Rob had Bailey at the vet last week, and during the course of conversation they mentioned that just that morning someone called trying to find a home for their German Shepherd Dog. They were a nice old couple who just got her six months ago, but the man was very sick and they didn’t have the time for her. Rob called me right away. I said we’d have to meet her and see. Duh, she’s have to be some kind of frothing she-devil for us not to take her. So our new family member, Tika, came home with us last week and is here to stay. She’s gorgeous, smart, energetic, and clumsy as all hell. I love her to pieces.

Tika is completely enamoured with Bailey.

Sometimes love feels like drowning.

I eat pretty much the same stuff all week long but on the weekends I sleep in and my day is a lot less regimented, so I tend to only eat four meals instead of five. Weekends also mean I have extra time in the morning to cook BACON! So long as I eat paleo, I have no “rules” that I follow on weekends. In fact, I tend to allow myself unlimited fruit on the weekends. Sometimes I pick up a one-litre jug of freshly squeezed orange juice at the market and drink it all in one sitting. I guess that’s what accounts for a “treat” when you’re paleo.

0930, Breakfast: 2 large free-range Omega3 eggs, four heavenly slices of bacon, 1 cup of fresh strawberries, 1 cup OJ.

1300, Lunch: Chicken breast with pecan crust coating, roasted broccoli and cherry tomatoes.

1600, Mid-Day Meal: Spaghetti squash with turkey tomato sauce, and a handful of almonds.

1900, Supper: Cooked shrimp and a buttload of guacamole wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Fresh fruit, bacon, and quacamole. What is there not to like about eating this way?!?!?!!

Before the challenge I was still progressing in my workouts, but wasn’t really seeing any weight/fat loss. I remember having a mid-afternoon energy slump every day, despite eating regularly and trying to keep the carbs to a minimum. That being said, the big things I’m noticing on Paleo:

• Continuing to progress with workouts, particularly strength. I don’t seem to have done a lot of metcons or repeated any benchmark workouts this month to tell if I’m getting better at the power/endurance stuff.
• Steady and consistent fat loss. I’ve dropped 8.5 pounds of weight, and dropped a few % of bodyfat. Losing fat without losing muscle is a big deal. Bodyweight work is going to be a lot easier without quite so much bodyweight.
• More energy. Let me qualify that though. I’m not bouncing off the walls or feeling jittery or restless. I feel calm and alert consistently throughout the day, without any low-energy lulls.

I feel good eating what I eat, and I feel good about what I eat. I’m really proud that I’ve stuck it out 25 days, and will probably continue to eat like this past the 30-day challenge. Treats take on a new meaning on paleo. A treat used to be something “forbidden” like pizza. Now that I’m on a “no cheat” challenge the treats are simple things like mounds of quacamole or bacon-wrapped scallops. The great thing is that the “treat” isn’t a “cheat”, so there isn’t the associated guilt.

If you’ve read this far you might be interested to see what I eat in the course of a day. I figured a work day would be a good example, because some people have a hard time eating right as part of their work schedule.

0630, Breakfast: 2 free-range Omega3 eggs scrambled with 1/2 cup spinach. 1 cup strawberries and 1/4 cup raspberries.

1000, Snack: 2 oz beef jerky, handful of almonds, 1 apple.

1300, Lunch: Salmon and mixed veggies with coconut curry sauce.

1500, Mid-Afternoon Meal: Chicken breast crusted with cashews, roasted broccoli and cherry tomatoes

1800, Supper: 1 cup spaghetti squash, 3/4 cup ground turkey tomato sauce, 2 cups romaine and chopped tomatoes and cucumbers with some homemade mayo on top, and sprinkled with no-salt seasoning.

I’m obviously not starving, and I think anyone would have to be crazy to try to convince me that I’m somehow missing something without any bread, dairy, or sugar in any of those meals.

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