30 Days of Paleo...or as close as I can get to it...and I love bacon.

Yep.  It's another 30 Day Experiment for me.

Yesterday a friend of mine brought me a piece (only one, the tease..) of local bacon.  I don't usually say this but...O....M....G.  I t   w a s   g o o d.

If you know me at all, you know health is a big issue for me.  Losing 140 pounds didn't happen by remaining ignorant of my body, and the stuff I put into it!

For the past 4 years I have been faithfully (well, mostly) following a low-carb diet.  At first, this meant cutting out breads, pasta, and sugars.  I allowed sweeteners (think Splenda, Maltitol - bad choices) and ate commercially available "sugar-free" diet foods, along with traditional "low-carb" fare.  And eventually I started moving towards whole foods, but not completely.  I love bacon.

And I got obsessed, a little.  I have, in the past year, gotten to the point where if I go over a certain amount of "net carbs" (I limited myself to 20 net a day, which is pretty low) I start getting depressed, simply because I feel like I have failed.  So, needless to say, I have been eating some junk lately, and put a few pounds back on.  And I know it's not entirely about the weight, but it's a big part of it.

So I have decided to start thinking more about what I'm putting into my tummy, and less about how much I am putting into it.  Now, that's not to say that I am going to not care at all about how much, but I am going to try to be more lenient in that area, while increasing the strictness in another.  I love bacon.

So, I'm going Paleo.  Or as close as I can get.

This means eating:

- whole, local foods
- minimally processed foods
- organically or traditionally grown foods
- I love bacon.
- cutting out or reducing a lot of foods that might seem natural, but should be taken in moderation

That last one is going to be tough - a lot of the experts recommend cutting out coffee (whaaaatttt?) and most dairy products (again, whaaaaaatttt?) unless they are raw (which has it's own legal issues).  I think cutting out coffee isn't going to happen.  But I think I can handle the dairy, because the only dairy I ever really use is cheese and cream, so for those, I will definitely be going organic, and raw if I can.

It's going to be tough - eating better will seem more expensive, but in the long run it will be better, because hopefully I will be buying less junk.   I live in an area where buying local is pretty easy, but buying organic (for the stuff that I can't get locally) means driving at least 30 minutes, or ordering online.

I am going to try to phase out the stuff in the house that is not organic, or locally grown, simply because I can't force my family to do this with me, though I hope that they will willingly join in, and since I do most of the cooking, it will happen naturally, and everyone will be better because of it.  Yesterday a friend of mine brought me a piece (only one, the tease..) of local bacon.  I don't usually say this but...O....M....G.  I t   w a s   g o o d.

So, I'm asking you to help hold me accountable, friends who read this.  I will be posting as many meals as I can, even if it's only a picture, via this blog or Facebook, or Twitter.   I love bacon.

Speaking of...here's today's Paleo oriented breakfast...eggs, peppers, and turkey sausage*, with some Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper*.  (*=not organic/local/paleo - see what I mean?)  Are you surprised there is no bacon?

Paleo(ish) egg scramble.

And my last tidbit of the day, for all of you folks who like to eat "Whole Grain" foods - you realize that most foods billed as "Whole Grain"are still refined foods?  A true "whole grain" is one you go pick yourself, and eat.  On the spot.

I love bacon.

Crusts are for wimps.

Yup. I said it. I don't need no stinkin' crust!

Yesterday we celebrated my birthday (which is tomorrow), along with my sister-in-law's (which was a few days ago). When Lisa asked me what I wanted for dessert, I came up with "Crustless Pumpkin Pie." It was something I had made before, but she took the reigns, with a little help from me, to make it.

Eating the way I do (or should be, when I am a good boy), is tough. I exercise my right to say no to bread, sugar, pasta, candy, and the like. It 's easy to cave in and eat a bag of candy corn, or a big bag of trail mix, (belive me I've done both - sometimes on the same day) but hard to feel good later when my body goes into a carb crash.

So, yes, crusts are for wimps. I don't need some over-processed wheat product to hold in all that sugar-free pumpkin goodness!

Ya know what else is for wimps? Ignoring the fact that sometimes you need help; creating this crusty outside to the world, holding in what's really inside. It's the coward that doesn't share his heart, because he is afraid of what people will think. That's not to say that a man shouldn't be strong. It's not to say that we shouldn't be the guiding force in our families. But if its hard to speak the truth, admit our sins, and ask for help when we need it, doesn't it take a stronger man to do all that, than it does to hold it in?

I ask God for strength every day. He is my father, and is MY guiding hand, as I am for my son. I don't need no crusty outside to hold me in and make me feel strong. It's having the good stuff inside, Jesus, that makes me strong.

And...I said no to candy corn this morning. How's that for strong?