Paleo Challenge days 5 through 9

Day 9 of the Hwtc paleo challenge (see details on my blog on day 1) is almost over and I am still clean with the challenge one quarter of the way over.   At the end of week one my partner and I are in second place well within striking distance to take home the prize. Before the challenge I was a big sugar- holic but I never realized how much sugar I was eating and the sources of those sugars until the challenge.   Turns out that almost everything I eat from the store even organic food has sugar added (check out the ingredients of that container of organic _______).  

What I miss most in days 5 through 9 is cheese ( on my omelete, chicken sandwich, scrambled eggs etc). Does anyone have a recipe for a homemade paleo cheese substitute (no dairy at all in this challenge)?

What I miss second is cookies.

My beautiful wife found the recipe the kids made me Triple Almond Cookies.  Here is the recipe from Everyone Eats Right.  
  http://everyoneeatsright.com/2013/10/01/triple-almond-cookies/. 

Burpees and double infers fortime is my current fitness challenge. My energy is back and I feel better now more than ever.  My stomach is shrunk and I an craving less unnecessary food and only eat when I am hungry.  I get irritable when am getting hungry.   I am slimmer and making progress on the weight loss and I am almost to the magical elusive 190 lbs.

Paleo Challenge Day 3 through 4

Day 3  and 4 of eating paleo only with no cheats.  

We did Crossfit Total Wednesday and I crushed my previous deadlift record and made the board with this place in the 0615.

Wednesday night and Thursday was hardest with the Trivium students bus trip to Washington D.C. for the March for Life. The trip leader brought chips and candy. But I came prepared with paleo trail mix,  paleo sweet potato chips,  banannas, salad, boiled eggs, fruit and spicy tuna cakes from Nom Nom paleo. The paleo sweet potato chips were key to survival when we got back on the bus after the March for Life because I was so famished and kids we eating and offering me chocolate and chips.   Key to success: come  prepared.

March for life with Trivium school

I traveled to the March for Life in Washington D.C. with Trivium school. 

The students are so enthusiastic. We started with mass at St Paul Cathedral in Worcester, MA where we got fueled up on the blood and body of Christ, plus a homily and blessing from Bishop Robert McManus.

36 students and six chaperones boarded bus number 3 of 3 buses from the Worcester Diocese for the 8 hour overnight bus ride to the nation's capital.

In the bus ride these kids were so awesome.  They were all well behaved.  I think it surprised the very friendly bus driver, Rick from Silver Fox bus lines, when the chaperones sat in the front and Rick asked aren't you going to sit with the kids in the dark. No, they are good kids.  So good in fact the first thing they did was lead and pray the rosary. 

Katie Forkey, student leader of The pro-life club displayed excellent leadership skills with her organization and care for the students. Katie says "As Christians and
Rational thinkers I believe every human life has dignity and that dignity should never be trespassed.   I hope that one day soon there will not have to be a March for Life and that every human life will be protected" . 

Grace Dennett, 9th grade says she is marching "because abortion is really sick and I can't believe people are not doing more to stop it in this country, one day I hope to be able to do more.  For now I think it is good to be able to tell my friends what I did this Thursday."

We had no problems during the ride down and arrived safely at 0530 at
the Basilica to the Immaculate Conception.

Adriana saw our friend Amanda Kenney who is at Franciscan University at Steubenville who sat with us for a beautiful pro-life mass.

Met and made friends on the March. My guess is 500000 people were there.  It seemed like more than 3 years ago and there was a notable difference in the youthful energy and hope of the crowd versus the years ago.  I also saw about 40 pro-abortion folks today but that is just a guess.

I also shook hands with U.S. Senator and 2012 Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum and his wife Karen.  Also I was impressed by the wounded of the men and women who testified that they were glad the Mom choose life even though they were conceived in rape.

Trivium School's Adriana, Fiona, and Helena in Front of Basilica to the Immaculate Conception at 0530

(in front) Trivium's Katherine, Fiona, Helena, and Adriana Smith and (in Back) Gary Lorencz on the March for Life

I got to shake U.S. Senator Rick Santorum's hand

Trivium's (in front) Gabe, Margaret Vise, Tim Ellie, and Gina

Trivium students on the March for Life Ellie, Katie, Gina, Marie, Isaac, Tim

More photos of Trivium on the March Elizabeth, Ellie, Gina, Isaac, Gabe (facing away), Elizabeth McGarry

Tim and Gabe

March for Life

Trivium students attended the Pro-Life mass at the Basilica for the Immaculate conception

Adriana (Trivium student) saw her friend Amanda who is a Freshman at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH at the Basilica in Washington D.C.

Paleo Challenge Day 2

Day 2 is now complete and I have been 100% paleo for 2 days.
I learned how mindless I can be in my eating, as I caught myself reaching for the M&M dispenser on someone's desk.  I think that Paleo will help me to be more mindful.

I loved this recipe for Spicy Tomato Sauce: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/49252507164/virginia-is-for-hunter-gatherers-spicy-tomato which I found on my new favorite blog: Nomnom Paleo.  Jen made it with Sausage added.  Served on top of spaghetti squash, which we learned takes a long time to cook.

Today, I did our first performance workout and Benchmark improvement WOD as part of the challenge.  We get points for how we do against each other, and for how much we improve at the end of the challenge. 

9 min AMRAP

3 Box Jumps (20")

3 Shoulder to Overhead (75#)

3 Burpees

Then add 3 to each for round 2, 3, 4, etc doing 6 reps, 9 reps, 12 reps.... (you get the idea)

My score: 153 reps (5 rounds plus 18 reps)

I immediately rolled into workout two because my friend Catch needed me for the partner WOD.  Started strong but ran out of gas 3/4 of the way through (Sorry Partner).

I did a BOD POD this morning for our benchmark body fat%: 17.8

 Courtesy: Hanscom AFB Media Gallery

Lunch: Sausage Pepper and Onions

Breakfast: Fried egg and bacon
Protein drink immediately after working out.
Mid morning: 2 boiled eggs
Afternoon: Apple and Pear

Paleo Challenge - Day 1

Well, I did my first day ever of all Paleo.  Hanscom Warrior Training Center (HWTC Crossfit) (http://www.hanscomwarriortraining.org/) is doing a 33 day paleo challenge.  Here are the rules of our challenge if you are interested: http://www.hanscomwarriortraining.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/HWTC-Paleo-Challenge-2015-rulebook.docx.  Note, the rules of this challenge are more restrictive than some other Paleo and less restrictive than others.  I learned that Paleo means different things to different people. 

I was completely ignorant about paleo when I started this.  But I love competition, and I want to slim down, and my friends at HWTC Crossfit are doing it, so it all works out.   My family says I am crazy.  My wife, Jen agreed to help, but it is a lot of added work for her.   So I agreed to help her out as much as possible.  Here is my summary of Day 1.

Weighed-in 192lbs which is pretty good for me (I did a Paleo/Clean soft start last week so my body would no go into shock today).

Breakfast: 2 fried eggs with Pepper and Bacon.  Eggs were fried in coconut oil. Lesson learned, having Ghee or Coconut oil in the house were essential for success here.  I am used to using PAM.

Snack: Raw cashews, raw almonds, raisins and craisins.  Oops scratch the Craisins; thanks to The Paleo List, http://thepaleolist.com/2014/04/24/are-dried-cranberries-or-craisins-paleo/ I learned after putting them in that Craisins (Dried Cranberries made by Ocean Spray) have sugar in them.  Picked out the craisins.   Taking this snack with me to the supermarket was ESSENTIAL to success or else, I would not have made it to lunch. 

Colorful Paleo food from Hannaford's

Shopping adventure: To help Jen, I went shopping with her to pick out some foods to survive this Paleo adventure.  Boy did I learn a lot.  There is a lot of added sugar in a lot of products that are organic, no additives, etc.  Even my favorite Hormel Honey Ham lunch meat has added sugar.  Also, learned that even though most of my food came from the outside of the store, there was plenty of junk on the perimeter as well. 

Colorful Lunchtime Salad

After Hannafords, we went to Roots in Leominster http://www.rootsnaturalfoods.com/
to pick up Red Boat Fish Sauce, Ghee (Indian clarified butter from Grassfed cows) http://www.amazon.com/Grassfed-Organic-Ghee-7-8-Oz/dp/B0032RPLSY, Paleo Wraps, Unsweetened Almond Milk (I only found Almond Mill sweetened with Cane sugar or other less friendly additives at Hannaford's).  For this I spent another $50 on top of my Hannaford's grocery bill.  Came home so famished, that I could have slipped on my new paleo way.  Instead, I snacked on apple as I threw together this Salad with apples, chicken (good thing for precooked and frozen chicken strips, carrots, raisins, grapes, and paleo granola (tree nuts sweetened with honey).

NomNom Paleo's Tasty Spicy Tuna Cakes

This afternoon: I made some of NomNom Paleo's (Hat Tip) Tasty Spicy Tuna Cakes:  http://nomnompaleo.com/post/91332244628/spicy-tuna-cakes.  
Great recipe and great tasting.  Had 3 to get me through to dinner

Dinner - Sausage Peppers and Onions

Great first day.