Paleo Challenge foods!

My gym just did a Paleo diet challenge through Thanksgiving that just ended today. It entailed adding up points for everything eaten in the last month. Small splurges equated to 1 point while worse foods were 2 points. Alcohol was 3 points and an entire cheat meal was 4 points. The most points you could get in a day was capped at 12 points and considered a cheat day. We also subtracted a point for every workout that was completed.

My total was 38 points. Not great, but felt pretty good. The majority of points came Thanksgiving week and the rest of the points came from dairy, protein bars, and paleo desserts. So I feel it is not as bad as it looks especially considering it was Thanksgiving. I think the most important part of eating healthy is how you feel and perform. I know when I eat unhealthy as my body will tell me, I sleep worse and my stomach gets upset from not being used to "bad" foods. The last month I felt good and I topped it off with a PR in Fight Gone Bad a couple days ago. So I guess I need to learn from this that I dont have to be absolutely perfect. I want to strive to eat as healthy as possible but have an occasional worse food to keep me sane. I just want to keep those worse foods to foods that are not that bad. I feel when I try to eat absolutely perfect, the stress that comes with it is not worth the effort.

I want to include my food and workout log of the last month so you can see what are some splurges to me. In between all of these cheats were typically a perfect Paleo/Zone meal consisting of lean meat, veggies, fruit, and healthy fat. The healthier I eat the more that some simple every day foods for most people are big splurges to me such as dairy or dark chocolate, and that is how I want it to be. Raising the Bar!!!

Month Paleo Challenge

Day 1 11/8

dinner = homemade pork chile from client (delicious) = (+ 1) point

Day 2 11/9

workout x 2 = (- 2) point

Day 3 11/10

workout = (-1) point

Day 4 11/11

homemade marinara sauce w italian sausage from same client (even more delicious) - (+1) point

Day 5 11/12

workout x 2 AM & PM = (-2) point

dinner = (one of my birthday meals) Gardinos cheat meal (fried calamari, beer, scallops battered, chocolate covered almonds) = (+4) points

Day 6 11/13

workout = (-1)

Day 7 11/14

cheat meal (day spent in San Fran, a planned cheat day) = wine taste, chips & guacamole, crap chalupa, hot fudge sunday = (+4) points

Day 8 11/15

0 points (YES!!!) - back on track

Day 9 11/16

workout x 2 = (-2)

butter on cauliflower (lots of it) = (+1)

Day 9 11/17

workout x 2 = (-2)

Day 10 11/18

half n half in coffee = (+1)

candied walnuts in very healthy salad with tons of veggies = (+1)

Day 11 11/19

2 x wods = (-2)

1/2 think thin protein bar = (+1)

Day 12 11/20

2 x wods = (-2)

think thin protein bar = (+1)

cheat meal = thanksgiving party with friends = sweet potatoes, gravy, stuffing, 2 x beers = (+4)

Day 13 11/21

cheat meal (not ready to start the week) = Willow Street restaurant - chicken pesto 1.5 beers, cookie, fudge, paleo pumkin ice cream = (+4)

Day 14 11/22

think thin protein bar = (+1)

yougurt w berries = (+1)

Day 15 11/23

workout x 1 = (-1) (back on track the next couple days before the big Turkey Day)

Day 16 11/24

workout x 3 = (-3)

Day 17 11/25

workout x 2 (-2)

cheat meal - thanksgiving - mashed potatoes, 1 glass wine, stuffing (+4)

Paleo Ice cream, (+1)

side note - today was not too bad, considering the Thanksgiving the year before I ate so much I threw up - read about it here

Day 18 11/26

ommellete with cheese = (+1)

Vallerianos dinner of asparagus salad, pork, veggies with mashes potatoes = (+1)

yumi yogurt = (+1)

Day 19 11/27

cafe latte = +1

milkshake from Great Bear coffee (AWESOME) = (+2)

cheat meal 1 slize pizza and 2 beers (+4) playing poker (not very good)

Day 20 11/28

lunch = (+2) gluten free sandwich

dinner = (+1) some paleo ice cream + 1/2 paleo brownie

Day 21 11/29

3 x wods = (-3)

Day 22 11/30

2 x wods = (-2)

lunch = feta cheese in salad = (+1)

dessert = few bites of greek yogurt plus 3/4 think thin = (+1)

Day 23 12/1

lunch = feta cheese in sald = (+1)

butternut squash sauce w butter ingredient on spaghetti squash = (+1)

paleo ice cream - (+1)

Day 24 12/2

(lots of dairy today hmmm)

wod = (-1)

breakfast = paleo coffee cake = (+1)

lunch = goat cheese in salad = (+1)

coffee w milk = (+1)

dinner = gorgonzola in salad = (+1)

yumi yogurt= (+1)

Day 25 12/3

wod x 1 = (-1)

truffle fudge 1 bite = (+1)

Day 26 12/4

AM = yogurt = (+1)

noon = bloody mary + clam chowder during town parade= (+4)

pinkberry yogurt= (+1)

Day 27 12/5

WOD X 1 = (-1)

think thin protein bar - (+1)

cheese + gluten free tortilla = (+2)

TOTAL = (+37)