Oh. Hello, Paleo.

What?!  No frosted mini-wheats for breakfast?  No sweetened/flavored creamer in my coffee? No more *gasp* sandwiches?  Or even wraps?  Or hot out of the oven fresh baked rolls?  Oh.  Hello, Paleo.  So, I get to eat bacon? And I’m allowed to saute my spinach in the bacon grease? And eggs get a green light?  Oh! Hellooo, Paleo!  And while I am on the subject:  whipped coconut cream over berries, where have you been hiding my whole life? Yep, I’ve just taken the dive down the rabbit hole (or should that be caveman’s cave?) that is Paleo living.  If you haven’t heard of “paleo” you might be living in a rabbit hole, yourself.  Just kidding.  I hadn’t heard the word Paleo 2 months ago (unless you count 8th grade science class).  But seriously, I am not qualified to give you the details.  A quick google search will provide you with a couple bazillion websites, many of which will contradict all the others, each of which will tell you theirs is the only correct way of doing things, but all of which can give you a better rundown of the philosphy and history of the Paleo diet and lifestyle than I can.

In a nutshell the diet is based on eating natural foods that the human body was designed (evolved) to eat and avoiding foods that were never meant to go in our bodies.   Makes sense to me!  The details of exactly what is and what is not ok on a Paleo diet have some gray areas depending on where you decide to get your information.  I am not here to debate the merits of any one side.  But, I am scientist (biochemist) by training (if not in practice) and so when I started looking into the Paleo diet, I researched it.  A lot.  And I read as much info as I could find on the cold hard facts behind the ideas, rather all the “opinions” that are out there on what the diet “should” be for this or that reason.  Without boring you with any details, suffice it to say that I have settled on following (mostly) the advice and information on Chris Kresser’s website http://www.chriskresser.com which from my research differs from some of the more “hardcore” or “strict” Paleo diets in that it emphasizes (good!) fats and also allows for dairy (assuming the individual tolerates it well).  The basics are as follows:  Eat high quality (grass-fed) meats, lots fresh vegetables, and “good” fats and avoid all grains, legumes, sweeteners, processed or refined foods, industrial seed oils and (for now) dairy.  Other things like nuts and fruits can be eaten in moderation.  I give this information simply as a background for what I am embarking on.  I am not endorsing or recommending the site and I certainly am not looking for any debates on the “right” vs “wrong” paleo diet.   The purpose of this blog is simply to chronicle my experiences on this new (for me) adventure and see where it leads.

As of this writing, I am exactly one week and 2 days into the initial 30 day “reset” phase of the diet.  I told you, I am a newbie!  And so far the journey has been at once exhilirating (I just lost 5 pounds eating bacon for breakfast, what?!)  and tedious (I actually have to COOK all these meal…like with a stove not a mirowave.  Yeah, I know, right?)  For the record.  I am not  a cook.  For real.  Not. A. Cook.  I’ve survived the first 30+ years of my life with probably less kitchen time than the average house mom puts in in a week.  Ok, so that might be a slight exageration, but seriously, I think the biggest adjustment this past week has been getting used to the idea that I have to cook.  Well, that and the sugar cravings…Wait!  Don’t think about sugar, don’t think about sugar, don’t think about…They tell me this will stop, I am not sure I believe them.  Anyway, back to my point.  Yeah, I have to cook.  A lot.  Over and over.  It never ends.  I eat all the left overs, but then when they are gone?  Yep, time to cook some more.  Mom, how did you guys survive without prepackaged frozen food?  Seriously though, I am a scientist.  I know how to follow a lab protocol, so I know how to follow a recipe.  I haven’t burned down the house yet.  And I’ve only had to throw out one pot of bone broth (Don’t ask.)  My husband even says he likes my “cooking”.  And honestly, 95% of what I’ve made has turned out great and I’m kind of excited about my new kitchen skills.  I have tried more new dishes in the last week than I probably did in the last year prior.  And that has been pretty fun.  Well, it would be fun if someone else had been cooking them.

The other really hard part this first week has been the sugar cravings.  Oh wait.  We are not going to talk about those.  It only makes the pain of loss worse.  We won’t talk about it until the pain goes away.  Which may be never.

On a happy note.  I really did lose 5 pounds in a week.  Maybe it was water weight, maybe it was muscle, maybe it was an empty colon  (TMI??)  I don’t know.  All I know is that my scale has had roughly the same number on it since a few months after my second daughter was born and two days ago it was 5 pounds less.  To be clear, I did not start the Paelo diet to lose weight.  I came to it out of a desire to start eating in a healthy, natural way and of all the “natural” diet fads out there right now, this one made sense.  I actually decided to keep a close tab on my weight because I was a tad worried about the possibility of gaining weight.  Despite the fact that my previous diet was not the most healthy (pre packaged? yes please)  I did always try to keep it low cal and low fat.  And for the most part I am happy with my current weight.  So when this diet plan was telling me I would be better off eating bacon and eggs for breakfast rather than my usual frosted mini-wheats with skim milk, I decided I had better check-in every now and then and make sure things weren’t headed in the wrong direction.  I remain a bit skeptical about the weight loss I have seen.  Time will tell if it is legit and permanent or not.

And so, with a spice rack filled with things I’d never heard of 2 weeks ago,  a cupboard sadly lacking in any kind of sweet decadent chocolate, and heart full of anticipation, my journey begins.  Let’s see where it leads.  Oh.  Hello, Paleo.  It’s nice to meet you.  Let’s take a walk, shall we?