httpMy Paleo JourneyI wouldn't preach about something that I didn't personally try and have great results with. That goes for my nutrition, supplements and several other areas of my life. Even so, I will not preach about these things since it's just not my style. If anyone chooses to listen to my weekly rants, I will leave that solely up to them. Surprisingly, there are actually a few of you.
My journey into a Paleo lifestyle evolved organically and has manifested over several years of training hard and eating "clean". Whatever "clean" means to you, I had my own idea that the lifestyle I was living was clean for me. When I minimized my grains and yes even whole grains (the so called healthy ones) I noticed a difference in my digestion and overall feeling better about myself. This has now been roughly 6 months time since going officially Paleo.
I've always been pretty lean, but eliminating grain such as ezekiel bread, crackers, brown rice and even oatmeal has made me feel even leaner and cleaner than previous. I am a mom so it wasn't uncommon to pick here and there at one of my kids plates when they've left chicken nuggets or fries.
Eliminating all the grain in my diet, good, bad and indifferent, has also eliminated the desire to sneak a bit here and there. Not that it would even matter much to my health or waistline, I just flat out do not want it. When you eliminate sugar, dairy and grain, you truly no longer crave these things. Now I certainly do eat sweets occasionally when the mood strikes because it's only about bettering yourself and not about being perfect. I follow an 80/20 rule where I eat well 80% of the time and treat myself about 20%. This includes pizza with my family on a friday night, a piece of cake at a birthday party if I want it, wine and so on. If I want it, I go for it. I don't tend to want it often and so when I do, I have it. No hard feelings. I don't have guilt about it because I know I do pretty well most of the time. I also don't want to have such a strong connection with food, that it is all I think about. I try to recognize when I feel hungry and decide it I truly am or just stressed or bored.
More than carbs or sweets of any kind, my wine is my weakness. Many will tell you, wine is just fine for Paleo folks. I like my wine and it seems to like me. When I can no longer have it and train hard the next day, it's out. When my 6 pack goes away, so does the vino. Simple enough for me. If I notice it's supremacy in any area of my life, I will eliminate it. It won't be easy because I really enjoy having wine and the entire experience of it. The extra calories are just something I try to figure in.
It's something I have read a lot on and discovered was for me. That is precisely why I will never preach to my friends that they should live this way. Though in fact, many are always asking what and why I eat this way or how to lose weight. I do find myself explaining it frequently. I've taken to suggesting certain books that I like. It's just a lot less redundant.
My husband discovered that I was cooking more than ever for him and even more colorfully and healthfully. He started feeling better as well. He didn't know there was even a name for what was happening. And truly, before I realized what I was doing had a name, I was already reaping great dividends from it and only just at the beginning of my journey.
In educating myself more about the Paleo diet, I have discovered why I am benefiting from this way of eating. I see a very slow yet definite shift change in how my kids are eating too. As they see us try new varieties of things, they have also hopped on board here and there.
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Live healthy,
Tiffany
JTG Nutrition
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