Well, as promised, I am once again about to begin my version of the Paleolithic diet. To be perfectly honest, I’m a little ashamed to admit that, even when I started eating like the pig that I am again, little studying for my midterm tomorrow (/today) got done. In fact, it is almost midnight, and I’ve got more than half of my reading still left to do. Am I going to do it right now? Absolutely not. Am I jeopardizing my grade? Of course. Is my formerly straight-A self okay with this? No, but quite frankly, I’m just too lazy to do very much about it, a fact that is going to come back and bite me in the ass – big time.
Hopefully this is the last time that this happens, though.
Starting this way of healthier eating is what I hope will be the first of many steps to an improved me. My ultimate goal is, in addition to becoming healthy, to become disciplined, driven, and successful. I want to be a finisher of started tasks. I want to rid myself of this laziness to which I have lately succumbed, this lethargy and general indifference that has transformed me from an achiever to a below-average human being. I’m not too clear on the details regarding why or how it happened, but I figure it doesn’t matter; all that does is that things change.
Thus, my first step toward fulfilling this goal is having the drive and discipline to go all the way through with a diet that deprives me of most of the things I love to eat. I will reiterate, yet again, that it is NOT my goal to lose weight; it is simply to be able to stay away from all things unhealthy and processed. There will be no reduction of calories, no tracking of weight changes, no measuring of various body parts to determine the end result at the end of the challenge period. This is a personal challenge, the ultimate goal of which is to become a better person mentally and and in terms of physical health.
I am going to copy the original rules of the challenge below, although with some minor changes (which are in bold):
End date: 15 March, 2012
Rules:
- Can only consume foods that fall into the fish, meat, vegetable, fruit, root, or nut categories. So – lots of salads, and virtually no yummy carbohydrates (not counting fruit). (Note: though the official diet requires grass-fed meat, this means putting in more effort than I am willing to expend, because finding these grass-fed meats has so far been impossible; consequently, I am just going to leave this as a general “meat” category.)
- Cannot consume any grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, or processed oils. Which means no bread, pasta, pizza, cake, or any other flour-based products; no chocolate, cookies, snack bars, or anything that has sugar in it; nothing processed that comes in a bag or box, and whose list of ingredients contains something that I cannot pronounce, let alone identify. Essentially, nothing that elicits a knee-jerk reaction of unadulterated desire when in line of sight. (As applies to food only.)
- I would assume this is understood, but just in case: no pop, prepackaged juices (freshly squeezed by me is OK), coffees, or teas (herbs don’t count, as herbal “teas” aren’t really teas, anyway). I want to say no alcohol, but since I don’t want to jeopardize my job in any way, shape or form, I am going to say avoid alcohol at all times UNLESS I feel that doing so would somehow offend my employers and/or important customers.
- EXCEPTIONS: Legumes – green and yellow beans, as well as various sorts of peas, are impossible to avoid in my house, so I’m going to be a little lenient on this one and give myself those three. (Besides, they’re pretty good for you.) Dairy – I have found that too many greens actually end up causing stomach aches and digestive problems if the person consuming them in large quantities is unused to doing so; as such, I will permit myself organic yogurt (whose ingredients read milk [skim milk, whatever], cream, bacterial cultures. That’s all that should be in your yogurt, anyway) and cottage cheese. Grains – I am also going to allow myself oatmeal, because my skills around the kitchen are limited enough as it is, without taking away what used to be my daily breakfast. Not the oatmeal that comes in those small Quaker packets and requires only a minute to make, though; I’m talking about organic oatmeal, that takes time, careful observation, and a small pot to properly cook.
- This is a thirty-day challenge. If, at any point, I slip and go against the rules, I am obligated to reveal the fact here, thereby forfeiting the challenge. If I want to try again, I have to start from the beginning – i.e., from day 1. I guess I should make a promise not to lie and say I did something when I really didn’t, so here is my solemn oath: Under no circumstances will I tell an untruth throughout the duration of this challenge. If I go against my own rules, I shall be honest about it and say so, and will automatically have lost. If I turn out to be a failure, I will be sure that you are aware of it.
It is now three minutes past midnight, and the challenge officially begins. Again.
Wish me luck! (Again.)
