My biggest fear since making the decision to go Paleo has been THE WEEKEND! Let's be real, the weekend is and has always been splurge fest. Time for Pizza, Beer, Ice Cream...all of the things you deprive yourself of during the week.
My boyfriend and I decided to go out to eat Friday night (also, my boyfriend is not doing this with me, which is completely fine, but it made compromising on a restaurant a bit more difficult. He DEFINITELY wanted pasta...which I've found no real way around.) We decided Mexican food would be a good starter restaurant because there are often a lot of dishes that revolve solely around chicken/steak and veggies.
Temptation number one: You guessed it folks. CHIPS AND SALSA!
I watched my boyfriend go to town on those delicious tortilla chips, and I caved and allowed myself one chip. Which actually, I was pretty proud of. I struggle with self-control in situations like this so I'm claiming that as a win.
I ordered a steak fajita, no sour cream on the plate no cheese, no rice and extra guacamole. The waiter was really patient with me and was more than accommodating. All-in-all I think it was a success. The steak was delicious and something I typically never allowed myself to have when I was "dieting" so it felt like a treat. And the guacamole was better than any sour cream I would have wanted anyway.
Temptation number two: BEER!
I know that Paleo diets are "alcohol free" and there are many conflicting schools of thought around this from what I've read. At the end of the day, you have to create a program for yourself that allows you to succeed (this is really important!) I've decided to allow myself 2/3 VERY low calorie drinks on Friday/Saturday. I went to the liquor store after dinner and bought a low-proof vodka (the lower the proof the lower the calories) and did a vodka, water, lime mix. Really good compromise.
I think what's beautiful about this process is learning to problem solve. How do you maneuver around your old habits and create new, healthier ones. It's not easy, but I'm committed. I'm also not beating myself up for mistakes, which is critical to my success. It doesn't make me feel like I'm depriving myself, but simply choosing another direction.
I'm going to post the restaurants I find that offer great gluten-free/dairy free options because that's definitely half the battle. Feel free to suggest your own! I'm located in Chicago, but I would be more than happy to re-blog restaurants in different locations!
Let's hope Saturday is as successful! :)
