First day of Paleo! Here goes:

Tuesday Oct. 25, 2011

Breakfast:
1 egg
1 portobello mushroom
1 cup cauliflower
3 strips (25g?) organic beef jerky

Lunch:
Salad of: 1 medium chicken breast, 1 beet, Handful baby carrots, 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tin sardines
2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter (random, but felt like I needed a little something after the salad and sardines)

*Felt like an oddball, as I was eating lunch with the "salad girls" crowd at work - got such annoyed glares from girls picking at their iceberg lettuce and croutons...

Dinner:
Seafood curry: shrimp, mussels, seabass, and a few odd pieces of chicken thrown in for good measure
Asparagus with butter (is butter allowed? is it not dairy?)

Trying to shed the whole mentality of "girls aren't supposed to eat a lot of meat". The glares from the salad girls at lunch were unnerving.

No olive oil? That's interesting - I've been hearing the benefits of the stuff since forever. *insert image of Rachel Ray bellowing E! V! O! O! on television*

I've read somewhere that it's all right as long as you're not cooking with it. Recommend a better salad dressing oil?

Other than animal fats, what are other good sources of paleo fats?

Wednesday October 26, 2011

Breakfast:
2 eggs
1 portobello mushroom
A few small pieces of cauliflower
2 strips beef jerky

Snack:
Apple
Sunflower Nut butter

Late lunch:
1 medium chicken breast
1 tomato
1 cup cauliflower
1.5 cup spinach
2 tbsp. Olive oil

...surprisingly, didn't want to finish this salad. Well, I was still hungry, but couldn't bring myself to eat the few chunks of tomato and cauliflower left. Wanted something...fattier, haha. Didn't have anything on me, so waited until dinner.

Dinner:
Pork Meatballs
Chinese broccoli
*also bought some coconut butter on my way home from work, so tried that with the pork meatballs and chinese broccoli. It was...interesting. Will experiment with it (the taste throws me off a bit).

Also, what's everyone's opinion on nut butters? Is it a good source of fat? I felt kind of full after the snack of apple and sunflower nut butter, and it threw me off for the rest of the day. I was hungry for lunch, but only partially, same for dinner. I know, I know, I read about intermittent fasting, but feel like I should take it slow, this being my second paleo day and all.

Friday October 28, 2011

Breakfast:
Omelette of 2 eggs, 1.5 cups of spinach, cooked with 2 HEAPING spoonfuls of lard
Half a small apple (originally intended to eat the whole thing, but couldn't finish)

Lunch:
1 medium bowl of assorted meats: BBQ pork (half meat, half fat), dark chicken meat with skin on, duck with skin on --> this was a restaurant meal with co-workers in Chinatown
The other half of the small apple from breakfast and 3 baby carrots, dipped in coconut butter

Dinner:
1 slice lamb and beef meatloaf
1 cup baby carrots
5 spoonfuls of coconut butter

Sunday October 30, 2011

Brunch:
2 eggs
1 sausage (fresh from organic butcher)
3 large chicken drumsticks
1 cup baby carrots
A few spoonfuls of coconut butter

Dinner:
Beef Burgundy with carrots, onions, turnips
Romaine Lettuce salad
1 peach

Monday October 31, 2011

Breakfast:
2 eggs
A few spoonfuls of coconut butter --> although delicious, I want to try to eliminate this by eating meat for breakfast as opposed to eggs

Snack:
*Note - didn't intend to eat one, but for some reason, got really hungry mid-morning
Half a pear

Lunch:
Chicken Drumsticks
Handful Broccoli
*Also accepted a lemon tart from my boss

Dinner:
Chicken Drumsticks
Smoked Salmon
Spinach
Coconut Butter

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Breakfast:
1 can Tuna
1 tin Sardines...bit of a rush morning, hence the canned food
1 egg
Half a glass of coconut milk, mixed with regular milk (just as an experiment to see how it would make me feel)

Lunch:
300g Pulled Pork
Handful baby carrots

Dinner:
2 large beef ribs
Half a glass of coconut milk
Small bowl Vegetable Stir-fry

Wednesday November 2, 2011

Breakfast:
2 eggs
Coconut butter

Snack: Apple

Lunch:
Veal Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Handful Broccoli

Dinner (same as Tuesday):
Dinner:
2 large beef ribs
Half a glass of coconut milk
Small bowl Vegetable Stir-fry


Observations: Although I lost a bit of weight starting out on paleo, I gained some of it back these past few days, due to not being as strict with my paleo regimen. My skin is breaking out after I ate that lemon tart from Monday, and also probably from the dairy I had on Tuesday. I also find that I am better eating a lot more meat and fat than vegetables. I am fuller for longer this way. Furthermore, eggs/chicken do not fill me was well as pork/beef/lamb/veal. Don't know if there's an actual reason for this, but that is just my general observation.

Finally, I'm starting to feel like I can't commit to full paleo while living with my family - I am getting tired of all the ploys to get me to drink milk/eat lean meat. Lean meat does not really satisfy me

I think you are doing great! It can be a bit difficult to find the right proportions of meat, fat and veggies for a meal. You typically eat more meat, fat and veggies when on paleo than you are used to. However that is usually no problem since you are doing without the energy dense grain products. You will get a hang of it.

It is a big difference, when it comes to meat I eat like a double "normal" portion. It is a bit unusual for a woman to eat that much meat and not avoiding fat I know, I have also had the glares, however it is so much better for you than lettuce and croutons. I also like doing my own mayonnaise/aioli to get extra fat, mixing egg yolks and olive oil, some vinegar or lemon juice and garlic. I do eat olive oil however not for cooking, then I use coconut oil.

Veggies you need to fill you up as well and get you some carbs, I love avocado and carrots as well as broccoli and cauliflower, and as you do the stir fry.

If you want a tip on how to use coconut milk you can mix it with berries and fruit for a smoothie.

Good luck!

I think you are doing great! It can be a bit difficult to find the right proportions of meat, fat and veggies for a meal. You typically eat more meat, fat and veggies when on paleo than you are used to. However that is usually no problem since you are doing without the energy dense grain products. You will get a hang of it.

Thanks paleowoman! I have been experimenting with different ratios of meat/fat/veggies, trying to figure out what works best for me.

Sorry, I haven't been browsing the food journals recently, so I didn't see your questions.  It sounds like you're doing really well, except for a couple cheats which you know about.

Other than animal fats, the next most paleo fat is probably coconut oil, which I see you've tried.  I don't think olive oil is that harmful, it's just not strictly paleo.  I personally don't use salad dressing; I'll have walnuts on a salad if I want some fat.

I don't remember what kind of lard you're using, but when you get lard, check the label to make sure it's not hydrogenated.  Hopefully you're already doing this, but I just like to mention it for people who are relatively new to the diet as hydrogenated fats have substantial amounts of trans fats which are quite unhealthy.

I'm personally not a big fan of nut butters; I'd rather just eat the nuts.  I find that if I get nuts with the shells and shell them myself, I'll self regulate on the amount.  That said, shelling them is a bit of a hassle sometimes.

Is it normal to eat huge amounts of meat and fat?  Yes.  Maybe not every day, but a feast day once in a while is good.

I think the red meats are more filling than chicken because it has more fats, and it's also easier to eat substantial amounts.  Eggs aren't as filling because they have more water, I think; you'd need to eat 8 eggs to get the same protein and fat as an 8 oz steak with the fat on.

Thanks Warren! I get my lard from a butchershop that sells organic, grass-fed meat, so I don't think it's hydrogenated. There's no ingredient list, though, so I'll ask next time I'm there.