Paleo lifestyle

Good morning all!

I've been asked a lot of questions about Paleo so I thought I'd start a blog so I'm not posting all over facebook my personal info (weight loss and such) or clogging up newsfeeds with my thoughts on Paleo. So I decided to document my Paleo Journey!!! Enjoy......

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Let me start by giving you a little background on me....

I'm 27, married, professional living in SoCal. 

When I was 18 I weighed 120lbs, had some health issues and my weight went up to 180lbs (on a 5 foot frame) and my cholesterol was 324 and I was constantly tired. I did everything: weight watchers, hired a personal trainer, nutritionist, everyone had talked to me. I had a few very serious bouts with IBS (passing out, cramps, etc) and had been put on medication to help regulate my system. For 7 years, I was unable to break the 150 mark (Goal weight is 145). I was constantly frustrated because I was doing everything right. Or was I?

When the new year started, my wife joined a facebook group started by a friend called 100 day Paleo challenge. We knew that this transition would take money and since we live on 1 income, we knew we needed to wait until my paycheck came through at the end of January. We were also waiting because part of my compensation is we both get meal plans so we eat lunch and dinner in one of the several dining halls in the area.

We both started researching and couldn't find anything wrong with what people were presenting. I don't believe that you can successfully do this "diet" / lifestyle change without doing research. It's key to success. We read blogs, talked to friends, understood the insides and out of the diet. We felt ready. 

As luck would have it, a friend of ours canceled our dinner plans so I thought, why not start? So Eb and I started Paleo (sort of) on Sunday Jan 30th for dinner. We ate Steak with coconut oil and some veggies and small amount of mashed potatoes. Then Monday morning we started the transition full force. Water only, coconut oil in replace of Pam, butter, eggs with yolks (new to me because I have high cholesterol), and lots of veggies. I still had coffee with dairy creamer because I figured it'll take a few days to transition.

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Paleo is interesting because it really is cutting out refined sugar and carbs, which turn to sugar, beans (yes beans!) and starches (white potatoes, rice, etc). You are only allowed oil that are stable (http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-fats/) , meat and eggs that are grass fed and pasteurized (pork, lamb), fruits and veggies (organic whenever possible). Easy right? Well I had a my slumb yesterday.

I'm sure there will be days when I'm still detoxicing from carbs and sugars but today I feel good.
Last night I could not stop thinking about cookies so I decided to look up some Paleo dessert recipes and make my own Paleo cookies. I went out and got the ingredients and went to town. They were so gooood!!!! (http://fastpaleo.com/1-minute-cookie-dough/) 

In addition to beginning Paleo for real on Monday Jan 21st, I started yoga and other various exercises in addition to walking our puppy Stella in the morning. While I haven't lost any weight yet, I have been able to fit into clothes that were just too tight. They are still size 12 but they fit comfortably and there isn't a ton of "hang over." My bra fits differently and I just feel great. 

Another "side effect" is sleep. My sleep is different. I was very tired last night at 9pm. So like I always do, I gave into my sleepy eye lids and went to sleep, well I was wide awake at 3am. Normally this would not be a problem. Eboni always teases me that I sleep too much and that something might be wrong because I'm always tired. Well folks, my best guess is that I have a gluten allergy. I sleep when I'm tired and wake when I'm done. It's amazing. I've never had this "issue" before but it's a good "problem." 

This morning I got up at 6am, made some coffee (remember I'm still transitioning), ate some pineapple and avocado. I was able to fit in some yoga, Paleo pod-casts and playing with Stella. (It was raining and in true SoCal dog style, she won't go outside in the rain). I drank an entire 32 oz water bottle before Eboni even got up!!!!

Needless to say, I'm a happy camper.

Stay tuned for my ups and downs, resources, helpful tips, and fun!

Be well!!! Until next time.