Nick's 30 Day Paleo Challenge- Day 30

Holy Shnikes! I cant believe its over. Yesterday wasn't to much of a challenge. I woke up feeling great (and looking great):

I had a meeting in Westport, CT yesterday at 11:30am so before we left we stopped at off Pret to grab some lunch so we could eat after the meeting.

I resisted all the good looking bread they have in there:

I knew I would have my time in the sun later that evening. Our meeting went great and I ate a Chicken Salad on our ride back to the City. I was feeling great when I got back to the City. It then started to pour on me and I had no raincoat (dammit).

I stopped off at the Amish market for some fruit and veggies. I needed to prep for the Last Supper:

Figured I had to go out on top with some Chicken and Broccoli. I have eaten so much goddamn broccoli in the last few weeks, its amazing. I do love the stuff now.

I laid around for a little. Caught the cat taking a nap in the Bathtub. So weird. This cat actually likes water and doesn't mind getting wet. He's so funny.

At night I played basketball for around 1 hr 45 mins. I could feel 12:01am coming like Christmas. I decided I would wait up to have a drink (sounds odd I realize). As soon as the clock struck midnight I reached for a Cherry Pepsi and 2 large Chocolate Donuts. Holy Shit!!!! I apologize for my language but that is the only way to describe the taste of that soda. It was amazing. Words cant really express how it felt, but it was unbelievable.

Later on in the evening (yes I had a sugar rush). I had an Arizona Ice Tea/Lemonade. I stayed up late watching Nashville. I thought about having a smoke to top off this wonderful evening, but opted against it.

I woke up this morning with a mind crushing headache. Kind of like a really bad hangover from a run the night before. My mouth feels weird (I think I am dehydrated) and I don't have the same pep in my step as before. My body doesn't like processed sugar I am realizing. Otherwise I wouldn't feel like this the next day.

This morning I went back to get a coffee from the guys on the corner who I use to go to all the time. I ordered a large coffee, whole milk and sugar (they really pile it on):

 
The guy asked me "Where have you been!??!??!" I told him I was away on holiday. I could sense he was looking at me like "Boy Nick, you really look skinny. Have you been doing Paleo?"

So here I am Day 31. Almost 24 lbs lost. Ready to destroy my body for the next 2-3 days with sugary crap and other bad stuff (not totally true, but I will indulge).

Thanks to everyone who has read and supported me during this process. It's been a lot fun. See you all on the next blog.

Nick's 30 Day Paleo Challenge- Day 29

I can't believe we are already at Day 29. This has gone real fast. Lets get right into my day.

First thing I am noticing upon reflection is exhaustion. It's gone. In the morning I am getting by with a cup of coffee and maybe a piece of fruit. I use to start my day with two blueberry muffins and potentially a bacon, egg on poppy bagel with a Sunkist (man I love that stuff in the AM). I would think those things would get me going in the morning when in reality they would really slow me down.

I also haven't had bacon in 4 days and feel good. Thats not to say I have stopped eating but definitely taking a break for the time being.

Not much to talk about in terms of diet until lunch time. I had a bunch of things to do for the job until 12, I did them, then punched out for lunch. We ventured over to Duke's again on 41st Street. Duke's is offering us way more variety then Mirage on 43rd street does. It has a much better bev selection, line moves quicker and there are so many more options. I think we will be dining here more and more often.

I had some beef, a little chicken, veggies (asparagus and broccoli) and some sweet potatoes. For like the 10th day in a row I was not licking the plate. I didn't manage to finish my meal (fine by me).

For the rest of the day I stayed focused on what I was doing. I did have a second cup of coffee with shit (I mean Silk) Almond Milk. I am learning some new stuff at work and using a new application which although challenging and fun can be frustrating. Good news I am not comforting myself or eating out of stress. Just because I didn't load a file properly isn't an excuse to down a bag of M&M's.

Before I knew it, it was quitting time. I punched out and headed to the Amish market to pick up some fruit. While walking there I had the great idea that I would remake the Paleo Banana Bread that I fumbled this weekend. I needed a little bit of Coconut Oil and Almond Butter.

Here are some of the ingredients:

Coconut Oil: Overpriced, but boy does it make a difference. Well worth the price. Roughly $12-14 dollars a bottle and will last you for some time.

 Almond Butter: Really good and much healthier than Peanut Butter. My favorite of the Butter's is Sunflowerseed butter. Yumm.

Nick's Coconut Flour: Not much I can say here. I put it in this container and label it so no one steals it. Here is what it comes in:

Bob's Red Mill makes really good stuff and has you covered in the kitchen when it comes to healthy baking.

Finished Product was much better than this weekend (it's all in the Coconut Oil):

Happy (skinner) guy eating it:

For dinner I had some chicken vegetable soup, a little bit of fruit and Teas Tea. That was it for the night.

Since I thought you might be curious I decided to do a little before and after.

Here is a browse around my kitchen/home to see the change:

Before

Before

Unhealthy in this one

I was heavy in this one


After:

This way of life works better for me. One more day and I'll have 30 days in the direction of a healthy, balanced life that I always wanted.

Nick's 30 Day Paleo Challenge- Day 28

As I stood in my hallway last night (butt-naked) about to get onto my scale for the last time in the 30 Day Challenge I recalled stepping on the scale for the very first time and coming in at a whopping 252.8 lbs. What would the number be? I knew from previous weigh-ins that I was somewhere in the 230's and already pleased with the amount of weight that I have lost (and more importantly how I feel).

Final Weigh-in: 229.3 lbs

That brings my total weight loss thus far to 23.5 lbs in 28 days. I have lost .83 lbs/day doing the Paleo Diet which is proof that it works. I know that the amount of weight loss I have seen would not continue and that at some point it would plateau (that is why I am juicing next). This Diet and this 30 day challenge has given me a step in the direction that goes somewhere. 28 Days ago I was heading towards 300 lbs and now I am heading towards 200 lbs. 

Skipped breakfast yesterday morning and just had some coffee (with Almond Milk). For lunch I had some chicken and veggies. Some of the asparagus I picked up had green beans (legumes--bad). I ended up not needing anything else to eat the rest of the day (until dinner). For dinner I had Rotisserie Chicken with broccoli and carrots. I also have started drinking Teas' Tea which is great with some good Ice Cubes, Lemon and Lime. 

Feeling very good about the amount of weight I have cut. 

Till tomorrow

 

Nick's 30 Day Paleo Challenge- Day 27

I finally am getting back to a good sleep schedule. I woke up on Sunday morning at around 11am. I went to sleep at 1 am.

I woke up to this really great meal:

I am trying to cut back on the bacon since it really made me feel like crap the day before. After I ate this I laid around the house for a while and watched some TV. I didn't really do to much until 5 pm. I had no bacon yesterday.

At this point I really started craving something sweet. I haven't had one of these cravings in weeks. It sucks when you get them because you are entirely ready to throw the whole diet and everything out the window. I really wanted some spaghetti followed up by a piece of chocolate cake. I held off though and decided to make some Paleo Banana Bread.

I headed over to the Amish market to pick up some Coconut Flour as well as some fruit. I'll share the recipe at the end of this post for anyone who wants to try it. While shopping I came across my 3rd favorite Chip:

POPCORNERS!!! Man I love them. I miss them. :(

I got what I needed and got out of there fast. Shortly after I was back in the kitchen mixing everything for the Banana Bread.

While the Bread was baking I started cooking some steaks, broccoli and made a mean Club Soda with Lemon and Lime. The Banana Bread did not come out as expected and I attribute that to not using Coconut Oil. Instead I used Grass Fed Butter. The Coconut Oil gives it that nice little sweet, moist taste. Lesson learned. I didn't use Coconut Oil because I try to conserve it as much as possible since it costs around $19 a bottle. Total Ripoff. When making Banana Bread, Use Coconut Oil. It makes all the difference.

Here is how the Banana Bread turned out. Not the greatest, but got me over my urge so I'm grateful to this Banana Bread.

The Paleo March continues...BOOM


Nick's World Famous Paleo Banana Bread:
4 bananas, (2 1/2 cups mashed or 575 grams)(they can be yellow bananas)

4 eggs

1/2 cup almond butter (140 grams)(or coconut, sunflower seed, macadamia nut, etc butter)

4 tablespoons grass-fed butter, melted (can substitute coconut oil)

1/2 cup coconut flour (75 grams)(or almond flour, macadamia nut meal, etc)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free or homemade)

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit Combine your bananas, eggs, and nut butter, and grass-fed butter in a blendtec, blender, food processor, or mixing bowl and mix well (if using a mixing bowl you need a good hand-mixer) Once all of your ingredients are blended, add in your coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and sea salt and mix well Grease a 9×5 glass (see notes) loaf pan with a fat of your choice (I used grass-fed butter). If you use a metal pan it will probably bake in 35-40 minutes so start checking at 35 to ensure the middle stays moist Pour in your batter and spread it evenly throughout Place in your preheated oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean Remove from oven and flip your bread out onto a cooling rack Slice and serve

Nick's 30 Day Paleo Challenge- Day 26

I feel like absolute crap today. I think I went to hard on the meat yesterday (and meals in general) and not enough on the veggies and fruit.

So here is how saturday played out. I woke up and cooked breakfast for Marisa and I. We had bacon and scrambled eggs. I had way to many pieces of bacon (like 8). We also had fresh squeezed OJ (p.s. Peeling oranges sucks).

After that I rode Citibike over to the West Side (I am not a member of Citibike, I joined yesterday).  We went to see Tod and Amanda (they recently got married and were featured in a post).

Tod had some really good food he was eating. I love Popcorners. I remember when they first came out. Probably my top 5 in terms of Chips I love. Here is the breakdown: Cheese-doodles, Cool Ranch Doritos, Popcorners, White Cheddar Popcorn and lastly Corn Chips.

Here is Tod chowing down on my 3rd favorite chip. Look at him go.

Next he broke out some ravioli:

Man they looked good. There was also Meatballs with a great looking cheese (Cheese divides opinion in the Paleo world, so the Meatballs would have been in-bounds).

Here is the happy couple chowing down on some Kettlecorn popcorn. We were at the time having a spirited discussion about health and nutrition so I think I may have converted them into trying Paleo or juicing. We shall see.

After that I headed home and chilled out for a little. Here is where a problem started. I was hungry when I got home so I made myself 8 more pieces of Bacon. Gross (I know). I then went down to my moms and had some Ham she made (and veggies) and then to top that off I went to the Meatball shop with Marisa. I had 5 Meatballs with tomato sauce (see they were in-bounds for me here) and a really good garden salad with some awesome flaxseed.

We then went bowling with a big group and I kicked everyones ass in the game. I killed it:

That's me coming in with a whopping 116. I woke up this morning with a headache and I slept really late. Also the Cat was right on top of me when I awoke:

He's so cute though so I couldn't get mad.

 Talk to you all soon (I cant believe 30 days is almost over).

Nick's 30 Day Paleo Challenge- Day 25

Day 25 came and went. Can't believe it has almost been a month and I haven't put any crap into my body. Couple of things I want to clear up. My previous post where I laid out what Day 31 would look like is not something I am going to be doing. That would be gross. I have learned way to much about nutrition and my body to do that to myself. I will have a treat or two (like bread) on Day 31 but nothing like I described yesterday.

For breakfast yesterday I went down to my moms again and had some eggs with Bacon. I needed to go down there to get my contact lenses. I just got a whole year supply of lenses (yay). I had a meeting downtown at 10am so I went into work quickly, had some coffee and then headed downtown. When I got to our meeting I had some Hazelnut coffee and a glass of water.

For lunch I had Chicken and veggies from Chirping Chicken in GCT. Very tasty and found out new place that I can eat.

There was a party at my office for St. Patty's Day:

I had a few pieces of Corned Beef (the Rye Bread looked amazing but I declined) and then left early to head home. Long week.

For dinner I went to Sparks Steakhouse. I have never eaten here. Boy is that overpriced. Here was what we had for dinner (in addition to some shrimp):

and the bill was $218 bucks. I wont be eating there again anytime soon.

When I got home I had a Banana and Strawberry smoothie. I then hit the sack and slept really well.

I cant wait to start Juicing for 30 days. Its going to be long and hard but I am really looking forward to cleansing my body and just have fruits and veggies.

Hope everyone has a good saturday.

Nick's 30 Day Paleo Challenge- Day 24

So it's day 24 and to be honest I am running out of things to say about being Paleo. I'll give you the rundown of my meals etc yesterday then we will engage in some playful banter about what I am going to eat on Day 31 (the day before the 30 day Juice Challenge). I am getting excited about my binge.

Started out the morning getting up so goddamn early (again). I ran down to my moms and hung out there for a little bit. Had some coffee (black no sugar) and picked up some bacon (remember I finished all mine). Took a cab back up to my place and made some breakfast. I had 8 pieces of bacon for breakfast again (aggressive) and some scrambled eggs.

For lunch I had some chicken, greens, salad and water. We tried this new place Duke's on 41st street. It's a definite upgrade from Mirage on 43rd--I just wish it wasn't so damn cold outside.

I had water the rest of the day and wasn't feeling tired or stressed at all. I felt full just like I have the last few days. For dinner I had a steak (cooked well done like a proper caveman) and some asparagus. I washed all that down with Iced Tea unsweetened. Went to sleep at 10 and woke up at 6:30 am. Slept through the whole night and it felt great. I fell asleep on the couch though so it wasn't a proper good nights rest but who cares, I didn't wake up at 430 am.

What will Day 31 look like:

As soon as the clock strikes 12:01 am here is what I am thinking. Start off with a nice cold Coca-Cola. Make sure I have really good Ice Cubes (I like it with good Ice). The move onto a really good slice of pizza (I am thinking Joe's here) and then finish that feed off strong with some kind of Chocolate Cake (I am thinking Max Brenner here). The fall asleep into a food coma until the next morning.

Wake up (don't know how I will feel) and start off strong with a Sunkist orange soda (we're talking 20 oz at 8 am) and a really big bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. After that make my way to some greasy dinner for either a Waffle loaded with syrup or Blueberry Pancakes. Again, drinking soda throughout the whole meal.

In between lunch and breakfast definitely have a muffin or two of some kind (probably Banana Chocolate Chip from Crumbs). For lunch it's gonna be on and popping. I would like to have fried chicken with fries, rice and some really good bread. Soda through the whole meal followed up by Banana Pudding from Magnolia Bakery.

Chips, Candy, cookies and of course more soda all in between lunch and dinner. For Dinner I want to go to Pietro's Italian restaurant and have a big bowl of Spaghetti and Meatballs, lots of bread, Clams Oreganata, Coca-Cola in the glass bottle and some kind of cake or dessert. I then want to go home and watch 4 hrs of TV while I drink soda, eat chips and other types of crap. Now how amazing does that day sound???

By Day 32 I am going to need the Juice Cleanse. I cant wait to binge on this (and document it).

See you on 25.