Adrian and I decided to start a fitness journal not only to track our personal progress but to satisfy the curiosity of the many people who we’ve encountered on this journey. Everyone we’ve met has been interested in knowing if we have experienced any changes related to health and of course, weight loss. People have also asked what we are eating, if we are exercising and how our bodies are responding as we go forward day by day.
For the past 6 weeks we have been living a life where processed foods have been consumed to the minimum. And yes, I have to use the word minimum because as we commenced this challenge we had a couple of things left in the pantry that we chose to eat until they ran out. For example, a few slices of bread, corn tortillas, 1 bag of pancake mix, 1 box of pasta, oatmeal, rice, a box of vegan patties, balsamic vinegar and cooking oils (coconut and olive oils). All of which I had bought before we decided to start on the 100 Mile Harvest. We’ve only allowed ourselves to eat from these goodies on special occasions, or in the case of the tortillas, during starch deprivation emergencies. Little by little we have been running out of these foods. We started the 100 Mile harvest the second week of May and we were blessed with the abundance of the late spring harvest.
Our meals have consisted of a source of protein, carbohydrates and fat. In our case a protein source would be chicken breast, lean cuts of meat, eggs and an occasional leg of lamb. For carbohydrates we are eating every possible vegetable and fruit that is in season, everything from Asparagus to Zucchini. As far as fats are concerned, it gets more complicated, because within our 100 mile radius we have not yet found any source of oil. All this time we have been frugal when using olive oil in recipes. We basically use it only on salads and leave the coconut oil for cooking since it has a buttery consistency and is perfect for high heat cooking, like stir-frying. It’s flavor is mild enough that one doesn’t notice a strong coconut taste.
As far as exercise is concerned, we are planning to continue our weight training regimen. This has always been an important part of our lives and it will be interesting to experience our bodies’ responses to the low-starch seasonal diet. To measure our progress we decided to contact our gym and schedule a “Fitness Evaluation” with a trainer. We wanted to see what our fitness levels were at the beginning and track the progress every 4 weeks.
I anticipate to slowly lose body fat while maintaining my same percentage of lean body mass. As far as energy levels are concerned I am more hesitant to jump to conclusions. In the past, even though I have cut down on sweets and breads I have been able to eat complex carbohydrates to boost my energy levels - without them I can only speculate I might be feeling a little…unpredictable.
If you want to see a detail list of what foods we are buying weekly you can check our Market Day Journal.
You can view our body stats and fitness blog by visiting the Fitness Journal section. It will be updated regularly, touching on topics of health and fitness.
Health to you.
