Eating Primal - Eat The Way Nature Intended

Making healthy decisions

While traveling for work this week, I started thinking about eating healthy and the decision to do so. To set the stage, I was in my car headed home after a full day of driving, meetings and more driving. When I set out early that morning, I packed with my lunch and snacks for the day. Everything had been eaten out of that cooler except for the baggie of orange, yellow and red bell peppers. Clearly, that was my least favorite thing in the cooler since it was the only thing left. I was hungry though and knew I needed to get the vegetables in. So I ate them. As I was eating them, I started thinking about how if this bag of peppers was really a bag of cookies, I'd be much happier! It would be more fun to eat cookies, they'd satisfy my taste buds more and would be a great "reward" after my long day. A much better ending. After finishing the peppers, I immediately felt amazing. It was like a shot of natural energy was racing through me. I really felt fantastic. I realized I would not have felt the same way if it had been a bag of cookies. In fact, I would have felt the exact opposite. But, in that instant of eating them, they would have TASTED good and been more "fun" to eat. Only that is the whole problem. That "fun" feeling and "good taste" literally last seconds, by the time you finish chewing and it's left the mouth, it's over. No more good taste, no more fun, just the nothingness afterwards - and maybe a stomach ache depending on how much you ate!! 

So here is where the thinking started. I wondered... what are strategies that people have to choose the healthy food over the junk food even when they want that instant satisfaction of the bad food? I ask this because as humans, we love that instant gratification and sometimes can't think more long term in that moment. We forget about our health goals and the big picture and immediately start making excuses for why it's okay to eat it in that instant we want a cookie. We want to feel good in the moment. In my mind, if we can stop ourselves before eating the junk, if we can talk ourselves out of it knowing that in the end, we'll feel much better eating the healthy stuff - that is the key! Staying mindful and in the moment... but how do you do it?

What are your strategies for having the ability to make a conscious decision to eat healthy, when maybe all you superficially want is to eat junk? Or everyone else around you is eating junk? How do you get yourself to realize that the end health goals outweigh that temporary good feeling?

Please share to comments. I think this will be a great brain storming session for everyone to pick up good tips from others to help prepare for life outside of the challenge!

Tips for a better night's sleep

1.  Darken the room as much as possible.  Get dark shades for the windows and try to make your room like a cave.  I even place the digital clock in our room face down to make it pitch black.  No light at all.

2.  If you have a TV in your room, put it somewhere else.  Watching TV while lying in bed at night plays all types of tricks with your eyes and mind.  That glaring light makes your mind believe you should be up and like in point 1, your room is not that dark if the TV is on.

3.  Put away the blackberry, droids, iphones, computer, whatever the electronic device may be.  Just like the TV, these devices keep the mind stimulated and awake.

4.  Don't work out 3 hours or less before bed time.  Exercising can keep the heart rate elevated and the "rush" of exercise keeps you awake. 

5.  Eat a meal high in protein like meat and poultry and good fat like almonds.  Complex carbs can keep you up.

These are 5 pretty basic and easy tips.  I hope they can help you achieve a better night's sleep.

Jocelyn's lunch of eggs, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes w/ a side of avacado

The Weidner's dinner: Salmon Dill Burgers, Acorn Cinnamon Soup, and Broccoli.

Are you getting adequate sleep?

   

    I posted this on CFG's website last week, but wanted to address this to all of you who are doing the challenge.  Sleep is so crucial in your weightloss and leaning out goals.  It is imperative that you achieve no less than 7 hours per night.  I know it is hard and I do not have children that can wake me up in the middle of the night yet.  However, this week, I am challenging you to achieve 7-8 hours of sleep 4 out of the 7 days this week.  I will be posting tips this week on getting a better night's sleep.  Stay tuned.

Here are a couple shots of what some Eating Primal participant's have been eating:

                  Patrick's Primal Dinner Salad

    Rookie's Veggie Egg Scramble with a side of bacon

 

Weekend #1 is Coming!

 (Well, really it should be something like "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm making healthier choices for myself and feeling great about it." But you get the picture, right?!?! Haha....)

It's Friday, which means for some, the work week is winding down and the weekend is around the corner. For most, this is the best part of the week - the anticipation of the weekend. For Primal Challenge participants, is can mean the exact opposite. Instead of excitement there can be anxiety and worry. With the regular work week routines not there, smart eating and sticking to commitments can be a challenge. For some, this will be the first time we come face-to-face with real life decisions to make... So, we need to go into the weekend with a plan - remembering the ultimate goal of commitment to your health.

What's going on this weekend and what do you plan to do to stay true to yourself and your commitment to the Primal Challenge? Happy Hour? Birthday party? Anniversary? Mini-get-away? Wedding? Movie night with the kids? A date night with someone special? Football party on Sunday? Obviously life can't be put on hold for 30 days while on this challenge. That wouldn't be a true "challenge" and wouldn't prepare you for life after the challenge when this "30 day" thing is worked into your lifestyle for healthy permanent changes. And of course you are going to do all these things during the challenge and beyond, so, the challenge is to go, have fun, be a part of the party/celebration/get-together, but not make food the focal point of your good time.

So, what's going on this weekend and what is your plan??!!

What does the inside of your fridge look like?

    Here is a shot of what the Weidner's fridge looks like during our 30-day challenge.  It is not that far off the norm, but sometimes we might have some "treats" in there.  The side consists of coconut water and flax seeds.  If you have pics of the inside of your fridge, email it to me and I will post it.

Here is a shot of what Barry's lunch looks like during the week.

If you have meal pics to share, I will post them as well.

It Starts TODAY!!!

 

  Today is Day One! Today will most likely be a pretty easy day since you are excited to begin, have a fully stocked fridge of primal foods, have a great plan for the week that you are ready to follow and your cravings won't be super hard to handle - because it is day one and the adrenaline and excitement is high.

    This week, feel free to post recipes that you plan on making, foods that you are going to try and any other things you did differently this week to plan for week one. It would also be nice to share strategies for how you plan on tackling certain situations that you will face that will test your commitments to eating healthy. What will you do? What will you say? How will you stick to your commitments? POST all comments to this blog. The more we share, the more success we may find!

Time To Prepare- Challenge Starts Monday.

Congrats to all of you who signed up for the Primal Challenge and set commitments for the next 30 days. We are excited with the response and encouraged by all of you and your enthusiasm to tackle the challenge. As the seasons change, it's time for healthy lifestyle changes as well! Let's do this!!

Now is the time to act. Get ready this weekend, as the challenge starts Monday! Clean out your kitchen, the candy stash at work and any other secret spots where foods are hidden! Let your family/friends know that you are starting a challenge to improve health, so they are aware and not surprised when you make certain food choices in their company. Encourage them to join you, but at the very least ask they be respectful of you and your choices during this time. It's important to embrace those positive people in your life and avoid the negative ones during this time.

Remember, one of the keys to this challenge will be preparation. This means shopping for food and prepping it so it's easy and convenient to eat throughout the week. But, it's also preparing mentally for the parties/gatherings with friends and family where some of your favorite foods will be tempting you. Going into those situations with a game plan and strategy is key. Then, once there, sticking to your plan and telling yourself that not only do you not need to eat these foods, but that you can still have fun and be a part of the party without eating the bad foods is important. You just simply have to tell yourself no and move on. Don't give in, don't dwell on it. This can take strength and determination, but you can do it and will be better for it in the end.

Another big part of the 30 day challenge will be YOU ALL sharing your recipes, experiences and tips with the group. The more we stick together and support each other throughout the 30 days, the more successful we can be as a group! Feel free to comment on the blog, email Barry or Jocelyn items for us to add to a POST or bring things into the gym to share with the group. The more we network, share and support the more fun this will be!

Best of luck to you all this weekend in your planning and preparations.

Get excited, focused and be ready... it starts MONDAY!

Primal Challenge Time!

CFG is starting a new 30 day Eating Primal Nutrition Challenge on Monday, September 19th 2011. One thing we really have tried to emphasize in past challenges is - it's very important to prepare in advance for these challenges.

Prepare for the "challenges" you will face during these 30 days - it's okay to say "No thanks" and explain that you are working on cleaning up your eating when people offer you items that don't fit into your plan. It might be hard to do (at first) but you must stay strong and stick to your commitment at all times, no matter what!

Here are some tips and points to think about - let's call them "Lessons Learned from Previous Challenges" :)

1. Plan meals ahead of time. When you have prepared meals, ready to go when you need them you will be less likely to grab an unhealthy snack. 

2. Keep a food journal. Write down what you eat and why. If you have to write down what you eat, you will be less likely to "slip up". 

3. Get rid of temptations - if they are not available you will not be tempted!

4. Simplify your life - get rid of unnecessary negativity and make this challenge as easy as possible for yourself. Clean out your cabinets and clean up your health!

5. Make the commitment by emailing Jocelyn or Barry your personal challenge goals. Once it's in writing to us, we can help hold you accountable with your goals. We can do this together!

6. Pay the $20 to hold yourself accountable... complete your challenge with NO "cheats" and you will get your money back! We will use the "Honor System" with this one - you are only cheating yourself if you are not truthful in the challenge.

7. Be honest, realistic and dedicate yourself to bettering your nutrition habits. It takes commitment on many levels, but if successful, you will be in a much better place! Your personal health status is worth it!

The challenges we have done in the past have been a lot of fun and resulted in many people seeing AMAZING positive changes in their lives. Challengers have reported clothes fitting better, favorable weight changes, increases in energy, increases in brain function, decreases in cholesterol and blood pressure, increases in performance with workouts and much much more. These results came from hard work, dedication to the challenge and NO EXCUSES. It's not always easy, but it is possible.

Email us for more info, we welcome you all to join us! Sign up by Thursday to get in on this challenge. Get excited!!!