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 sushi

things in paleo-land are going just fine. i'm getting more and more comfortable with the adjustments -- you know, no grains, starches, beans and excess sugar. no big deal.

also no soy. i found some coconut aminos in the whole foods in SoMa a couple days ago, and i immediately got down on making myself some paleo sushi! it was easy, and fun, and it didn't look wonderfully pretty, but was still pretty tasty without the rice.

the ingredients i used....

• toasted nori - cut and use half sheets, prevents extra-chewiness
• 3 or 4 oz of tuna (wild caught)
• 3 or 4 oz of salmon (wild caught)
• cucumber
• avocado
• 6 or 7 lightly-boiled shrimp - chop 'em
• sriracha (use lightly) 
• wasabi powder
• coconut aminos

the end product!

i ate the entire thing. i did not share.

the bulletproof diet.

it will take lots of adjustments to get to the level of the bulletproof diet as outlined by dave asprey. but polotek and i are determined to make some serious changes in the long run. 

for now we are hoping to ease into it, making one change at a time, with the hope that these things will stick or at least help us make better choices in the long run.

my understanding, based on the various things i've read is roughly this: the food the average american eats (read: carbs and sugars) keeps our blood sugar at higher levels than our bodies like. our bodies use the hormone insulin to keep our blood sugar in its preferred range. insulin lowers our blood sugar, ultimately converting excess sugar into fat to be stored away for later use. but because we keep feeding our bodies more foods that convert to sugar in our blood, it doesn't really get to burning that stored fat for fuel since it's always using the sugar first.

paleolithic diets generally focus on eating the types of food our cavemen ancestors ate -- though there are some variances from person-to-person about how they adapt this for a modern lifestyle -- suggesting minimal grains, starches, and sugars, and more dietary fats, protein, and vegetables.

the first step we are taking in making changes is to cut grains, starches and sweets - with the exception of up to one cup of rice a week. this includes (but unfortunately is not limited to): pasta, bread, corn and corn products, candy, juice, soda... 

we will be doing this for about three weeks, and then see how we feel, whether we have noticed any differences in the way our bodies operate and weigh, and if we feel confident that we can continue with the change.

so far we have been following these eating habits for a few days, and while there have been annoying moments of us contemplating things we want but can't have, the change overall doesn't feel so bad. one of the things i really like about it is not having to count calories or points as in previous diets. i eat until i am full, and i feel like this is significantly less than i ate before, because fat is filling. instead of sitting down with a waffle with the works (usually sweet stuff on top), i've had an egg over-easy with a piece or two of sausage, and felt full for hours. i can snack on a handful of almonds instead of a bag of potato chips, and feel quite content and significantly less guilty.

we'll see how things progress. right now we are taking it one day at a time, and trying to be a step ahead of our hunger by knowing what our next meal is going to be. i find that if we wait until we are hungry to figure out what to eat, we are more likely to give into bad choices.

...more to come on what we've been eating. ;)