1 Month Paleo

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Morgan

At Crossfit, a lot, a lot of people follow the Paleo diet plan. Here’s a concise little explanation:

It’s a little bit different from the traditional American diet, isn’t it?

At first I thought the idea was pretty repugnant. I was a vegetarian for so long, and even though I began to eat meat when I was pregnant, I didn’t eat very much of it. I had even given some thought in the last few months to becoming vegetarian again, but never quite got there. Maybe I just wasn’t ready to give up my meat again, who knows?

When our box ran a 2 month Paleo challenge right after Solomon and I started Crossfit, we decided to sit it out, and discuss trying a Paleo challenge next time a challenge came up. Soon after the 2 month challenge ended, it was announced that there would be a challenge for the month of May, and Solomon and I decided to forget about the possibility of vegetarianism and go for it.

We started experimenting with Paleo about 2 weeks before the challenge. We wanted to ease our way into it, instead of just quitting our eating habits cold turkey (not that our eating habits were that terrible). Now it’s been about 2 weeks of the challenge, and a month of Paleo eating and I think we are both surprised, and really pleased with the results.

source

I’ve actually stopped taking acidophilus everyday, since I’m not waking up with stomach pains anymore. I don’t know if I was eating too much bread or sugar and it was having an impact on my system, but that has all stopped! It’s nice to focus on real foods, and experiment with so many new flavors. I’m surprised I’m able to eat as much meat as I do (mostly 1 time a day, sometimes twice) and it doesn’t bother me to do so.

I feel good, my clothes are all too big (even though the number on the scale hasn’t changed much), and I’m sleeping really soundly at night. I just feel good all around. I have a good, steady amount of energy, I haven’t had a sugar or carb crash in a month and I never feel bloated. I feel strong and healthy and enjoying the challenge of trying something new, cooking with new ingredients and finding ways to enjoy old favorites. I’m definitely taking some indulgences here and there, mostly in the form of wine, because I don’t believe in deprivation. I’m doing my best to keep meals and snacks as Paleo or Primal as possible, and I’m really surprised with how easy it has been. My only complaint is that my skin isn’t as clear as I hoped it would be. From what I read, this would help to clear up some of the cystic blemishes I deal with (many say this is caused by eating dairy), but I haven’t noticed much of a difference.

I know there is a lot of debate surrounding this diet. I’m not going to get into the science because I don’t want to preach, and Google is there for a reason. I find it interesting and logical, though I don’t know that I can be fully Paleo forever going forward. I think once the challenge is done, Solomon and I will definitely continue to eat in a more Paleo friendly fashion, but will occasionally enjoy a good piece of bread or cheese, or a dessert for a special occasion. Overall, eating Paleo hasn’t been difficult at all. My cravings disappeared almost immediately (I think being able to eat fruit helps), and I don’t find it challenging to eat Paleo at a restaurant or an event like a wedding. Sure there are temptations, but that’s life right?

I know this doesn’t share a lot about what Paleo is, but that’s not why I wrote it! When we were considering this diet, I wanted to get input from people on how eating Paleo made them feel, not what it means to eat Paleo. If nothing else, I hope I can help someone realize that it is easy, very doable and the results are worth it.

We are really learning to appreciate fresh, whole, real food a whole lot more than ever before. I’m excited for our garden this summer, and to keep trying and experimenting.

As a closing thought, I think this is really cute, even though we keep Kosher, so I’m not exactly cooking bacon all the time 🙂