Week Four - Practically Paleo...

So it's been one week since the Cooee Crossfit Primal Challenge ended - last Tuesday we were having our big feast.  So what has this last week been like for me?  Pretty easy actually and practically the same.  I am not being as strict and have made a few concessions which I am completely comfortable with - namely my morning coffee with (full-fat) milk.  That's the only recurring item that does not meet the paleo guidelines but it's my weakness and it makes me happy. 

I have also had a few items over the week - one lemon icy and some molasses in BBQ sauce and I have given in to drinking packaged almond milk in my morning smoothies even though it contains preservatives - specifically because it contains preservatives.  Although I found almond milk easy to make it wasn't lasting more than a day or two and therefore I went the prepackaged route.  Given that I only use a bit of it each morning I'll see how it goes over time.  Last night at dinner I also had one baby potato knowing full well it was providing me with very little nutrition but it was nice to be reminded of what it was like - I only had one and I didn't feel like I was missing out.  I'm also surprised that I haven't had any chocolate other than the cocoa used in some of the items at last weeks Primal Feast especially since I used to have the worst chocolate cravings - definitely impressed.

I'm not advocating "cheat meals" in fact I hate calling them that when they are nutritionally inferior meals that will more often than not make me feel the effects for long after the momentary satisfaction has left my lips.  I will however make reasonable choices as to when I stray from the paleo lifestyle (again, I also hate calling it a diet when it's a choice on how I eat, not a fleeting fancy for short term gains). 

I'm happy that I completed three strict weeks.  I personally believe that it helped eliminate cravings (pastas, chocolate) and allowed me to detox from specific foods that were stuck in my body.  Tracking my food daily for the period also helped me to become aware of what was going in my mouth and thinking about it before eating rather than after and I'm continuing to do this while allowing myself slightly more freedom to diverge in moderation.  I'll see how this goes - I'm going to track where I stray going forward but I won't always post it here.

Non-Paleo Indulgences (Feb 22-28)
Daily coffee with full fat milk (except sunday)
lemon icy (sat)
molasses (sunday, monday)
pre-packaged almond milk (daily except weekend)