Living Paleo: A Lifestyle Change

I have a very good friend who is a certified nutritionist. I was going to come up with some different name for him, but let's call him Bobby, as that is his name. Bobby isn't just a regular old heath nut, he is a health nut who used to be very overweight, but is now in the best shape of his life. As with all people who have gone through a life changing experience, (be it a born again Christian, a huge weight loss, a recovering addict, etc.) he gets a little preachy now and then, especially to those who still have his old habits of eating (which is pretty much the majority of mankind). But I can't fault him, as he has come a long way, and looks amazing and has devoted his life to health and fitness, and more importantly improving people's lives.

In the past he has posted things on Facebook that make me want to throw my shoe at his face through my computer. I would sit there, eating my toast with peanut butter and yogurt in the morning and see on my Facebook feed something like "living your life by "points" may help you get thin, but it won't get you healthy. There is a difference," or " 'I actually eat pretty health' - No You Don't'." I'd roll my eyes and think about a snarky comment to make after his status, and go about my day eating my version of what I thought was healthy.

Or if I needed to lose weight I would fire up my Weight Watchers app and start counting points again. Bags of 100 Calorie chips would line my pantry, light this, and fat-free that stocking the fridge shelves. Six pounds would come off in a month, and as soon as I started eating like I was before, oh, how quickly that would come back on.

I knew what Bobby thought was "healthy" from talking with him, and seeing him eat in front of me. I knew he didn't eat carbs, didn't have sugar and gave up dairy. Yeah, there was no way in the world I was giving up my beloved bread, and cheese! Are you kidding me? I live for cheese. Or so I thought...

But then my husband and I decided to start eating Paleo (which is basically what Bobby has been doing since he lost all his weight) and living a Paleo lifestyle requires you eat a dairy-, carb-, gluten- and sugar-free diet. I figured I would indulge my husband and see how it was to eat this way for a few weeks, maybe a month, but for sure I would go back to eating the way I was before, or even start counting points to lose weight. How was I going to lose weight eating bacon and eggs? Or cooking with coconut oil? How was I going to survive without my pretzels? Or Pirate Booty? Or afternoon cheese and crackers?

Well, my friends, 30-days of eating Paleo has come and gone in a flash. Here I sit at my computer, 12 pounds lighter, and feeling absolutely fabulous. And you know what? I don't even miss my best friend Bucheron! I thought I would be dying for some cheesy goodness, but I don't have the slightest craving. I do still crave carbs every now and again, but a few nuts in my mouth (my husband is giggling at his desk right now) and I am good to go.

And it is taking every ounce of self control that I have not to turn into Bobby and take to Facebook telling everyone that they need to stop eating the way they are eating now and start eating healthy!! I now look back at all Bobby was saying and I want to give him a hug and say "why didn't you force me to listen to you back when you were preaching to me through facebook! You were talking to me weren't you!" I want to shout it from the roof tops that eating meat and vegetables, the way our bodies were intended to be fed, makes you feel great! It gives you energy! You can eat bacon and lose weight people!! I want to tell people to look at the labels on what they are eating - most of the man made crap that is in the processed food you eat is what is causing major diseases and health problems in the world today. If it didn't have a mother, or grow out of the ground - don't eat it it folks!

What I thought would be just a 30 day fling has turned into a lifestyle for my hubs and I, and hopefully soon we will be transitioning 3-year old M to a Paleo lifestyle too. We won't be nearly as strict with her as we are with ourselves, because we don't want her to miss out on the joys of being a kid and indulging every once in a while. That is not to say that we too won't indulge once in a while, but a piece of bread every 3 weeks or so will not kill us if we continue to eat this way every other meal of our lives. Next is to transition my parents to Paleo...

It is a revolution peeps...hop on the train and get healthy. Like Bobby said, you might think that you eat healthy but I am sure you don't.

Please don't throw a shoe at me through your computer.