What Is This Paleo Thing That You Are Talking About?

Hey you guys! It's great that you came to read what this paleo thing that I've been talking about for the last week is. So let's get to it.

Learn more about the Paleo Diet.

One week ago today, I changed my life. I had gained 60 lbs in just four years. I went from being 158, running/walking 11 miles a day in 2009, to 218 the beginning of 2013. What changed in four years? I was sick from basically the moment I got back from Hawaii in 2009 until they removed my gallbladder that May. In my heart, I believe, my body couldn't process all the processed foods I'd been eating anymore.
When you remove your gallbladder, it's much harder to properly digest your foods. There is no bile to emulsify the fat. So instead of nutrient absorption, I now gained the ailment known as dumping syndrome.
For four years, every time I ate, I dumped. Literally. Like clockwork. Ask my husband... he cracks jokes about it.

This is how it happened... My friend, Defender of the United States, made a few comments on facebook about what she was doing, and how good she felt. So I asked her what she was doing. She told me about a book she read, called The Paleo-Solution by Robb Wolf, and how she changed her lifestyle. We had heard of the Paleo lifestyle a while ago, but we wanted to keep breads and pastas in our diet. We just ate a little healthier, cutting out a lot of processed foods. --You know... the ones we "thought" were healthy, we kept. So I got the book the last week of tax season and we decided to make the change for our family the day after I was done with work for the season. ( I should also mention my other friend, Zeus and Athena's Mom, had made continuous posts about getting fit and being healthy and what she was doing.)

Basically, it's eating food that would have been around 10,000 years ago for the cavemen/women. Now you don't believe in cavemen. Ok... I give that to you. BUT they didn't have processed foods or refined sugar back then, right? They were lean, mean, fighting machines. Just watch the VIKINGS if you don't believe me. And those that weren't, died. Isn't that what we see today? A lot of sickness and ailments? Could it be because of all of these processed foods we've pumped into our bodies over the decades? I mean, I had clients this year that were in their 80s-90s ticking with no ailments. AND... I had clients in their 30s-40s going through cancer, spouses passing away, kids with autism, ADHD, ODD come into my office with no sign of hope in their face.

Are you still with me?

One week is officially over, and I nearly cried this morning when I saw the scale. I went from 215.4 last Tuesday 2/16 to 208.8 today 2/23. (I have not been below 210 for nearly 6 months.) NOW.... YES I know that healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week. However, I am doing a sugar/processed foods detox. I have cut out all sugar, including fruit. I cut out all processed foods. I have not had one glass of wine. (nor have I had more than one glass of wine.) I did not take weight loss pills. Did you do the math? That is SIX.SIX pounds!

What we HAVE had are meals like this...

Flank steak with peppers, spinach, and a few bread crumbs. The pin is here if you want the recipe. Yes... it has bread crumbs in it. Next time I will substitute with cauliflower that I have "crumbed" in the oven.

This is a pork loin, seasoned and grilled along with "mashed" cauliflower. Why I didn't use the vitamix to puree it is beyond me. Live and learn.

And this... This was probably my favorite so far. Roasted chicken breast/ chopped into pieces, mushrooms, avacado, cucumbers, romaine, uncured bacon and a dressing I made from here. It will be my substitute for ranch dressing. I think it tastes nothing like it, but it is so. so. so. yummy!

Our other meals include omelets with meat/veggies. I love carrots (It's where I get my sugar fix) and cucumbers so I will snack on them all day. Also, Thai chicken curry, chicken stirfry, and chicken with a carrot/pecan/peppers/bacon stuffing. (Perdue has the best chicken that we've found so far.) Also, J made a beef stew. Not chili because that has beans.

See.... I'm not starving myself. Most importantly, I am keeping hydrated. 6-8 12 ounces throughout the day. It's flushing out the fat. Can you believe that? It's awesome!

So that's what this whole "Paleo" thing is. There are a ton of resources on that chart. I, like the Defender of the United States was for me, will help you any way I can. Pinky-promise. So ask any questions you'd like.

Wishing you the best!

Miss T