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Posted March 13, 2010 in Real Food Challenge, seminars, WOD by Turbo

Real Food Challenge Day 56

Bacon & chocolate together at last... the best cheat I could ever dream of!

Last day of the challenge.  I was talking to one our Winnipeg’s Biggest Loser contestants and she said that she understood why this way of eating is good for losing weight, etc, but she wondered how this could be maintained in real everyday life situations.  I got the impression that this was a really difficult thing for her, who always ate healthily, in Canada Food Guide kind of way.  I forget that I’ve been doing this long enough that it comes very naturally.  Going out to restaurants is no problem, just order meat, double veggies, no potato.   Same thing with dinner parties; with the exception that I will usually have small portions of thing I usually don’t have just to please the cook.   It’s strange to me that this way of eating actually doesn’t seem natural to some people.  Does eating this way seem more “natural” or less “natural” to you?  Is it difficult to adapt it to real everyday situations?

Please post thoughts to comments.

Please email me your AFTER PICS by Friday at the latest, including a few final words about how this has impacted your everyday life, your performance at the gym, your love life, whatever…

13 Comments to “Real Food Challenge Day 56”

  • maxine
    March 13, 2010 at 6:57 pm

    It is difficult in the sense that you always have to be prepared. I can’t stop at McDs for some fries when I’m hungry or the gas station for a chocolate bar when I need a quick snack. I now carry nuts in my car for emergency hunger pangs. I always have to think ahead and sometimes days ahead to what I’m doing, where am I going to be, who will I be with. Working 10hr shifts also makes it difficult, specially when you want to eat every three hours. I make sure to bring a lot of good snacks in my lunch, otherwise the temptation is too real with all the unhealthy snacks available at work.
    It is not an unnaturel feeling but you have to de-program your brain and re-program…like why can’t I eat my favorite multigrain bread, toasted with a heavy dose of peanut butter & bananas on top. That’s ok my new favorite breakfast is almond pancakes with strawberries & blueberries. Also I’ve found new ways to make an omelette, instead of plain eggs all the time.

  • Noel
    March 13, 2010 at 11:10 pm

    Now that the challenge is over, has anyone thought of a forum for this site? Just curious. I would love to get to know some of you better in that I am so far away here in Taiwan …

  • natalie g
    March 14, 2010 at 1:22 pm

    So in celebration of the end of the challenge, and as a much needed pick-me-up, I finally hit the recipe I’ve been looking for.

    http://www.elanaspantry.com/chocolate-hazelnut-spread/

    I adapted the recipe somewhat, swapped honey in for agave and used half of what it said, also put a splash of coconut milk in as it was still very dry. But I’m pretty sure I struck gold. For anyone craving that chocolate fix, this will do it! I basically just ate it straight up, I had intended to smear it on my apple soufle thing but I never made it.

    Paleo nutella is my snack today, with some eggs on the side.

    Personally I’m a bit dissapointed in the challenge, I didn’t see as much change as I hoped, but I am stronger, and happier and more even keeled. Which are all good things. I will keep up the current eating plan till after sectionals and re-evaluate then.

  • Daryl
    March 14, 2010 at 5:44 pm

    Funny thing is, Chis and I were talking just the other day how easy it is now to eat paleo. It is starting to feel natural and to me it takes less thought as to what I can and can’t eat. By that i mean, I can look in the fridge or at a family function and easily choose the right paleo foods. I personally have seen huges differences in my body composition. I have lost several inches around the waist and I am the lighest I have ever been. This all in a short 8 weeks. When I trained for a marathon running 40-60 miles per week and training for 18 weeks I thought that after that I was the lighest i could ever be….not true as after 8 weeks of paleo eating and crossfit, I am 6 pound LESS then my best marathon weight. I think this speaks for itself as to how paleo eating can impact your life.

  • mikep
    March 14, 2010 at 7:32 pm

    I found the same thing as most of the other folks participating in the challenge, in that as time went on paleo just became more second nature rather than being forced. Both Jodi and I lost quite a bit of wieght but more importantly we gained a ton of energy and both of us made great gains at CF.

    The one downfall is if we don’t plan properly for a long day or time out we literally feel worn down. Both of us get very tired and cranky if we haven’t eaten properly that day.

  • John N
    March 14, 2010 at 9:20 pm

    While I have made some real changes in my diet like eliminating cheese (and I loved my cheese) and some other nasty stuff, I think for me the biggest challenge is lack of variety due to lack of time for shopping, cooking etc. I expect over time I will learn to be more creative in less time.

    It amazes me that when I walk past all that teaser stuff you see at the end of the grocery isles like Oreo cookies or whatever it doesn’t even tempt me at all any more. It seems the longer you eat this way the more “normal” it feels.

  • maxine
    March 14, 2010 at 9:25 pm

    @natalie g
    OMG Nat!!!! That is my all time favorite spread! Can’t wait to try it. One thing, where did you get the hazelnuts & the oil?

  • E
    March 14, 2010 at 10:49 pm

    I still struggle….I am just stubborn…. :)

    but struggle no more with paleo nutella….although….that is what that turned my belly button into a sink hole in the first place a few years back….

    E.

  • E
    March 14, 2010 at 10:53 pm

    I still struggle….I am just stubborn…. :)

    But struggle no more with paleo nutella…. :)

    Although, THAT, is what turned my belly button into a sink hole a few years back….

    E.

  • E
    March 14, 2010 at 10:54 pm

    opps tried to make grammar changes…..

  • MLC
    March 15, 2010 at 7:28 am

    @natalie g
    That looks awesome, I bet if you added some coconut milk to that it would make the consistency better.

  • Motha
    March 15, 2010 at 8:47 am

    I like eating this way, and I do find it natural for me now. The 1st 2 mths I thought I was going to go broke because I was buying so much food, but after I got into the groove, things are back to normal and I enjoy cooking for the first time in my life.
    If I didn’t take something out for dinner the night before, I don’t panic. I either pick up some sausages on the way home, or defrost some shrimp and make something with them. It just comes natural now. I’ve also learned how to plan and prepare better. I have the occasional open meal or ‘cheat’ but go back to paleo eating the next meal. I am so grateful that I found CFW and Paleo.

  • Erika
    March 15, 2010 at 10:54 am

    This has become very natural to me now. Eating out is no problem at all and for me a great way to have something that I don’t cook at home a lot like fish or seafood. It has totally become second nature to eat paleo. I really thought at the beginning of this challenge that I would do the challenge and then go back to the way I was eating before which was probably 80% paleo. Well, I love the changes in my body and in my energy levels so I really don’t want to go back. This is my lifestyle now.

    @natalie g
    Oh my gosh! I am so on that! Paleo nutella – that is a gift from God!

    @Noel
    Tania is thinking of setting up a forum so we can continue to chat like this. Nice having you aboard – look forward to meeting you in person.

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