First asparagus of the season!
These days, I’m eating a modified Paleo diet and am really happy with how it is going. For six days out of the week, I am not eating dairy, fruit, grains of any kind, refined sugar, or almost any processed food.
Mostly, I stick to healthy proteins (local eggs, sustainable fish, Smart chicken) and vegetables. A lot of vegetables. The only “processed” foods I’m currently eating are the good kind of processed: sauerkraut, pickled veggies, and Bragg’s apple cider vinegar (with the “mother”).
Technically, I’m following Tim Ferris’s slow carb diet, but I’ve made a couple of modifications to it, so it’s really just a paleo diet. The big part of Tim’s plan that I am doing is the 7th day Cheat Day where I can go back to eating whatever crazy junk food I might desire.
Why am I doing this when I vowed to never diet again?
Because I don’t feel good. I’m just coming out of the most stressful season of my year when I was eating mostly quick processed foods. I had chronic heartburn, a new problem for me, and felt bloated and tired all of the time. I had strong sugar cravings and had returned to a daily 32 oz dose of Coke to get through the day. Ugh.
And honestly, the size I am right now doesn’t feel good. I don’t feel strong and healthy and am worried that doing a lot of cardio right now could actually hurt my body. I want to complete a triathlon this year, but want to lose some weight first before I really get going with running again.
I know where my goal weight is and it’s not what is recommended on some ridiculous BMI chart. I remember being comfortable in my skin and pleased with my appearance when I returned from Paris after living there for two years. I had been walking up to five miles every day and was eating a pretty healthy French diet.
Why Paleo?
Well, I’ve always sort of suspected that I have food intolerances for dairy and/or wheat. I’ve struggled with sinus infections and seasonal allergies and food cravings for years. By cutting out all dairy and grains, I can see how I feel with and without these foods. I’m hoping that I’ll discover that I can eat these foods in small quantities at least.
Why the cheat day?
I switched from a seriously bad diet to a strict protein + veggies diet in one day – pretty extreme. It’s the best move for me because I don’t want to have to remember what foods I’m allowing myself to eat and what foods I’m cutting out. I need the decision-making process to be easy. But the cheat day gives me a chance to still eat some of the things I know I’ll miss during the week. Like Cinco de Mayo is coming up this Sunday. I love Mexican food and would love to have a couple of margaritas and tacos to celebrate. And I can! It’s like the escape valve on a pressure cooker.
One of the awesome things I’ve read about diets recently is that all diets work … for someone. At the moment, this plan seems like the best fit for me.
