The Paleo Project, Day 2

It's day 2 of Paleo eating and home cooking!  The good news??  I'm enjoying bullet proof coffee this morning, I haven't yelled at anyone yet and I'm feeling pretty fantastic.  The bad news??  I can feel a low dull headache on the surface and know that my "withdrawal" symptoms are going to happen any day now. 
To recap the changes that I'm making for September are the following:

• no dairy (except for the Kerrygold unsalted butter in my coffee)
• no grains
• no legumes
• no eating out
• no buying coffee
• only home cooked meals by me or friends (no grocery store pre-made deli options for me!)
• no going out (except for a birthday party on the 6th I had previously committed myself to... and a date-type invitation I accepted for this Thursday...)
• no alcohol (except for the Lurong Living Paleo challenge permitted 4 oz of wine per day)
• no processed sugar or sugar substitutes
• journal/blog the process (it's good, bad and ugly.... and it probably will get ugly)

 I think that pretty much sums it up. Sunday night, in true fanfare, a friend and I went out to consume mass quantities of breaded-goodness and Jameson.  Because that is how we roll.  We like to make sure we are good and sick from too much of a bad thing to make our commitment that much more solid.  And trust, yesterday morning I was definitely suffering from a carb-hangover.  Much like an alcohol fueled hangover a carb-hangover results in nausea, fatigue and a bad attitude.  Luckily I had 4 workouts that needed to be completed with a team to force me to get my butt off the couch.  After a solid 3+ hours of sweating, burpees and laughter (my team rocks FYI), I was finally ready to eat. 

Paleo Transition Reminder #1-- I experience INTENSE hunger (or become Hangry) in the first week of paleo eating and nothing ever sounds good.  Except for every damn thing I cannot eat.

After scarfing mass quantities (okay, maybe 6-7 oz) of grilled beef, fresh veggies and fruit the beast was mostly tamed.  I did go back for more fruit later (mmmm... fresh strawberries), but consider the day an overall success.

Paleo Transition Reminder #2-- Consuming higher than normal amounts of fresh fruit during the first 7-10 days helps ease the sugar cravings, carb cravings and craziness.  It's not ideal but it's what helps me transition and after the first two weeks, the sugar cravings go away and fruit consumption goes down. 

With today as Day 2 and my first day back to work post-holiday weekend, I had to get up earlier to make sure I was ready to tackle the day without leaving room for error.  A nice fresh breakfast of eggs and salsa (protein + fat with minimal carbs), bullet proof coffee (caffeine + fat), snacks and lunch (more protein, fat and some carbs), lots of water and my supplements definitely set me up for success! 

Paleo Transition Reminder #3-- taking your supplements regularly helps. Vitamins D, B and 5-HTP will help with mood management, Omega 3s will help with brain function and are an anti-inflammatory (stupid joints),  PurePharma M3 (minerals) to help with recovery, fatigue and electrolyte balance and finally... in just a few days I'll add Lurong (velvet deer antler) to the mix. 

Although right now it feels like a lot of work and inconvenience, in a couple short weeks it'll feel like routine and I will feel amazing!  I just need to focus, stay strong and believe in the mission at hand.

"There are no secrets to success.  It's the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure." --Colin Powell