It's getting harder because it has been 13 days and there are 17 more days to go...

Why it's good

1. Never feeling the terrible sleepy and lethargic feeling after a carb load
2. Discovering new fruits as I try to diversify my meals/snacks.
3. Learning how to cook lots and lots of things (steam fish, fried fish, baked fish, lotus root, pumpkin), since eating out is so tough.
4. Feeling great motivation during workouts to do better.
5. Feeling great during workouts.
6. I think I'm getting a waist. Watch out, dangerous curves ahead!!

The big question

The big question we Paleo Pals have been asking each other is - can we keep this up after 30 days?

On good days I think after going through all this, it seems like a waste to go back to grains and start from scratch.

On bad days I think, OMG I WANT SOME DAMN DEEP FRIED GRAINS!! RICE, BREAD, MILK, SOYMILK, YOGURT friggin hell gimme all of it!!!!!!

Some say, stay Paleo but have cheat days such as over the weekend where we can eat crap. I think doing that would be harder than this 30 days challenge cause it would feel like starting over every time after the cheat days.

Oh well, we have 17 more days to ponder about this.

Anyway, here are some pictures to leave you with, from the first weekend going Paleo - I cleaned up my kitchen, putting the non-Paleo stuff out of sight and making space for fresh fruits and vegetables.

BEFORE

AFTER. Note how the instant coffee mixes are on the top shelf now.

Hello happy paleo food...