And I also realized that I am mostly writing this for me. I want to track my journey and the changes that I make. And helping someone else with similar health problems, or encouraging anyone to change their way of eating for the better; that is just a fantastic bonus.
I'll try to make this as brief as possible, but talking about three weeks of a complete diet change might be hard to put in just a few words.
From the Start...
Week one was the hard(er) week. I was faced with a lot of choices to make right at the beginning: do you want a donut, or maybe some pizza for dinner on parent/teacher conference night? These were some questions that I was faced with.
A lot of this lifestyle change came about because I was in this place where I was just eating what I wanted. That isn't a bad thing, in my opinion, but it is bad when you know it is going to be affecting your health. With my Hashimotos Thyroiditis, I know it is probably a better idea to say no to specific things.
Because I was extremely motivated from the start, it was actually pretty easy to pass by those definitely non paleo foods. I also started feeling better right away. By feeling better, I mean three days in I wasn't bloated. Now that I am three weeks in, I honestly feel like I dealt with chronic bloating before I decided to try Paleo, now I'm only bloated when I have any food that I'm intolerant to (which I sometimes still do).
The Second Week...
Week two was mostly easier. The hard parts came when I ran out of leftovers for lunch, and ended up having to eat canned salmon and spinach for lunch (yeah, not sustainable for me), or when I still couldn't figure out what to do about the fact that I hated drinking coffee without half and half. I also traveled a bit this second weekend, so it was the game of staying at it on the road.
The biggest thing I realized in the second week was that, more than anything, it was important not to stress over my food choices. If I had to make a non-perfect Paleo choice, I just did it and moved on with my life. This mindset is making me think I could make this a lifetime kind of lifestyle. I felt so much better this week, and by the end of the week, my skin was much clearer than it had ever been, I lost about 4-5 pounds total, and I was just a whole lot happier because I knew I was doing good things for my body.
Keeping On...
The more I get into making this lifestyle/ diet change, the more I enjoy it. I am trying new recipes and cooking whole, real foods. Honestly, I don't know if I have ever eaten more delicious foods. I have to admit that a grassfed sirloin tip roast slowcooked with sweet potatoes and carrots is about one million times better than the grab and go processed foods I would lean on before. It isn't that I wasn't eating fine before, it is just that Paleo is about quality, real, whole foods. And can I just say that that type of food is so delicious?
I am cooking with butter, I am eating fatty animal meats. I am baking with delicious butters and oils. I am eating quality dark chocolate and drinking delicious, nutrient dense bone broth.
Paleo is pretty much the easiest thing for me to follow. Giving up dairy and gluten is no problem when I get to eat such flavorful, filling foods. All of the things the health industry tells us (avoid fats, eat low carb, eat less, etc.) is just not sustainable, true, or effective. I have been eating whenever I am hungry, stopping when I am full, and eating what I am craving (protein, nutrient dense carbs, fats, you name it). My eating is much more healthy, not just physically, but mentally. I am not obsessing over portion sizes or eating times and ratios. I am not counting calories, macros, etc. I am just eating to fuel and heal my body, and listening the best I can to what my body needs.
Not Perfect...
There have been a few times that I've eaten not so paleo foods. About once a week, I drink some beer, full of gluten. It makes me extremely bloated, but craft beer is something I enjoy so much, and I don't think it would be a "healthy lifestyle" if I can't enjoy the things that make me happy every once in a while. It is more about not freaking out about being 100% all in to a certain lifestyle. I'm learning what actually works best for me.
Other than this, I have allowed myself some non-gluten grains, a sample sized dose of ice cream, and half and half in my coffee twice in the past three weeks. I can absolutely tell that I am intolerant to dairy (I've known that since I was 10) and gluten is definitely a culprit as well.
Why does it matter, though? Because, inflammation. Inflammation is what causes many diseases, and it also causes leaky gut, which is a huge reason that autoimmune diseases exist (at least from my reading, this is how it works). I don't want to feel tired all of the time, or have an awful, slow metabolism. So I am deciding to avoid inflammation as much as possible. This is really the major reason I am even eating this way.
Paleo Things I Love...
1. All the delicious meats
2. Great Lakes Collagen (a "protein powder" that is completely natural- it is essentially gelatin)
3. Bone broth
4. Roasted, whole chickens
5. Plantain chips (love, love, love, love!!!)
6. Butter
7. Making "Paleo" Baked Goods
8. Hard Ciders (dry)/ Wine (yes, these things are paleo friendly in my eyes)
9. The amazing podcasts and blogs in the paleo community
The thing I love about Paleo most of all is the mindset of most of the community- especially the pockets that I have found. It is so much more about a healthy mindset, wellness, and self love than anything else I have experienced in the health industry.
Eating this way is not about having visible abs. It is not about getting skinny, restricting yourself, being perfect. It is about sanity, or even happiness. And acceptance. It is about eating in a way that makes your body well. And I am so about that. I cannot believe how wrapped up I was before in transformation stores, and having toned muscles like competitors. Why would I care about that? How would a flat stomach or visible abs actually benefit my life? It wouldn't- with my body type, it would actually most likely be unhealthy to look that way.
If this lifestyle interests you in any way, I totally suggest that you just give it a try. Eat quality real foods, cut out the inflammatory foods as much as possible, and see how you feel. Most of all, eat to be well, not to look a certain way. And start to embrace the self love mindset.
If you are interested in Paleo, please feel free to ask me about it! It is one of my favorite topics to talk about. Of course I don't know everything- I feel like I am just starting to understand all of the details and scientific backing around it. But I feel like my experience of just starting out might be helpful to anyone looking to make the change!
