getting my caveman on.

as i mentioned before, polotek and i are easing into the paleo lifestyle, but the changes we have made have been dramatic, based on the things we ate a month ago. and he sometimes has to remind me that this IS a major transition for us. we can't expect to be perfect or not have slip-ups or rough days. we are now firmly in week 3, and i am down five pounds.

and i couldn't be happier about this, because this has been a very celebratory week -- namely, due to polotek's involvement with launching yammer pages this week. but also, it looks like i may soon be growing into a role of my own within the tech industry, and we have had some happy things happen on the wedding front, AND we have had friends come to visit us the last couple weeks... so, between all that celebrating and partying, it can be hard to keep a tight grip on what we put into our bodies. yet, we've still managed to come out on top!

i had a whole dungeness crab broiled in butter last week <3

and yes, my motivations for making this change have been primarily fueled by wanting to drop some LBs, but in doing this and learning about it, i have realized that these changes are good for other reasons, such as having our bodies operate the way they are intended to, reducing the toxins in what we eat, and being educated about where our food comes from and what is in it.

this morning polotek mentioned that a few other people he knows are interested in trying out or learning more about going paleo -- and that i should share some helpful info about what we've been doing to get them started. and i'm happy to oblige.

i'd like to start by saying that this is inevitably going to be easier for some people to do than others. i won't lie in saying that we are fortunate, because (1) we live in san francisco and have all kinds of fantastic businesses that make a point of selling local, ethical, healthy and socially-conscious foods. and (2) we can afford to purchase the high-quality foods that the paleo lifestyle requires. pastured eggs and butter from grass-fed cows DOES NOT come cheap compared to their conventional counterparts. on the same hand, i have been pleasantly surprised at how much grass-fed beef and pastured pork i have been able to get with my dime. just know that if you are seriously considering this lifestyle change, you will probably have to make some initial investments in changing over some items in your kitchen.

after some conversation and a lot of questions to my paleo friends, and a lot of googling, i have to say that i firmly believe that the best change people can make in the beginning (without going full-out cold turkey), is to cut as much grain, starch, and sugar out of what you eat as possible.

those things will keep your blood sugar high, and your body WILL use it for its first go-to source of energy. so if you want it to burn the fat, be extremely conservative with consuming bread, pasta, beans, rice, SOY, white potatoes, CORN, certain fruits and their juices, DRIED FRUIT, peanuts, candy, and even certain dairy.

i know you are probably thinking...what the flip can i eat?!?!
everything else. including fat. love the fats that nature intended for us to eat. it's good for you.

an example is my lunch today. i needed food fast, but was determined not to give in to the urge to eat something from our food blacklist. this is very difficult when you are hungry in a supermarket. but in some strange moment of clarity, i ended up getting a piece of pot roast they had in the hot foods section, and some mixed greens from the salad bar...and presto! awesome (and quick) paleo lunch.

really yummy, and it smelled SO good!

and with all that protein and fat, i got full pretty fast. below is a photo of what remained, and i really was stuffed at this point.

mmmm, leftovers.

so i think the key is, whenever humanly possible, to know what is in your food, and where it comes from.

i have been loving and enjoying: burgers (sans bun), slow-cooked beef and pork, meatballs (no breadcrumbs), greens, sausages, BACON, avocados, raw almonds, seafood, eggs, and so on...

i also know it has been significantly more difficult for polotek to stay on track while at work. his office caters lunch and dinner, and from what i can tell, the food options are not "trying-to-keep-low-blood-sugar" friendly. so i actually made him a sort of "snack pack" or "care package" of paleo-friendly snacks to keep around (kale chips, raw nuts, seaweed snacks, etc.). it's only been a week and he needs a refill.

Paleo Winning.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood when you lose 4lbs without counting calories or exercise.

That's right, folks. It's been about a week and a half since polotek and I started this little experiment, and I'm down in pounds and so is he -- by seven lbs! And the bulk of what we are doing is cutting out grains, starches, legumes, and excess sugar.

And to be completely honest, this change in diet hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would! Don't get me wrong, I have had temptations. The thing on me that has gotten the most exercise these past couple weeks is my willpower. Jeesh...walking into the office kitchen and smelling bread toasting for someone's sandwich? Ugh. Going to a restaurant and seeing that loaf of bread on the table begging for you to break and eat it? Just cruel. Not being able to drink my glass of simply orange mango in the morning? Torture. Though, once I get past the initial test of discipline, and start eating my actual meal, I am ALWAYS quite content and satisfied.

Full disclosure: I wasn't even 100% all this time. And to be honest, the food i cheated with did not meet the expectation of what I built up on my mind. I had some macaroni and cheese last week because I was starving and in a restaurant that basically had no paleo-friendly options or things I could really tweak to make it work. I also got in a few nights of drinking last week (alcohol is a no-go because it turns to sugar in your body) since a friend was in town visiting and there were a couple parties. I tried to mitigate the damage by not drinking beer aka liquid grains. Instead, I opted for red wine or vodka tonics. I even had a little prosecco. I can't help but think of how effective my other eating would have been if I had not indulged. Either way, I really am happy that it didn't completely undo everything else.

Metabolic derangement is my number one fear.

A couple dinners polotek and I have enjoyed include: meatballs and kale, chorizo and stewed okra, bunless burger, scrambled eggs with crab and homemade kale chips!

paleo meatballs and kale with bacon

Polotek and I miss juice. I mean, really miss it. I thought we had it beat -- we were juicing one whole grapefruit and adding sparkling water to it. And it was yummy. This really did the trick for us. But I should have known it was too good to be true. I found an article on the site for the bulletproof diet that says excessive grapefruit is no bueno. So sad. We will limit our intake to maybe one grapefruit a week. Or really bad juice cravings.

Look for me to post recipes for the yummy food we've been eating soon.

chorizo and stewed okra

 I'll soon be entering week 3, and all in all, I'm feeling pretty good about it. I mean, the food is not bad at all -- lots of grass fed or pastured meats --polotek and I have particularly been enjoying lots of bacon and sausages from Olivier's, our amazing local butcher. I can get my needed Japanese fix by eating sashimi and a little wakame -- though, soy of ANY KIND is a big no-no, so no edamame or agedashi tofu. San Francisco, in addition to being localvore-city, is an extremely pork friendly place -- I've been enjoying all kinds of braised pork and variations of pork belly. And the BEST part is that I don't have to be afraid of eating all that fat! Bring. It. On!