The Paleo Switch

I'll try to keep this brief and on point...we'll see how it goes.

My switch to Paleo happened after already losing a significant amount of weight. I was overweight before I got married, was overweight when I found out I was pregnant with Cave Baby, and gained a substantial amount of weight during my pregnancy. I lost 30 pounds within a week or two of having Cave Baby, but I never managed to lose the rest of the pregnancy weight, let alone the extra weight I was carrying around before Cave Baby ever existed.

I was fat. And tired. And my back hurt all the time. I was sick of it. I thought I was eating healthily, I knew I wasn't exercising, and I was (and still am) very into being "green" and homeopathic remedies, etc. Because of my interests in green living and the like, I used cloth diapers for Cave Baby, which led me to www.diaperswappers.com. On their site they have all of the information you could ever need about cloth diapering from some really awesome and helpful women. Also on that site are a ton of forums not related to cloth diapering. One forum is "Healthy Living and Weight Loss." I bit. And I am so, so grateful that I did. Because of the support and advice on that site, I decided to start Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Again. I'd done about four days of it earlier that year, and then gave up. With the amazing support of the women on the message board, I stuck with it. And then I started the Couch to 5K program. And then I started counting calories. I was losing weight faster than imaginable! From Mid-July to December I lost about 60 pounds. Sixty.pounds.

In January, I posted something on FB about soy noodles. Matt, the owner of Survival Fitness, commented on it, and after a bit of back and forth, he suggested Paleo. I'd never heard of such a thing! But I knew Matt knows what he's talking about and I know he gets results (I started at SF the next month, btw). Thus began my Paleo journey. I threw calorie counting out the window (which I was TERRIFIED to do. Terrified.), and began eating like a cave woman. Between Paleo, and more importantly, I think, Survival Fitness (which is extended Crossfit), I have gained an enormous amount of strength and muscle. I've only lost an addition 10 pounds, but I know I've gained at least 3 times that in muscle mass.

I was really nervous, making the Paleo switch, not only because of calorie counting (did I mention I was TERRIFIED to stop counting calories?), but also because it seemed like such a restrictive diet! No pasta? No bread?! No CHEESE?! No problem! I was really worried about it. I'd tried South Beach once a year or two prior and failed miserably. I was miserable and hungry the entire time. I had cravings that I can't even explain. But the switch to Paleo was effortless. Trust me, that was a big surprise to me! I was actually planning on failure (please don't ever do that. Planning for failure is the absolute dumbest thing ever and 99% of the time is a self-fulfilling prophecy). But as I spent all of my free time googling Paleo recipes and browsing http://www.everydaypaleo.com's site, I found that I not only didn't have any weird cravings, I also really enjoyed it. I also saw my energy levels almost immediately sky rocket, which was fantastic. And then, after a couple of months of making Paleo meals for myself and SAD (standard American diet) meals for Cave Baby, it dawned on me that she would benefit from Paleo as well. That it wasn't fair for me to exclude her from this healthy way of eating just because it would be challenging.

So I did it. She still gets a sippy of milk each morning, and I can't control what she eats when she's at her Dad's house. But when she's in my care she eats Paleo. We discuss Paleo, what is good for our bodies, what isn't good for our bodies, why, etc. She's suffered from digestive issues since birth, and Paleo has really helped with that. When she's in pain and struggling, she now says "It hurts because I ate....." and tattles on whatever non-Paleo food (generally it's a gluten-containing food that causes the problem) she had with her Dad, and knows that it is the reason she is having difficulty. She's two and a half.

The transition with Cave Baby has not always been easy. But it has been worthwhile. She has to try everything I feed her. Not eat it. Try it. If she doesn't like it, that's fine, but she MUST try it. She has spent a lot of time in time out during meal times. And it's a bummer. And it's hard. But it's WORTH it. She went from eating primarily grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eating a ton of meat, more fruit that she used to, and ::gasp:: vegetables! That child would not TOUCH vegetables when I started her on Paleo. And now she actually asks for them. Asks.for.them. Her treats are 70+% dark chocolate, fruit, Lara bars (we have a stash, but I also make them), etc. I do bake Paleo baked goods for her. She's cute. And not trying to lose weight, so I don't see the harm. But she sticks to Paleo. I make her Paleo bread so that she can still have sandwiches sometimes...almond butter and no-sugar-added jelly on Paleo bread is one of her favorite foods. She's always thrilled when that's an option. That's another thing! I like to give her options. If I give her 2-3 choices, she's more invested in what I'm making. Sometimes I just say "What would you like for dinner/lunch/etc?" and she gives me an answer, but I often give her a few things to choose from and go from there.

Phew. That, friends, is my journey into Paleo-hood. =)