Paleo Week 2! The trial goes on… happily!
If your still reading these then firstly thank you! Secondly, week 2 has been amazing. Results continue to come in even with a huge challenge this week. In this blog I will cover how my week has gone, performance review in training and physique changes. My mind has been opened further through this venture into a Paleo diet as I begin to further understand why people connect with this lifestyle for sure.
My week started very well with high energy levels, no willpower problems and a good solid food prep session! I am getting used to the shopping side of being Paleo, becoming adapted to avoiding the middle aisles except in need of herbs/spices top ups. It has genuinely become easier to navigate my weekly shop, enjoying leaving each time with nought but fresh produce minus a couple of exceptions (tinned coconut milk, tomato paste etc). I feel this is where many people would struggle but my advice would be a) stick with it for the duration of the month trial b) find one or two alternatives. So my alternatives have been 85% or more dark chocolate with no milk in and there are others in brands in Oz & UK but I have taken to a Paleo bar called Emma & Toms. They are nearly all Paleo just check the ingredients before. The ones I have tried are excellent and fulfil the craving for sweetness yet only carry natural ingredients such as cashews, dates and coconut.
So, shopping trips ticked off as winning. My larger challenge this week that I knew I had to plan for was the long weekend away. Me and my friends headed off early Saturday morning for two days camping on the great ocean road. I do not force my chosen lifestyle upon people and was well aware the guys would want to drink, eat out and doubted much of this would be Paleo proof! I got hold of cool bags and set about a food prep which covered me for all bar one meal a day. I decided I would brave the restaurants and search for something I could eat with my friends in somewhere they also enjoy.
Saturday. We had breakfast in a little cafe in Apollo Bay where there were pancakes coming out, fruit toast, muesli and other sweet options. I ordered poached eggs, bacon, sausage and avocado. A breakfast I like and enjoy whilst enjoying a meal with my friends. When eating out in a non-paleo restaurant just be aware it should still be a treat as it is unlikely to be fully Paleo. The oils and quality of meat and veg may not be what you would use at home but balance is still key! Sunday. The hard part. Fish & Chips… I may not have had the beer battered fish and ridiculously nice smelling chips but my meal was beautiful. I had freshly grilled Barramundi and scallops with an olive oil dressed salad. I am content post weekend with my choices (I also said no to beer!).
For the trainers and athletes out there, performance review. This has been an interesting week in terms of performance for me. I unfortunately have been struggling for over a month with a calf injury and this week added to this by pulling something minor in my back (seems to have been possible QL). My strength numbers were my worry as normally a few days off normally see’s my performance dip. This tied in with having to miss the open workout and going away all weekend, I was definitely worried. For the first time ever, I think, I recovered properly. I rested the injured area, kept active with plenty of walking on our trip, slept plenty and ate the Paleo way. My Monday session came around, thinking I would feel weak and under perform I went into my session (OH Squats, a Press sequence and Pull ups) and absolutely smashed it. My numbers continued to increase from last week even post injury. I felt strong, rested and now in full faith that the Paleo nutrition/sleep combo alongside a well programmed, consistent (but varied) training regime is the answer for me. Let’s see what this week brings!
Briefly before I cover my physique results I will touch on the gut health side of things. The reason this doesn’t have it’s own paragraph this week is due to it’s remained excellence. I have never gone away before for a weekend and not had gut issues. I stuck to the diet and i was rewarded with a perfectly functioning gut!
Onto physique. This is probably the bit that interests the majority of readers most. I have seen really promising results, two weeks in I am very close to being at my pre-Melbourne physique. I have taken my two weeks progress pictures and will be doing a collage at the end of the trial (never shown to anyone before… comfort zone is getting smashed!). This week I have seen definition to my stomach coming back as well as being openly told by my flat mate that my body composition had changed for the better so quickly! As a trainer my brain works no differently to other humans when it comes to self evaluation, so having an outside opinion without being asked shows that results are coming. In weight I actually gained 6 lbs but my body fat has dropped for sure (I am attributing this to partly the ongoing training phase as well as possibly overeating on nuts and fruit two evenings we had friends over who were stuffing down heaps of chips!). One more set of photo’s at the end of the month to come.
My closing sentiments this week are that this way of life (not ‘diet’) are truly the way our bodies were meant to be… but, I can appreciate this is not an easy switch to make and although it is a sustainable way of eating, myself included still can’t see the cookies disappearing forever! This is turning out to be even more interesting than I thought results wise, I am 100% happy to be doing this, I am not hungry like I have been on cuts before and I feel great. After next week we will see where my opinions are starting to settle in terms of what I will do post month long trial. Any queries or questions please post, comment and also please share!
Signing out for another week. Keep happy & healthy, strive to do something out of that comfort zone this week!
JoeHulinPT.
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