Paleo Month 1 Wrapup

Oh hi, everyone! I had been posting my daily eats for you so you could get an idea of what I was eating on the Paleo diet, but I figured those would get boring after a while.

I have since completed my first month, which was to be the most strict. That is to say:

• No wheat
• No dairy
• No alcohol (shudder)
• No sugar
• No carbs (waaaaaah)
• No legumes (no beans!)
• No soy/tofu
• No exercise (that one was added by me, as I really wanted to see what simply changing my diet would do for my body.)

My conclusions?

Let me start with the negative side, because it's impossible to ignore.

There's no way I would call this easy. First and foremost, it takes an immense amount of will power to continuously turn things down. To refuse a drink at dinner after a long week, to skip birthday cake when everyone around you is eating it, to have to order your meals without x, y and z. Explaining the diet to others is repetitive, and is often met with a list of questions from them that are essentially a list confirming what you can NOT have..."So you can't have ANY dairy? At all? What about your coffee?! I could NEVER drink black coffee. And no cheese at all? Not even on a salad? Whoa...what about pizza!? Oh my god I don't know how you do it." I'm certainly not putting people down for that reaction...I had the same one when I first heard about Paleo. Furthermore, it's not something you can just skip over and pretend you're not doing...my initial plan was to only let as few people know about it as possible so that I wouldn't have to explain it all the time, but in reality it comes up. A LOT.  It's also a lot of work to plan meals. If you aren't prepared with foods on hand that you can eat, it will only serve as a stronger reminder of what you can't as you search in vain for a quick snack. Getting invited to someone's house for dinner becomes an anxiety-ridden activity, where you worry about balancing your desire to do this amazing thing for your body with your instinct to please your friends and family and not make them feel put-out or uncomfortable.

That all being said, I will turn to the pros. I had initially started this diet to gain some control in my life, to lose weight, and to free my body of some of the toxins I have been filling it with for years. This involved a total commitment, and a change in my mind to think of food as fuel rather than a reward, a comfort, or a social aid. After 36 years of living the latter...that was a complete change of mindset. Within 3 days, I immediately noticed a change in how I felt. Without carbs and wheat filling my belly, and without sugar driving my energy levels up and down constantly, I was able to maintain a more consistent level of both energy and satiation. The protein and fat I consume keep me fuller for longer, and now when I'm hungry it's more of a feeling in my stomach, rather than me turning into a hypoglycemic mess complete with a headache, nausea and bitchy mood. On the flip side of the foods I can not eat is the variety of new foods and recipes I have incorporated into my life. Berries, almonds and coconut milk for breakfast is completely satisfying, and some of the stews I've made have been the best I've ever eaten. There isn't as much salt going into my food, and although the meals take longer to make because I'm not taking anything out of a can or the freezer for the most part, it makes the eating part that much more satisfying. 

I think I was most surprised at the feeling of control I've obtained. It has leaked over into my work life and my personal life...as a combination of planning and overseeing all of the things going into my body, I'm somehow able to handle multiple tasks and plans both at work and in my personal life with ease and without as much stress. Feeling good has made me more aware of how I look and how I'm presenting myself, and I've been making more effort to find different and better outfits to wear based on what I already had in my closet.

Now let's get to the thing most people are curious about...the weight loss. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I would lose weight by omitting some of the things above, and I did. My stomach felt less bloated within a day or two, and my body feels somehow cleaner and more effective. My clothes fit better, and things that haven't fit me in months are now slipping on with ease. The numbers break down as follows:

Month 1:

Weight loss overall: 12 lbs

Measurements:

Bust: -2.5"

Hips: -1.75"

Waist: -2.5"

Arm: -0.5"

Thigh: -0.5"

I don't need to tell you that those numbers make me happy. I've spent the last week or two experimenting with eating some dairy, some carbs and some alcohol (ok more than some)...and recognizing the difference in my body as a result of eating them.

My conclusion has been that I would like to continue this Paleo lifestyle, with some minor exceptions. I will drink on occasion, and I will incorporate some dairy here and there. The biggest change will be adding exercise, which I'm really excited about.

If you're still reading this, thank you...I know it was a long one. I just have been wanting to get my thoughts and feelings out and this is my best outlet. I hope to have some more light-hearted entertaining posts for you soon.