Ro Goes Paleo – Week 1… Check!
Ro is in our trainer mentorship program. She’s a hard-working boot camper that’s looking to take her results to the next level. She’s committed to a 30 day Paleo diet. She’ll be sharing her experience on our blog so you can share in her Paleo diet journey.
My life is like a roller coaster
If I could explain in one word what my first week was like on the 30 Day Paleo Challenge, it would have to be a roller coaster. It was a roller coaster ride of energy, sleeping patterns, hunger, and emotions. Some days I would have all the energy in the world, other days I was so tired I had to have 2 Americano’s from Starbucks (Rich, full-bodied espresso with hot water in true European style. 15 calories) just to get through the day. It was ups and downs that I’d compare it to what someone going through withdrawals would go through.
For the first few nights, I had wacky dreams and uncomfortable sleep; even going through some night sweats on one night. Occasionally during the daytime I had headaches, sugar cravings, and mood swings, but this did not discourage me one bit. Instead, I’m only reassured that this is what my body needs to rid itself of all the processed, sugar foods I’ve been feeding it for years; I know I’m doing the right thing for myself.
Here’s the good side of going Paleo
I’ve noticed that my stomach has not been as upset anymore. Before I’d often be really gassy and bloated in the afternoons, and now I’m noticing that hasn’t happened in the last 3 days. Also, by the end of the week, my sleep improved immensely. My food craving weren’t bad, that was until I hit the weekend.
My weekend habits changed
Before going paleo, my weekends were filled with ‘cheat meals’. I’d start with my favorite breakfast meals, pancakes or French toast. Then, I’d end up eating more fruit on the weekend than I had the whole week to suppress my need for sweets!
I have learned this last week that, more than anything, that eating a paleo diet takes a lot of preparation. I think I went to the grocery store every night last week because I kept running out of protein and veggies. So a couple of days last week I stayed up way later than I wanted to in order to prepare my meals.
This weekend, I’ve picked up extra protein sources, some of which I froze in case of an emergency, made extra side dishes, and even prepared emergency meals… just in case!
Sunday evening, I remade one of my favorite side dishes that I picked up last week and I thought I’d share the recipe with everyone. It’s an amazing, and very simple, side dish recipe, Roasted Brussels and Rutabaga, which I found on Paleomg.com. I had never in my life cooked a Rubagba (I’m a Mexican and didn’t even know what it was, but now I know it’s a root), however I love Brussels, so I knew I couldn’t go wrong with this recipe.
Roasted Brussels and Rutabaga
It takes about 30 minutes to make and makes about 4 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups of Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1 cup rutabaga, peeled and diced
- 4 tablespoons fat of choice (I used coconut oil)
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary (I used French)
- salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 405 degrees.
- Place vegetables in a 9×13 glass baking dish.
- Pour fat of choice over vegetables then toss the vegetables with rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
I’m running a half marathon next weekend so I’ve got to make sure and find some meals to replace my old “carb load” traditions. This should be interesting. I’ll keep you posted! – Ro
