Day nine...

Back to normality today. Skipped my usual snack of almonds as I wanted to make sure I was hungry when it came to eating my salad after my recent struggles forcing it down. I’m really finding now my appetite has shrunk.

On the menu today:

7:00 - 2 egg omelette 

1:30 - 1 chicken breast with spinach, red/green peppers, some spring onions, and a table spoon of olive oil

6:00 - Turkey chili on a bed of broccoli 

Supps - 1 multivitamin and 2 fish oil caps

This weeks goal is: lose 2lbs

Day eight...

I ended up having an unplanned cheat meal today unfortunately. I opened up my lunch box and I just couldn't face my salad again which is really bad. I think i'm going to have to find some ways to shake up lunch a bit, so any ideas appreciated. For now i'll switch the kale for spinach which I think i'll find easier to eat regularly. 

However under the circumstances it wasn't that bad as a one off....

Now on to the great news, I had my first weigh in today. Drum roll please....

A week a go I weighed 212lbs

Today I weigh 202.5lbs

I know I will have probably lost a fair bit of water weight but still this is fantastic progress in a week, right?

Today's food:

7:00 - 3 egg omelette with spinach

11:00 - 12 almonds

1:30 - *earned meal* Cheese burger, fries, and a coke

6:00 - 1 chicken breast, spinach, red onion, and red and green peppers

Supps - 1 multivitamin and 2 fish oil capsules.

Once I start exercising again later this week i've decided i'm not going to worry so much about the scales because hopefully my whole body composition will be changing for the better and the way I look and perform will become better gauges.

All in all a great start and I think I already look and feel better. Continuity is the key now.

Day seven...

9:00 - 3 egg omelette with spinach


4:00 - Turkey chilli on a bed of brocolli


Supps: Multivitamin and 2 fish oil caps


I haven't eaten enough this weekend at all, but that's better than my primary concern that I would get bored and stuff my face in my eyes. My level of activity today has been very low and I don't particularly feel hungry. 




I have my first weigh in since I started the diet tomorrow morning. I will make sure to post the result here and on my blog. 


Wish me luck!

Day six...

Todays food:

8:30 - 3 rashers of bacon and 2 scrambled eggs

2:00 - Burger

7:00 - Beef with roasted carrots, parsnips, and a couple of roast potatoes.

Supps: multivitamin and 2 fish oil caps

Obviously the burger wasn't part of the plan but I got caught short by an unexpected trip to watch a football/soccer match. A positive from it is i'm already at the point where I really didn't enjoy the burger (For those of you not from England the typical burger sold outside English soccer grounds are far from gourmet 100% beef) and i'm not in a rush to slip up again. 

So all in all a little slip, but for my worst day this week it could be a lot worse.

Day five...

Today's food:

7:00 - 2 egg omelette with a bacon and spinach

11:00 - 14 Almonds

5:30 - Thai green chicken curry and lots of cabbage


Supps - Multivitamin and 3 fish oil caps.

I had lots to do on my lunch break today and by the time I got back I just didn't want to eat another salad - something I started to regret as the day went on. I didn't feel great after skipping a meal. However, I am really happy because I was certain I would go home and cheat on my diet to feel "better" and make up for the lost meal but I resisted temptation, ate a healthy meal, and feel good again. I have dieted before and failed long before this point. Little victories through adversity like this have filled me with belief that this is it.

Obviously I am a little down on my healthy fats and the amount of vegetables I would usually eat but no harm done and I will be back to normal tomorrow.

Day four...

Today's food:

7:00 - 2 sausages and a handful of spinach

11:00 - 12 Almonds

1:00 - 1 chicken breast, kale, some red onion, bell peppers, and a table spoon of olive oil

6:00 - Salmon on a bed of iceberg lettuce, spring onions, and some more bell pepper

Supps: Multivitamin and 2 fish oil capsules.

I'm still feeling good and late afternoon headaches seem to be a thing of the past. I did however, have some cravings for sweet things this afternoon which I managed to ignore. These cravings had gone before dinner and any desire I had for sweet things had totally diminished after eating. 

I have also noticed the foods i'm eating are starting to taste better every day. I assume this is my body getting used to how real food tastes rather than super sweet artificial flavours. I think my skin may also be looking better.

Day three...

Todays food:

7:00 - 3 egg omelette with spinach

11:00 - 12 almonds

1:30 - 1 chicken breast, curly kale, red/yellow/green bell pepper, lots of red onion, and a table spoon of olive oil

6:00 - 1 chicken breast with a little bit of broccoli

Supps: Multivitamin and 3 fish oil capsules.

Few problems surrounding dinner today. My mum told me microwave chow mein was for dinner and I said I didn't want it as it wasn't paleo, she agreed to do me some chicken with stir fried veggies but then filled it with loads of bean sprouts and some noodles which defeated the object. Any way I ate the chicken breast and picked out a few bits of broccoli which wasn't ideal. It hasn't caused me a problem today as i'm not really hungry but when I start training again this can't happen. 

Moral of the story: I may have to start taking full responsibility for my meals even though it will cost me a lot of money as I imagine I will have to do my own food shopping.

Anyway, no major problems again today. I was a little flat in the morning but I haven't been feeling hungry, generally felt good, and no late afternoon headaches today. I really want it to be the end of the week so I can weigh myself and see if my sacrifices are paying off.

Day two...

Todays food:

7:00 - 2 sausages with a handful of baby spinach

11:00 - 12 Almonds

1:30 - Chicken breast, loads of curly kale, red onion, yellow peppers, and a table spoon of olive oil.

6:00 - 3 sausages, brocoli, carrots, and green beans. 

Supps: Multi-vitamin and 2 fish oil capsules.

I had a little bit of instant gravy on top of dinner (mum offered and I was thinking) which I now regret, but I have learnt from it and so it doesn't seem like the end of the world as long as I don't repeat it.

I have felt surprisingly good again today and I haven't really felt hungry apart from when I woke up. I did get a little bit head achey etc. again in the late afternoon today and was a little flat when I got home. Dinner perked me back up and I feel fine now but I still have a slight head ache so i'm hoping this means my body is starting to get low on stored carbs and i'm moving towards being in ketosis.

Overall it's been a successful day, i've eaten a bit more fat and quite a variety of vegetables. I think I could stand to up my fats just a tad but I guess old habits die hard and i'm still a bit worried about over doing it. It's also hard to find ways to get it into my diet.

Day one...

Today I ate:

7:00 - 3 egg omelette (plain)

1:00 - 1 chicken breast, baby spinach, 2 spring onions, and a little bit of red and green bell pepper

5:45 - Small steak on lettuce with some more red bell pepper and spring onion

I was pretty unprepared to start today so my foods were a bit limited.

I've actually felt really good today even though I thought I thought I hadn't eaten any where near enough. I had a few stomach rumbles before lunch and got a little bit head achey before tea but didn't get overly hungry at any point. I have tried to keep my water up but I have been really thirsty all day. 

However, on reflection I have come up with 2 goals for tomorrow:

1) more healthy fats. 

I'm going to get a big bag of almonds and have a handful as a snack between breakfast and lunch. I'm also going to get some olive oil to keep in my desk drawer at work. I'll mix some with balsamic vinegar to kill 2 birds with one stone - more healthy fats and it will make my salad a little more interesting and less dry. I also need to go and buy some new fish oil capsules tomorrow.

2) more vegetables.

I'm thinking some spinach and red onion at breakfast - either in my omelette or with sausage. Then replace the lettuce I had at Dinner with some broccoli/Asparagus/Kale etc. 

Any thoughts and tips appreciated.

Getting started...

I'm going to try the Paleo diet for the first 30 days. If it is working and I feel good eating this way I will stick with it. If not I figure it will at least break the cycle of any bad habits I may have. I won't be doing any training during week 1 whilst I adjust to my new diet. 


To help me track my progress I have taken some measurements and photos.


My stats at the start:


Weight - 212 lbs
Chest (around nipples) - 108cm
Waist (around belly button) - 107cm
Hips - 108cm
Right arm relaxed - 34cm
Thigh - 61cm


Here is me now:

Day 1 is tomorrow. I'm excited but also a little nervous because I know this first week is going to be really hard. I expect to feel horrible this week and not much better in week 2.

I've read that really focusing on how you want to look and feel, even if it is a long way off or near impossible to obtain is a great motivational tool. So here is my list:

• I want to get really lean - 10% body fat is a number I have in my head.
• Build big muscles - Square pecs, bulging arms, visible abs, oblique lines, and big legs.
• Better cardio - I want to be able to get through my MMA classes relatively easily or just be able to go out for a run for a couple of miles.
• Most importantly, I want to wake up every day feeling energised and feeling happy and confident through out the day.

I will be updating this blog regularly and tweeting every evening at least one achievement from the day, why it was a victory and how to progress to keep me motivated.


This weeks goals:

1. Stick to the diet plan all week with no exceptions.
2. Lose 2lbs

Wish me luck!