1st Paleo Anniversary! Paleo One Year Later

Today is November 10th, 2014, and one year ago I began the Paleo diet. No, I didn't remember the exact date. I recalled that I began the diet sometime last Fall, so I went into the downloads folder on my computer, looked up the date I downloaded all of Mark Sisson's free e-books, and that's where today's date comes from :)

Last year, Ryan's schedule was all over the place. He was out of town for a few months completing medical school rotations, and then he was out of town interviewing for residency programs. When he wasn't home, I had a lot of down time. One silver lining to Ryan being gone so often was that I used that downtime to read as much as I could about this weird Paleo diet.

I absolutely thought the diet was weird and its advocates were a little nuts. But I knew I was frustrated with the current principles of health. I worried that if I wanted to stay at a healthy weight, I would have to run most days of the week, be hungry all the time, and fear anything with fat. That's depressing. After reading through many of the resources created by Mark Sisson and looking into other sources that discussed the ways in which the USDA botched the food pyramid, I decided to give the diet a try.

WHY I STARTED

I wasn't looking to lose weight. I don't have an auto-immune disease (a reason why many people switch to a Paleo diet). I just wasn't happy with being hungry, cranky, and jittery simply because I hadn't eaten a few hours after a seemingly picture-perfect breakfast.

Researching the Paleo/Primal diet provided me with answers. It explained why, after eating a healthy (and quite large) breakfast that I would be ravenous and weak a few hours later. It explained why we don't need nearly as many carbohydrates as the food pyramid (or the new "My Plate") recommends. It explained how fat became demonized and why consuming fat isn't what makes us fat.

I was a little worried that after a few weeks I would pack on a few pounds. Trading out plain cheerios and skim milk for scrambled eggs, bacon, and avocado seemed to make no sense at all. If I consume fat, I will get fat...right? Nope. Fat doesn't make us fat. It just doesn't. Fats are essential and satiating. Excessive carbs are not - we're not wired for them. And that's just fine with me because who doesn't love eggs and bacon?

FITNESS

I sometimes refer to the "paleo lifestyle" or the "primal lifestyle" in my blog posts. When I mention lifestyle, I'm generally referring to lifestyle changes other than food. Fitness is a big one. For a long time, cardio has been considered the king of fitness. The government even recommends 60 minutes of low impact cardio a day...that's ridiculous and unnecessary.  (If that system works for you, awesome. It's not feasible for most people and isn't necessary to be physically fit.) Strength matters just as much as cardio health, and it matters more as we age. Mark Sisson suggests the following: lift heavy things twice a week, sprint once a week, move throughout the day, and play games outside.  I like circuit-style workouts, the occasional trail run, and the occasional sprint. I also get bored easily, so I change things up frequently and won't do a workout if I know it'll be boring and unenjoyable.

WHY I'LL CONTINUE

Honestly, I find the Paleo diet fun. First of all, you get to eat FAT. And that's awesome. Second of all, I feel better. I do believe I have a sensitivity to grains because when I consume them in excess (like I did last weekend on our trip to San Antonio) then my digestive system is completely out of whack. I know a few studies have come out disproving the idea of gluten sensitivity. Well, they can call me and I can offer a detailed, TMI breakdown of how I know I have a sensitivity. 

It's also sustainable. This diet can be maintained for the rest of your life, and if you implement other aspects as well (like adequate sleep, stress elimination, and a varied exercise plan) then you'll see wonderful benefits.

CHEATS AND TREATS- the 80/20 rule

Life's too short to deny yourself foods you love, so I stick to the 80/20 rule.  Eighty percent of the time, I'm on point. Twenty percent of the time I may include foods that aren't officially Paleo. That system works for me. Going out to eat (which we view as a treat) and vacations are times when strict adherence is unneccessary. I'll try to make decent decisions when going out to eat (unless friends are in town...then it's time to celebrate!), but when we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii, all food rules went out the door. And that's fine because as soon as we moved to Houston after our honeymoon, things went back to normal.

So thanks for reading :) I wouldn't bother sharing (or creating a whole blog!) if I didn't think eating this way had the power to make a real difference in the way you feel each day. Yes, food has power :)

For more paleo/primal specifics, you can take a look at my Paleo/Primal page.
Other posts with helpful paleo information:

• Recipes
• Workouts
• It's not Just Meat and Leafy Greens
• The Paleo Conversation
• Why I Find Low-Fat Diets Useless
• Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping on the Paleo Diet

Questions: What are your honest opinions of the Paleo diet? Would you give it a try?

Good night!