Why {strict} Paleo Isn’t For Me

Back in July of 2012, when I began CrossFit and strict Paleo I saw phenomenal results, as you well know if you’ve been following my journey. I also got to a point that, even though I felt like my nutrition wasn’t terribly “of track”, I began to stall and eventually regressed right back to where I began. It was frustrating and I thought for sure it was because I wasn’t eating “clean enough” but every attempt I made at cleaning up my diet again, I failed at. The Whole30, 21 Day Sugar Detox and plain ol’ strict Paleo were no longer something I was able to adhere to and I didn’t know why. It was frustrating and I found myself becoming the hopeless person I was before finding CrossFit and Paleo. Often times feeling, once again, as though I was destined to be fat forever.

I have been following Eat To Perform on Facebook for some time now and read their posts on the reg. I would conveniently ignore the parts that talk about carbs because I was still convinced that restricting carbs was my key to fat loss success. Well, a couple of weeks ago I decided I had nothing to lose(pun intended) in giving their program a try. So I signed up, got their e-books and devoured the Met-Flex(Metabolic Flexibility) one. It made me angry yet elated at the same time. It talks a lot about the need for carbs, as someone who does such high intensity activity such as CrossFit, and how restricting them can cause a whole host of issues, including weight gain after a big loss on Paleo(what?!), adrenal fatigue and thyroid issues, all of which I am experiencing. I was angry that it had taken me this long to be turned on to this information but ecstatic that I may have just found my key to sustainable fat loss. I took the following week to read the rest of the material and get prepared to do this thang! Last week I started the program and while I am taking my time easing into my macros, especially my carbs, as the program suggests, I am already noticing positive changes. The most notable is the quality of sleep I am getting. It had gotten to the point that although I was making sleep a priority, going to bed at a decent time and getting 7-8 hours a night, I was not waking feeling refreshed but rather I felt absolutely drained ALL the time(hello adrenal fatigue!). Since incorporating the appropriate amount of carbs, at the right times I feel so much better. I’m falling asleep with much more ease and am waking most mornings before my alarm clock! And best of all I feel refreshed and ready to start a new day.

I was hesitant to write this post just yet. What if I fail at this too??! Then I remembered why I started this blog in the first place 1) I want to be open and honest about both my struggles and victories so that my journey can help others know that fighting for their goals is worth it and 2) accountability! So here it is friends, the next step in my journey. It makes me a bit nervous as it’s practically the opposite of what I previously saw success with but I want to give my body what it’s telling me it needs(yay carbs!) and trust in the process.

Until next time….. xoxo

Sometimes Things Don’t Go As Planned{& That’s OK}

I began this year with every intention of completing a Whole90 but after about 11 days I began making little exceptions here and there so I technically only completed a Whole11. But guess what, that’s okay. Want to know why it’s okay? Because those 11 days set me up to succeed in living a life of balance. In the past I have been very much an all or nothing person, when it comes to my diet(I hate that word so let’s instead say nutrition). However, through making exceptions to the Whole30, making conscious decisions to eat things that weren’t Whole30 approved, I was able to practice a skill that I have never truly possessed- moderation. Prior to this round of the Whole30 program, when I have “fallen off the wagon” I would tend to binge eat, immediately feel guilty and then binge eat some more because I’d “already messed up”. Now, thanks to the mental shift the Whole30 helped me achieve, I am able to eat something that is less than healthy for me, not beat myself up for it and get right back to eating nutritionally dense food at my next meal. I’ve seen a little progress by maintaining this form of balance but am ready to reign it in even further. I had labs done at the end of January and learned that my thyroid and adrenals are a bit taxed. Additionally, I still have occasional carb and sugar cravings that I simply cannot resist, therefore I feel that doing a 21 Day Sugar Detox is my next logical step. Oh, also, I really want to finish out this 90 day challenge with my dad strongly! 😉 Again, stay tuned….

Day 6 {Trusting The Whole 30 Process}

According to this Whole 30 timeline I was supposed to feel über tired today but instead I felt the best I have felt yet, since starting my Whole 90, 6 days ago. However, I did feel ravenous and may have *slightly* binged on bananas with salted almond butter and dried fruit. But that’s neither here nor there. If that’s the worst thing I do on this program, I’m totes okay with it. (Yes I did just say totes and no, I’m not ashamed).

I’m someone who loves instant gratification and with the challenge I gave my father riding on my results I’m anxious to start seeing some changes in my body. They aren’t happening yet(that I can see) but I am trusting that they will come. And I’m trusting that there’s a lot more going on internally, not just physically but emotionally and mentally as well, that I am unaware of just yet. One positive change I have noticed is my skin is beginning to clear up and is looking more radiant. That’s certainly a welcome change. If this program clears my skin up, for the first time since puberty, I will be a Whole 30er fo’ life, son!

Stay tuned for more on how my Whole 90 is going and I promise there will eventually be some progress pics! ☺️

It’s On Like Donkey Kong

This week I spent Christmas at my parents home at the beach. I was really looking forward to seeing my dad who I haven’t seen in quite some time and spending quality time with both of my parents. Then in true dad fashion he began debating with me over the healthiness and effectiveness of the lifestyle I try to lead{Paleo + CrossFit}. He does this every. single. time I’m home it seems and it’s getting old. This time I feel he crossed the line when he told me 1) I refuse to think for myself and blindly follow “those people on the Internet”(not true) and 2) I have flabby arms. That second one hurt and is the one thing that I just can’t shake. I think it hurt so deeply because I know it’s true. I’ve already been beating myself up for how much I have allowed myself to regress, by not putting my health first over the past year. I’ve been lax and lazy and it shows. Now, I know my dad loves me and would never intentionally hurt me even still, that phrase was like a dagger to my heart. However, as hurtful as some of what he said was, the truth of the matter is I have done a pretty crummy job over the past year of “practicing what I preach”. I know how I should be eating and I’m always happy to talk about it but I haven’t been doing it consistently enough to see progress but rather have continued to gain back ALL that I had previously lost. So instead of being upset over our debate and the things that were said I’m choosing to use this as motivation to prove to him that this lifestyle is an incredibly healthy and sustainable way to reach and maintain optimal health and fitness. Instead of continuing to go round and round debating this issue with him, I presented him with a challenge. For three months, beginning January 1st and ending Match 31st, we will each follow what we think is the best, most effective way to shed fat and see who loses more inches(him from his waist and me from my hips). He will be counting calories while I will be following the Whole30 program and continuing to do CrossFit 3-4x/week. If nothing else I hope that this helps him see that this lifestyle isn’t a gimmick or fad but an extremely healthy and effective way to attain optimal health and fitness. The results will speak for themselves. IT. IS. ON.

When The Little Things Are Actually A Really Big Deal

Today was a breakthrough for me. I am very much an all or nothing kind of person. Back in July of 2012 when I went strict Paleo and saw amazing results I wasn’t able to maintain that lifestyle for more than a few months. Once I fell “off track” I never truly got back “on track” and over the next year and a half I gained back all that I had lost, including my lack of self confidence. I hate that it has taken me this long to decide I am worth living a healthy balanced lifestyle(again) but today the struggle feels worth it. Last night we hosted friends for dinner. We had taco salad and I was determined going into the evening to “stay strong” and not eat any tortilla chips. But I eventually decided it was worth making an exception to have chips with the delicious guac I had made and the salsa we got from our favorite local Mexican restaurant. Plus, our friends had brought GF brownies and ice cream. So I also indulged in a small brownie and a couple small scoops of ice cream. Here’s where I felt the breakthrough happen. Although I felt overly full I did not allow myself to feel guilty and I committed to go straight back to eating nutritious foods, that support my goals, today. This morning I resisted getting white chocolate in my Americano and when I got home from church I opted for a bunless burger with homemade coleslaw for lunch, instead of eating more chips with salsa, like I was briefly tempted to. To some this may sound silly or like common sense but this is something I have struggled with my entire life. Finding balance between leading a healthy lifestyle to help me reach my goals and still being able to truly enjoy an occasional treat is a habit that I must learn and I feel like today was a huge step in the right direction.

A year later….

So, here I am a year later and exactly where I was nearly a year ago when I wrote my last post here. It’s been a year of not taking my health or my goals seriously, therefore I have seen no progress towards where I want to be. I’ve heard the term “analysis paralysis” before and today I realized that’s my problem…. I keep searching and researching, hoping to find the “holy grail” of fat loss that allows me to still eat whatever I want. I get so confused and overwhelmed at the contradicting info I come across that I can’t move forward. Here’s the deal: I’ve done this before and seen great success. I have the tools, I just need to put them to use. I came across my old progress pics today and was so angry at myself! WHY have I let myself go for so long and why is it so tough to “get back on track”? It simply comes down to do I truly want this? If so(and I do!), I need to just take it back to the basics, practice what I preach, eat real food that supports my goals and give my all in the gym, consistently. Remaining where I am is not an option. I’m not happy and will not be until I am living a healthy and fit lifestyle. I’m determined to finish 2014 out much differently than 2013, so that I don’t have to make that a New Year’s resolution! Who’s with me?

Sometimes it takes hitting the bottom(again), in order to move forward.

It’s been just over six months since my last post and in that post I shared how I had been struggling, with getting back on track, nutrition wise and I’m disappointed to say that I’m still struggling. I’ve completely lost my focus, which was and should be my health. It’s been close to a year of on-again-off-again Paleo/Primal eating for me and in that time I have learned something about myself and my body. It is necessary for me to be VERY strict in what I eat and not deviate from primal foods, otherwise it is an extremely slippery slope. Not only does this cause my progress to halt but it eventually leads to me regressing. Two days ago, I saw my side view, in a full length mirror, and it made me sad. I have regressed so much and while I knew I had started to gain a little bit back, I did not realize just how much progress I had lost. I feel almost as though I am right back to where I started and that makes me feel pretty downright discouraged. However, another thing I have learned on this journey is that I have the tools and knowledge I need, to break those poor habits and start creating healthy ones *again*. I chose to not wait until the New Year to do so. Instead, I commit to breaking the cycle and “getting back on track” today! This also, will hopefully mean more consistent blog posts…. 😉 I want to share all of the ups and downs I go through, in hopes of helping others. Sometimes it feels like I’m the only one living this lifestyle, who experiences these struggles. I know that can’t be the case but I want to be sure I am transparent in my journey, so that others who have these times of “weakness” know they are not alone. ENJOY the journey, setbacks and all! Consider your setbacks an opportunity to reflect on your journey and learn something about yourself.

Here’s to finishing out 2013 on a positive foot!

Let’s Talk Struggles.

I’d be lying to you if I told you that this journey has been easy peasey. Yes, it’s been fun, rewarding and “easy” for the most part and I am l truly enjoying it. However, the fact that I have literally done a 180 in my lifestyle, guarantees I will encounter some battles along the way, between the person I used to be and the person I am becoming.

Let me start at the beginning. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. Ever since I can remember I have “watched what I ate”. Whether it was counting calories, counting points or eating what I thought were the “right” foods, I obsessed over what I ate for at least 19 years. That’s sad and that’s way too long. It makes me so angry that we as a society have gotten so far from what is truly healthy. We are constantly fed lies about what is healthy and what the proper way to fuel our bodies is. But that’s a whole different post, so I digress. Back to my story…. After 19+ years of trying different methods to lose weight and eventually failing at every single one, I was, to say the least, discouraged. I came to a point that I felt like I was destined to be overweight and unhappy forever and I almost gave up. But then, by the grace of God, I stumbled across Paleo and began reading others stories of how eating a Paleo diet had changed their lives. Each story very different but with a couple of common bonds. People were losing weight and drastically improving their health, almost effortlessly. Something finally clicked for me and I realized that if I wanted to see true and lasting change I needed to put my health first. So I did. I started eating Paleo and the fat literally began to melt off. After just a few months I joined a CrossFit gym and the results I saw were almost unbelievable. And the best part? It felt SO easy! I was enjoying the food I was able to eat, I FELT so much better and the supportive community I found at my gym kept me coming back, as often as my schedule would allow. So yes, it was “easy” for quite a while but then after about 4 months I fell “off track” from eating strict Paleo and have YET to really get back on. This has been the biggest struggle for me. I know exactly what I need to do but just can’t seem to do it. I keep allowing little exceptions  here and there and those eventually lead to multiple days of  eating whatever the heck I want. I have to make a conscious effort to NOT eat these foods and weed out the cravings. The authors of “It Starts With Food” (ISWF) refer to these foods as “food-with-no-brakes”. Processed foods are engineered to keep you coming back for more, time and time again, not to fulfill your nutrition needs. Due to the exceptions I continue to make my progress has come to a halt and I may have even begun to regress a little bit. It feels a little like I’m starting back at square one but I need to remember just how far I have come, in a short period of time and that I will get back on track and I WILL reach my goals. I want this blog to be an honest reflection of my journey. It seems to me that people talk a lot about how amazing and easy Paleo is but I rarely hear of people sharing their struggles, in this lifestyle. I have even thought that I shouldn’t share mine because I felt it was a sign I was weak. But I want this blog to be different. I want this blog to help others. Yes, Paleo is “easy” in the grand scheme of things but the brain is powerful and it takes dedication and time to rewire. I know that once I commit again whole-heartedly to eating the right foods the cravings will go away, I just need to DO it…… #JERF! (Just Eat Real Food).

Ten months ago even the thought of sharing my before and “after” photos would have absolutely humiliated me… But I have come so far in the past ten months, struggles and all, that I now love sharing them because I know that they can be an inspiration to others. I am still FAR from where I want to be and that gets discouraging at times but these pictures serve as a reminder that I WILL get there and probably sooner than I realize.

Dont’ give up, people! Keep pushing toward your goals. You will get there! “Without struggle there is no progress”. So true. So true.

 

The first change you need to make is your mindset.

I love this quote because I think it sums up this journey I’m on pretty spot on. We all experience setbacks, whether they are brought on by ourselves or others and how we react to those setbacks can either break us down or build up our character and strengthen us. I choose to use my failures and setbacks as life lessons, through which I can learn and improve myself on.

It’s been 9 months and 1 week since I got serious about my health and fitness. I joined a CrossFit gym and committed to (as close to) 100% Paleo as possible. I didn’t want the work I put in at the box to be in vain, especially because I thought I was GOING TO DIE during every single WOD and I knew that what I chose to eat was going to greatly impact the results I would see. I stuck with it very diligently for a little over 3 months but then a trip to North Carolina and Maryland sent me off track and the Holidays rolled around causing me to go even more off track. In all honesty, almost 6 months later I had yet to TRULY get back on track. My progress slowed then eventually stopped altogether, I may have even regressed a little. My mindset had settled back into it’s old ways. Instead of focusing on health I was again focusing on fat-loss  and my results were suffering from it. When I initially fell off track I was still consistently losing 3+ inches every 4 weeks, so I easily became unmotivated to make wise food choices. I felt like I was still making decent food choices, the majority of the time, but I wasn’t really being honest with myself and I was making many more exceptions than I realized. It’s easier to make exceptions when you’re only thinking of the “here and now” but when you think about how these choices are going to affect your health long-term, it makes it much easier to make the right choice. I turned 30 4 days ago, which was a bit of a reality check. At the beginning of this week I again committed to eating REAL food(meat, nuts, healthy fats, fruits and veggies), at least 90% of the time. I am already feeling better mentally and emotionally and hope that my progress will pick back up shortly. I have just shy of three months before my one year anniversary of CrossFit and Paleo and I really want to see some  significant progress between now and then. Changing my focus from fat loss to health and making sure I  give 110% in the gym is what really made a difference for me at the beginning of my journey and I want that mindset back!

It’s really pretty simple- choosing real foods and working out harder & smarter(not longer!) will get you the results you desire. Give it your all and be honest with yourself- are you REALLY giving it your ALL or are you giving the bare minimum, expecting major results?<— I’m preaching to myself right here! It’s time to take responsibility for my health again and give my body what it wants and needs!

Here’s to the next three months!

Stop making it so complicated!

Unfortunately, our society and fast paced lifestyles put too much emphasis on convenience and far from enough emphasis on health and nutrition. I’m going to try my best not to be *too* harsh in this post but I also want to be sure I get through to you. I by no means have it all figured out but I have learned a heck of a lot over the past 8 months of my journey. We have to stop kidding ourselves with this “everything in moderation” propaganda. I know doughnuts and pasta are delicious but they hold very little to NO nutritional value and the more you eat them, the more you want them, so it makes them VERY difficult to eat “in moderation”. Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, authors of “It Starts With Food(ISWF) refer to these kinds of foods as “food without brakes”. The reason being, they simply do not offer our bodies the nutrition they need, which keeps our stomach from signaling to our brain that we have what we need and should stop eating. This causes us to overeat, often times not realizing we are doing so, until it is too late and we are uncomfortably full. When you decide to put your health first and choose foods that offer your body proper nutrition (i.e. veggies, fruits, healthy fats and quality meat, fish and poultry) you are going to not only feel better but you will be naturally causing a calorie deficit and the fat will literally begin to melt away. People, including myself before finding freedom in this lifestyle, get so discouraged because they are working out regularly and eating their “recommended calorie intake” but not seeing much(if any) progress. That’s because they are not giving their body what it needs NUTRITIONALLY. Not all calories are created equal! I’m not saying you can never have (insert your absolute favorite food here) ever again but I am saying you need to take responsibility for your health and pick real foods the majority(90%) of the time. Sure, restricting how much you eat and doing excessive amounts of cardio may yield some weight-loss results but it will always feel like a struggle. You will ALWAYS feel deprived, in some manner. I know, I’ve been there. You’ve got to stop kidding yourselves and get serious about your health. YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Start working WITH your body, not against it, to achieve the body you want. Make REAL food choices that offer your body the nutrients it needs and that will improve your health. When you start giving your body what it needs you will begin to see the results you want! I promise. 🙂