Killing the Conscious Effort in 30-days

(Girly) Growing pains

When I was young, I thought life ends when I hit 20. I'd be ancient years old and there will be nothing to look forward to anymore except going through the motions of life and then die...

Boy was I wrong. Life started when I hit 20 because that's when I started chasing my childhood dreams of living a life of adventure. But beyond that, what I did not expect was as a young lady, to feel more and more comfortable with the way I look and who I am.

I remember an age (tweens) when I hated mirrors and as I walked through shopping malls I tried my best to avoid looking at mirrors because I did not like what it reflected (and of course wonder why all my friends are so beautiful and I'm not). I grew out of that soon enough and joined the league of girls learning how to dress up, wear make up and be what girls should be.

Unfortunately, girls are lead to believe that 'what girls should be' is to always to be something else than what they are. Your legs are never long enough, your hips are never small enough and of course the classic, you are never skinny enough.

Image from here

Like I said, I've pretty much accepted myself as I am, muffin top and all at times. But that is a very conscious effort to try to be happy with myself. That conscious effort is especially exercised using meal times.

"Can I eat that? Yes I can, c'mon, I live an active life - I can eat that cheesecake without hating myself. Yes, I am happy with the way I am and thus can eat a cheesecake because I balance my life with working out." says Conscious Effort at work.

I wished that Conscious Effort didn't have to work so hard, but generally my self-esteem is still in check with a simple goal of not putting on any more pounds (because the world is kinder to skinnier girls).

While I battle out my Conscious Effort within my mind, around me I witness many young women close to me develop eating disorders.

There's the one that eats when she's stressed and is now getting bigger and bigger. She wants to go back to the way she was, but can't manage her stress and finds comfort and love in food...

There's the one that wants to lose weight but has no motivation nor self-determination. She spends every meal hating herself for eating and being fat.

There's the one that is convinced she's fat and pretty much stopped eating. She's 23 and has starved herself to a 13 year old's body. And she still thinks she's fat.

Chance are, you know someone (if not all three) like the above.

Guilt-free eating

What I realized midway through Paleo is that Conscious Effort is not being used at all. I eat all the fruits, nuts and vegetables I want and not feel guilty about 'eating wrong' (if you feel guilty about eating fruits, nuts and veggies, seriously, it's time to get professional help).

Since Conscious Effort is mute, I've been feeling an immense relieve and liberation.

Instead of justifying why I can eat these "bad fatty food" every day - I am more preoccupied with figuring out how to plan my meal in order to optimize my workouts. This re-aligns my goals from "living a balanced life and not packing on the pounds" to "which nuts and fruits should I have for lunch to be able to nail that workout?"

FTW - For the win

Going Paleo these past few weeks has helped me realize that there is an easier way than battling my Conscious Effort during every meal - which is to just choose to eat healthy and focus on what I want to achieve in my workouts.

Now isn't that swell...

What's it gonna be?

A) Continue on regular meals as consumed before October 1st?
B) Partially Zone/Paleo your meals
C) Continue to Paleolise your meals.
D) Anti-Carboman for the rest of your life.

I choose B!

Seeing the results from these 26 days, ie a couple of PRs & lowered BF, I am leaning towards a possiblity of continuing this ridiculous and anti-sociailzing diet! Giving myself a small window for a choice of at least carbometabolizing when I want to! This includes chocolates. soy beans and yoghurt!

Based on the feedback from us paleopals, there are more pros than cons to this plan. Don't you think so? This few weeks definitely had me MM-ing my food until I found it more tiring to think about food than about the workout!

There are 5 days left and I am so looking forward to my ice cream and TGIF. yummy!

Proud of all of ya for completing 26 days! :)

Last Leg - Zone the Paleo

Since it's our last week, lets go all out and Zone the Paleo.

Paleo Pals Outofthebox & Orange Shoes have already started zoning the paleo... so, gulp. Yah, lets....

Keeping it simple

Here is a link to Ross training dot Com which I think is rather relevant. keep it simple guys. Even though we're going caveman for 30 days but healthy eating is a lifestyle, one that we are practicing in the 21t century.

Check it out ! CLICK

Feel free to check out his other stuff as well...This dude is a MAGNIFICENT Beast....

A very helpful link

Hey Paleo Pals I came across this really helpful link that you can download onto your computer. It is an excel spreadsheet of zone dieting that is also Paleo friendly as well. Very helpful for post Paleo.

Love/Hate Paleo

In response to Jonson's recent blog, and coincidentally, thats what i wanted to write today!

During Paleo:-

Like:-

1. Tasted REAL food instead of instant and artificial items made of chemicals;
2. Meals are kept simple and fresh, with less seasoning;
3. Black coffee actually tastes quite good after a while, well, perhaps not served as the first cuppa in the morning though;
4. I feel lighter and less bloated;
5. Perform not too bad in all wods during these 3 weeks; and
6. I do feel energetic at all times (proven as i only slept 3.5 hours on tuesday night and stayed away on wednesday for 20+ hours).

Don't Like:-

1. Tired of eating meat as soy are prohibited and eggs are limited;
2. No milk for my coffee in the morning;
3. Difficult to eat out at times;
4. No desserts; and
5. Emmmmmmmmm............. can't think of any.

Post Paleo:-

1. Definately zone instead of paleo (must go grocery shopping with Cris so that he can teach me how to guage the quantity);
2. Ditch the instant coffee mix and get real coffee powder with milk;
3. Eat more tofu, eggs and cheese instead of meat;
4. Nuts taste good, shall continue with that;
5. Frequent dessert intake are to be replaced with fruits; and
6. ALWAYS remember there are a group of supportive Paleo Pals who go through this 30-days phase with me in October 2009!

Post Paleo...

Hey Paleo Pals!!! I hope you all are doing great with only 9 days left of the diet. That is right Paleo Pals NINE DAYS!!!!! Can you believe it, 22 days down and I am feeling great. After surviving for 2 and a half weeks it must be getting tougher trying to think of what to eat and how to cook the food. So here are just a few links with recipes to help you out for the last NINE DAYS;

1) thepaleodiet
2) paleofood
3) livingpaleo
4) cheatday
5) fitnessandfreebies
6) ehow (more on breakfast meals)
7) rawpaleo (raw foods for snacking)

After 2 and a half weeks do you think you need to change some of your Paleo ways? For me I know I have been eating way too much nuts, dry frutis and fresh fruits. So I decided to enter the world of Paleo/zone hybrid. Today was my first day and honestly it isn't too bad. I feel that zone dieting is quite good. I feel full majority of the time but I can't miss a meal or eat late if not I will be straving; but to do a Paleo/zone hybrid is way tough because we can't eat so many things on the zone diet list. Anyway I am going to keep it up as it is yet another challenge for me.

Paleo dieting has made me feel awesome. Each and every day that passes by I am taking on WODs with higher aims and goals. I am raising the bar against my own capabilities. I am gaining new PR's by the week. Most recently;

Deadlift : 319lbs
BB cleans : 154lbs
BB strict press : 110lbs
Continuous kipping pull ups : 12 (I was not able to do continuous pull ups till recently in UK)
Unbroken Ring Dips : 7 (use to be 4)
Unbroken strict pull ups : 7 (previously 5)
Annie : 7 mins 26 secs

I recently did a body composition test on week 2 of Paleo dieting. My results are;

% Body fat : 11.6%
Muscle Mass % : 64.9%
Body weight : 77.5kg (was 81kg 3 weeks ago)
Sum 8 : 65.9 (Olympic athlete's are 42)

My goal till the end of this year is to drop my Body Fat % to 10% and below, Body weight to 75kg, Sum 8 to 55-60.

So let me ask you Paleo Pals. What are your aims and goals for this Paleo Diet? What are you hoping to achieve at the end of this diet? More importantly, what are you planning to do post Paleo? Continue with the Paleo, start a zone diet maybe?

As for me, my plan is that on 1st November I am going to go berserk and enjoy the day with my friends who are amazing because they are all wanting to celebrate my end of Paleo diet with me. I have even planned out what I am going to have for breakfast that day.

• Cereal
• Bacon & eggs
• sausages
• Waffles
• Toast with Peanut Butter and Kaya!!!

But on Monday (2nd Nov) I am back on Paleo/zone hybrid. I am going to continue eating and living healthily with some occasions of enjoying the pleasures of life. So what's going to happen Paleo Pals? What are your post Paleo plans?

P.S. a note to Paleo Pals who drink coffee. Try to cut down ok? Suppose to drink in moderation (check out the foods to consume in moderation). Here is a coffee substitute =)

It gets harder as it gets easier

You guys feeling me?

Have You?

Dear Paleo Pals,

Have you taken your before, during and after photos yet?
I did, on Day 3, 8 and 18.
Noted slight changes in my waistline and stomach.
Besides weighing scale and measurements, photo is perhaps another great tool for you to monitor and observe your own changes.

If you have not taken any photo so far, quick, grab your camera and snap a photo of yours today.

karen ^.^

Going Nuts

I am wondering is my Paleo Pals have this in store as well =)

Journey so far . . .

Paleo for me has been all about . . . .

1. nuts

2. seeds

3. raisins

4. change of habit eg. food I eat , when I eat

5. Reading - lots and lots of it

6. PUTTING ON 10kgs.

Thats all. Easy Peasy Paleo-lsy.

How's it going

Some people at PushMore have been asking us Paleo Pals how's paleo going and how does it feel. Here's a chronology of my thoughts, challenges, emotions & learnings

Day 1 - 2

• Didn't know what to eat
• Lethargic, very lethargic
• Constantly hungry
• Ate a lot of fruits (bananas, apples, pears, papaya)
• Ate lots of dried fruits and nuts
• Felt weird eating so much fruits, normally at the most I'd only have 1 serving of fruits. But most of the time I wouldn't even eat fruits.
• Coffee without milk and sugar? OMG

Day 3 - 7

• Energy bounced back to normal and remained almost constant throughout the day.
• Felt very sick of eating fish almost every day.
• Challenging to figure out what to eat.
• Realized that I'm changing a habit. eg: Instead of fixing a sandwich in the morning, I'd eat fruits and nuts. Instead of having rice or noodles, I would double up my veggies and meat. But still couldn't get the amount right and still felt weird after meals.
• Tummy felt like it shrunk a lot.
• Felt pretty optimistic about the 30 day challenge.
• Trying out all different types of fruits which I never tried such as peaches and passion fruits.
• Hungry every hour. So I have to keep eating fruits every hour.
• Happy to have successfully cooked new dishes such as steamed fish, fried fish, etc.
• Coffee without milk and sugar? OMG

Day 8 - 14

• Energy still remained high and constant throughout the day.
• Decided to pace out my workout days to alternate days so that I don't tire out too much and also to save time on travelling.
• Sick and tired of Paleo
• Wanted to quit a few times a day
• Fed up of cooking my own meals
• Grumpy that there are so many things I couldn't eat
• Lots of cravings for coffee with milk, chocolate, cheesecake, soy milk.
• Depressed walking pass the processed food aisle
• Appalled by how expensive eating out Paleo style is
• Discovered that durian is in session and that durian is of course, paleo!
• Big binge out session on durian which made me stop having cravings and feel much better...
• Coffee without milk and sugar? OMG

Day 15 - 17

• Figured out the right proportions for meals, so they are feeling more complete as the days go by.
• Realized I need to understand how to portion out my meals and snacks so that I don't over compensate and feel like crap (too full).
• Ok, I'm greedy.
• Tummy doesn't feel so shrunken anymore, in fact feel kinda bloated at times (hence the over compensation realization).
• Making an effort to read up about nutrition and make sure I have a balanced intake of food throughout the day.
• Ok I'm going to stop buying durians.
• Excited to try and cook new dishes. Good thing I'm cooking faster these days.
• Coffee without milk and sugar is feeling less OMG.

Want to try Paleo?

The best way I find to start is to decide and commit to 30 days. It is a lot easier once you've made a commitment rather than trying for just a meal or just a day.

Do I need to prepare yourself?

1 trip to the grocery shop should be enough to prepare yourself.

Also, keep yourself surrounding by supportive people (such as us Paleo Pals). It helps a lot!

Hope this helps you decide on whether your want go try Paleo or not.

Dinner on Day 15.

Our team went out for dinner last night..
@ Brussels Beer Cafe, Jaya One.

The food here is really good! (Of course anything anti-Paleo is YUMMY!!) Pork knuckles were excellent! We ordered 2 of them to be shared...and it wasn't enough to satisfy all of us. So we ordered a few more dishes. We had some bacon rolls, fried processed seafood platter (with a mountain of fries), salads, soups as the center pool.

Anyway, here are some pictures for your viewing.... Just imagine HOW GOOD IT TASTES!!! :)

Curry Clams with pork, Sauteed Mushrooms, Pork Knuckles

Pork Knuckles, Meatball Stew


Grilled Honey Salmon

Brownie & Ice Cream

The first law of dietetics seems to be: if it tastes good, it's bad for you.

~Isaac Asimov

Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better.

~Robert Redford

I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian!

~Anonymous

READ UP

Paleo Pals:

Here are some good links :

1. Testimonial after paleo challenge for 30 days: http://crossfitmaximus.com/2009/10/paleo-testimony-jeff-wolfe/

2. Regarding cheat meals and the mentality towards it. http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2009/10/12/cheat-meals/

3. Interesting read. Perhaps some recipes or some sort that would help you : http://www.thesaladgirl.com

Dating a Paleo Pal

GUEST BLOG ENTRY BY

THE "SUPPORTIVE" BOYFRIEND

When Ms Z decided to go on the Paleo diet some 2 weeks back, my stand was simple - be supportive. After all, losing weight eating healthier is always a good option!

However, looking at the strict Paleo diet requirements sort of set my expectations that it would be a challenging month ahead.

Firstly, no coffee, dairy or soy. That's pretty much 80% of Ms Z's staple diet, being a fish-vegetarian!

Haiyoh... what's she gonna survive on, love and passion? Pulling out staples from your forehead would be less painful.

--

Fast forward to our first "date" during Ms Z's Paleo Pal challenge. We decided on The Curve, since there are plenty of restaurants there that would -probably- make selection easier.

I went with a decent stomach - not hungry, expecting that we could take our time to look for a decent restaurant. And boy did it take A WHILE!

We walked from shop to shop, one floor to the next, up and down, flipping at every menu to see if there was something that Cavegirl could eat.

Asian was out as every dish was rice or noodles. Italian was a no-no - too much cheese and carby stuff. No Western either - the meat's either deep fried or of the poultry variety that Ms Z doesn't eat.

I was getting hungry then, and that means a grumpy, pissy boy. So too, was Ms Z.

In the end we decided on Winter Warmers, a restaurant we rejected earlier because Cavegirl said "it sucked". She eventually ordered some fish fillets. There was a quartet playing nearby, and we both sat down quietly, drowning our sorrows in the sounds of the band.

Dinner was good, but maybe we'll do our next date in December :-)

--

Lessons learnt:

1. Unless both couples are on the diet, or one of the partners fully understand the idea - strict paleos can be damaging to relationships. Not only is it a very anti-social meal, it's also tremendously difficult to sit down together on a dinner table without cracking your head on the menu!
2. It's hard to find a restaurant that offers meals on strict paleo terms. Even harder if the person, like Ms Z, eats no other meat apart from fish!
3. Like all things in life, there are 2 sides to a story. In my second article, I'll describe the good things that Ms Z's paleo experience has given us.

Day 14!

Great news! We're closing in on the mid-month! Yay! :)

Still remember the first few days when everyone was pretty much trying to fit more food into the tummy to satisfy hunger pangs. Hunger was the buzzer in our heads. (Bet "hungry" won the Guiness Book of Thoughts record in October).

We only realise that it is a sign that our body is in "shock" because it has never been deprived of sugar of that magnitude. This is also a sign of how much we unknowingly feed our bodies with sugar! Yikes!

Little realisations of the past few days:

1. I have to eat so much more protein to last till next meal. (2 chicken keels + 2 fruits = perfect!)
2. It's easier to eat wiser when alone. Colleagues & friends make it 'difficult' to say no to non-paleo food. Have been through 3 wedding dinners over the weekend and it's a mouthful trying to explain! Try explaining to aunties why you can't eat a pau for breakfast!! Haha!
3. Expenses increasing this month on food that I'm thinking of rearing chickens in my garden and breeding fish in my backyard.
4. I feel 'lighter', 'lifted' and estatic! Wheeeeeeeeee! :D
5. I've eaten more fruits these 2 weeks than any other 2 weeks in my life! Averaging 4-5 fruits a day man. We should own an orchard guys. Sure wax & pesticide-free!

I am looking forward to next week when I can start preparing my meals easily. And I can head to the morning markets and become a price haggler.. and get myself the best meat cuts at the best prices... and fresh fruits! Who knows, the fruit sellers might just throw in an extra 1-2 fruits for bulk purchases.. Haha. :)

Till then,

Bon appetite, mes amies!

"Nothing tastes as good as slim is going to feel"

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...

Reflective times

A good paleo meal back then when we opened fast...




We ate half of chicken farm if i could recall.. plus everyone's fart smelt damn smelly the day after...

I have the most amazing friend ever...

I just spent an internetless weekend with brother Jason in London. He is settling in well just some issues with getting a phone and internet going. Anyway my purpose of going to London was to see Jason and for my friend's birthday.

Jie actually joined pushmore for a while and hit morning sessions but after injuring himself in the lower back he was out. So I helped him out this weekend with some light and easy exercises to get back into it. This weekend was his girlfriend's birthday and we had a potluck for dinner. I spoke to Jie on thursday night and told him all about Paleo diet and he understood and didn't even question me about it. The one thing Jie and myself have most in common is our interest in food. We love to cook and really appreciate the fine foods of life. Knowing that I was on a Paleo diet, Jie surprised me that night by actually cooking the food the Paleo way. Let me show you....

Jie and Me

Curry Lamb
















Roast Beef

The whole night people were bugging me to drink and my best buddy Jie even tanked for me. So all I can say is thanks Jie for being understanding and for being the friend that we all need =)

Karenatron Bites

First of all, i truly respect and appreciate my fellow paleo pals who consistently write and share their thoughts, recipes, research, experiences on a daily basis. Some of you even have more than 1 blog, like John-son, John-hans, Jonson, Orange Shoe, and Ms Z, and Mr. Paleozone Cris .
Well..... ok.... all other paleo pals have more than 1 blog except me. Hey guys, don't you need to work? study? do your assignment? or exams? or projects? How on earth you guys write so much and so frequent?

I ain't much of a blogger or writer myself. I run out of ideas even at the end of Day 11. Why is it so hard to share anymore? Have i run out of idea? Have i got tired of it? or.......?

After much thoughts, i know.... because i am finally fine with it. I get used to my morning black coffee routine, i am fine not fuelling myself with grains, dairy and sugar which i used to, i am not surprised arriving at a restaurant and find nothing suits the paleo fave, i get used to feeling half full at any eateries only to be fed with more fruits and nuts afterwards. One important lesson that i learned last friday - 'You don't even think about it. Like you don't eat beef, thus, you don't think about it. Same goes to the food which you can't eat now, you just simply don't think about it.' Thanks to JW for sharing this. I can't agree more at this moment.

Meanwhile, if u follow my food list, it won't take u long to notice that i hardly cook or eat at home. A habit that i picked up through years of working around the clock, rushing for deadlines and meeting boss demands (ahem!). After having exposed to outside food for years, i truly believe that one can consume healthy meals and maintain healthy diet if one selects the types of food carefully.

So, here i am, feeling contented at current Day 11, just simply share with you some nice and healthy dishes that i ate for the past 3 days.







Steamed cod fish with ginger, spring onion and wolfberries
Blanched ladies fingers

Mix green salad with egg and tofu (no consumption of tofu and dressing)
BBQ Satay lilit










Salmon with brocolli, cucumber and zucchini

For Monday Morning

Just something for Monday Morning. Proud of you Friends. Paleo is slowly becoming us.

Today's going to be a good day. This month, even better. Our lives....great.

Paleo Breath

When we first went Paleo I was a little worried about having cavewoman's breath. In my case it'll be like a garlicy-fishy stank.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I normally carry mentos or some form of mint in my bag and typically take them after I have a cup of coffee or before a meeting (or if there's a cute guy in the gym).

When we took on this 30 days challenge, I threw my synthetic sugar thing out and felt sadly doomed with cavewoman's breath. Then I remembered the fennel seeds that Indian restaurants usually offer at the counter for customers to chew on to freshen up their breath. (image on left from here)

Here are some other great benefits (and image) of fennel seeds other than as a breath freshener, which I got from this site.

Medicinal Uses

• Fennel is commonly used as a digestive aid. Fennel is known to be a remedy for gas, indigestion, heartburn, and irritable bowel syndrome.
• A tea made with a few fresh sprigs of fennel or a teaspoon of seeds will relieve indigestion.
• Fennel is an effective treatment for respiratory congestion and is a common ingredient in cough remedies.
• A tea made from fennel helps to stimulate the flow of breast milk

Other Uses

• It used as a mouth freshener by Indians who often chew fennel seed as a mouth-freshener.
• Fennel is also used as a flavoring in some natural toothpastes.
  
  

Yesterday I was looking for some spices in the little grocer store in my apartment complex and found that they sold fennel seeds, 1 small pack for only RM 1. I bought it and will be carrying it in a little tin with me.

So Paleo Pals, get some fennel seeds now and impress your date, colleagues/ peers or that hot guy/gal in the gym with your healthy fresh breath!

(image from here)

Honesty is the best policy

Hey pals ! found a very interesting article from stumptous.com

Check it out ! I am sure you guys will find it inspiring...

Click ME

Recipes: Carrot noodles, nut butter & coconut milk shake

I was so happy when The Housemate got back earlier this week & started to help feed me Paleo food.

Here are some stuff she did up with some simple how to instructions:

Banana Avocado Coconut milk shake

* Paleo diet doesn't allow fruits juices cause it doesn't have fiber & has high glycemic index. But since the whole fruit is dumped into the shake, I figured it should be alright.

My breakfast on Day 7 after swimming

Normally I'd make banana avocado shake with yogurt, which is absolutely divine. But since we can't take yogurt, coconut milk was used to replace it.

Ingredients:

1 banana (or 2 if they are small)

1/2 an avocado

Add small amounts of coconut milk and water until you get a blend you like.

Do I like it? Still prefer having it with yogurt, though The Housemate loves it with coconut milk more.

Carrot noodles

*The Housemate scavenged for vegs in the fridge and came up with this 'accidental recipe'

Ingredients:

Shredded carrot

Avocado cubes

Sesame seeds

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar *technically not very Paleo, but since it's naturally fermented from grapes, am closing an eye to this.

Make sure you shred your carrot shreds long (like noodles), then add the other ingredients and mix.

Do I like it? Like The Colleague said, it taste like pasta. Which is great if any of the Paleo Pals are craving for pasta. Personally am not a big fan of balsamic vinegar so if I make it next time I will replace it with lime juice.

Paleo Mooncake

Technically it's nut paste with banana, but The Housemate had some mooncake the other day and claimed that it taste pretty much alike!

Since I can't have my dessert fixes, this (and durian) have become the replacement for my sweet tooth :-)

Ingredients:

Banana

Mixed nuts (whatever you have available)

Mixed seeds (whatever you have available) *The Housemate recommends sesame seed which gives it extra flavor

Olive oil

Grind the nuts and seeds to a powder form. Add a little olive oil till it has a nice paste like texture.

Paleo pals can eat it with bananas or even on its own. Others can have it with bread.

Do I like it? I HEART IT. It's orgasmic. To be honest, the first time I tried it - my taste buds were a bit suspicious about the nutty butter taste which is less sweeter than my regular peanut butter. But after trying it a couple of times, I'm addicted. Seriously a must try!

I want to be the biggest PALEO BEAST !

Here is an article on eating hybrid style to gain mass (GASP ,nope not weight or fat, MASS there is a difference).

HERE MY PALEO PALS

BIG CLICK FOR BIG BOD (this goes to my blog, click on the article link under nutrition=P)

Day 9 - I feel good

Today is Day 9 of our Paleo diet. Good news keep coming from dear paleo pals

(1) Ms Z: finding herself more energetic and even hit 2 wods in an evening, provided she has swam during the day!

(2) Jonson: hitting new PR of deadlifting 319lbs!

(3) Ms Orange Shoe: new PR of pressing 16kg!

(4) John Brothers: 'the ultra fit brothers' - quote from The Star, won the Race with glory finish!

(5) Paleo Zone guru Cris: achieved his PR of deadlifting 330lbs!

(6) Myself: 5km PR: 29min 40sec

To all my comrades, keep up with the good work, we can do it! xoxo
Thats what we used to eat during NOI. No longer during these 30 days and we feel good not eating them! ^.^

Paleo Zone, Or Paleo Or Zone?

Thanks guys for inviting me to blog here.

I remember when I first heard the term "zone diet". When I started crossfitting, I started by working out as hard as my body could take it, without knowing much about a good eating habit. I just drank alot of aprotein shake and cereals & milk. However, that didn't help alot on maintaining a good weight. So, I started to learn about zone dieting. At first it was greek to me, later I started to understand what the @#%!@#$ are this blocks is all about. Then I started measuring my meals - one measuring cup, one kitchen weighting machine. I was measuring my milk, weighting meat, and as well as oats and stuff like that.

After about 2 weeks of measuring, I realise I don't have to measure anything as I already knew how to estimate. Then there on, it took of by itself. However, I started off feeling very lethargic all the time. Every meal wasn't enough for me, I keep feeling hungry. And when I do feel hungry, I'll drink milk.

After bout 4 weeks of zoning, my body started to get adjusted to the diet. I realised that I CANNOT miss a meal. Even for snack, else I'll get weak. 5 meals a day = 3 main, 2 snack. A main meal can last me for 5 hrs, 6 hrs max. Snack can last me for 3 hrs max. 3 months after zoning, I was too thin. Like freaking 71kgs thin (I'm 75kgs now). I was wondering what I did wrong. Then I did some research and realised this is normal. This is when they play around with the blocks, finding the sweet spot. So I increased my blocks from 4 to 5 blocks for each intake besides fats which that was multiplied by 2 (4 x 2 = 8 blocks). Then I started gaining, but however not alot.

As u guys know, I work on weird shift. And this shift actually affects my performance on working out cause I had always readjust to different sleeping time. My pattern is all over the place and body had to keep adjusting and this somehow affected my performance and recovery.

The whole thing about zoning and paleo-ing. It's about lifestyle & habit. Change your lifestyle (the food we eat), and you'll see gains. Both physically and mentally. I hate the feeling I get after eating rice/bread/noodles. It makes me feel lethargic which makes me smoke more. So zoning/paleo makes me feel good after everryy meal. EVERY MEAL.

Today's menu :

Breakfast (non-paleo)
4 scramble eggs
a bowl of oats + 24 almonds

Lunch (Paleo zone)
150 grams of steam chicken breast (cooked in a microwave oven for 5mins)
1 head iceberg lettuce
24 almonds

Snack (non-paleo)
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
6 almonds

Dinner (Paleo zone)
Same as lunch :P

Inbetween breakfast and lunch there lies a cup of black coffee :P

New personal Record....

Check it out Paleo Pals... New PR for deadlift...

"Deadlift for PR"

*Increase weight for each rep to attain max weight.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Jonson.T (253,264,286,308,319,319,319)

My last PR was 250lbs and that was on the 16th of September!!!

I love Paleo Pals, I love Paleo Diet and I LOVE Pushmore!!!

Thinking about food

Since we've been spending a good 1 week carefully selecting our food and trying to make sure we have a healthy and balanced meal, I would like to invite all of us to take some time to feel thankful for the bountiful food available to us.

I've actually only starting cooking for myself this year because I spent last year travelling a lot and since we were living communally, I was taught how to cook. Besides that, this year I also started living in an apartment with a very equipped kitchen at my disposal.

The one thing that struck me when I started cooking for myself, was the amount of food available to us at any time.

Last year I was travelling with a small group and we stayed in the village for as long as 1 week at a time. We could buy our rations of canned food and fresh vegetables in the not-so-nearby town on the way in. By the 2-3rd day, all the fresh vegetables would had been consumed (or else they would rot, since we don't have a fridge).

Thereafter we would either hope for the villagers to give or sell us vegetables, or collect greens in the communal spots (typically, tapioca leaves & a type of fern). Whatever vegetable available would depend on whether it's "ripe" to be plucked from the gardens, or whatever meat would depend on if the villagers had luck hunting.

Vegetables for dinner...

Clearly we did not have the luxury of choosing what vegetables or meat we want (unless it's from a can). Eggs were also hard to come by as the little makeshift grocery shop in the village runs out of it quite fast.

Fishing in the pond. I remember this made delicious soup, despite its muddy origins...

I remember the excitement if someone joins the group between the 4th-6th day, bringing along fresh vegetables on their way in from town. Never had carrots and tomatoes brought me so much excitement and happiness.

Neighbor's chicken being slaughtered

Here in the city, I feel spoilt for choice. I'm guilty of making broccoli my staple vegetable. When I started cooking for myself, I had a startling realization that every damn time I went to the supermarkets, I could get broccoli. This struck me with amazement at how organized production of vegetables are in order to provide us city folk, every single day, with broccoli.

Bringing home the bacon

I'm not sure if I agree on the environmental cost (large scale agriculture which decreases forested land and forced relocation native people) or the human cost (low wage for farmers in order for us to have cheap greens) - but while we're in the system, lets be aware of the amount of effort it took for us to be able to choose and plan our Paleo meals. We need not be tormented by the food we are not suppose to consume if we always think of how wonderful it is to always have all types of vegetables and meat available to us, at all times.

I'll end this blog post wishing us another happy Paleo day and sharing an interesting Ted video on How Food Shapes our Cities.

Let's Go Organic

Visited this organic restaurant 3 times during these 8 days of my paleo diet? What is so special about it? Hmmm... let's see:-

1. It's ORGANIC and healthy
2. I'm on paleo
3. It's near my house
4. It's tasty and nice

Always order the same dishes when i visit them:- vegetarian sushi or vegetarian dumpling soup (let's ignore the minute starchy dumpling skin here, shall we?)

Organic vegetarian sushi

My all time favourite - Organic vegetarian dumpling soup

Pay a visit to this restaurant if you come to Subang. It's worth it. The Star covered them sometime back. Click here.

Meanwhile, i was on little dinner feast these few days as i have guest from overseas. Tried to do paleo as much as i could. I tried my best.

Some of the nice food that i've tasted this week:-

Smoked Duck Breast with Lettuce and Green Apple

Poached Egg with Mushroom in Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Thanks to Ms Z who reminded me to post a hi-tea that i drooled over right in front of me this afternoon.

Goals & Aims

It has been a while since I put up anything on this site but I think this is long overdue for me. It's been in my head for about a week to post this up.

Why I decided to Paleo Diet?

• To prove to myself that I can live a healthy and balance life eventhough I am living in UK.
• That I will not fall into the UK blues (I did so last year and got fat).
• To grow mentally & physically stronger.
• To cleanse my body/detox.
• To bond, support, encourage and grow with my brothers and sisters of Pushmore.
  
• To lose weight (to get below 80kg) [I achieved this yesterday, I am now 77.2kg].
• To get my abs showing.

So why dont you all tell me why you decided to join this paleo diet? What do you hope to achieve at the end of it?

A PREVIEW ....

So here is my first contribution to this blog in wake of the coming 9th of October..... Damn..

here is a rough guide to those who are doing a hybrid.

CLICK

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What are my goals of following this diet ?

• To survive
• To maintain current weight despite fast
• to maintain optimal performance during WODs while doing the liquid paleo hybrid diet
• To experiment with this particular diet combo

What I wish to see (dreams)

• Muscle gains and finally a smiling 8 packs

Well Here we go !

Comrade/Private John-Son Reporting in XOXO

Persistence and Results

Many people asked the bonus question : 'Why are you going on a diet?'
To which the reply was "To see if I can last 30 days."

I wasn't really concerned about what i'll eat, but more of whether I will last 30 days... which I think would be no problem as there was a bunch of people who were in the same boat. Support helps!

Everyone would be able to diet. But the discipline, mental drive and physical adaptation would be a huge challenge to most. Most dieters fail in achieving their goals due lack of support/understanding from the people around them. (Tell me if you agree/disagree with this.)

Firstly, everyday we are blessed to have convenient access to food. I mean, even in office, the gastronomical briberies happen everyday...before lunch..after lunch...3pm...5pm... keropok, chips, airport chocolates and hometown kuihs... and soon most skinny beans turns into the guy in Gamer... (if you've watched Gamer, you'd know who I'm referring about). Outside, anyone can pick up a decent meal that has bountiful carbs and extreme sugar levels. Just think McDs. What in the caveman world can you obtain? a raw piece of chicken perhaps... Reality? It's eat fried chicken or die. Choose.

So, how does one train the mind to "stick with the plan"? What do you tell yourself to withstand the hunger pangs ever hour? ("tahan..tahan..tahannnnn... ok cannot...i need fruits!")How do you 'discipline' the mind?

Secondly, in order to go through this plan, you must have an end in mind, thanks to Stephen Covey. What drives you? (Not Caltex obviously) What do you want to have in 30 days? How would you feel? Would your eating traits change?

Finally, at the end of 30 days...all of us may have turned into savagely ravenous monsters and autobots that would be craving for sugar...or not. Our bodies will adapt based on our minds' instructions. Perhaps, our blood sugar levels would be super optimum that our doctors make us the "perfect blood sugar example". Perhaps, we would have so much knowledge about food and our bodies that we can control between a food need or a desire(cravings). The mind is a freaking strong thing that heads you in your desired path, subconsciously... no play play!

Coming to the mid day of Day 7 now...I'm already thinking what to eat on 31st October 2009.

I know my Crunch bar in my freezer is waiting for me...

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Highlight For Today.

"eat me...eat me...eat me..."

Day 4-6: Reality show

I've gotten comments from non-Paleo Pals that it's fun reading the Paleo Pal blog cause it's like a reality show. Really? That's awesome, thanks!

Have not been able to update on a day to day basis, but here's a summary:

Breakfast (normally considered lunch cause I wake up late):

Mixture of fruits, chopping into cubes.

Pre-gym/yoga

Fruits, nuts, fruits, nuts, fruits, nuts

Lunch/ Dinner

Lots of mix veggies

1-2 portion of Fish (usually only for either lunch OR dinner)

* Generally have been sticking to the 1 egg a day quota

Like Orange Shoes, I feel great as well. Only thing is I get hungry really fast so throughout the afternoon I'm eating fruits/nuts almost every hour.

When I did Helen on Day 5 which had a running component, I was quite surprised that I could run the 400m without feeling winded. When I first started running, I would stop to walk by 150m (?) (at Restaurant Media). Over the last couple of months I've been able to run without stopping but with lots and lots of concentration on my breathing and mentally coaching myself not to stop.

So I was quite amazed on Day 5 that after running 400m, it felt as if I hardly ran.

Now, I hate running for various reasons. Firstly, I'm a little heavier on top than most gals so it makes me feel quite self conscious to run. Secondly, when I run I feel as if my skin is tearing around the thigh and waist area, which makes it very itchy. I know it's a weird condition.

I always say the only way I would run is if there's a good looking guy running in front of me and a mad rabid dog chasing me from behind. Now that's quite a rare combination with the latter being more often the case.

Image from here

After sticking out at Pushmore for some time, I slowly started to do the WODs with the running component cause, well, what the heck I guess it's a good skill to pick up. And since very often there's a dude with a tight ass running ahead of me which at least gives some gawd-damn motivation (though they run so fast, I always end up running on my own anyway....).

I think generally I've been gradually building stamina, but I guess this Paleo thing could had given a little extra push with the Helen WOD. Yay!

Day 6: Almost A Week!

It's close to 7 days now and I am pretty happy with my food intake though I'm losing a fair bit of weight. No, I didn't change my shorts to M so that my thighs would look smaller! Neither did I go tanning to make my body look smaller!

Meals today were pretty spread out but pretty lopsided in terms of nutrition I must admit.

Breakfast :

830am - 1 Nectarine
9:30am - 1 Nectarine

Lunch :

1 svg Chicken & Charsiew (with a view of Lor-bak, ice kacang, yee meen and curry pork)
1 pear

Tea : 1 peach

Dinner :

1 portion fish
1 portion cabbage + ladies fingers
1 pear

But on the whole - I feel good! GREAT!

I did today's workout with no intention to lift 16kgs. Never in my whole entire life I could strict press a 16kg cowbell!!! It was just TOO heavy. Maybe now that I am heavier on the muskles side I can lift more.

Well - I did it! A couple of times on the right, and the occasional "1" on the left. It felt good, I felt strong, but no doubt it was so bloody heavy that my veins were popping out like cendol stripes on my forearms.

The push presses and push jerks were terrible cos my wrist wasn't strong enough to hold on to a heavy weight for a long time...darn the resting periods...Thanks to the guys who were just laughing the whole time..made the torturous workout enjoyable. *Oblique cramps? :p*

Well, I must say, I do start my workouts with a pretty good feel of strength. I just feel I would have ample energy to fuel my workout well, and not burnout before the workout is over! As long as my brains are intact when I get to Pushmore then I guess I'll be OK :)

Alright Paleo Pals! Stay strong in to the completion of the 1st week! We are doing just great and with our new teammates on board, lets make this even more fun & enjoyable!



Paleobiotics! Lead the way!!!!

Good links

Here are two good crossfit affliates that post up daily recipes. I suggest bookmarking them in reference to recipes when you cannot decide what to cook or run out of ideas! They are simple and easy to make recipes. Check it out!!

1. Crossfit Balboa
2. Crossfit Lalanne Fitness

Enjoy friends and keep it up!

Day 5 Progress

Day 5

(1) Breakfast

- Black coffee (yuck again)
- freshly squeezed apple + bittergourd + orange juice (which i found that it is not allowed in Paleo?! What?! I am falling into depression now)

(2) Lunch

- Sounds of Havana Salad (Capsicum, avocado, cucumber and chicken) from Marmalade, Bangsar Village II
(Picture taken from someone's blog. The current salad size is smaller).


(3) Snack post work out

- 1 red apple, 1 kiwi

(4) Dinner

- Red Rosted Cod (with watercrest salad on the side) from Senses, KL Hilton
- 1 glass of Red and White wine each (this is the highlight of my diet so far! Trust me, i checked the amount first before i indulged in it. Thanks to JW and Cris for searching out the allowable quantity in the evening. You guys made my day! Whee!!)
- fruits platter for desserts

I suppose that the Cod is somehow cooked with some butter as i feel slight bloated after eating. Nonetheless, i suppose when one is doing business dinner, it is better not to sound to weird in ordering the food. Curious stare is the least that i need from my business guest.

*my cravings for dessert have reduced some how. yeay! little improvement karen *pad on my shoulder* ^.^

Recipe - Coffee with Coconut Milk

For the longest time, the only thing that gave me the will to wake up most mornings was the promise of a good cup of coffee. Preferably iced Chek Hup 2in1 coffee.. aahh... divine!

Since this Paleo diet does not allow processed food (no instant coffee, mate!), no sugar (gasp!), no dairy (gasp! gasp!!) - us coffee lovers feel a little jilted. In search of some reminsience of our coffee drinking days, here's an alternative to black coffee.

Coffee with Coconut Milk

1. Choosing coconut milk

I looked for coconut milk in Tesco and found many brands. Most of them cost between RM 1.60 - RM 2.00. Be careful of those labeled extra healthy cause they add stuff in it. Or, you could get it fresh from your local grocer.

Not sure how expensive coconut milk in the UK is. But as I understand, our UK Paleo counterparts are not big coffee drinkers. Lucky you!

2. Adding coconut milk to your coffee

Add about 2 teaspoons, or more depending on how strong your coffee is and how your tastebuds like it.

The coconut milk will not dissolve like milk. Like the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy says, "Don't Panic!" Give it a good stir and it will.

3. Drinking your coffee

Make sure you give your coffee a stir between sips because if left for a while the coconut milk will kinda float up.

So, brace yourself, make that cup of coffee and down it!

Breaking the habit

Since we're on the topic of coffee, I've never thought of quiting coffee because - why would I want to stop drinking coffee if it makes me feel so good?

From local coffee to nescafe, canned nescafe (during uni days) and now to white coffee - I would normally take 2-3 cups a day. Without caffeine, I would get a headache by noon or late afternoon.

I take coffee to feel awake, I take it when I'm nervous or stressed about something, I take it to feel good, I take it before workouts to get that nice tingly buzz that gives me the energy and high...

A week before starting the Paleo-diet, I decided to stop taking the 2in1 instant coffee. I did not realize how much crap they put in it until one day, out of boredom I read the ingredients and having thought about it for some time, I decided it's not worth it. So I replaced it with pressed coffee with milk (no or minimal sugar), which is great as well.

Ingredients: Non dairy creamer - glucose syrup, palm kernel oil, sodium caseinate, stabilizer (E340, E4521), Emulsifier (E471, E472e), anticaking agent (E551) + Instant white coffee

Since the Paleo diet started, I've only be able to drink a cup of black coffee a day - with much difficulty. It certainly taste a lot different than with milk. At Day 4, I drank only 1/3 of a cup and yet I feel fine. I feel normal!

So it appears that I'm not as addicted to caffeine as I thought I was, or it might had just been the milk/sugar/stuff that's in it!!

p.s: Can't say adding coconut milk is making it any easier for me to drink it. Don't know about the rest of you. I guess you might like it if you like cendol... :-)