#30DayPaleoChallenge - Day 1

In order to prepare for the next thirty days there had to be some reorganizing in the refrigerator, freezer, pantry and cabinets. Mainly it was good to basically take inventory to see what was going to be necessary to survive the challenge.

Step 1: The refrigerator! I found three things that I could eat in my refrigerator that would be acceptable for the Paleo challenge. The eggs, meat and a box of strawberries. Everything else is off limits to me. Whoa!

Step 2: The freezer. Thankfully there were more options for me in here. The bags of frozen fruit and that bottom basket there is filled with frozen bags of veggies. Obviously everything else is not on the Paleo list!

Step 3: Organize the cabinets. I can't have ANYTHING in here. This is mainly where the children will live during the challenge.

Step 4: The pantry! I can't have anything in the pantry unless I want to make a protein shake with water. Other than that everything is NO BUENO!

Now I feel like I'm prepared to hit the grocery store for me! What is my plan? I'm only going to buy milk, bread and orange juice for the kids for the next thirty days. Everything else that I buy will be on the Paleo list of things we can all eat. My kids are freaking out! I think there is enough stuff in the house for them to deal with for thirty days. They need to change up their menu just as much as I do. However, I think that by not bringing more stuff in the house and calling it "for the kids" will be less tempting for me and there will be more success with the challenge.

Here are the guidelines:

1. Eat real food – meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, oils (No vegetable or canola oil). Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re fresh and natural.

2. Do not eat dairy. This includes cheeses (hard and soft)

3. Do not eat grains. This includes bread, rice, pasta, corn (yes, corn is a grain), oatmeal, etc.

4. Do not eat sugars of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Truvia, Stevia, etc.

6. No to processed foods. Pretty much anything in the middle of the grocery store. Can't recognize it growing or running around in the wild? Don't eat it.

7. Do not drink alcohol, in any form. (I know, I know)

Point System
Everyone will starts with 0 points. If you break one of the above guidelines then give yourself a point.

Dairy = 1 point

Peanuts/Processed Protein = 2 points (even a chicken breast from Chili's. These are processed.) Processed means it is fast food meat.

Grains/Processed Crap/Added sweeteners/Alcohol= 3 points

Each point be on a meal by meal basis.

Examples:

Milk in coffee = 1 point
Milk and sugar in coffee = 4 points (1 +3 )

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
Peanuts (2), Jelly (3), Bread (3) = 8 points

2 grilled Chicken Breasts + a cup of garlic broccoli + grilled zucchini + an apple = zero points

Day 1:
Breakfast - Scrambled eggs & a banana.
(Went to Chiropractor for traction, grabbed peppermint candy from bowl while I was waiting, should have just blew off the curiosity of bad breath!) 3 point penalty! &*^%

Lunch - Came home from work out husband ate my "Paleo" lunch! Grabbed banana and headed to Whole Foods for nuts. Total waste of my time! Too expensive, too far to drive, ate some pecans on the way home but still hungry! Headed to HEB to get more food.

Dinner - pork chops, carrots, cantaloup (Noticed that the seasoning I was going to use had sugar in it!) Then cleaning out the spices occurred.

Gee - I've been working out for two years and I'm still not dropping weight! Could it be that 95% of the stuff in your house contains sugar or is processed? Just curious. Well for the next 29 days I'm going in and if I earn points along the way so be it, but changes in food consumption really need to occur. I need to arm myself with a heck of a lot more recipes.

Major problem: Most of the recipes have some sort of nut (almond, coconut, etc..) ingredient in them and my son has a peanut/tree nut allergy. I'm just going to have to do more research!  The days is almost over and I'm so glad. My head really hurts. I feel full but not satisfied if that makes any sense at all. Stay tuned....

We will be weighing in and taking measurements so we have some sort of idea how this is going.

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