Not sure where to begin or what to say. This is my first blog. I've read plenty through the years but never had anything to write about, besides silly stuff no one cares about. The same could be said about this jibberish, oh well. I registered this blog last weekend and have been trying to figure out where to start, so I am just jumping in. Warning: I talk about poop. Not graphic, just the frequency. Not too bad, but don't say I didn't warn ya!
So why Paleo? Because I am an impulse buyer, can't lie. Wish I could say otherwise, but it is the truth. Also, I am fat and need to lose weight. I saw a blog posting on Running Naked on Sharp Pointy Stuff where Krista was talking about being on a Paleo diet for 9 days at the time. I heard of Paleo diet recently somewhere, not sure where, but I figured I would look it up on the wonderful internet. So one of the first things I read was this diet was dairy and gluten free. OMG! That got my attention right away. I am lactose intolerant, and have horrible bowel issues. So then I checked out the link to Robb Wolf's book that Krista had and started reading reviews. I was skeptical, some of the reviews were written before the book was out. But then I started reading a couple blogs and was intrigued. I sent an email to my wife with a link to Robb's book and figured she would think it was just another crazy stupid email my husband sends me daily. 20 minutes later I get an email back that she is very interested in it and ready to order that book and this recipe book.
At this point, I am ready to try this diet. I am finding cool recipes on the internet and good tips on how to eat, etc. But then I start to dig deeper and really absorb what this is about. It's not a diet, diet's fail. I know, I tried one last year. I forget what I did, maybe tried to track points with Weight Watchers or something like that. I lasted 3 days if that. The Paleo diet is a lifestyle change. I'm not going to sell it, figure it out on your own if you are interested. But for me, it is about no more dairy, grain, most beans. No more pasta, even though I love it, it makes me feel blah.
Most importantly, no more processed foods. The more I read, the more I realized this is a big commitment. No more sugars, artificial or otherwise unless from fruit. I started drinking diet pop a couple years ago. No more Lo Carb Monster Energy, on and on. This is a BIG FRICKING commitment. But I am getting excited. Why?
Because of my digestive tract. I promise this will be the only time I talk about bowel movements, at least the frequency. As long as I can remember as a young adult in college, I have horrid bowel movements. I self-diagnosed myself as lactose intolerant. I go to the bathroom for #2 3 times before I leave in the morning for work, I feel like I have no control of my movements. When they come, I need to pull over to the closest restroom. After every meal, whether it was Chipotle, Bob Evans, McDonalds and so forth, I am in the bathroom within 20 minutes doing #2. It's so bad, I HATE going out to dinner. Or if we go somewhere, I make sure it is someplace that is close to the house. If we are more than 5 minutes from the house, I stress about where we are going, and we don't leave after the meal until I go do my business. Sometimes twice. My wife knows I stress over it. But I don't think she ever knew until she reads this that I sometimes drive certain ways, including backroads, to make sure I drive by gas stations I know I can run into quickly. It sucks.
So any diet that helps with this, I am ready to try Arms Wide Open. My wife has finished Robb's book, I just started it, but I have read enough to know I will lose weight from eating and feeling healthy. But I am in this for the long haul as a lifestyle. We are doing the 30 day challenge Robb has in his book. I am aiming for 100% Paleo for 30 days. Then maybe I will cheat on occasion and have a Lo-carb monster, or a couple slices of pizza. But who knows.
So I am going to document the next 30 days on here, and hopefully longer. Thanks for reading, and leave a comment. Knowing I have people reading this blog, or following it, will help me stay motivated.
Good for you, Gamer!!! Sounds like this diet might be what you've needed all along. You're right. Its a serious commitment, but I've found if you're creative enough (and lets face it, there's some pretty incredibly tasting paleo recipes out there) you can get through it. You might be one of those people plagued with IBS like Robb Wolf talks about. If that's the case you have the most to benefit from this diet.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is doing it with me. Glad you got your wife on board. Its nice when you have full support from your spouse. My husband has lost around 6 lbs in 2 weeks. We both noticed we lost a ton of water weight right away. I think it had to do with all the bread, refined carbs and stuff our body was just squirreling away.
At any rate, glad you're giving it a shot. Don't give up and use it as an opportunity to explore new foods and veggies. BTW, Robb has a really yummy pancake recipe in his book. Top it with sliced bananas and you're golden.