It's been 9 weeks since I delved into the Paleo world. While I did find some benefits, it's not for me.
Paleo Benefit #1: Better Sleep
I have always been a light sleeper. I usually toss and turn all throughout the night. Every time I would wake up, I would look at the clock, which only made it worse. I got a fitbit which has a sleep tracking function, and I found that I actually wake up an average of 24 times a night... That's insane.
Paleo actually did help me sleep better. I decided to stop looking at the clock when I woke up, which helped me fall back asleep faster. I also found myself waking up far less often, with many more nights where I slept the entire night.
Paleo Benefit #2: More Energy
Ever since I went to college, I have always been a coffee drinker. Every morning, I have at least one cup of coffee. It was just how I started my day. For a long time, I thought I needed it to function. In reality, it was more of a habit than an addiction.
When I went Paleo, I had to cut out coffee because I only like coffee with processed, sugary, dairy filled creamer and Splenda. When I cut out coffee, I found that I actually had MORE energy! I didn't need the caffeine to survive, and my natural-morning-person personality kicked in. I started each day with plenty of non-caffeine-induced energy!
Typical Paleo Benefits I Didn't Experience
1. Clearer Skin
- I have never really had skin issues anyways, so I didn't expect to see a change in my skin. And I didn't.
2. Less Headaches
- I've just got issues in this realm. My primary doctor has treated me, I've got to a neurologist, I have a bajillion prescriptions... Yet I still have headaches entirely too frequently. That's a completely different topic, but my point is: Paleo did NOT help with my chronic headaches.
3. Weight Loss
- This is the big one. This is the main reason I decided to give the Paleo lifestyle a try. To be honest, the biggest draw was the fact that I didn't have to count calories. As long as you're eating Paleo approved foods, you can have as much as you want! The bad news is I was still trying to lose weight, and by rule, it is physically impossible to lose weight when you consume more calories than you burn.
Here's what I did wrong when approaching Paleo as a weight loss diet:
• Eating too many calories (even though they were Paleo approved foods). I haven't NOT counted calories in so long, I was pumped to not have to anymore! I just took it too far. Almond butter is good for you - in moderation. Unfortunately, I only paid attention to the "good for you" part and ignored the "in moderation" part.
• Eating too few vegetables. One of the biggest components of a Paleo diet is fresh vegetables and leafy greens. I ate neither. The only vegetable I really like is green beans, which is ironically not technically Paleo. I wasn't eating enough vegetables, and instead, I was...
• Eating too many fruits. Fruit is also good for you - in moderation. I love fruit! What I love about fruit (and what pushes it towards the "unhealthy" range) is that is it full of natural sugar. A banana or an apple is good, but a banana and an apple and strawberries and applesauce and a larabar (made of dates and other fruits and nuts) EVERY SINGLE DAY is not. Unfortunately, that's exactly what a typical day looked like for me.
• Not working out. Anyone knows you can't lose weight without working out. Especially when you're eating a diet filled with sugary carb-loaded fruit and unnecessary amounts of nuts and nut butter. When I went Paleo, I quit working out. I have no idea why, but I did.
So where do we go from here?
I woke up this morning, stepped on the scale, and weighed in at 142.0 pounds. That puts my BMI at 23.7 ("healthy" is 18-25, ideal is around 21).
I still have a weight goal of 125 pounds. I weighed 126 pounds on my first day of college and 128 pounds on my wedding day, so I know this is a healthy weight for me. I'm more concerned with how I look than the number on the scale, so that will be my guide rather than just my weight.
Here's my plan to get there:
1. Eat a modified Paleo diet.
I like the premise of Paleo. The problem for me was that I cut out healthy dairy snacks (an ounce of cheese) and replaced it with sugar-loaded fruit (larabars, bananas, apples) and too much fat (500 calories worth of almond butter a day).
What I'll Keep:
• (Mostly) no grains.
• No sodas or alcohol.
• Nothing processed (except breakfast bars such as Zone Bars or Balance Bars).
What I'll Change:
• Add dairy back in. I won't eat dairy as a condiment (a slice of cheese on a burger, shredded cheese on taco salad, etc.), but I will add back healthy dairy snacks. I'll eat cottage cheese instead of Lara bars, and an ounce of cheese instead of another apple with almond butter.
• I'm also giving myself 3 cheats a week. Not 3 cheat DAYS. Not even 3 cheat MEALS. Just 3 individual cheats a week. This could be a beer with dinner, dessert, or a slice of bread. If I go out to eat and have bread, pasta, and dessert, I blew through all 3 cheats in one meal.
2. Work Out!
I'm cracking down on the exercise! I'm planning to start running again, and have a schedule to work up to 8 miles by Thanksgiving. I'm also adding in yoga once a week and weight training three times a week.
3. Stop Making Excuses
There's a saying I've seen all over the Internet lately that will become my mantra.
"If it's important to you, you'll make the time. If it's not, you'll make an excuse."
4. Hold Myself Accountable
I'll be tracking my daily caloric intake and exercise, and to lose the weight I want, I need a 1000 calorie deficit each day. I'll track it on my fitbit app and post it here.
My health WILL be important to me. I will work hard, eat right, and hold myself accountable for my results. God willing, I should be at my target weight by Thanksgiving.
Cheers to fresh starts!
