I am definitely not an expert dieter. I'm actually a quite terrible dieter - I always give in to the bread passed around at a restaurant or the freshly baked cookies inside of a grocery store or a sandwich shop. Anything carb-heavy is my weakness (along with any sort of mixed alcoholic drink).
So when I signed up for this DietBet, I knew that if I had access to cookies & bread & pasta - and alcohol - it would be game over for me. Because while all of those things taste good, they are heavy in carbs and low in nutritional content. Meaning, they aren't doing much for me except helping me pack on the pounds.
Because of this, I decided that the only way to stick to a certain regime would be to follow the Paleo rules somewhat closely.
Paleo has the reputation of being...
- expensive
- hard to follow
- confusing
- restrictive
- probably a lot more
Some of those are certainly true, to an extent. Paleo can be expensive, and it is hard to follow - mostly if you don't really know what you're doing.
I tried Paleo one time about maybe ~8 months ago, and gave up halfway through because I was constantly on the go, I had no prior experience with managing Paleo, and my desire for bread outweighed my desire to lose weight. It was confusing for me.
I've gained weight since then, and have learned more about Paleo along the way. Because of that, this was my new approach to starting this month.
Loosely defined (for me - it can differ among people), Paleo includes non-processed:
- meats
- nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.)
- eggs
- fruits
- vegetables
- only certain oils (such as olive oil or coconut oil)
- honey
I cannot have:
- dairy (milk, cream, butter)
- gluten (bread, oats, barley)
- peanuts
- potatoes or corn (high in starch; they may technically be OK on Paleo, but I'm trying to lose weight)
- added sugar
- soy
- beans
- alcohol
It's all based upon research regarding how our body processes food, and what causes inflammation and certain food-related diseases. To understand all of this more thoroughly, I recommend the book Whole30 (I think that's what it's called. It may be called The 30-Day Challenge Paleo or something).
Does it sound miserable? Yeah. It can be, if that's how you approach it - that's how I approached it the first time. But I'm trying to make the most out of the experience. Just because food has to be healthy doesn't mean that it has to be bland or just mediocre.
I can use as many spices and seasonings (careful to make sure that they don't include sugar) that I want to. I can use olive oil and coconut oil to fry or sear, and I have my full choice of meats - which includes bacon.
Not to mention, there are so many Paleo recipes online. SO many! I have on my list to make next: Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Banana Nut Muffins, Buffalo Chicken Soup, Chili, and even Paleo Cornbread to accompany my chili. And no, they're not all made out of purreed cauliflower or smashed tofu or blended beets. The majority of baked goods are the same as normal, just with different oils and flours - for example, almond flour, coconut flour, and coconut oil. The moisture in the muffins comes from ingredients like eggs or applesauce. They can be sweetened with honey.
It's working for me because, for the most part, I like it. I like the way my food tastes, I like having a variety to choose from for every meal. (Any vegetable I want, any meat I want. Salad or no salad. Crafting my own dressings based on how I want it to taste. Still having the freedom to bake.)
I will confess that thusfar I have 3 cheats:
- I put half and half in my one cup of coffee in the morning. I know that this is not at all Paleo, but it is the only dairy I allow myself, period. I make sure to get organic, pure half cream, half milk from Whole Foods, with no other ingredients added. It's still not Paleo because it's not raw, but if this is my primary vice, I'm okay with that. In terms of weight loss, it's only maybe adding ~30 calories to each day.
- I bought this Mango sorbet by talenti (sp?) at the grocery store. It's mostly mango and water, with added sugar and xanthan gum - that's it. I don't think the xanthan gum is Paleo (though I could be wrong on that one) and the added sugar definitely is not. But looking at the label, as half of the pint contains 130 calories, it doesn't seem to have too much added sugar. I have this so that at night when I get a sweet tooth, I can have maybe 3-4 spoons of the gelato and feel better - having only added maybe ~20 calories to my day. To me, this is a nice compromise when I get that feeling like I just HAVE TO HAVE dessert.
- Popcorn: not paleo. Even if you're a Paleo-follower that thinks corn is O.K., the canola oil that is inside the bag is not okay. Neither is the fact that it's processed. The reason I allow this one is because, again, it's in small quantities, it's not anything major (like a loaf of bread or a cinnamon roll), and one entire bag of kettle corn is like 100 calories or something. In terms of weight loss, I will allow this as a snack. And since I don't snack on this every day, it's not a major road bump. There are just some days where I don't want to eat any more nuts or fruits and I really need something to tide me over until dinner.
So, that's what I've been following. I should say too I'm trying as best I can to run/walk/jog a couple of times a week and do an in-home strength challenge that I found on Pinterest and adjusted to fit what I'm looking for. In combination, all of this seems to be working.
Anyway, all this to say, I started at 161.4 pounds on Day 1, and weighed in at 157.8 this morning.*** I did not expect to shed the weight so quickly - I'm almost expecting to be flagged. But it's real, I promise all of you. In fact, probably half that weight is what the alcohol I was consuming was maintaining - Ha!
I hope this has been helpful to whoever opened this and read this. I am truly, honestly, fighting for all of us. I know the self-esteem hit that weight gain can take, and I know the joy of reaping the rewards of fighting hard to lost weight.
One thing I will end on, as it is SO important to remember this: You are NOT your weight. You are an individual person, uniquely gifted and talented by the Creator of the Universe, who has a weight. It is not who you are - it is not what defines you. You have more to offer the world than a number on a scale.
xoxo
c
***This number is my personal number, based on how I feel, my height, my BMI, and how I used to weigh the majority of my high school and college years (30 pounds less). It is not bad to weigh 160 pounds, it is not bad to weigh more to weigh less. Your journey may look different than mine. I am not condeming the number - I am trying to be transparent with my goals and my current numbers. Your goals, numbers, and ideal weight are likely different than mine, as they should be. You are fighting for what is best for you, and I am fighting for what is best for me. Please don't hear me saying here that "160 is fat" or "160 is unacceptable" etc. - I'm not saying that. For me, this number is above where I want to be based on my body & my conditions, so I'm fighting for it to be lower. You are the only one who can decide what is best for you.