No grains, no gains - Off template foods I enjoy

A group of Primal/Paleo/Grain Free women who blog about their experiences/life/benefits without grains. A great way for others (who may be WANTING TO LOSE WEIGHT, reverse an acute/chronic health trend, and/or transition from commercial weight loss programs) to read about real life women who are living the life and succeeding.

This month's topic is about what non-Paleo foods I enjoy. Just a little background info first for those of you not familiar with my blog. This month would mark my second anniversary on maintenance...but I gained a few pounds and I'm back on weight-loss mode. It's all good. I weighed in today and I dropped 5 pounds from 2 weeks ago, so I'm only 2 pounds above my "goal" weight. I want to lose between 12 and 17 more pounds which will bring my weight between 150 - 155. Strictly for running performance. I'll likely not stay that low after I run the races I'm trying to get leaner for. Both take place in March. I am also 39 months grain/refined sugar/processed food and mostly legume and dairy free.

So what are the off template foods I enjoy? Sometimes I have legumes (ie: hummus, natural peanut butter). The hummus is a rare occurrence. Only when I have company, which does not happen often. The natural peanut butter was more common. I'd have a couple teaspoons following a run. I don't do that any longer. I cut that out a few months ago. I normally follow the 85/15 rule for Paleo. That's 85% Paleo eating, 15% other. 

My "other" foods are red wine, cream for my coffee, sports nutrition (ie: gels and sportive for long runs), and sometimes I have cheese (which can get out of hand and causes me stomach upset), and you know about the peanut butter and hummus. I'll also not stress over sauces when I eat out. I'll avoid it if I can,but don't make too big a deal out of it if there's sauce on a chicken breast or something. I just scrape it off. I  know those sauces include sugar and other non-paleo ingredients, but I'm not going to stress over a little bit of something non-Paleo. What I can't have a little bit of? Grains. Grains are completely off the table for me. That was my binge food of choice...pasta, bread, rice. It's a trigger for me so I completely stay away from it. Life is so much easier that way.

Wine is my big indulgence. I was drinking it on the weekends and really should only be doing that when I'm running regularly. My last injury got my weight up by 7 pounds. I was still eating fruit, nuts and drinking wine like I was running 50K per week. I am currently off wine, fruit and nuts. I'm only eating lean protein and veggies with the exception of sweet potatoes (none) and the starchier ones (squash, carrots, turnip) only a few times a week. I'm going to eat like this while I train for my two races in March. My celebration food after the Around the Bay 30K the last weekend in March? Wine and dates and nuts and dark chocolate. Something to look forward to!

How do I know eating my off template foods won't throw my eating off? They very well could if I'm not careful. I got very anxious when I gained 7 pounds. And when I was on holiday in Europe in September, I gained then too. I ate all the cheese and dates and drank lots and lots of wine. I'm just not sure how much I gained because I didn't have a scale until very recently. My point is that when I'm not as physically active as I normally am (due to injury, or during a European vacation due to laziness), I need to reign my eating right in. Nuts can become a problem for me because I can mindlessly eat them. I don't have to worry so much about amounts of Paleo foods when I'm training hard, but when I'm not, I need to be mindful. My recent gain was a valuable lesson for me and one I'm glad to have been given. Not only do I realize that I need to be on top of my eating, but the scale, and food journaling are valuable tools to use. 

Now check out my blogging buddies and find out about the off template foods they enjoy. Each with different experiences, each with a different story.

For Life -Jeanette
Garden Girl - Karen
The Sunny Coconut - Gwen

My most recent snap on the right taken on Tuesday in the Pilates studio.
I'm about 140 pounds lighter than I was in the photos on the left.

The post about progress, lots of progress

Physio this week...Right Plantar Fasciitis foot good!
Foot my cat made me twist while trying to kill me, stiff:-(

• It's weekly update time! A few things to update you on. Physio, food, yoga, pilates, running. Same old, same old. Physio went well this week. I got the go ahead to up my mileage. This is good since I'm running a 10 miler (16K) on Boxing Day. My Plantar foot (right) is about 90%, and my twisted ankle (left) was feeling super stiff. Graham worked on it for me and gave me much better mobility. So I'm doing pretty good right now. Fingers crossed things stay this way. Don't have to go back and see Graham for 2 weeks!
• I had a pilates assessment at physio on Friday. All looks good and I start private pilates instruction this week. Tomorrow is my first session. I have been blessed with unlimited physio benefits through work, so this is awesome. I need pilates to strengthen my core and, help with my balance and flexibility. Looking forward to it!

Leaving yoga class yesterday.

• I am loving yoga. I got out to 2 classes this past week. One of them at 6am! Yay me! Pats self on back:-) I'm doing that one as much as I can. That instructor was my favorite so far. It's challenging, but I know the more I practice, the better I'll get. And using my muscles the way I do to get into and hold the poses will definitely strengthen and tone me. I may be getting a touch addicted. I can take 4 classes per week that work with my schedule. I'm gonna try for all 4 this week. 
• As I said, running has been going well. No pain while running. Just a bit of soreness afterwards, but with stretching, it goes away. And although I have a bit of tenderness when I wake up in the morning, after walking around a bit, it also goes away. My pace isn't where it was, and part of that is because I'm still scared to push too hard in case I re-injure myself. After the Boxing Day 10 Miler, I have to start training for the Chilly 1/2 and the Around the Bay 30K. Serious training with hill repeats and stuff. Just bought a new fridge calendar so I'll be working out that schedule soon. 

My runs from the week. Pace ain't great, but is somewhat consistent:-)

• It's been two weeks since I've been eating strictly. No wine, nuts, fruit, sauces and limited Phase 2 veggies. I have Phase 2 veggies sporadically. I try not to have them every day. Way more Phase 1 meals than Phase 2. And no licking the knife while preparing my son's peanut butter on toast in the morning. That was a bad habit I got into...peanuts are not Paleo!!! 
• Weigh-in is this wednesday. I'm excited, but don't expect a huge drop in weight. That's why this could take me 3 months or more to do. And I'm patient. Going back to stricter eating was waaaaay easier this time around because I was already there. Just the foods that I over indulged in were cut out. They will come back...when I'm leaner. And in much more controlled portions, and only when I'm training hard. So it's not forever, it's just for now. And food is just fuel, not my entertainment. Have a great week, and I'll continue to post my food journals and workouts on my Facebook page and Instagram. Namaste...

My eats from last week. 

The post about getting to run, a yoga class and Santa Claus

My food logs from the past four days. Although there are some veggies I'm
avoiding right now ie: Dinner on the 23rd, the family's eating those.

• I am almost one week into my strict/clean eating plan. It's going well. Got right back in there. Just like riding a bike. And the bonus of doing it this time around? No processed carb and refined sugar withdrawal. If I felt off with anything, it was cutting back on my coffee the first couple days. But I'm sticking to my 2 cups a day rule...except for Friday. Had all day training on that day and I needed something to keep me awake! Also getting all the water in. I feel really good and it's no bother eating like I used to. I got lenient with some things and I think it's better to stay as clean as possible. So I'm reining it in. When I do reintroduce fruit, nuts and wine, I'm going to be much more conscious of serving sizes.
• I finally got to run on the weekend. Yay! I ran 3k on Saturday to test out the heel...it went well. I ran 5k on Sunday, and even though my heel was a bit sore throughout the day, it wasn't horrible. And it was non-existent when I wore my runners with the formerly useless orthotics I paid $600 for. They finally came in handy. I'm actually running in them now for better support. 

Just before heading into my first yoga class.

• Today is my rest day...I'm hoping to run tomorrow. Getting my ass kicked right now with a head cold. I'll run as long as the cold is not in my chest. I did attend my first yoga class yesterday. It was really very good for me to be so soundly humiliated. I am not flexible. Not even a little bit. It's definitely a challenge and I need to attend regularly so I can get more limber. I am a mess. But there is hope for me. I am supposed to be there right now. Instead I'm blogging from bed. Achoo! I'm considering getting up super early Wednesday and attending the 6am class...switching out my running rest day from Friday to Wednesday and striking a pose instead...DONE! Just like that. I'm up at 4:30 anyway.
• This past weekend seemed like a blur. I was on the go all weekend. We went to the Santa Claus Parade on Saturday. The lamest parade ever. And as my hubby and I complained to each other under our breath, it was totally worth it because Julien loved it. Saturday was a nice family day. Lunch out, then the parade, then home for a crock pot roast for dinner. 
• Sunday was a chore day. I woke up not feeling great. Went for a run, then the early yoga class. After lunch and a shower I went grocery shopping, put everything away, changed the linens, separated and began the laundry, folded laundry and made dinner. Julien had a friend over so I was also catering to those boys all afternoon. And I felt like crap by the end of the day. I kept saying I was going to bed, and hubby told me to go more than once, but I ended up reading bedtime books with Julien before finally heading to bed. Thought I was going to call in sick today, but felt well enough to go to work. I'm bagged now though. So a short and sweet check in post. 
• Tomorrow marks the end of week one of #operation...(something clever to go here). I'm feeling pumped and motivated. Can't wait to see the differences in my body. I know the scale isn't going to drop leaps and bounds. Not like when I was bigger and losing weight but that's okay. I bought a pair of very form fitting skinny red cords from Value Village. I can't get them done up...not even close. But they are my goal pants. Hoping to be wearing them comfortably in a few months and be confident enough to wear them out of the house. I will keep going till they do fit because I am feeling positive. I have the tools to get to where I want to be, I just need to apply them and stay focused. Challenge accepted!

Santa Claus is officially in Hamilton.