I'm sure you've heard of the paleo diet, right? The one where you eat like a caveman? Yeah, I figured I'd give it a try. Why not? I love meat!
Before telling you about my experience so far, I want you to know some things about me. It's important that you know these things so you get a different point of view about the change in eating habits.
- I was not overweight when I started the diet; in fact, I was borderline underweight.
- I wanted to see if cutting all refined carbs made me feel better
- I love meat, and I will make any excuse to eat it, especially red meat!
- I tried being a vegetarian for a little while (like two weeks) but it made me feel like crap (not enough protein)
- I had already cut gluten from my diet and was feeling better (I do not have celiac but I'm allergic to whole wheat)
- I am one of the world's pickiest eaters.
Now that we've got those little items out of the way, here is where I'm at after a little over a week of eating like a cavegirl.
- I lost THREE pounds in less than a week.
- One day I truly thought I was going to DIE because of the lack of carbs (didn't eat enough before a very light workout). Once I ate some protein and veggies I felt much better.
- I need a fair amount of carbs, but fruit provides me with plenty
- I miss Cheez-Its like the devil, but I am determined to get through the 30 days without them.
- I have accidentally cheated once by licking icing off my fingers after cutting a slice of cake for the boys.
- I am loving the hell out of eating lots of meat (redundant?)
- the wives' tale is true (in my case): red meat makes your body odor worse.
OK. Now, before you start in with "Why are you doing this to yourself?", please hear me out. I didn't do this to lose weight. I did it because I found over the last year or so, the more fit I got, the more I craved vegetables and fruits. I always craved meat, so I'll leave that out. The more fruit I wanted, the less refined grains I wanted. I am a bread junkie, so this perplexed me - but I really cut down on that stuff. But being a "good American", I ate what "they" recommend - a diet heavy in whole grains. Over time I started feeling like I could even do better, so I cut out most things with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). I found this made me feel even better (and I didn't feel bad to begin with). After that, I started cutting out gluten products. This was easy for me because I'm allergic to whole wheat anyway (I don't have celiac, but I break out in a rash when I eat too much whole wheat. White/bleached flour does not do that to me for some reason, I'm sure it's whatever they don't remove from the so-called "healthy" stuff that makes me itch).
Once I cut out the gluten, I felt so good it was amazing. I slept better. I was calmer and less uptight. I got over my road rage. My irritable bowel pretty much went away (TMI?). So, the paleo challenge was just another step in the direction of "seeing if I can feel even better".
I am still trying to figure out how to not continue to lose weight. As I write this, I am at 118 pounds exactly, and at 5'8" that's a bit skinny (and exactly what I weighed when I graduated high school - and don't hate me, please). I don't need to lose anymore weight, that's for sure. The problem is, with all this fat in my diet, I'm not very hungry for snacks! I'm hoping to get my exercise groove on again in the next month (I've started back to moderate floor exercises but really I'm burning about 150 calories in my workouts), although I have no idea when I'll be able to run again. But I'm out of the boot and taking regular walks!
I would be lying if I said I wasn't missing a few things. I am not a huge cheese eater, but when I want it, I really want it, and for the challenge, I "can't" have it. That's been the hardest, honestly. As much as I love toasted bread, not having it hasn't been difficult. One thing I've found hard is that when I do want a snack, I'm pretty much left with fruit - which is high carb and I probably tend to eat too much of it (but if that's what it takes to stop losing weight, I will continue to do it). Having a snack of fruit is fine except that I'd like a bit more variety (crackers and cheese? Summer sausage and crackers and cheese maybe?) and having to cook everything you eat is a major pain in the ass (yes, I know you can eat many vegetables raw, but when you work in a cubicle it can be annoying to listen to me crunch a carrot). I have been paying lots of money for high-grade jerky, but at $7 a bag, it's a bit ridiculous (and yes I'm looking at making my own). The fact that that $7 bag of jerky lasts me about two snacks sucks too (not to mention that everyone else in the family likes it too!).
I will say though that I am enjoying the food, and I did not drop weight like this when I was eating a grain-based diet. I hit a plateau and could not lose the last five pounds I wanted to lose until I cut the gluten. Taking it this far has made it super-easy to lose weight (at least for me - I know it may be different for everyone else out there), despite the fact that I don't want to. Fortunately it does allow me to eat as much as I want and not really cut calories (and yes, I'm eating about 2000 calories a day, so please don't tell me to eat more). The other night I ate a 14-oz NY strip and loved every bite of that bad boy!
We've switched all our meats to grass-fed and free-range and all that, and it's true, you can taste the difference. I don't see ever going back to the other stuff, at least not consciously. Yes, we are spending far more money on groceries - in fact I'd say a good 35% more. But, we are MUCH less inclined to eat out now. Overall, that's actually a savings in money, believe it or not. And you thought a $20 meal for four at a restaurant (Chick-Fil-A or Sonny's) was cheap, right? You can do so much better.
The increase in meat inspired my husband to buy a grill, which I am loving. We are using charcoal instead of gas, too (because the grill was cheaper and a no-brainer for purchase) - and I like it better. We've been grilling out a lot lately, which we haven't done in years.
So if you're considering taking the paleo challenge, I'd say it's a good one. Your mileage may vary, but hey, it would regardless of the changes you make. And yes, I will probably continue to mostly eat this way after I finish the challenge - but I reserve the right to cheat with Cheez-Its on occasion!
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