Diet and Exercise Still Going Strong

Knocking on the Door - 100 Kilograms (220lbs)

I've now lost about 10 kilograms (22lbs) in weight, I'm walking a distance of about 4.0 kilometres (about 2.5 miles) a day, it varies but hovers around that distance, sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more, I generally have one "sloth" day each week, usually on a Sunday, where I do virtually nothing, except for eating the right way of course, that's everyday. My walking has definitely improved, if my phone's step counter is accurate, I'm doing about 5,000 - 6,000 steps a day.

If I take rubbish out to the bin I take the long way around, so that helps to add to my daily steps, that's why it varies, though I always get the 5,000 steps from my morning walk. The rest is usually low intensity walking, my morning walk is where I "push it" a bit harder. I'm doing five laps of "my block" and try to do that in the morning. If I go for my walk close to bed time I am too "wired" to sleep and have the energy to stay up most of the night, which of course negates the benefit of a good nights sleep...

I've been adding more variation to my diet, all Paleo Diet approved foods, I generally have Salad with Sardines or bacon or salmon or whatever meat I have thawed for Breakfast, I now rarely have lunch, I might just have a snack like a boiled egg or two instead, occasionally I have three meals a day but it is occasional, not common at all, my appetite has definitely decreased. I have mostly stuck to my dinner meal of some kind of meat and steamed vegetables. My walking's improvement is less fatigue as I get "fitter" of course and my balance has also improved, I still do get some "foot drag" by the end of my morning walk, but it's on the last lap when the physical fatigue starts to kick in, yep I am pushing it so that's expected.

My weight is at about 103 Kilograms (227lbs), I must say the lower your weight becomes, it seems the slower you lose it, but as I've said many times before I hope to make this a lifestyle change, but that 99 Kilogram mark is my next goal, it's a big goal lol, I haven't weighed below 100 Kilograms for a looong time ;). Just remember though, weight loss is the bonus, it's not the main goal, the main goal is to see how eating the Paleo way can benefit my MS and it's symptoms, so to realise the possible benefits of MS improvement, I will need to stick to the diet for quite a while. The weight loss period of this experiment is tangible, you can see the results as they're happening, the scales and how your clothes fit show the weight loss, you do feel the general health benefits as well, so there is no doubt about that aspect of the Paleo Diet when it comes to losing weight, it works and works quite quickly, so that's on track.

The next part will be more difficult to prove or "see", it will be all about how I feel, it won't be easy to put into words, I think there has been some benefit on the Multiple Sclerosis/symptom front, but nothing that's happening is a large enough change to really talk about. I guess all I can really say is that I'm feeling quite well. I'm sure the eating better, the getting more sleep, sleeping longer and exercise all have something to do with that, but that's quite obvious really, it's bound to have a positive effect. I could probably say that all of this healthy living has seemed to improve my fatigue in the positive, even if I do get a minor afternoon MS crash, I might need to or want to lie down for half an hour to an hour, but I'm not falling asleep just having a lie down.

I need to get some kind of "Fitness Band", I would like to be able to monitor my sleep, I have a feeling that even when I do seem to get say 6-8 hours sleep a night, I can't be certain if it's "good sleep" so I might just need to buy one of those fitness bands to see if it can shed some light on my sleep behaviour. I mention this because some days I wake up and get ready for my morning walk and it's like I'm overflowing with energy, then on other days it's a real struggle, I still do the walk, but there's a bit more "clonus" symptoms and just a little more very minor foot dragging right from the start of the walk. I'm fairly sure that my nutrient intake is fine and I'm eating enough, so at this stage I have a feeling it's a lack of "good sleep".

Oh the last "shop" I did for groceries I thought I would add some Berries, I bought Blackberries and Blueberries, the Blackberries are lower in Sugar, the Blueberries are slightly higher, I have to say even when eating the Berries, mainly the Blueberries, I did get a Sugar rush headache lol, seriously, I never had too many Blueberries I might have had 5-10 at a time maximum, as nice as they were, I think I'll stick to the Blackberries for an occasional treat, they seemed to be less headache inducing...weird eh?

My Tip: People please give up Sugar filled drinks, eg. Coca-Cola and any fizzy drink that is full of Sugar, that also includes fruit juice, the concentrations of Sugars in Fruit juices is enormous, have a real orange etc. instead of it's concentrated Sugar filled juice!

This blog post is a tad all over the place, because I'm just cruising along, doing what I need to do and I just wanted to log my progress and let others know I'm still on the diet and exercise path ;)

The Video below is an Interview with Loren Cordain, the father of the Paleo Diet, the guy asking the questions is Pete Evans, he is an Australian Paleo Diet advocate and Chef.

First Goal Achieved Paleo Diet and Exercising!

WooHoo, I'm just past the two month mark - Paleo Diet

Why is this goal important to me? I have only ever made it to just under the two month mark previously, so I'm quite happy I've beaten my previous record, piss off, yes it is a big deal to me lol. Yep if you can bother to read my previous Paleo Diet blog posts, all I've really done is get back to where I ended up the last time I tried this diet, so no smart arse comments, it takes me a while to get my mind right, the planets also need to align perfectly to get into that head space that I need to be in to achieve results. As I've said before though this time I really do think I can possibly make this a lifestyle change that I can stick to. I won't hide my Paleo Journey "ups and downs" you can read all of my posts on the Paleo Diet at the link below...

All blog posts tagged "Paleo Diet"

When you get over or near the two month mark of eating the Paleo way and exercising, things really do start to fall into place, well this is the time frame for me anyway, we're all different though, you are now starting to see real noticeable results, weight loss, better sleep patterns, less fatigue, clearer mind, less fog in the brain and a better attitude and I'm walking a lot more these days, so I'm quite a bit fitter and my "gait" has improved out of sight. I promise you all these things that are happening are real, but honestly you'll never know unless you try the Paleo Diet yourself and do your best to exercise, whatever exercise you can do will help immensely, I have no doubt of that. I will say though, you really do need to stick to it strictly, especially in the early days in my opinion, the more strict you are the quicker you will see the positive benefits, but rest assured you will see results even if you can't do any exercise at all, it's true, you will benefit from eating the Paleo way!

I'm becoming a bit of an expert on living and eating the Paleo way, more particularly, I have a good understanding of what you can and can't eat and how it all works, I guess that's what I know now, so it's pretty much second nature to me and that makes everything a lot easier. Having said that (don't you hate it when people use that term lol) I definitely don't know everything, but I continuously read and of course experience it while doing the diet. I have nearly finished "The Wahls Protocol" book by Terry Wahls, next chapter is the "Epilogue" so I figure I'm close to the end... I'll finish it up as soon as I can in the coming day or two. I must say that I always thought Terry's wonderful book was a much more stricter version of the Paleo Diet that I had ever done, not so, believe it or not, so I'm very happy and surprised by that, it means I've been doing it quite close to Terry's version.

After reading "The Wahls Protocol" I have though learnt a lot more and will slowly incorporate some of her ideas and theories into how I'm eating, she also suggests some supplements that might be worthwhile adding to the diet. Though she does make it very clear that supplements are not the way to go, she fully believes in consuming the right foods and lots of them especially at the start, she lists everything and also has three versions for her Protocol, me, I pretty much jumped right into her most strictest version her "Paleo Plus Diet", though let me clarify my statement.

 I am not eating the exact same foods as Terrys strictest version, though I do only eat Paleo allowed foods and do follow quite a strict version, so I'm very close to her version, but she has given me a few aspects to think about, for example she doesn't recommend eating eggs, but she does qualify that statement with "if you are allergic or have a sensitivity to Eggs" she advises not to eat them, now I wouldn't have a clue whether I am or not, though as I said it has given me something to think about. I will probably try an experiment on myself, eg. I will "cut them out" of my diet at some stage (when I finish what eggs I still have left) for a couple of weeks, see how I go and how I feel then add eggs back to my diet and see if I can  feel any difference.

One difference I'd really like to get on board with is the consumption of "Organ Meat", yeah, never been a fan even though both my Mother and Father occasionally did eat "Organ Meats" when I was growing up, they never pushed them on us, in fact didn't even offer "their" delicacies to us at all, well not that I can remember anyway. I did see them cook these meats and eat them, I'm sure if I had asked for some they would have let me try them, I doubt I ever asked though lol. So I do have a few things I'd like to look into further and possibly try, but I'll definitely need to ease into organ meats and learn how to cook them etc.

Hey I really do understand if people scoff at my improvements, I really do, but honestly I really don't care, I know what I'm feeling, I'm feeling great, I have no reason to lie as I'm not selling anything or getting any commissions, I've been on this journey for quite a while now, most of that has been reading and getting organised slowly to start eating Paleo allowed foods, when your not wealthy you can't just buy everything you need in one shopping trip and it's silly to throw out good edible albeit processed and sugar laden food and fill your cupboards with Paleo only. It all takes time, but you can definitely slowly work up to it and start adjusting.

I promise you I have more money left over each week now more so than when I was consuming sugar laden processed non Paleo food stuffs. Oh and that's something I need to say, after the two month mark, your appetite lessens and you're not craving the crap you used to live on, sure you might say once a week crave something from your past poor eating habits, but seriously that craving disappears rather quickly, but it does pay to have something Paleo approved to eat if you're hungry of course, just in case, rather than being caught short and buying some quick and easy processed food from some shop, just be prepared, don't slip into old eating habits!

Oh I should say as well, I do get most of my meat and vegetables from "supermarkets" yes you're right, strictly Paleo food is Grass Fed Meat and Organic Veggies, you're absolutely right, but at the moment at least I can't easily source or afford these foods, but I will, the main Paleo bonus I'm benefiting from at the moment is weight loss, I want to mainly concentrate on that first, get my weight down while feeling better whilst doing it. As I eat less I will have more money to spend on the best kind of meat and vegetables, Grass Fed and Organic respectively, I am feeling heaps better and once the weight is off I hope to feel even better when I can source and afford better produce.

Don't get discouraged or give up on Paleo eating just because you can't be 100% Paleo perfect with what you consume with the meat and veggies, you really will feel much better regardless, hang in there and look for discounts and specials, go to farmers markets, buy cheaper cuts of Grass Fed meat or Organic veggies that are bruised, you know what I mean, be smart, grow your own veggies, just do your best with what you can achieve, it won't be a waste of time, just aspire to buying better quality Grass fed Meat and Organic Vegetables when you can ;)

My walking is up to about five thousand steps, well that's my goal and I'm making that goal if not more, I do try and have one slow day at least each week, some times even two, but I usually at least do about 1500 steps on those days, just to keep the legs active and I really am in the mode of walking everyday, like I really feel like I have to do it, it's a good place mentally to be in. You never know I might just make it to 10,000 after all, but I am hurting after doing five laps around "my block" which I've just started doing, the worst thing is it takes me about an hour, that's time I could be relaxing lol!

After reading Terry Wahls book and discussing my blog posts with others on Google Plus, I have started to eat more salad type vegetables and cutting back a little on steamed hot food veggies, this gives me a bit of a change and more variety, I have also been eating a lot more Coconut Oil and "good" oils with the salads as well, the Coconut Oil doesn't taste too bad at all, I'm getting used to it and enjoying it more, it's just different, maybe a little sweet tasting, but eh, I think my taste buds are "shot" anyway after a previous exacerbation, though I can "taste" my food more clearly now though, I guess when you haven't eaten sugar or carbs for about two months things are bound to change and they have. Oh and yes as I mentioned on my last blog post I'm eating a max of two meals a day and yes some times just one meal a day with a small snack, my appetite has decreased lots...

Long ago now I started getting ready for doing the Paleo Diet while I was reading up on it all, I started getting rid of Non Paleo foods, by throwing them out, giving them away or just finishing what I had left, I stopped eating bread long ago apart from the very odd Servo sandwich, which were sometimes quite odd indeed...I haven't had sugar laden McDonalds or Kentucky fried Chicken for years now, I do remember having just one cheeseburger around the start of November 2015, but apart from that I've abstained from that horrid stuff they call food for quite a while now.

The one fast food place I do use is Red Rooster, I only occasionally eat their whole Chickens (only) and occasionally their Chicken Salads, I don't use their dressing. Occasionally I'll buy a supermarket BBQ chicken as well, but that's about the extent of consuming any fast food type "foods". The Cheeseburger I had was purchased on the way home after the five days Lemtrada Treatment, eh, give me a break, it was just one cheeseburger and no chips or drinks ;)

Oh I have now finished the Terry Wahls Protocol book, yes I do recommend it, she eases you into eating the Paleo Way and explains everything as you go, you don't need to buy the book everything you need to know can be found on the interwebs, but it is a handy guide that is well worth having so you can refer back to it while giving the Paleo Diet a red hot go. Her advice is wonderful and she has some great tips in the book, yes it has some graphs, lists, testimonies and advice, Terry explains it all and she takes you through her own personal journey.

Terry Wahls on Google Plus you can find her web site and more info at this link.

My next goal is to get below the 100 Kilogram (220 lbs) mark, I'm nearly there, just a few more Kilos to go!

I will of course edit any mistakes in the text above after it's published, cos that's how I roll...

Caveman Family

I've Quit Sugar!

I'm on the third week of "No Sugar" I started around Christmas day, I thought it best not to make a new years resolution, us humans rarely stick to those, me especially, too much pressure...

I have decided to strictly adhere to the Paleo Diet once again, though I won't be going into detail about that diet as such, I've said it all before, on this blog and in numerous posts on G+. I think the sugar cessation with Paleo might just be the the "thing" that helps the most when it comes to well being, nevertheless I will adhere to the Paleo guidelines strictly as I have never felt better since having MS and eating the Paleo way. I'm actually quite sick of talking about Paleo stuff as most just can't or won't attempt it or even read about it and if they do look into it they cringe in horror and then starting saying things like "I could never just eat all meat" I then immediately know they've never looked into it at all, I then know they read and blindly believe what hack journalist's articles espouse as truth, yeah the "journalist" didn't really look into it either, and so the bullshit flows from one person to the next.

The simple truth is that the Paleo Diet is difficult, very difficult, I'd prefer them just to say "nah not for me" and leave it at that and just leave me to carry on with the way I want to eat for my health and Multiple Sclerosis, most do of course, but some people are "know alls" yet never really look closely into anything they proclaim to be an expert on, or not, it's the nature of the internet of course. I'll help anyone that wants to change if I can, though very few actually do want to. So now I just give them some hints on where to look for good info and wait for them to get back to me if they want to know more, none have, well actually two have and even started to eat the Paleo way and even saw some decent weight loss results (weight loss is the bonus), though never stuck with it long enough to see the positives that eating right can have on one's MS symptoms and their severity, which really is a shame for them, eh, life goes on!

So now I'm just going to talk about Quitting Sugar to other people while still doing my Paleo thing, although I won't be talking about it all that much on G+ or to friends that don't want to hear (all good, it's my journey and doesn't have to be theirs). I've posted a Poll on a MS Community to get an idea of how many people (hopefully honestly) answer the poll to gauge if people consume much sugar in their daily food intake. Not as easy as one may think, as Sugar has been creeping into around 80% of the food we eat (whole foods excluded of course), people are eating far more processed foods these days and unfortunately not cooking as much as we once did. When I was growing up, fast food for example was a treat, at most a once a week treat and mostly for my family it was Fish n' Chips or a Hamburger, though it was a proper burger not this McDonalds etc. sugar laden fast food crap people seem to consume quite regularly these days, some eat it nearly everyday it seems.

So anyway, I'm mostly over the headaches and aches and pains one seems to get when they overcome most addictions and I've started walking for exercise again, walking and exercise helps one get over addictions a little more easily and most importantly quicker than if not doing some kind of physical activity. When I was younger I was full on into sports, one of those kids who would train themselves just as much as the training that the sport/club required, I let all that go in my twenties, you know all the excuses, we've all made them, so I won't dwell on it. My one saving grace as far as exercise goes was the fact that I was a Mechanic, it's a physical job, though any "well being" gain was of course counteracted by the crap fast food I'd often eat in the workshops where I'd work. Well it was most likely somewhat more healthy than what the mega fast food giants serve up, but still it wasn't really healthy food as such, especially when you're eating it everyday for morning tea and lunch. Yes I could have just had a salad sandwich or roll, but nah, it would usually be something deep fried etc.

So I've decided to mainly talk about giving up Sugar, maybe if people can just do that, they will most likely see some benefit to their general well being and possibly some benefit to their Multiple Sclerosis symptoms, the benefits so far for me are, sleeping better and at "normal" times, increase in energy, although when you give up Sugar you will most likely get the "No Sugar Flu", you may get headaches, sore joints and irritability and yes fatigue may increase in this detox time, Sugar is an addiction pure and simple, you will feel a bit crap just like a drug addict coming off his poison of choice, or a heavy drinker giving up drinking after years of imbibing, but giving up Sugar I'm guessing is nowhere near as bad as those two of course, but it isn't a leisurely walk in the park either.

Even years and years ago way before I started dabbling with the Paleo Diet, as a somewhat logical person, I always thought that regardless of our MS, MSers or of course anyone with any disease or medical issue would surely benefit from being the healthiest that they could be, even those who can't exercise easily, eg. those very overweight or people who can't physically do much exercise, eg. people in wheelchairs or those who have mobility issues, all of us can still eat better, we shove far too much crap in our mouths because so much food that is "quick and easy" is also full of Sugar and "numbers" oh and too much salt of course as well.

Oh and before people say, "it's easy for you, you're lucky!", that couldn't be further from the truth, yes it is lucky I live alone and that I can still cook my own food, absolutely true, but I am not a cook of any description and I still get fatigued standing over a hot oven or cook top, I still get fatigued from that, though hopefully that may improve as I get fitter and eat better. Ninety percent of my food is plain old meat and vegetables, the vegetables are those that start off frozen and then cooked in a pretty nifty though very simple and cheap microwave steamer (easy to clean and use), it works a treat. Yes I guess you could call what I eat very boring no doubt, but that's how I like it, if it's easy I'll cook, if it's a whole culinary delight that takes a long time to prepare I just won't cook and revert back to "take away" food or processed quick and easy meals, I really don't want to do that so I keep it plain and simple for someone who is dealing with Multiple Sclerosis issues.

The paleo diet is about fuelling your body with good fats rather than Sugars and Carbohydrates it's why you can lose weight fairly quickly, yep, unbelievable isn't it, but it's true, me and many, many others are living proof, I have done it for two months previously, strictly, it works! In three weeks (I started the diet on Christmas day) I have lost about 4-5 kilograms (8-9 pounds), but as I say this journey for me is not so much about weight loss as it is about Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms and their severity and hopefully minimising those and how they effect my life and well being. At the second week mark I was feeling good enough to start walking around my block, it's 800 metres, I do it twice a day, once in the morning, once at night, my walking is still not great or "normal" but I can walk and the more I do it, it can only get better.

I'm slowly starting to increase that, I'm using "Google Fit" to track distance and steps and scales to track my weight loss progress, though the electronic scales reading never really stays still lol, that's the MS...by the way, going by "Google Fit" just walking about two kilometres everyday doesn't burn ll that many calories, the main weight loss benefit comes from being in a state of "ketosis" my body is using the body fat I have built up as fuel to survive, but make no mistake, I am not starving myself, I'm eating more than enough protein and vegetables to live off, before I was giving my body much more than I actually needed and most of that "extra" was Sugar and Carbs that I consumed, not exercising at all doesn't help either. Remember if you do happen to be overweight it can only benefit you, your joints and your mental well being to lose some weight, fact! Eating better can help stave off "Leaky Gut Syndrome" which apparently might help with stopping stomach lining permeability, this may be a cause of some autoimmune issues, from what "they say".

Now for some facts, I have been dabbling with the Paleo Diet or at least eating a lot better for gee, I don't know about four years now, I've lost a lot of weight over that time and I've also put "some" weight back on from relapsing to my previous bad eating habits. I've never let that get me down to the extent of just giving it all up, it's always on my mind to eat better, though the exercising certainly does take a hit, let's be honest it becomes non existant lol.

I'll list below some of the benefits that I think I gained from eating more healthily and exercising, well I don't just think, I pretty much now how much better I feel, but I can't scientifically prove it though of course.

Weight Loss (the weight melts off)
No more bloated stomach (now instead of feeling "full" all the time, I more so eat when I'm hungry)
More energy and less fatigued (the afternoon crash and fatigue is lessened)
Sleeping better and longer (no longer on "Vampire hours")
Skin looks better (not that I care so much about that lol)
The walking helps to improve my "gait" and general fitness.
I think my mind becomes a little clearer
My general mood and mental well being has improved (I'm less negative about everything lol)

Here is a list of why Sugar and Processed foods are bad for you resources, there are many vids on Youtube, but here's a couple

Sugar the Bitter Truth Youtube Video, (it's a Uni Lecture by the looks of it) very comprehensive information.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Big Sugar Discussion Youtube Video (how we've been conned etc.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y_CaFRsO_0

The Secrets of Sugar - The Fifth Estate - CBC News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDaYa0AB8TQ

Why is Sugar Bad Youtube Search
https://goo.gl/UEDHSM

A page I created with Information and resources.
http://www.darinallan.com/paleo_diet/sugar-is-bad-for-you

Movies/Docos to watch (if you can find these to watch or see them advertised on TV, well worth watching)
Fed Up
Is Sugar the New Fat
That Sugar Film

Sugar Withdrawal Symptoms: List of Possibilitieshttp://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/07/19/sugar-withdrawal-symptoms-list-of-possibilities/

I quit sugar community (the owner, well known "I Quit Sugar" advocate) seems to have abandon it but I just joined it to say I've Quit Sugar, to see if anything good gets posted by members etc.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/117264613745385510960

Some great Books to read that can be purchased on Google Play Books
Sweet Poison
Fat Chance: The Bitter Truth about Sugar

So feel free to contact me on Google Plus if you like, but the resources above are a great start and I'm sure you know how to use Google to search for all the information you need to Quit Sugar and why you should. I can say right now I am already not craving Sugar as much as I did before starting this diet. :)

Disclaimer: Go see ya bloody GP before you do any shit that may effect your health...though quitting Sugar in my opinion is one of the healthiest things you could do...

Week Two - Paleo Diet

I'm into the second week of the Paleo diet, as far as weight goes, I have lost between one and two kilograms, I can't be too exact as my scales are a basic unit and analogue so will need to weigh myself on some decent scales at some stage, preferably hospital scales, they are usually spot on. I wonder if Chemist stores have scales anymore, most of them used to when I was growing up, don't think I've noticed them for a long time now though.

26-10-2014 to 1-11-2014

After the first week withdrawal symptoms from the carbs, sugar and coffee, the start of this week has been a breeze to handle, though there is a little fatigue still, but considering I have MS, it's pretty normal, the last time though, I was definitely less fatigued so I am hoping the same thing will occur by the end of the month at least, to stay positive you need a few "wins" along the way, so far the weight loss is on track. I think my brain might be coming just that wee bit clearer, I've felt like writing more lately and the words are coming a little easier, but it's too early to know whether it's from the Paleo Diet or just the way MS works, you do have some good days occasionally where you can take on the world, not often, but now and then.

I will need to do another grocery order this week at some stage, I am down to the last of my meat, that's a bit scary lol. I even had to buy some Bacon from the Servo/Coles mini mart, I love all bacon, but I am enjoying the streaky bacon a bit more since eating the Paleo way, more yummy fat in the streaky bacon, Coles mini mart only has the usual bacon we seem to prefer in Australia, I like it as well, but Paleo does like more fat to burn!

"You don't win friends with salad", though it is a quick and easy supplement to your meat, it's important to eat the veggies/salads, the Paleo diet is not about eating meat only.

I think my eyesight might be just a little clearer, in my "looking through fog left eye", that might just be wishful thinking as well, though things like this are what happened last time, a lessening of symptom severity overall! It's like the fog is starting to clear, with holes in the fog that make it a little easier to see through.

I'm drinking between one and two litres of water a day.

Ketosis and Ketone Test Strips

These strips are not needed, though I am going to get some to test my urine to see if I am in ketosis, more of an interest than anything else, I just want to know lol.

http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips011.html

Got the ketosis test strips, yippee I'm in ketosis, expected that, but just had to know for sure lol

I tested my urine with the strips and I'm definitely in Ketosis, I've been in "Moyen" (third one from top) going by the scale and colour of the test strip, it's all very interesting!

I have also started walking, baby steps (literally), around the block, haven't measured the exact distance, but it is a somewhat hilly sloping block I am on, not sure what's worse, going down the slope or going back up lol.

I've lost two Kilograms in weight, I find the best time to weigh myself is the morning, during the day your weight goes up and down like a yoyo, I guess when your drinking litres of water it will tend to add weight as will the food of course, but after a good nights sleep letting the body do it's thing I'm always losing weight after a sleep each day, just a bit but it's happening!

Week One - Paleo Diet!

Paleo Diet, first week start date

19-10-2014 to 25-10-2014

I started the Paleo Diet again this week, I did my shopping for the week, so that's all sorted, hopefully it lasts me a little longer than one week! Yes I tried not that long ago to get back on Paleo, but now I have no commitments or old friends dropping over to corrupt me lol, which makes things a little easier to give it another go and hopefully  stay on it for a while. 

This week I bought

Chicken Drumsticks

Roast SilverSide Beef (accident)

Porterhouse Steak

Bacon

Eggs

Red Kale

Cos Lettuce

Coral Lettuce

Tomatoes

Red Onion

Butter

Coconut Milk

The very first meals were meat and steamed veggies, seeing as the weather has been a little warmer, the meals have since been salad based with meat. I have been very diligent in unpackaging the meat and freezing it before it spoils, after the two roast beef's were cooked I carved and froze them, they make a great lunchtime snack, especially nice with salad.

I have made a Coconut Milk smoothie, nothing fancy just a tin of coconut milk, a little vanilla essence, a touch of nutmeg, a little Macadamia oil and blend, chill before drinking.

I seem to be getting some joint pain, especially in my hips, hopefully it's because of the diet, I think I got some joint pain the last time I was on Paleo, so I'm not to concerned at the moment. Also getting the odd headache, just annoying more than anything else, that will definitely be from the Paleo experience. Also today, I had a bit of the runs a few times, though it did happen last time, must be the transition to fuelling the body with fat rather than sugar, my guess :)

Oh I'm always on the search for fast Paleo Food, there are no Paleo type restaurants or Cafes near me so I need to make do, after doing a bit of searching on the fast food stores web sites, out of the three right near me, McDonalds is good until you read the ingredients of the chicken (coated with some crap), so Mc Chucks is out... On to Kentucky Fried Chicken, salads don't exist in their world. The winner is Red Rooster for those who don't know, it's barbequed chicken but it's just like a roast, or how a roast chicken is done the fast food way is how I see it, it's not Paleo as such, but it's damn handy for a change and quite nice to boot!

Red Rooster has a "Classic Salad" I think it's called, it has chicken, lettuce, red cabbage, tomato and carrots, there is some sachet with I think Balsamic vinegar type dressing, obviously I didn't use that, it's a simple salad and of course not as tasty as a salad with dressing, but overall not too bad at all, definitely acceptable for when you just can't be shagged cooking or preparing a meal. Red Rooster also has roast veggies, roast carrot, pumpkin and potatoes, you can change the potato to say another piece of pumpkin or carrot if you like, I did, haven't bought potatoes for years now, this will just be an occasional treat though, no doubt they cook with the bad oils, so be it, the important thing for now is to lose weight.

Salads
http://www.redrooster.com.au/menu/140/Garden-Salad-Regular

Roast Veggies
http://www.redrooster.com.au/menu/175/Roast-Vegies

Oh yes I know the Paleo Crowd will be turning in their graves, well some of them  anyway, but with the fatigue from MS and heat, not cooking in my kitchen is a must at times (especially summer time) and it's just nice to have slack days where someone else can do the meal preparation, one day I'll find a handy establishment that serves Paleo meals, but I'll have to make do for now.

Paleo Diet Lose thirty kilograms in six months - Week One

I started back on the Paleo Diet about a eight days ago, although I have been eating the Paleo way for a lot longer, I have also been eating a lot of junk and drinking a lot of flavoured milk. So one very minute good thing is that I am quite used to eating Paleo when I actually cook, I try and stick to the Paleo Diet list of foods.

The first week has been fine, went through the coffee and sugar withdrawal headaches, extreme lack of energy and general tiredness you get when you cut out all sugar and carbs. I am pushing on and each day is becoming easier, at least the headaches have gone, bonus!

I've been eating lots of meat and veg, pork chops, rump steak, chicken and of course bacon, on the vegetable front I have been eating lots of kale, broccoli, carrots, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spinach and mushrooms. Oh and eggs, lots of eggs. Fairly simple basic choices at the moment, no doubt boredom of eating the same things will encourage me to become a little more creative.

For cooking I have been using my Barbecue, I only use the hot plate side, for frying meat and eggs, I steam all vegetables and always have a plate of veggies ready to be warmed up for meals, usually I eat one to two meals a day, since starting the Paleo Diet again I have been eating three decent sized meals a day.

At the end of the week I am doing well and sticking to the diet, hopefully I can keep it up and reach my goal of losing thirty kilograms in six months!

I am going to try my best, but I want feel to guilty if I fail, I have a feeling I can get back into it now, let's hope so!

I try and eat a fair bit of salmon while on the Paleo Diet!

Here we go again - Paleo Third Time Lucky?

It's the third or fourth time, could probably just count from posts on this blog, bugger that, don't really want to know lest I get disappointed with myself.  I might as well use a post I made on the G+ Multiple Sclerosis Community for this first post on this latest Paleo try with some extras of course.

Well the weather is getting better in the southern hemisphere and for me it's the perfect time to be drinking lots of water and eating salads, of course I'll still be eating meat and steamed veggies as well, but summer gives me more options to eat the Paleo way more easily, not sure why exactly but I have trouble consuming salads in the cooler months lol.

So I've been brushing up on all things Paleo lifestyle, although I definitely haven't been eating paleo for a while now, I have still been eating the right foods as best I can with some of the crappy or non paleo foods thrown in.

I gave up alcohol long ago, my main vice these days is the occasional smoke (tobacco and ganja) I do mean occasional, money and supply are issues these days, so it's not often I partake for those reasons. Fatigue can be a real problem, some days it's just easier to get a takeaway or ready made frozen meals, neither of which are part of the Paleo diet, so preparing, cooking, and cleanup can be a real hassle with the fatigue obviously getting worse on the warmer days.

I will start doing paleo from today with the odd indiscretion and be aiming for this Monday to be in full paleo mode from that day on. I need to lose weight regardless, so that will be a bonus, but I felt really good last time I was on Paleo as far as MS goes, so I'm hoping I can get that advantage again, that's the main reason I want to try again, weight loss is a wonderful bonus and with Paleo exercise is not mandatory, of course still very worthwhile, but with MS well you know, it's easy to be unmotivated to exercise. 

Last time I was on strict paleo I was losing 5 kilograms (about 11 pounds) a month doing no exercise at all apart from just living of course. I've added a link to a Multiple Sclerosis Paleo diet story and it's benefits below if you want to have a read.

I'm going to give it a red hot go, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I fail again, though I will be very disappointed, hopefully that can keep me going, I'll document the journey good or bad on my blog, when I'm in full paleo mode.

I've made my first paleo grocery order that will be delivered this friday, I have ordered only one "treat" Green & Black's Chocolate Block Organic Dark 85%, the rest is meat, fish (salmon), vegetables, salad ingredients and eggs, that's it as far as food goes. Of course I have ordered "Kale the super green" as well. :)

Below is my first order for my latest Paleo Diet try, I took a screenshot with the 85% chocolate highlighted, I'm an idiot it means nothing, bear in mind optimally when on the Paleo Diet one should be eating organic food, or at least try to, yep if I drove a car and had more money and could access all organic I definitely would, alas I can't I try and buy the organic "version" when marked down or on "special" but that's the best I can do for now, I don't stress about it, it's just how it is!

As you can see I am big on the frozen version of vegetables if they can be bought that way, being single it's the best way to buy, I waste far less food if I buy frozen, I always buy lemon juice as well as I was always wasting lemons, so yeah it's not always the best way as far as price goes, though frozen veg and lemon juice suits me and my lifestyle :)

First grocery order for third or fourth Paleo Diet try

Paleo Shopping list

Paleo Shopping list