Day 20 and 21

Ski Shores (above)

A reeally good salad (above)

Huts Hamburger (above)

Day 20

6am- 1 cup of coffee, black

8am- 3 eggs, 1/3 pound sausage , half of avocado, salsa from HEB, and 12 oz soy latte.

11am- A drink of a mimosa to cheers Scott and Kat on their last boat day on lake Austin. They will be truly missed. It wasn't paleo. I have no excuses. Just being honest. :)

12pm- Lunch at Ski Shores. Grilled chicken breast with bacon, guac, tomato, and mustard. With iced tea. Im not gonna say what they ate haha. But I was wanting to share a beer with them but didnt.

1:15pm- Mix1 protein drink

3:45pm- Leftovers from the ground grass-fed beef and cabbage. It was half a pound of beef, 2 cups cabbage, 1/2 zucchini, 1/2 squash, and half an onion, and 1/2 an avocado.

7:30pm- 2 lettuce wraps from Jimmy Jon's. Tuna club, no cheese, avocado, bacon, sprouts, olive oil, tomato, and cucumber. I did have a bite of cheese b/c they accidently put it on there, when I said no cheese. But I took it off when I tasted the greatness of it haha.

9:30pm-1am- 7 shots of Ciroc vodka spread out through the night. Ciroc Vodka is distilled with grapes instead of grain.

3:30am- Jimmy Jon's wrap. Gargantuan. It has all their meat on it. No cheese this time. Sprouts, tomato, cucumber, olive oil, avocado, bacon.

Day 21

1pm- Taco salad from whole foods: lettuce, pulled chicken, cooked vegetables, pico de gallo, guacamole, and "dragon" sauce. Its good.

3pm- 2 cups of coffee, 1 orange Cutie

5:30pm- handful of self made trail mix from Whole foods: coconut flakes, dried cranberries, walnuts, almonds.

6:45pm- Spinach and purple cabbage salad with a big chicken breast, 1/2 avocado, 2 pieces of bacon, 1 organic tomato, 2 tbs of an all natural italian dressing. Great salad but still a little hungry.

8pm-Huts Hamburgers. I went with a couple of friends and ended up eating again. So 1 patty, grass-fed, with 2 pieces of bacon, tomato and lettuce, with 2 sides of guac.

9:45pm- apple and almond butter.

Hope you all had a fun Halloween weekend!!

Day 19

5:30am- 2 cups of coffee

7:30am- 4 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, 1/2 avocado, 1 tbsp of coconut oil, and a handful of organic grapes.

11:30am- Orange Plate Special with shrimp, broccoli, grilled bell peppers and squash, 1/2 avocado, 2 tbs of olive oil.

4:15pm- Mix1 protein drink

5:45pm- handful of mixed nuts and a couple pieces of beef jerky

7:oopm- Dinner at Z Tejas. 12oz New York strip with crab meat on top, green beans and carrots, and a side salad with a red wine vinegeriattte. All with a quenching ice tea and lemon.

8:45- Apple and almond butter, 1 cup of coffee with vanilla almond milk

Halloween is Scary

So with Halloween this weekend I know its very tempting to eat a little candy here and there. One piece, here, one piece there.... It adds up people and that candy does not keep your health in mind! You have been working way too hard to let this silly holiday ruin it. So here is a link to give you a couple facts about the candy you may be nibbling on. Click here.

Also, here is an article a friend passed to me. It is a very honest article in my opinion. In the world of health and fitness, it helps to be educated about nutrition (the stuff you put in your body). Do not just take your trainers word for it. You are probably more likely to make better decisions with food, if you are educated about it. You don't just go buy a house without first doing some research, do you? I do not want to offend anyone. But people rant and rant about how crappy the government is but listen to the "nutritional" advice. Who do you think that advice comes from?... So thats all Im gonna say. I hope you all get my point and start educating yourselves. YOUR body is your vehicle, treat it like a Ferrari!

Day 17 and 18

Dinner from Wednesday night,

day 17 (above)

Lunch at Mama Fu's

(above)

What was left from my chicken and ribs. (above)

Hey guys! Sorry for not posting one last night. I was beat and just went to sleep. Don't worry I didn't cheat. But first things first. Need to correct a couple things on Tuesday. I forgot to put a couple things in there.

Day 16

2pm- I had a cup of coffee with vanilla almond milk. At 7ish I had 1 cup of coconut and lime juice after my run. Then after dinner I had my apple and almond butter :)

Day 17

5:30am- 4 eggs, 1 piece of bacon, 1/4 pound of sausage, 1 tbs of pepper olive oil, 1 tbs of coconut oil, half an avocado, and a Cutie orange. I cup of coffee with 2 tbs of vanilla almond milk.

10:30am- I had an Orange Plate Special from HEB: Meatloaf (wiped off the sauce), 1 cup of broccoli with 1 tbs of olive oil, 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes with 1 tbs of bacon fat, and 1/2 avocado.

2pm- Peach

3:30pm- Mix1 protein drink

7:30pm- 1 pound of organic grass-fed ground beef. 1 zucchini, 1 squash, 4 cups of purple cabbage, 1 an onion, 4 tbs of olive oil, 1 tbs of coconut oil, 2 tbs of bacon fat in the cabbage (cabbage and beef were cooked in different skillets), 1 tbs of honey (I don't think I will add this to the beef next time), 1 tbs of white wine vinegar, 1 tsp of lemon pepper oil in each skillet, garlic powder, sea salt, basil to the meat. This meal isn't visually appealing but it was actually pretty good. I saw the recipe on a website and just tried to create my own version. It was fun! When it was cooked, I put 1/2 of it for leftovers.

8:15- Can you guess what I had??....Thats right! Almond butter and apple!

Day 18:

5am- 4 eggs, 1 tbs of coconut oil, 1/2 avocado, and 3 pieces of bacon... I forgot a piece of fruit which would give me the carbohydrates I needed but sometimes you just don't think clearly at 5am haha. Then I had 2 cups of coffee black.

10am- Few pieces of beef jerky and a handful of organic grapes.

12:30pm- Went to lunch with an old member, Alan. He's says hi to everyone! Anyways, I went to Mama Fu's. I got the seared Ahi tuna rolled in sesame seeds, with double spinach, and green beans. It was actually really good!

2:30pm- double shot of espresso, with 1/8 cup vanilla almond milk and an orange Cutie.

5:30pm- Handful of mixed nuts and a few pieces of beef jerky.

9pm- 2 paleo margaritas, 1/4 rotisserie chicken and a rack of ribs, with a side salad with olive oil and vinegar, 2 slices of tomato and cucumber, and carrots, and 1/2 an avocado. And no reason to lie, I had a very very small sip of the seasonal pumpkin beer... This dinner was a lot of fun. I haven't hung out with that group of guys in a long while. It was good to catch up with them. Way too much fun!!

Day 16

Lunch Salad (above)

Was a sandwich on the menu, just a little

healthy spin of it! (above)

Half eaten bacon wrapped fillet. I forgot

to take a photo before I started eating!

10am- 4 eggs, 1 tbs of coconut oil, 1 tbs of pepper olive oil, 1 piece of bacon, 1/4 pound of sausage, 1/2 avocado, and 1 Cutie orange.

12pm- TOD. Felt great! Jevon beat me tonight though. I should have pushed it a bit harder!

1:30pm- Mix1 protein drink

2:30pm- Lunch at Zingers with Leonard. Spinach salad, walnuts, strawberries, and 1tbs of balsamic vinaigrette, and a very little bit of feta. You can look at the photo. There was not a lot. Then 2 small patties of grilled chicken with 2 pieces of bacon, sauteed onion, avocado, 2 tbs of guac, 2 slices of tomato. Not a bad lunch.

6:00pm I did max snatch and PR'ed!! I felt great but ran out of time to do more. 200#!!

8:30pm- Great company at dinner and we had a 10 oz bacon wrapped fillet from whole foods, organic. So basically just awesomeness. You get them for $4.99 a piece. That's an awesome deal!! And a huge salad. Spinach, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, parsley, avocado, and homemade dressing (Serving 4: 3 tbs of bacon fat, 3 tbs of pepper olive oil, 2 tbs of olive oil, 1 tbs of wasabi, 2 tbs of Grey Poupon, 1 tbs of white wine vinegar, squeeze of 1 Cutie orange, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper = fantastic.)

Friday -Monday: Day 12, 13,14, and 15

Saturdays Indian Buffet Lunch at Mayuri. (above)

It was good but I tried to stay as paleo as I could,

seeing as I did not half of what it was.

My Cobb Salad at Tailgators Saturday evening! (above)

My burrito in a bowl from Mission Burrito. (above)

Dinner this evening. It was a really good salad! (above)

Hey guys! Did you miss me over the weekend? I hope all of you who are on this change of lifestyle journey, are doing really well and made it through the weekend!! So I'm gonna catch you up on my great weekend at the USA Weightlifting Certification, in Houston, TX. And I'm 100% sure I passed the test but I wont know until sometime next week!

Friday, October 22, Day 12:

5am- 3 eggs, 1/4 pound of sausage, 1/2 avocado, 1c almond milk, and 2 cups of coffee

12:15pm- Orange Plate Special from HEB: Pecan crusted chicken, mashed sweet potatoes with 1 tbs of bacon fat, broccoli with 1 tbs of olive oil based dressing, 1/2 avocado, 1 cutie orange, and 1/4 c of vanilla almond milk...Then it was off to Houston.

1:45- Black coffee

6:15- Fajitas for 2 at Rico's Mexican food. Combo beef and chicken, pico de gallo, 2 large scoops of guacamole, 1 paleo margarita. And I was actually kind of proud of myself here b/c I didn't eat any chips and salsa. And my 2 good friends were giving me crap. But what are friends for??

10pm- Double bacon burger from Whataburger. It is definitely not the same without the bun or cheese. But I felt fool and satisfied after that. I also had a couple pieces of pineapple.

Saturday, October 23, Day 13:

7:30am- 3 1/2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 2 pieces of bacon, 1 tbs of bacon fat from cooking the bacon, and 1 tbs of butter b/c my friend had nothing else. Then 2 c of black coffee and a cutie orange.

2pm-Indian food buffet at Mayuri. The picture above was some lamb, some chicken, mixed veggies, and some kind of spinach thing. I had 2 plates. It was an interesting place. Had lunch there with a couple of Crossfittters, who owned their own box up in Longview, Crossfit Citadel. Jon, Travis, and Katie. Jon and Travis are brothers and Jon and Katie are married. Awesome family. It was truly a pleasure to meet Godly people who loved to do the same thing I did.....CrossFit!!

5pm- Chipper WOD that 7 coaches put together (including myself).

2 rounds

5 muscle ups

10 KB Swings

50' Handstand Walk (rough measurement)

10 Ankles to Bar

15 Ball slams 50#/40#

12 Pull ups

40 Double Unders

It wasn't too bad of a workout but after doing snatch and clean all day, my shoulders were shot after the "chipper". My time was 8:32. Lots of Fun! The guys from Bayou City Crossfit were good people and have a great place! Thanks for having me!!

6pm- Mix1 protein drink

7:15pm- A huge Cobb salad with mixed greens, triple avocado, extra egg, bacon, chicken, tomatoes, onion, and balsamic vinaigrette (they did not have oil and vinegar and it was the best choice they had.)

8pm- 1 cup of coffee to study for the certification

Sunday, October 24, Day 14:

7:30am- 3 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, 1/2 avocado, 2 tbs of bacon fat, pineapple, 2c coffee

8am- 1 shot of espresso

1pm- I went to a place called Mission Burritos. It was pretty good. Its a lot like Chipotle. I had no tortilla. I put it in a bowl. I tripled the meat with spinach, mushroom, pico de gallo, and a double scoop of guacamole. And then an un-sweet iced tea with lemon.

4pm-I finished of the rest of my pre-cut pineapple and then headed home.

5pm- Handful of mixed nuts, Mix1 protein drink, a couple pieces of beef jerky, and 3 shots of espresso over a span of 2 hours in the car :)

8pm- 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken from whole foods, and 1 bag of steamed fresh broccoli with 1/2 avocado, and 2 tbs of olive oil.

8:30pm- Apple and almond butter

9pm- Nighty night tea with 1tbs of honey

Monday, October 25, Day 15:

5:15am- 3 hard boiled eggs with 1/4 avocado, 1 tbs olive oil, 1 cutie orange, 2 cups of coffee, and 2 tbs of vanilla almond milk.

8:15am- 2 eggs, 1 piece of bacon, a little bit of avocado from El Sazon. I really wasn't that hungry but I knew I needed to eat.

10:15am- 1 peach

2pm- Handful of trail nuts (walnuts, dried cranberries, and cacao)

5pm- Apple and almond butter

7:00pm- God has been stirring in me and is trying to tell me something, and I've been ignoring him (that is to put it plainly.) So, in doing so, I was in a "spiritual funk" and a good friend of mind told me to go for a run. And if you know me I hate to just go running. I like to run in soccer and in WOD's... Anyways, I literally got lost back in Cuerny (the neighborhood I live in) and ended up running a really good route for 40 minutes! While running, I thought of a saying a friend told me, some of y'all might know him, but he told me a few months ago, "get out of your mind, and into your body!) I have used the saying with clients before but it never really motivated me until tonight because it really let me just release some tension and just let loose. So, if any of y'all are just struggling with whatever or whomever just get into your body. Whatever it may be; run, ride, lifting weights, yoga, even just stretching with some zen music. You get the point!

7:45pm- 1/2 cup of coconut juice with lime juice

8:30pm- Spinach salad with 1/2 a rotisserie chicken, 1 small tomato, 1/2 avocado, 2 pieces of bacon, homemade dressing which was awesome! (3 tbs of bacon fat, 1tbs of olive oil, 1 tbs of pepper olive oil, 1tsp of wasabi, 1/2 of fresh squeezed cutie orange, Himalayan salt, pepper, and italian seasoning) Great Salad!!

9:30pm- apple with almond butter

11:20pm- Nighty night tea with 1 tbs of local honey

Keep up the hard work to all the people in the Evolve Challenge!

Day 11

Oh and just an FYI, I will be going out of town, tomorrow afternoon, for the weekend, to obtain the USAW certification. My next blog update will be Sunday or Monday. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Alrighty Im just gonna spout it off because I just want to go to sleep and chill out. Hope you all had a great day!

6:15am- 2 over easy eggs and 2 slices of bacon

7:15am- 1 shot of espresso with 1/4 cup of almond milk

10:15am- 3 hard boiled eggs, 1 tbs of olive oil, 2 slices of bacon, and 1 cup of Vanilla almond milk

2:30pm- Orange plate special with meat loaf (wiped off the sauce), broccoli, and mashed sweet potatoes with 1 tbs of bacon fat. 1/2 an avocado and 1 cutie orange

7:45pm- 12oz organic grass-fed New York strip cut up into a spinach salad with 2 roma tomatoes, small handful of cut purple onion, some assorted seeds. The dressing was avocado and coconut milk pureed with fresh squeezed lemon, and 1 tbs of olive oil. It was good. I could have probably got a little more creative with it to put a personal spin on it but I was lazy. Thank you for the idea Wendy.. Then after dinner I had an apple with almond butter mmmm-mmmm. Time for some nighty night tea.

Giving props to day 10!!

Lunch that I had to pick

the cheese off of! (above)

Dinner

Man, it has been a great day!! Besides not getting enough sleep last night, I felt great! I got a good breakfast and great classes this morning! What more could I ask for? Oh! I also got my butt kicked in a wrestling match against Juaquin. Just so you know, Juaquin is not some strong guy that comes to the gym everyday! He was Texas state champion 7 times, attending Texas A&M from 1990-1995 on the Judo team (definitely not a slouch)... But the fight lasted roughly 45 seconds. It was fun and hope to learn something from him in the future! So props to you Juaquin. And yes, he had just finished the workout before wrestling me. I needed as much advantage as I could get hahaha. I love the new space in our gym. I hope you all do as well!

Props number 2.... To Heather and Wendy who posted their 1 year anniversary stats on yesterdays blog. If you have not read them, check them out here. And I cant leave out Kenzie. Keep up the shoulder mobility and keep working that pull-up! Good job ladies!

Props number 3.... Jevon, awesome workout today!! I felt great during it, and felt really good about my time. I love your programming, and am blessed to be a student of sorts!... I think Jevon or Chris could possibly beat that time but it was fun and tough!! But thats why we crossfit!!

5x3 back squat (265-295-325-365-390(1))

21-15-9

KB C & P 2- 1.5 pood (3 pood total) 10:38

Box jump 24"

Deadlift 205#

Props to Willem a.k.a Wonka..... For holding me accountable. I almost had cheese on my lunch, and he just said, "just take it off, don't make excuses.".. (Story to come on diet log).. So thank you Wonka!!

5am- 4 hard boiled eggs, dipped in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, with poultry seasoning, pepper, and guacamole. 2 cups of coffee with vanilla almond milk.

10am- handful of trail mix (same as before), couple pieces of beef jerky.

12pm- Ok, so I ordered a fajita platter from El Sazon down the street, with double meat and avocado. Forgetting to tell them no cheese. So Im eating at the gym and Im thinking, "the cheese is already melted, Im not picking it off!" And me complaining, Wonka turns to me and says what he says (stated above). So thank you again!!

4pm- Mix1 protein shake after workout!

9:30pm- starving!!! Had a 12oz ribeye from Texas Roadhouse, with broccoli and carrots, sweet potato with 1/2 tbs of butter, side salad with hard boiled egg, tomatoes, oil (sadly I found out it was soybean oil) and vinegar. Paired with a lovely "special" margarita. I was a little upset with the choices of fat there or I wouldn't have had butter or soybean oil. But I did the best I could. I'm about to take a shooter of olive oil now. So take care and see yall soon!!

Planning is Key and Day 9

Hello, hello my trusty journal! So today has been a little off but still a good one with plenty of energy at first. I got roughly 8 hours of sleep last night. I can honestly say, now that I have started this lifestyle change, I fall asleep WAY faster and I get good sleep! I love that part.

So I just want to give a shout out at the noon class!! Its awesome to see that many people in a class (10-11 ppl) and that many people staying dedicated. The energy I felt in there was inspiring. Keep it up guys!

Day 9

7am- 1 1/2 cups of coffee and 3 tbs of vanilla almond milk. I didn't eat because I really wasn't hungry. And I wanted to just get my things together and leave relaxed and not rush to get out the door. Around 9:45 I foam rolled a bit and did a couple mobility exercises, then did some Olympic lifting technique for roughly an hour (still on an empty stomach). I felt fine, had enough energy, and didn't feel like I was dragging ass.

11:00- I had a Mix1 protein drink. They are actually pretty good. They remind me of yogurt but are dairy free.

11:30- I had 4 eggs, 1/4 pound of natural ground sausage, and half an avocado with a little Cutie orange.

2:30- Apple with almond butter and 1 serving size of beef jerky, roughly 1.5 oz.

Ok so around 4:30 or so I crashed.... Not eating breakfast really threw me off today. I didn't like that at all!! I wasn't thinking clearly!

8:30-9pm- Dinner at TNT (Tacos N' Tequila)... And no I did not have any tequila. Pictured above. I had guacamole (2 avocados, onion, cilantro, tomato, garlic, and lime juice), A fresca, mixed green salad with jimica, mango, 4 large shrimp, avocado, tomato, and it was a citrus vinaigrette. I only used half of the dressing bc I did not know what was in it. Then I also had a pulled pork burrito with double meat. And yes I took the tortilla off!... The waiter was looking at me crazy, as well as my friends ahaha. Then I also had 5 sweet potato chips and only because they were fried in canola oil. Yes people, do not be afraid to ask what restaurants are preparing your food with! You are putting it in your body! And PS its getting expensive, I feel like I'm eating for 2 or something! But I guess you cant replace the way I feel!

So PS... If you are going to make it 30 days, and a strict 30 days. Then you have to plan! I wanted to just pick up the quickest thing tonight because I didn't want to cook and I was tired. Thats not a good combo for accomplishing anything haha...But I didn't cheat and Im super happy I didn't! So see some of y'all manana!

Day 8

Alrighty. So it was a fun filled weekend and pretty productive as well! Even though I didn't get to make it to church like I wanted. I hope everyone's Monday was awesome! I was glad to see decent attendance today at the gym as well... Keep it up guys and gals!

Day 8

5Am- 4 eggs, 1/4 of "Natural" ground sausage, 1/2 an avocado, and a Cutie orange. 2 cups of coffee with 2tbs of Vanilla almond milk.... I wasn't very hungry this morning. I only ate like 2/3 of the plate and then saved the rest for later. Or Im just getting tired of eggs ahahaha.. I need to start getting creative. Any suggestions welcomed!!

9:45AM- Handful of trail mix (almonds, macadamia, dark chocolate covered coffee beans, coconut slivers, dried apricots and cranberries, and pumpkin seeds).

12pm- Spinach Salad with 1 1/2 chicken breasts, 5 cut up baby carrots, 1 diced roma tomato, and 2 tbs of Lucini Roasted Hazelnut and Extra Virgin salad dressing. 100% Natural Ingredients: Expeller Pressed High Oleic Canola oil, water, balsamic vinegar, evaporated cane juice (2g sugar per serving= 2tbs), roasted hazelnut oil, extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, roasted garlic, sea salt, cracked black pepper, xanthan gum (yes it is natural), natural flavor, caramel color.... It was a really good dressing. The best I could find on the shelf... And I also had another Cutie.

6pm- 1 pound ground grass-fed beef (2 burgers no bun)... Its the picture above. Yes, one of them was not on the plate because I was going to save it but I was still hungry and ate it. And Im not miserable at all!! So the 2, 1/2 pound burgers, 1/2 avocado, 5 slices of bacon, 1 roma tomato, and 1 tbs of mustard.... The apple is being saved for around 9pm or so, with almond butter. I also squeezed the juice of 1 lime over the apples to preserve them and its also really good! I definitely recommend you try it.....

Oh and I put 1/3 of a purple onion, 2 tbs of the Lucini dressing, black pepper, 1 tsp Himalayan salt, and 1 tbs of minced garlic mixed in the patties. And I am going to have my nighty night tea with 1 tbs of local honey :)

Day 6 and 7

Beautiful sunrise at the track this morning at Austin High School (7am). I had a client there this morning. Hope all who went to the trail run this morning at Bull Creek, had a great experience. Sorry I couldn't make it.

6:30am- 2 shots of espresso

9am- 4 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, 1/2 avocado, 1/4 cup of serrano peppers, and 2 tbs of red salsa. This is all an estimate b/c I had El Sazon for breakfast.

3:00- Orange Plate Special with shrimp, double serving of broccoli and a small whole avocado. And couple pieces of beef jerky. On the rest of the night you are going to have to give me a break with the alcohol.. I had no cake, no potatoes, and no rolls. So I had a few drinks :)

5:00- 3 shots of 1800 Repasado

7:30- 1 shot. Then one Paleo Margarita with dinner: Pork loin, mixed green salad with tomatoes, red bell peppers, bacon, and I used the italian dressing instead of the ranch bc I know it was a better decision and I cant eat a salad without dressing, then also some green beans (pictured above). And I had a second plate just like that! I was starving! Then after dinner I had 3 more Paleo Margaritas :)

12Am- Large Honey Crisp Apple

Day 7

8:15am- Mix1 protein shake.

9:55-11:45am- Soccer game

12pm Mix1 protein shake

1pm- Chipotle bowl: Double barbacoa, bell peppers, onions, pico de gallo, and a big scoop of avocado with an ice tea and lemon.

4pm- 1/2 of large honey crisp apple with all natural almond butter

7:45pm- 1 1/2 beef tenderloin, mixed veggies (carrots, squash, broccoli), green beans with garlic and almonds, and a romaine lettuce salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And Im not gonna lie, I NEED to get more creative with the dressings b/c the olive oil and vinegar is getting really old!!

9:15pm- Nighty Night tea with 1tbs of local honey. Hopefully it will help my allergies :)

Well people I hope you enjoy this read. Its a little more to the point than the ones during the week.

Week 1 done. 3 more to go!!!

Quick Update

Day 5

5am- 4eggs and half of large avocado. 2 cups of coffee

1:30- Fajitas for 2 (I ordered one and I was still hungry so I ordered another and then felt great), beef and chicken. No rice, no cheese, no beans, and no sour cream. 2 small bowls of guacamole!! A great lunch at Los Cucos (and no, Jevon, I did not get the Tres Leches haha).

7:15- Dinner at The Grove. I had sesame tuna over mixed greens with avocado, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And I'm not gonna lie, I miss my caesar dressing or just regular vinaigrette dressing but you have no idea whats in them. And its usually sugar and soybean oil or vegetable oil.

10:30- 1/2 rack of baby back ribs no BBQ sauce... 2 "Paleo" Margaritas: (per drink) 2 shots of 1800 Repasado, lime juice, fresh squeezed from 1 whole lime, and soda water! And let me tell you. The science behind that drink is cool but I was pretty tipsy after those 2 drinks.

So I'm keeping you updated as well as I can this weekend.... Its gonna be tough at the wedding I'm attending this evening but I have all of your eyes on me, so I will not let you all down! Stay tuned to see how it went. If they don't have tequila, I'm drinking wine. Just FYI.

A GREAT DAY 4

ENCHANTED ROCK

Leonard and I up on Turkey Peak

having a snack!

Living life on the edge!!

Our awesome tour guide and future member

at WLCF, Carl!! He knows his geology!!

THANKS CARL!!

DAY 4:

Well I got up at 4:30 and felt a little groggy but felt ok after my 2 cups of coffee.. I had 4 eggs, cooked over-easy, with 1 tbs of coconut oil, 1/4 cup of sweet potatoes, and 1/4 of large avocado.

Then Carl, Leonard and I left for Enchanted Rock at 7:15 this morning and spent the whole day out there! It was amazing! The weather was perfect! Carl is literally, a guide for Enchanted Rock and he really knows his stuff. I learned a lot of geology about the area, he showed us animal life, and the rare species of plant life! Thanks again Carl! Anyways after we hiked all the way up, down, and around Enchanted Rock, we decided to have our snack at the top of Turkey Peak. It was about 10:30. I had a large Honey Crisp Apple, with mixed nuts (dark chocolate coffee beans, macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds, dried apricot, cranberries, and coconut), and a couple of beef jerky sticks. A great place to eat some paleo food with a view!

Then after some more great hiking and jumping from rock to rock (like our ancestors on a hunt), at 3:30 I barbequed some chicken and had 1/2 an avocado. I love grilling. Then after a chill mobility class at Westlake Crossfit I ate dinner at 8pm. I had 1 1/2 chicken breasts with salsa on top, 1/2 an avocado, and a bag of steam fresh broccoli and cauliflower with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. What a GREAT day.

So a couple pointers for you paleo followers.... Keep it simple. And if you are actually eating paleo and you eat till you are full, it should keep you satiated for quite a bit of time. As you can see with most of my meal times or snack times, I go at least 4 hours until I eat again. And NO, Im not keeling over with a grumbling stomach everyday. And no, you do not need vegetables at every meal as long as you have a good serving of them at least once when you sit down to eat throughout the day. Protein and "healthy" fat have a great ability to send hormonal signals to your brain telling it your full!! Hope you all had a great day!!

PEACE, LOVE, AND PALEO

Oh and Im on my way to have an apple with fresh ground almond butter :)

Day 3 of Paleo

Ok day 3:

At 5am I had 4 over-easy eggs cooked in 1tbs of bacon fat and 1 tbs of coconut oil. 1/4 of mashed sweet potatoes, and 1/4 of a large avocado. 1 cup of coffe!! Great breakfast!!...

At 11 I did the TOD 5x5 back squat (225, 265, 295, 325, 355) and then 5 rounds of 9 DL, 6 HPC, and 3 Push Presses all at 155#: 5:32... And no I did not leave the gym or bring a snack before my workout and I felt great!!

At 12 noon I had another Orange Plate Special (OPS): Meatloaf (I wiped the sauce off of it), broccoli, 1/4 of sweet potatoes, 1/2 of a large avocado.

At 4pm I had a handful of an energy mix: mixed nuts (no peanuts), dried various fruits and an apple. And I was still feeling good!

Then at 8:30pm I went to dinner at Hyde Park with a friend. I was STARVING!!! I had a 9oz New York Strip with a side salad with oil and vinegar and 3 cherry tomatoes. With collard greens and bacon. Then I added 2 tbs of guacamole. When I finished all that I was still hungry and ordered another entrée ahahaa... I said I was starving. It was 2 small chicken breasts with broccoli and more collard greens and bacon, with 2 more tbs of guacamole! It was all very tasty!! And guess what? I wasn't stuffed. I was perfect, feeling like I had a complete meal.

So through tonight's meal I CRAVED dessert!! I wanted a ceasar salad! AAAnd there was a gelato place next door. But through all that "torture" I feel really good and super glad I didn't give into the temptation. So if any of you are struggling, keep it up and know you're not alone. It will get easier once the habits are broken and new ones are made!

So I didn't get to bed as early as I wanted last night but what can you do? I got roughly 6 1/2 hours of sleep. Not enough for my body to run at its best! To put things in perspective for everyone who says,"I dont feel as good when I get more than 5 or 6 hours!" Blah blah blah..... B.S!! And if you just say its only Robb Wolf, I need more proof! Well click here, here, and here. All studies done with humans. Easy to read as well, so have at it! Here is another excerpt from The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf:

Cortisol

Without being the least bit cynical, I could boil life down to food, sleep, and sex. On the food side of the equation, we have all that goes into getting it (brains to plan, and brawn to procure and defend). Once we have that food, we eat it and either burn it or store it. This is all related to our short and long term energy management, body-fatness, fertility, etc. Insulin and glucagon are there to help regulate our storage and utilization of energy. However, Cortisol is also a player in this game, as it also has effects on energy storage and a host of other functions:

1. Regulating the immune response. Too much of an immune response can lead to autoimmunity or significant problems from "collateral damage" caused by an overactive immune system. Many diseases are not fatal in and of themselves (like H1N1 flu), but they sometimes become fatal because of an overreaction by the immune system. Cortisol "puts the breaks" on the immune system and is very important in both our susceptibility to disease and how we respond to illness.

2. How much sodium we have in our blood. More cortisol means more sodium and thus more blood volume. Typically, this will lead to higher blood pressure, with the associated stress on the heart, vasculature, and kidneys.

3. Regulates connective tissue strength. Too much cortisol can weaken connective tissue in our skin and elsewhere. Cortisol can and does make you wrinkle faster.

4. Perhaps most important to our discussion here, cortisol releases glucose and fatty acids from the liver and blunts insulin sensitivity.

Most people are familiar with the idea that cortisol is a "stress" hormone, but this is misleading and more a function of our modern lives than cortisol really being a "stress" hormone. Cortisol is in fact critical to life, and a lack of cortisol will mean significant health problems, including death! This is again a story of shooting for the right amount of a hormone, and if you have been paying attention thus far, we are talking about levels that we might find in our Paleolithic ancestors.

A normal day for our Paleolithic ancestors would start by awakening with relatively high cortisol levels. This in not the Monday morning commute blues: Paleo Edition. This is nature's way of making sure we are alert, energized, and ready to go! Cortisol causes the release of glucose and fatty acids from the liver. That's energy our Paleolithic ancestors needed to move camp, hunt, gather, and generally get the day going. Now, this scenario was normal and, in fact, non-stressful. Keep in mind there are normal operating parameters for all our hormones and it is quite normal for Cortisol to be elevated in the morning.

Cortisol works in synchrony with insulin and glucagon to regulate our energy levels. When we need more energy (early in the day or fleeing from a predator) Cortisol is relatively high. In the evening, when we are winding and going to bed, Cortisol should drop. Now, what if our Paleolithic ancestors were ambushed by a rival camp or they were stressful. But the stresses of Paleolithic consequence sorted themselves out quickly. For good or ill. They tended not to drag on and they did not happen every day.

Our modern life may not involve the risk of being eaten by a bear (generally), but it does come with a host of its own stressors. Some quite immediate and tangible, others more mental. But in general, our stressors in modern times are chronic, as opposed to the acute stresses for which we are so well equipped. Possibly losing a job in a bad economy, getting mugged while on the train, a near miss while driving, thinking about the kids' college education.....lack of sleep.

These are modern issues that register as a stress, and in a cumulative fashion, they can crush us...............................

...................................... When you are subjected to stress, particularly chronic stress, your body releases cortisol much more frequently than it should. This gets ugly when cortisol is not only high in the morning, but all day long, even at bedtime. The consequences can be dire, as the more stressed we get, the worse our ability to deal with stress becomes. It is a nasty snowball effect that is called a "feed forward" mechanism in biology. Abnormally elevated cortisol begins to disturb sleep, which makes us more prone to daily stress, which raises cortisol. The consequences of the downward spiral include suppressed immune function, chronically elevated blood sugar levels, decreased insulin sensitivity, impaired ability to form long-term memory, and decreased sex drive and libido. Yes folks, cortisol is a big deal.

Day 2 of Paleo

Today was actually a good day! Slept like a rock and woke up rested.... At 5am I had 1 1/2 cups of coffee, black, 1 tablespoon of butter (I know I forgot about the milk solids in it. Im getting ghee this evening), 1tablespoon of bacon fat, 2 whole eggs, 3 egg whites, 2 pieces of bacon, 1/2 cup of broccoli, and 1/4 of avocado. Then at 10am, for a snack I had a nectarine and a hand full of mixed nuts. My workout at 11am: 1 mile run, 200 double unders, 1mile run, 200 situps for time. 30:03. The workout felt pretty good. The situps were easier than usual but the second mile was pretty tough! Then at 12:15 I had a Mix1 protein drink. Its all natural, lactose free, gluten free, aaaand pretty tasty!

At 1pm I had lunch from HEB. The ever-fantastic Orange plate special: Choice of meat and two sides for $5.99! You can maybe match that at McDonalds! So I had shrimp, broccoli, and asparagus with 2 tbs of olive oil and 1/4 of an avocado. mmmmmmmmm-mmmmmmm! And there are many other combinations that you can choose from.

So at 5:15pm I had a handful of beef jerky, a tbs of olive oil (I need fat to help satiate), a small apple, and handful of nuts. I ate this quickly on the run headed to the gym....

So a side note to all this paleo talk..... Tonight's 6:30 class was an exciting bunch, they all came ready to go and with smiles on their faces!! It was awesome. And we even stayed half an hour later, all chatting and with Kat and Nicole working on their pullups!! How can you not love that?? So great stuff night class: Ben, Nicole, K-Mont, Juaquin, Chris, Kara, Brad, and one of the newest members, Whitney.

Now back to the paleo.....

Tonight at 9pm I had fresh Alaskan Salmon, more asparagus, and a spinach salad with avocado, red bell peppers, parsley, almond slices, olive oil, and balsalmic vinegar. So, all in all, I felt great today! Had tons of energy, I only had the one cup of coffee this morning and thats pretty good since I've been known to drink 6 expresso shots before 2pm. Thats nuts (and expensive)!!

Day 1 of My 30 days of Paleo

Ok so I started a strict paleo diet. I have never actually committed to a strict diet, well, to be honest, bc I never had to! But I heard a story about a "code" and decided to live it and be about it, instead of just talking! So here is to all who have struggled with a strict paleo diet! I am here to struggle with you! I am going to try and blog everyday about my battles with it, and my cravings.

DAY 1: So this morning at 5am I had 4 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 1/2 avocado, with salsa, and NOOO coffee. I think that was the hardest part bc there is no gas station open on the way to the gym. Sooo, I went and bought one today! So excited!! I felt pretty good though except not having any caffiene but what can you do? And 11am lunch I had a piece of chicken with broccoli and 1/2 avocado. Snack around 3 I had 1/2 an apple with almond butter (no added sugar) and an iced coffee, no cream. Then I had a couple cocktail shrimp around 5pm. For dinner at 8, you see the photo above. Deer steak, mixed veggies ( I did not eat the little corns), 1/2 avocado. And here is where I ALWAYS get a craving!! Dessert!! What am I supposed to do? I was tempted to walk across the street and get my weakness ice-cream!! mmmm I love ice cream!!....... Anyways I settled for 1/2 an apple and almond butter! So happy that day 1 is done! Hopefully my sweet tooth will begin to fade! Time to drink some nighty night tea and try and get 8 unbroken hours of sleep!!

P.S.....

Im still feeling hungry!! And its probably from all the crap I ate this weekend, and my leptin sensitivity is altered! Need to get my body back to homeostasis!