Welcome to week 1 of gradual Paleo and say hello to quitting the processed foods, the bad drinks and for thinking of myself as going Paleo.
Sounds rather easy don’t you think?
Well you’ll find that a lot of people would actually find this rather difficult. After all we now live in a universe where everyone eats way too much processed foods and drinks wine and Diet Coke by the bucket load.
I saw a pin on Pinterest recently that fascinated me. It showed different countries and their weekly food shopping. It pictured a family around the table after they had done their weekly shop and it was amazing the differences from around the world.
You looked at the American grocery shop and it was full of processed foods and very little of it was fresh. England wasn’t much better, yet you take countries where it’s famous for its home cooking and you see very little processed foods. Think countries like India, France, China, Spain, Portugal and there is hardly any processed foods at all.
I then thought about the processed food that we have in our household at the moment. When looking around I discovered that we don’t actually have that much.
You can have the guided tour around our kitchen on the video below:
So now that we have shown you around what we have in our kitchen and utility let’s get to it and enjoy the first week of being gradual Paleo members…….
Day 1
Okay so we are at day 1 – a fresh new world as we attempt to go Paleo. Sometimes I wonder if I am prepared for new diets. I always end up halfway through my food shop with just a few bits at the bottom of the fridge.
But I am only quitting the processed foods and a few other things so it can’t possibly be that hard can it?
For breakfast (and in the evening too) I have Weetabix – mainly because I love them but also because I have a large supply to get through before I go carb free next week. I hate food waste and as Dominic & Kyle are both allergic to them that just leaves me to eat them!
Day 2
Another of my bad habits is the cans of Diet Coke and prior to this gradual Paleo I would have one a day, so I am really sad to see them gone!
Today I have more Weetabix, Spaghetti Bolognese for lunch and then in the evening I have some homemade pate on toast. Well Dominic’s pate is absolutely delicious and it’s so nice I end up having extra.
Talk about being bad!!!!
Day 3
Welcome to day 3 on my gradual Paleo and today I have pate for breakfast on some tapas biscuits, lunch is chicken with rice and vegetables with cauliflower sauce. Then in the evening it is pate on toast with some dark chocolate.
Hardly Paleo (I know) but this is a steady progression and even with pate on toast included on the list from a diet point of view I have only consumed 1145 calories and after exercise = 850 calories.
Not bad considering how much I have loved my exercise and my food today. Though not sure I will have that opinion at a later date when I have given up chocolate and bread!
Day 4
It is day 4 and even though my first week of gradual Paleo was about losing the snack – what if I could do more?
By this even though I plan on only swapping a snack a day for Paleo, if another meal of the day becomes Paleo then great!
For breakfast and dinner today it is Weetabix and some skimmed milk. But for lunch I went for a Paleo style vegetable bake. I wanted to experiment with some meals for when I really am Paleo and this seemed like the perfect start.
It was vegetables in a cauliflower sauce and it was absolutely delicious and so healthy. It is amazing when healthy food tastes delicious and you actually want more, rather than wishing you had a plate of chips and gravy!
Day 5
Onto day 5 and it felt so amazing that my main meal yesterday was Paleo and it makes me realize that I am going to really enjoy Paleo when it happens.
Today I start the day with some Weetabix, though I think I am going to miss them when I go “no carb” from next week, plus I have loads of them that need eating with me being the only one in the house that likes them.
For lunch we have a vegetable stir fry. It is very green with shredded broccoli, courgette and loads of onion, garlic and ginger. Now this is something I could eat everyday. Though, not too pleased about having to give up on the noodles.
In the evening we have chicken fajitas with potato wedges and a nice salad. There has to be something amazing about fajitas and it’s a perfect Friday night meal to enjoy as a family.
Well Sofia sat there with a piece of cucumber like it was an alien and our puppy was left outside so he didn’t help himself, but apart from that we were all tucking in!
Day 6
For day 6 we had Weetabix for lunch (well a late breakfast) and then lasagna for dinner. I love lasagna and I haven’t had it in ages. With me progressing to no carbs next week I felt like I needed my absolute favorite pasta one last time.
And now is it – so roll on fattening cheese sauce, lasagne sheets, lots of mince, onions, garlic and tomato sauce.
Talk about total food heaven!
Day 7
It is rather scary to say from tomorrow that I will end up carb free. I love my carbs and today is going to be my last day enjoying them.
I always imagined myself wanting to binge on carbs knowing that they are about to be taken away from me, but in reality I am pretty normal with them today.
I have my regular Weetabix for breakfast for the very last time and then go out to a barbecue for dinner.
The barbecue food (with carbs is rather limited) just a few rice dishes, some quiche, some pizza and that is about it. I find myself going around and imagining what I would have if I was fully Paleo. I think about lots of meat, tomato salad and a few other things and reckon I would be more than satisfied.
The Results
So it is the end of the first week. I have given up very little so I am not expecting miracles. I do on the other hand feel much healthier with having no processed foods and no chemically rich drinks.
I have stayed the same and I am perfectly happy with that and I am really looking forward to week 2 and the next chapter in my new Paleo lifestyle.
You can find out more about how we got on this week in our video: