Paleo update

I have been thinking about what I would write for this post all month now. I wasn't rehearsing what I might say, but was excited to know what information I would have to report. I challenged myself at the beginning of the year to eat Paleo for 90 days. I first heard of Paleo from my first Colorado trainer, Matt. Matt was awesome at kicking my butt, but eventually he left to start his own Crossfit gym. It is a little out of the way for me to go to, so I stick to Bally's but I did make it over for a few grueling Crossfit workouts. During one of our sessions Matt told me about a book called The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. I blew him off, I had my own plan. He persisted for a little while, but I was headstrong on my own ways.

Fast forward to fall of 2010. I was down 40 pounds for the year but struggling to get weight off around my midsection. 40 pounds was only one pant size. I was frustrated, tried changing up my diet, even trained for and ran a half marathon and the tummy wouldn't budge. Meanwhile one of my favorite clients, Laurie, started dating a guy named Steve who is a competitive Crossfitter. He runs a blog, stevepaleo.blogspot.com, so I set to check out her now hottie boyfriend. You should check him out too, he's nearly 50 and FIT. But oh, that darn Paleo again! She started eating this way and raved about the delicious food. Then there was my client Maria. The first time I did her hair, she had just come from a Crossfit workout. We chatted about Crossfit and then she asked me if I ate "Paleo." I got a little curious and asked her a few questions. It's a higher fat diet, it eliminates grains and dairy, and really anything that's processed. During one visit I asked her what her doctor had to say and she informed me that she is a doctor herself! 3 against 1, I toyed with the idea until Maria told me straight about a patient that was prediabetic, held weight around her middle, and the prescription Maria gave her was to read and live The Paleo Solution. Her next visit she was no longer in the diabetes danger zone, and while she hadn't really lost weight, she was down 4 dress sizes! I was sold, and bought the book that day.

I read the book, took in way too much information, but figured out what I needed to do to adapt the lifestyle. Robb informs you that it is good to know why you're doing it, but to give it at least 30 days and see how you feel. I was up for the challenge and decided that I would shoot for 3 full months. I was nervous about my ravenous sugar cravings, my love for cottage cheese, and my obsession with baking. So I baked myself silly, ate 38445 pieces of fudge at Christmas, and got rid of anything in my cupboards that might tempt me. So here we are, the very end of January. I did everything Robb told me to do. I even delved into reading Paleo for Athletes so I could learn how to boost my athletic performance.

Things I hate about diets: I am hungry, grumpy, moody, frustrated, CRAVE sugar (mostly cake for some weird reason), tired, upset, feel overwhelmed, and am looking for any excuse to call it a fail and get out of it.

Things I LOVE about the Paleo lifestyle: I am never hungry, everything is delicious, I have TONS of energy, I run faster, I recover faster, my skin is glowing, my eyes are whiter, I sleep better, and most of all- I dropped an entire size. My clothes are literally falling off of me.


Eating Paleo is THE EASIEST thing I have ever done. I never knew that I could feel so free from food. Although the diet is pretty restrictive (Fruits, vegetables, protein, nuts), I love that I can go to the produce section and pick out anything I want. I am learning new ways to cook, trying new vegetables, and learning that everything tastes better when you don't dull your taste buds with processed garbage. It takes a little more planning and preparation and even costs a little bit more money, but it is worth every minute and every penny. I am so excited to continue to eat Paleo, and know that it will help me DOMINATE my marathon in May!