I, like many women, gained a lot of weight during pregnancy, 30lbs the first time and 60lbs the second time. I started blogging in 2009 after stumbling upon Kath's blog. I lost the first 30lbs by reading her blog, adding veggies to my meals, and running occasionally. The 60lbs I gained with my son has been difficult to lose.
I love nutrition and I actually research it for fun. If you go back on my blog you will see I have been through many changes of pace searching for the best lifestyle for my family. I have dabbled in vegan and vegetarian diets. I have strictly counted calories, logged meal after meal, and made countless recipes. Mainly, I adopted the "all in moderation" diet.
At this point in my life, I don't know if it is my age or having a second child but all the weight I gained during my last pregnancy refuses to come off. That "all in moderation" diet stopped working for me. My weight went up and down for awhile. I had been battling those last 10lbs for awhile. Exercising more, limiting calories, increasing calories, lifting more weights, increasing cardio... Nothing seemed to work. I was pretty miserable mentally about it.
In August 2012, I was standing in line waiting for a class at the gym when I overhead two women talking about a "lean out" to get rid of some unwanted fat. I asked them what it was and they said you eliminate grains and dairy from your diet for a few weeks. I immediately started researching it on my iPhone during the class. The first thing that popped up? Paleo.
I pretty much did it cold turkey. At first it was kind of hard. Mostly because I didn't know what to eat. My meals used to revolved around carbs. Overnight oats for breakfast, a veggie sandwich on whole grain for lunch, and pasta with veggies for dinner. I use a 90/10 mentality on paleo. I strive to eat paleo 100% of the time. I leave that 10% open in case there is something I really want. Salad dressings, a small sprinkle of cheese, a cookie, a pumpkin spice latte ect... Leaving that little room for error makes it easier for me to stick to it. I have found that eating paleo is not easy. If your meals aren't balanced you won't have energy and you will be hungry sooner than you want to be. Plus it involves a lot of preparation to succeed. There's meal planning, label reading, and a lot of time spent in the kitchen.
There have been so many benefits to the paleo diet that I don't even know where to begin. Of course I dropped body fat right away so the way I feel about myself is more positive. My skin is perfectly clear and actually bright. My hair is growing fast and is the healthiest it's ever been. I'm able to add weight on rapidly at the gym during weight training. I can run faster and last longer during cardio exercise. I also don't think about food. Before paleo I used to think about every meal obsessively. I don't do that at all. I don't binge eat and I don't feel restricted.
Little by little I am getting better at it. I am learning to round out my meals with good fats, proteins, and veggies. Researching helps tremendously. I have listened to all of the Balanced Bites podcasts. I've read countless paleo blogs. I am now the owner of many paleo cookbooks. Most things I've learned though are through trial and error. I am not a dietician. I have no medical or nutritional training and I can't give any medical advice on paleo. All I can do is show how I eat and tell you how I feel.
Meet My Family
Squirrel
Little Buddy (LB):
The Husband:
