OK, fellow cave dwellers....I wasn't going to weigh myself for the entire 30 day experiment, but I just couldn't resist stepping on the scale this morning. I have been eating Paleo now for exactly seven days. I feel better than I have felt in months. As much as this diet (lifestyle?) might seem to be a short-term fad, I am really seeing the possibility that it could be a life-long change. The science and research that I have read this week convinces me more and more that wheat products especially are the cause of many of my health issues. So, after one week of eating Paleo, I have lost 7.4 pounds! Hubby has lost almost 5.
Neither one of us is really trying to lose weight, we have just changed the foods we are allowing ourselves to eat. Wow, it has been so easy to eat this way. Satisfying and delicious, but most of all, I don't have to worry about counting calories, calculating points, journaling my intake, or having guilt when I eat something I shouldn't. As I have written about already this week, I know I am still in the honeymoon period, but right now, doing this for 30 days seems like a no brainer.
My mother-in-law asked hubby today what happens after 30 days. Good question. I guess we decide if we want to continue this lifestyle or not. I have been doing a lot of reading about people who eat Paleo 6 days a week and have one "cheat" day. But, then everything I read about that says they always feel like crap for a couple of days afterwards....so, what's the point? Right now, I really have no desire to cheat. Today at church, there was a retirement reception for a church staff member. The obligatory cake, punch, and snacks were provided. Neither hubby or I were even tempted to want a piece of cake. In fact, the idea of doing so almost revolted us. I keep thinking about the science behind this diet and how my digestive system seems to treat gluten like an enemy...so why go and irritate it when things are going so well? It just doesn't seem worth it.
Now, of course, this isn't just a eating change, but there are other aspects to this program and my doctor told me that when I read the book, I needed to pay attention to all parts of it. As you might expect, one part of the Paleo lifestyle involves physical activity...but not like what I have been used to in the past. Thank Heavens! Let's just say that miles and miles on a treadmill does not appeal to me in the least! I will speak more about the physical activity part of this in the next week or so.
The other part of this lifestyle involves rest and the time your body needs daily to recuperate. We have ordered blackout curtains for our bedroom and they are due to arrive tomorrow. Mr. Wolf encourages 8-9 houurs of sleep EVERY night in complete darkness. You will have to read his book or do some web searching to find out the reasons why complete darkness is so crucial to our sleep and rest. I am anxious to get the curtains and see if this makes a difference in the way we feel each morning when we wake up to start our day. We live next to a few neighbors who don't seem to care if their floodlights/porchlights/houselights are on all night. Despite having wood blinds, our bedroom is never really completely dark. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Tonight is hubby's birthday. I always make him one of his favorite meals. Normally, I usually make homemade enchiladas, my famous barracho beans, rice, homemade guacamole, and chips...and then make him his favorite carrot cake with cream cheese frosting that he loves so much. However, tonight, we are having grilled NY strip steaks with sauteed onions and mushrooms, "mashed potatoes" (ok, mashed cauliflower with garlic and pepper...still delicious!), and roasted asparagus for his birthday dinner. Instead of a birthday cake, I bought and cut up a fresh pineapple...his favorite fruit in the world. Should be just as delicious, is totally paleo-friendly, and we can eat as much as we want and enjoy the delicious taste of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables (fresh from the Farmer's Market!).
Loving the paleo life...and 7.4 pounds lighter in just one week...life is good! ;-)
Cave Mom...that is awesome on the weight lost. I do need to lose weight. So I guess no potatoes? No beans? And no avocado? Seems like that one would be healthy.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would love for you to share some of the websites you've come across.
You can have sweet potatoes. And avocados are fine as well. We had a delicious salad last night made with the chicken from a rotisserie chicken from the store, lots of veggies, sunflower seeds, chopped avocado, and homemade balsamic/olive oil dressing. Delicious!
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