day 9

last nigh I woke up around 4h30am and couldn’t go back to sleep. I was seriously hungry, like I hadn’t been in a long time. I almost felt nauseous for being that hungry. after 30 minutes, I decided to have 1 tbsp. of dried unsweetened coconut and I felt better within a few minutes. I suspect this may be due to the fruits I had yesterday. all afternoon and even during the evening, I had some cravings which I didn’t have the previous days. carbs make you hungry and I have decided to stay away from fruits as much as possible for the rest of my challenge. feel better without it for now.

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breakfast [9am: free-range eggs + coconut oil + mushrooms + spinach]

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lunch [12h00: leftover chili made with organic beef + onions + zucchini + red bell pepper + tomatoes + mushrooms]

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snack [1h30pm: 2 free-range eggs + gluten-free tamari sauce (I had my snack early because 1) I felt hungry, probably because of the resistance training I did this am and 2) I knew dinner would be early)]

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dinner [5h00pm: lettuce + free-range chicken + bacon + avocado + homemade mayo + tomato + sun-dried tomatoes (dinner was even earlier today because my partner had to eat before going to a meeting so I joined him and will try intermittent fasting for 16 hours until breakfast)]

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dessert [5h15pm: triple coconut dose = coconut oil + dried unsweetened coconut + coconut milk mixed together and put in a silicone mold in the freezer a few minutes until set]

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day 8

1st week update = I have been bloat-free and pain-free for the last 2 days, which is awesome, and I have lost 2.8 lbs!

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breakfast [8h30am: free-range eggs + coconut oil + tomato + spinach + mushrooms (not very original, but when I don’t feel like thinking too much in the am, this breakfast is very easy to do and very satiating)]

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lunch [12h30: palta a la reina = 1/2 avocado + free-range chicken+ homemade mayo + leafy greens + lime juice (inspired by a dish I have sampled many times in South America! except that this time I made my own mayo with healthier fats)]

my 1st homemade mayo = made with egg yolks, macadamia oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and celtic sea salt

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dessert [1h00pm: 1 1/2 fig + a few strawberries + coconut milk (what a treat! figs and strawberries are in season and sooooo tasty!)]

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snack [3pm: deviled eggs made with my homemade mayo! (- I also add some almonds… again! I want to cut back on almonds but they are so hard to resist… the good thing is that I don’t have any almonds anymore so from now on, I will try to go nut-free.)]

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dinner [6h30pm: free-range beef + garlic + balsamic vinegar + green beans + coconut oil]

day 7

breakfast [10h30am: 1 1/2 small Australian figs (about 10 g carbs: first fruit in over a week and they are in season here!) + 2 slices of rindless bacon (I was not hungry when I woke up this morning because I had dinner later than usual last night. I went for an 1-hour walk in the city and had this small breakfast after)]

australian bacon: looks weird when you are used to Canadian bacon, but it is delicious!!!!!!

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lunch [12h30: australian lamb chops cooked in coconut oil + mushrooms + spinach + garlic + lemon juice + tomatoes]

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snack [3pm: triple coconut eggs = 3 free-range eggs cooked in coconut oil + organic coconut milk + organic dried unsweetened coconut (I was very hungry, probably because I walked a bit, had a small breakfast and my protein at lunch was probably only 3 oz. once the bones were removed…!)]

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dinner [5h30pm: leafy greens + avocado + sun-dried tomatoes + fresh basil + balsamic + kangaroo (I found out that all kangaroo is harvested in the wild and eating kangaroos is very sustainable for the environment. only controlled numbers of 4 of the 48 species of kangaroos are harvested because of their rapidly growing populations.)]

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7th day = 1 week! woo hoo! It has been a lot easier than I thought so far! Although I was missing my cheese and chocolate at the beginning, especially that my partner is still keeping at home and eating these foods while sitting right beside me, but I don’t miss them so much anymore. I still had some episodes of bloating and abdominal pain, but have been feeling a lot better for the last couple days and my stomach feels flatter than ever. I am still considering whether I should weight myself tomorrow morning to see if there has been any change after a week of 100% Paleo…? to be continued…!

day 6

breakfast [8h45am: 1/2 avocado + 2 free-range poached eggs + celtic sea salt + freshly ground pepper]

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lunch [1h30pm:  chili sin frijoles! = organic ground beef + tomatoes + zucchini + onions + mushrooms + red bell pepper (lunch was later than usual today, we were busy grocery shopping at the QV market, but it was worth it since  we found a lot of good fresh food by the way; my boyfriend prepared a nice Paleo lunch for me! Usually, when my meals are delayed, I become a very unhappy person: irritable, grumpy and nasty, but I noticed that although I was slightly hungry, my brain was not panicking for not having food!)]

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dessert [1h45pm: about 1/2 cup of coconut milk (still the lite version though, since there was a mistake in my order…)]

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pm snack [4pm: 2 hard-boiled eggs + gluten-free tamari sauce + 1 oz. almonds (I was super hungry even though I had a late lunch, maybe it is because my breakfast was kinda light and I did some resistance training this am?!? After the eggs, I was still hungry so I had some almonds even though I said I would try to stay away from nuts… will see how I feel in a few hours…)]

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dinner [7h15pm: kangaroo topside + curry paste + leafy greens + balsamic vinegar + olive oil + green beans (It was my first time cooking kangaroo and I am very good at cooking meat since I have a vegetarian for a few years… but it was quite good!)]

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day 5

breakfast [9am: free-range eggs cooked in coconut oil with spinach and mushrooms + topped with organic dried unsweetened coconut (I know, my partner thought it was weird too, but I guess I am in a bit of a coconut phase… it should pass! lol)]

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lunch [1pm: leftovers salmon cakes from yesterday reheated in coconut oil + lime + lettuce + tomatoes + avocado + balsamic vinegar]

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no pm snack today – not hungry and feel bloated….. =(

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dinner [5h30pm: broccoli + red bell pepper + ginger + lime juice + organic chicken + coconut milk (I added some gluten-free tamari sauce later, disappointed by the lack of coconut taste… I realized that instead of regular coconut milk, as I ordered, I received lite coconut milk, which doesn’t taste much unfortunately…)]

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5th day! phew… I haven’t been feeling that well since I had a bad night sleep two days ago. I don’t know if it is related to that or not, but I have been feeling a bit tired, had bloating and abdominal cramps again. I haven’t cheated! well, except for the 1/2 piece of gum that I chewed for a minute or so… I agree that I went a bit overboard with the dried coconut stuff… could it be irritating for my gut? or is it that my coconut is contaminated with gluten? or is it that my body simply needs more time to heal properly? or is it something else?

…to be continued…!

is my organic dried unsweetened coconut contaminated with gluten? and is it possible that I am that sensitive to gluten? I used to eat it all the time!!!

day 4

breakfast [9am: ratatouille + olive oil + 2 free-range eggs fried in coconut oil (my eggs look awful I know… I just moved in a new apartment in a new city–in a new country as a matter of fact–and still haven’t had a chance to buy a decent spatula! lol)]

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lunch [12h30: salmon cakes (made with canned Wild Pacific salmon + garlic + grated ginger + beaten eggs + organic dried unsweetened coconut!) cooked in coconut oil + lime + leafy greens + tomato + 1/4 avocado + olive oil + balsamic vinegar]

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pm snack [3pm: 1 scrambled free-range egg in coconut oil with organic dried unsweetened coconut]

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oops! [without even taking, I took a gum this pm just out of habit… within a few seconds, I realized this may not be very Paleo so hurried to look at the ingredients… oops! sugar alcohols and a long list of things I don’t want to put in my body… no more gum for me!]

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dinner [5h30pm: preservative-free, hormone-free Aussie ground beef mixed with mushrooms and tomatoes & greens beans + leeks cooked in coconut oil]

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dessert [5h45pm: double coconut in a cup! = organic coconut cream + organic dried unsweetened coconut]

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4th day! I felt ok today, still surprised that I didn’t have any craving, because I used to have lots! I  just felt a bit tired because I had a bad night sleep last night. Mmmm! There was a lot of coconut on my menu today and this is because I just received my first order from Santos today. They have good prices (relatively-speaking, probably not compared to the USA, but good for Australia) for organic products which are not easy to find at affordable price or in larger quantities in Melbourne.

day 3

breakfast [8h45am: my quick & easy version of a ratatouille (eggplants baked with organic tomato sauce and olive oil in the oven) + poached free-range eggs]

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lunch [12h15: leftovers from last night dinner]

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dessert [12h30: 1/4 avocado with organic coconut cream]

I think my breakfast may not have had enough fat because I felt hungry earlier than usual… I’ll add some olive oil tomorrow and see if it is better. Because I was still craving fat, I came up with this little Paleo treat. I know, it looks like a pregnant woman craving, but it actually is delicious! Creamy and the added sweetness of the coconut cream was very satisfying!

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pm snack [3pm: 2 hard-boiled eggs with gluten-free tamari sauce (I love this snack +++ and I had 2 because I am trying to avoid almonds for now) & throughout the afternoon: green tea]

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dinner [5h30pm: mesclun + avocado + balsamic & green beans + leek + coconut oil & hormone-free, preservative-free beef + Dijon mustard + Celtic salt]

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3rd day! a lot less cravings today! I did not have any almonds and it was my first day in a long time bloat-free and abdominal pain-free!