Remember when I started this Get Healthy & Fit Series with 18 other bloggers two weeks ago?
Yes…well, vacation happened!
Exercise didn’t happen.
Eating right didn’t happen 1/2 of the time.
Weight loss didn’t happen.
BUT…
I am very happy to report that I didn’t gain anything (there was lots of delicious food on our vacation), and I also was able to do some research on a gluten-free, dairy-free diet per my doctor’s recommendations during the last few weeks.
Due to that, I’m switching up my diet plan just a little bit. I’ve been researching and reading about the Paleo diet on the internet, but I was steered toward the book Practical Paleo by my friend Andrea at Savings Lifestyle. It’s amazing (and I’ve already tried three of the recipes)!! I felt so much better when I wasn’t eating any grains during the summer, so I think this will be a perfect fit for me. I’m also reading Inflammation Syndrome by Jack Challem.
We returned home from vacation last Wednesday, so I decided to start the eating plan on Friday. I also did my first P90X2 work-out in two weeks today. Hopefully, I’ll have made more progress by the time I post again next Monday!
Here are my updated goals:
The Goals:
1) Lose 10 pounds.
2) Work-out 4-5 times per week.
I have about five more weeks of P90X2. Then, I’ll scale back a little and do some jogging and weight lifting (with Jillian Michaels’ videos).
3) Follow a Paleo-type diet and utilize Practical Paleo to guide me in it.
Each Monday for the next twelve weeks, I’ll be sharing my progress. You can also follow along with all of the other bloggers, too! Check them out over at the Get Healthy & Fit page at Sidetracked Sarah!
Do you think I should buy this book for my mom who has irritable bowel syndrome and a cancerous tumor near her colon? Does it say anything about being on chemo and doing it at the same time? Thanks, Stacie! My cousin’s family have a dairy and gluten free home and it has really changed the life of their 5 yr old. He hadn’t been speaking in complete sentences at all, and when they changed his diet, within a week there were sooo many improvements.
I was actually thinking of your parents as I read Inflammation Syndrome. It has specific suggestions for cancer, IBS, arthritis (both rheumatoid and osteo — I couldn’t remember which your dad has), but I didn’t know if it would be overstepping my bounds if I sent a copy to them! It’s challenging though — he has 14 steps, but it really is an informative book. Easy to read and helpful in understanding what our “food” is doing to us. Inflammation Syndrome also came highly recommended by my new doctor — who practices functional medicine. Practical Paleo also has some excellent information, but I would probably start with Inflammation Syndrome for them. Obviously, I don’t agree with all of the stuff about evolutionary changes in our bodies, etc., but I think in general, Americans have no concept of how food — or the lack of real food — is hurting us. I read a story in the paper the other day that 50% of Americans will be obese by 2030 — not just overweight — but OBESE!
Anyway, I don’t know if that answers your question or not, but I do think it’s definitely worth reading and thinking about food in a different way.
I have been eyeing that back! Are the recipes really practical though? I am SO short on time in the kitchen nowadays, if it’s hard…I won’t do it! But I really love the CONCEPT of paleo eating. (I just don’t know that I could give up dairy)
Yay! You weren’t in spam!
I feel like the recipes are pretty easy, but you do have to spend a little more time. It’s not like throwing noodles in some water, adding some sauce and meat and calling it good! I’ve been happy with the three recipes I’ve made so far and haven’t found it much more time-consuming. I think the main thing is planning ahead and doing as much as you can at one time to prepare for the rest of the week’s meals. She does have shopping lists for each menu plan on her website I think, but most of the recipes just serve 2-4, so I will have to double (or triple) the recipes — especially with my husband who can eat anything and stay like a stick.
Obviously it’s going to be a little more expensive, but I’m trying my best to figure out how to make it fit in our budget!
Dairy is really hard to give up, but it helps that my oldest daughter can’t have it anyway, so I was cooking dairy-free most of the time anyway (just adding cheese for the rest of the family or modifying her meals a little bit).
I remember when you said going grain-free made you feel better. Hope this works well for you. I have been eating nearly paleo since January and been able to drop 40 very stubborn pounds. I do gluten-free treats now and then, but found that dairy, wheat and most legumes do me no favors. I buy the best meat we can, even if it’s not grass-fed. To improve more on allergies, I probably need to work on eliminating nightshades to see if they’re causing problems.
Hi, Dineen – Wow! 40 pounds!! Good for you!! I just started looking into nightshades, too. I’m wondering if I should eliminate them as well. It seems so overwhelming at first, but I do feel better after just a week!