Today is Day 30. 30 days since I’ve eaten anything with grain in it. 30 days since I’ve had bread, pasta, cereal, rice, soy, peanuts, beans, corn or excessive sugar or dairy.
Here’s what I have eaten:
5 bunches of kale
4 dozen eggs
2 pounds of cooked turkey breast
3 filets of cod
1 roast chicken
1 pound ground bison
2 pounds ground beef
1 huge rack of pork side ribs
2 salmon steaks
3 rib eye steaks
1 eye of round roast
1 pork butt roast
30+ scoops of protein powder
2 cans of clams
4 cans of salmon
10 avocados
3 cups of pine nuts/almonds
close to a pound of coconut oil
5 heads of cauliflower
3 acorn squash
2 butternut squash
15 bananas
4 pints of fresh strawberries
30 cups of frozen berries
4 litres of almond milk
3 containers of coconut yogurt
bushels upon bushels of fresh veggies…you name it, we ate it!
Now, obviously these totals are not just what I ate, I did not eat an entire roast chicken….well…no…wait, I did. But the roasts, steaks, pork butts etc were shared between Ray and I.
I also jogged 33km and spinned…spun (?) five hours.
I also drank 3 bottles of wine, two beers, ate two ice creams (no cone), a large serving of organic potato chips, the ears off of a Lindt bunny, made and ate pear tart, banana bread and brownies, all grain free.
I have not suffered for a moment. I haven’t weighed or measured a thing (except when making recipes, of course) and I haven’t counted a calorie in 30 days. I haven’t gorged myself and I haven’t starved myself.
So, results? In the past 30 days I have lost a whopping…..2.6 pounds. OK, don’t laugh and don’t go back to that list up there and start counting up calories and fat! In addition to losing my 2.6 pounds, I’ve also lost unmeasured inches around my middle (hello, flat stomach, I have missed you…if I ever really had you!), my watch is retardedly loose, I’m wearing a ring from high school again, my hair is shiny and full and healthy looking, my nails are growing like gangbusters. I haven’t had a heart issue during these 30 days, my mood seems more stable, I haven’t felt the unstoppable need to binge on chocolate. So, all good things.
The only issue I have is with my energy levels. I’m still exercising and getting things done around the house with cleaning and cooking and laundry. But Lord, am I ever exhausted at the end of the day. Something isn’t quite right and I don’t know if it’s because I ran out of the liquid (plant based) iron supplement that I take daily or if I’m not getting quite enough carbs or if I’m just fighting off a bug. It’s a bit frustrating but I’m staying the course and going to hope that things even out, perhaps 30 days isn’t quite long enough for everything to adjust.
I had planned to buy myself a little present when I got made it the first 30 days. Only…..I don’t really feel like I did anything that’s worthy of a present. Don’t get me wrong, this hasn’t been a walk in the park every day, there have been some difficult moments and a couple of times when giving in would have been a lot easier. But I didn’t really do anything that my body hasn’t wanted to do. I remember when I was starting to lose my 100 pounds 5 years ago…..I set up a rewards timeline….and then when I achieved the reward points, I didn’t really feel like I needed to reward myself, I wasn’t doing anything that was reward-worthy…just living responsibly. Same thing.
However, I AM going to get myself the present because what IS reward worthy is listening to your body, making a less than popular decision and carrying it through because you know in your heart that it’s the right thing for you. Not caving or giving in to someone else’s will. That’s reward worthy!
Fitty vs Fatty 
This is awesome!! I’m getting ready to embark on my own 30 day Paleo-style challenge. I’m a little nervous because I’m easily tempted, but seeing that you made it through with some great results is inspiring me and giving me a little extra motivation and self-confidence. So where will you go from here now that your 1st 30 days is complete?
Hey Tammy,
You can do it! I didn’t put a ‘label’ on my 30 days (eg. Paleo, primal, Whole30 etc) because all I really meant to do was eliminate all grains. Obviously that is a huge part of those plans so it’s pretty similar.
From here…….keep on keeping on. Based on my bloatfest last week after I ate something that didn’t agree with me, I’ll stick with the grain free and very, VERY slowly start adding things back. I’m going to start testing out things that I actually care about though. Since I don’t particularly miss rice, pasta, bread, cereal I’m not too eager to put them back. Obviously this grain free thing really works for my body and I don’t want or need to tempt fate. What I would like to start adding back is things like vodka. Don’t laugh….I really likes me a vodka & Perrier on a hot day and unfortunately vodka is a grain alcohol. We’ll see. I would also not mind testing out quinoa….because quinoa flour adds another layer of options for making baked goods.
I’m going to be fairly selective about it. The thing is though, with not eating any grains at all, you pretty much get free go at anything that is meat, fat or produce. The meat and fat and produce are the best parts! Avocado, pine nuts, almonds, chicken skin, bacon, rib eye steak, ribs. All so very flavourful and satisfying that, if you give it a real chance, you won’t miss the blandness of commercial bread, rice, porridge.
Good Luck! I’ll be reading/cheering!
Best of luck. I do eat some grains but have not eaten hardly any white rice for past 5 months and I eat bread, maybe less than 10 times per month. I’ve been like this for past 3 yrs. Otherwise I will tiip toward diabetes 2.
Are you embarking on the diet because…?
I’ve been cycling regularily for last 20 yrs. I don’t have a car and have been car-free for last 30 yrs. I’m over 50 yrs. Yes, keeping weight at healthy, stable levels is important. It’s even more helpful if you love sport that you can do without thinking much about it but becomes part of your lifestye.
Best of luck.
Well, my first 30 days is up…..and I wouldn’t say that I was really trying to diet, just made the effort to eliminate grains for my overall health. I knew in my heart that grains were causing a big problem for my overall wellness and no amount of exercise or calorie restriction would have helped that. So I made the leap and would not go back.
I love that you’ve cycled everywhere…next month I believe my employer will be installing a shower facility in the lady’s change room and I will commence bicycling to work also, I’m really looking forward to it! There’s something about arriving somewhere under your own steam that is really empowering!
Thanks for the comment!
Excellent to have the shower. Tailwinds in your travels!
Congratulations for completing your first 30 days. You truly are an inspiration for determination.
Way to go! Love your list — it all sounds wonderful except for some of the fleshy things …:)