Maintaining the Primal Lifestyle

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

and T H A N K  Y O U for participating!

Now that you have completed 3 weeks of BEing strictly primal, here is how you can maintain this lifestyle in order to live the healthiest life possible. BUT, if you are still not at your goal weight, then please adhere to my program before you wander off into this 80/20 rule. And, no, 80/20 does not mean eat cookies 20% of the time and eat primally 80% of the time;) So, listen up...

The 80/20 Rule

After you have hit your weight loss/health goal from living the primal lifestyle {so for those of you who have not yet hit your goal, continue the challenge until then} then consider the 80/20 rule which is to have a 100% personal commitment in the primal lifestyle plan with 80% or more physical commitment to the plan.

This doesn't mean on a daily basis to eat primally 80% of the time and the other 20% like a typical american! You will definitely not succeed this way. It means, to look at the bigger picture. Look at a month's worth of your primal lifestyle and if you're living primally 80% of the time, then you're going to sustain health/wellness. Don't beat yourself up over the 20%! It's neither healthy to be strict/hard on ourselves and let ourselves go little by little until we fall down the slippery slope {this is very easy to do!}

However, there is one thing to be fully committed on in order to have the primal benefits, which is to avoid processed carbohydrates at all costs!

Here is an excerpt from marksdailyapple.com:

That said, some aspects of the Blueprint do call for consistent adherence in the interest of meaningful impact. Particular among these is avoidance of processed carbs. The fact is, the physiological effects of processed carbs simply are harsher and harder to recover from – especially when they’re a regular player in the body’s daily functioning. It’s not that your body can’t bounce back. It’s just an unnecessary detour in your progress – a diversion and interruption (albeit temporary) in the physiological homeostasis that maximizes hormonal balance, fat burning and energy consistency.

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/8020-principle/#ixzz2mHEqQv7N

Even I feel these effects if I indulge during the holiday's or a birthday. I literally will feel sick to my stomach, have a pounding headache, bloating around my abdomen, and a foggy mind. At some point, you won't want to go back! And, I guarantee that tomorrow if you decide to try a slice of pizza, a cookie, etc. you will feel the immediate effects. This is your body telling you that these foods play a negative role and should be avoided.

This is my before/after picture from my previous challenge and, honestly, before that challenge I had only indulged a few times! But, it's true that processed carbs can get us off track as evidenced below...

Again, look over the course of a months time and if you are eating primally 80% of the time while avoiding processed carbs, consider yourself PRIMAL:)

Good luck on the continuation of this lifestyle and remember to BEprimal!

Day 21: May 1st, 2016

CONGRATULATIONS! You have made it to Day...

T W E N T Y  O N E

Day 21 Agenda: 

1. Intermittent fast. When you wake up do not eat for as long as possible until you are hungry. If you have been faithful to this challenge, you will be able to fast longer than your first time or, at the least, longer than before the challenge.

2. Take your after picture to compare with your before picture! I'm taking mine tomorrow morning and will share with you all.

                 My BEFORE & AFTER picture May 2013      

              

 Day 1    //     Day 21

                    Day 1  //  Day 21 //  Day ~60

 3. Compare your notes from DAY 1 to DAY 21.

 4. Complete your entry for the grand PRIZE! This prize is full of all of my favorite things: primal snacks, primal treats, ceciliawong skincare products, etc. to help you continue this lifestyle! 

To complete your entry for the prize you must: 

• have completed the 21-day challenge
• send in a primal recipe and picture to share
• take a before and after picture
• send me an email telling me all about your results/primal journey {beprimalblog@gmail.com} ... I would also LOVE to see your before/after picture and, if you are willing, I will share this picture to inspire others {I can crop pic and/or leave your name anonymous}
• I will then randomly select a winner next week, so complete your entry and cross your fingers :) 

Meal Ideas/Recipes:

Breakfast- green strawberry banana smoothie 

Ingredients:

• big handful of spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• big handful of frozen strawberries
• 1 cup full fat unsweetened coconut milk
• handful of ice
• 1/3 cup of water

Blend up and serve!

Lunch- fried zucchini squash with dill dip

{pic and recipe from paleonewbie.com}

Find this recipe HERE! 

Dinner- super easy spaghetti squash

{pic and recipe from iwashyoudry.com}

Recipe HERE!

Dessert- paleo chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour {Red Mill brand can be found in any store}
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 6 Tbs melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1/2 tsp raw vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks {I used 85% due to no added sugar}
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries {optional}

Set oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on baking sheet.
Mix dry ingredients well with whisk except for chocolate, coconut flakes and cranberries. Mix wet ingredients together well. Combine wet ingredients with dry and combine. Fold in shredded coconut flakes, dark chocolate chunks and cranberries until combined. Use a cookie scooper {or 1-2 Tbsp} to scoop out cookie dough and place on baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart from each other. Cookies will hold form well. Bake about 12min until golden. Remove from oven and place cookies on cooling rack to let cool completely. Enjoy!

Jot down some notes!

-total hours fasted?

-how did you increase your daily movement?

-relaxation techniques tried?

-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}?
-satisfaction level with meals?
-hunger level between meals?
-struggles?
-benefits?

Here are the results I get from living primally:

• flat stomach/no bloating
• lost inches around my waist, knees and thighs
• clear skin
• alert mind/awake/focused/no sluggishness between meals
• ZERO stomach pains/constipation
• ENERGY ALL DAY LONG
• no cravings
• can go without food for a long time/no hunger pains between meals

Day 20: April 30th, 2016

Day 20 Agenda:

1. For Day 20, you will be preparing for your last intermittent fast of this challenge. So, tomorrow night will be your last meal before Day 21 and that does not mean to pig out! Eat normally and then on Day 21 fast for as long as you can until hunger gets the best of you;)
2. Perform a 30-60 minute moderate aerobic exercise of your choice.

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- breakfast stacks

{pic and recipe found on paleoparents.com}

Recipe found HERE!

Lunch- beef + broccoli stir fry with coconut amino acids

Dinner- paleo chicken pot pie

{pic and recipe from everyday maven.com}

I'm a sucker for casserole's. They are easy and tasty! Check out this recipe HERE, but honestly, I think you could do without the crust and it would still be delicious. 

Dessert- paleo peach + blueberry cobbler

Ingredients: {servings ~7}

• 7 cups of FRESH fruit {I used 4 cups peaches and 3 cups blueberries}
• 3-4 Tbsp raw honey
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot 
• 1 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup melted butter {REAL butter like kerry gold}
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp butter {kerry gold}
• butter for greasing pie pan

Set oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Mix fruit, honey and arrowroot in a bowl. Then pour into a greased pie pan about 9x9 inch with butter. In another bowl, mix all other ingredients with your hands {except for the 2 Tbsp butter} and then crumble on top of the fruit evenly. Cut up the 2 Tbsp of butter into about 5 chunks and place on top of the crumbles. Place in oven and bake for about 50-60min or until crumbles brown and fruit juices get thick. Enjoy!

Document:

-how did you increase your daily movement?

-moderate aerobic exercise?

-relaxation techniques tried?

-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}?
-satisfaction level with meals?
-hunger level between meals?
-struggles?

-benefits?

Day 19: April 29th, 2016

Day 19 Agenda:

1. Max repetition workout to see how you have improved from the beginning:)

Find your maximum repetitions of...

• Pushups
• Sit-Ups
• Pull-Ups or Chair Dips
• Plank Holds
• Squats

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- paleo oatmeal

{pic and recipe empoweredsustenance.com}

Check out the recipe HERE! I am posting this because there might be some of you that will like this and/or miss having your oatmeals. I was never a big fan of oatmeal growing up, so this isn't my cup of tea, but let me know if you like it!

Lunch- sweet potato sliders

Ingredients: {4+ servings}

• 1 large sweet potato, sliced about 1/4-1/2 inch width
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
• sea salt to taste
• 1 lb of ground beef {grass-fed is preferred or you can use bison}
• 1 egg
• a few dashes of cayenne pepper
• S&P to taste
• 2 avocados
• 1/2 white onion, diced finely
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• handful of cilantro, diced finely
• 1 lime or lemon, juiced
• homemade mayo

Turn oven on to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Rub sliced sweet potatoes with olive oil and sea salt on both sides. Spread out potatoes on baking sheet and place in oven to cook for about 30min, or until firm, but not too soft. Take them out and let cool. In a large bowl, mix ground beef, egg, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper well. Form balls and then flatten them some to match the size of your sweet potatoes. Grill or cook on stovetop over medium heat with olive oil for a few minutes on each side or until cooked through. Sprinkle more S&P over the top of the patties. Let cool. {You will have leftover ground beef, so you can either make more sliders or save the beef for another meal!} Mix together the avocados, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime/lemon and any other desired ingredients to make guacamole. Season with salt and pepper to taste. At this point you may finish off the sweet potato slices in a hot pan to make them a little more crispy. Then arrange the sliders by spreading homemade paleo mayo on the bottom of one sweet potato slice, adding the beef patty, dollop of guacamole on the patty and then placing another sweet potato slice on top. The mayo and guacamole kind of act as a glue to hold the whole thing together. Serve and enjoy! 

Dinner- chicken fajita stuffed peppers

{pic and recipe from holisticallyengineered.com}

Find the recipe HERE!

Take some notes!

-how did you increase your daily movement?

-max reps of the above five movements?

-relaxation techniques tried?
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}?
-satisfaction level with meals?
-hunger level between meals?
-struggles?
-benefits?

Day 18: April 28th, 2016

Day 18 Agenda:

1. Tomorrow's  challenge is to complete a movnat workout. Click here for the workout!

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- twice baked breakfast sweet potatoes

{pic and recipe form plaidandpaleo.com}

Find this recipe HERE!

Lunch- tuna salad 

Ingredients: {servings 2}

• 5 oz can of tuna {ensure ingredients are clean and contain only tuna and olive oil}
• 1/2 of a small avocado 
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 celery stick, diced finely
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and enjoy it on top of salads, in lettuce wraps, or all on its own :)

Dinner- sweet potato nachos

{pic and recipe from crossingmylegs.blogspot.com}

Find THIS recipe on another paleo blogger's site!

Dessert- lemon pound cake 

{from paleonewbie.com}

Dry Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 3 Tbs coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• zest from 2 lemons

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp pure vanilla
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 2 Tbs melted coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix to combine. Allow batter to set a few minutes and then mix again. Grease bread pan with coconut oil and line bottom of pan with parchment paper to fit. Pour in batter and bake 35-40minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Serve with fruit, butter, by itself, or make coconut milk cream by mixing well in mixer!

Take some notes!

-how did you increase your daily movement?

-movnat?

-relaxation techniques tried?
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}?
-satisfaction level with meals?
-hunger level between meals?
-struggles?
-benefits?

Day 17: April 27th, 2016

Day 17 Agenda:

1. Complete a sprint session! Do about 5min of a light warm-up such as jumping jacks, high knees, or jog. Then, decide on a number of sets to complete. For example, you could complete 5-8 sets of 10-30 seconds of sprinting with a recovery in between {rest for about 60 seconds or until your breathing is back to normal} doing any cardio activity: running, rowing, bicycling, stationary bike, etc. GO ALL OUT:)

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- check out this website full of paleo breakfasts!

You can find these recipes HERE.

These recipes should be all clean, but you still want to check ingredients and make substitutions if needed. And at this point you should all be great at checking ingredients and knowing what's okay/what's not okay:)

Lunch- brussel sprout salad

Click HERE for the recipe:)

Dinner- eggs + hash recipe

Recipe shared by Kristina!

4 slices of bacon chopped
1 med sized apple chopped (I used Honeycrisp)
1 med size plantain chopped
1 small onion (I used 2 Tbsp of Thrive freeze dried onion)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Eggs-how you like them

Heat the skillet on medium high. Cook the bacon until it is halfway done then add the plantains. Caramelize the plantains until they are browned and starting to soften.

Add the onion and the apples and stir together. Cover with a lid and let it sit for one minute and then add the salt and cinnamon. Reduce heat and keep stirring and cooking until the apples are softened and everything is to your liking.

At this point, if you like your eggs with a creamy/runny yolk, crack one egg at a time on top of the hash. Cover the pan and allow the eggs to cook to preference. If you want the yolks creamy, stop cooking once the whites are completely done but the yolks are still in place.

Snacks- try some primal beef jerky from a co-op/health foods store or make your own using a food dehydrator.
 

Take some notes!

-how did you increase your daily movement?

-sprint workout?

-relaxation techniques tried?
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}?
-satisfaction level with meals?
-hunger level between meals?
-struggles?
-benefits?

Day 16: April 26th, 2016

Day 16 Agenda: 

1. Take play breaks throughout the day! This could include getting up from the computer to play with your kids or throwing a frisbee with a coworker at work for a few minutes:)

Meal/Snack Ideas:

Breakfast- ground beef + egg baked tomato

Ingredients:

• 1 large tomato
• 1/2-1 cup ground beef (depending on the tomato size)
• 1/4 cup onion
• 1-2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (for sautéing) 

Cut the top off of a large tomato, core the inside, and put in oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or more until tomato softens slightly. Sauté ground meat, onions, or anything else on hand and then put in the tomatoes after they come out of the oven. Crack an egg or two on top of the meat/onions and place in oven to broil until egg is set. 

Lunch- paleo chicken salad

Ingredients: {servings ~15 servings}

• 4 cups baked chicken, cubed and shredded some {I usually just bake 3 to 4 boneless chicken breasts seasoned with olive oil, sea salt and pepper in the oven at 375f  for 45min}
• 3 cups purple grapes, halved
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds {optional}
• 1/2 cup paleo mayo {you can either easily make this or buy this}
• 1 tsp coconut aminos
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp curry powder
• 1 Tbs salt

Mix together until combined well and enjoy!

Dinner- almond crusted tilapia

*shared by a former participant!

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tilapia fillets (4 oz each)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup ground almonds or almond meal
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon or lime juice
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 1 tsp dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 375°F

2) Pour egg in a bowl and beat until unseparated, put almond meal onto a plate

3) Rinse and dry tilapia fillets, dip first into egg, and then press into the almond mixture

4) Put tilapia in a baking dish coated in olive oil, drizzle with lemon or lime juice and butter

5) Sprinkle with seasonings and bake until fish starts to flake (20-30 min)

Dessert- chocolate mousse 

Pinterest recipe - find it HERE!

Take some notes!

-play breaks tried?

-how did you increase your daily movement?

-relaxation techniques tried?
-energy level {POOR, AVERAGE, GREAT}?
-satisfaction level with meals?
-hunger level between meals?
-struggles?
-benefits?