Day 1 - Wish Us Luck! (by Erin)

I've been hearing about the Paleo diet for several months now, and figured it was just another fad along the same lines as eating raw foods. But the more I heard about it, the more I liked, so I did some research of my own, and here I am, at the beginning of my journey. And I'm dragging my husband, Chad, with me. Partially because he also wants to be healthy, but partially because I'm usually the one who cooks dinner so he's gotta comply at least one meal a day anyway.

Since I started out with basically 0 in the knowledge department when it comes to the Paleo diet, I think maybe I should assume you don't know anything either (no offense). So I think I'd like to start with the 15 Rules of the Paleo Diet, a helpful list I found at Paleo Diet Lifestyle (and a few of my own notes tossed in).

1. The Paleo diet should be high in fat, moderate in animal protein, and low to moderate in carbs. Calorie counting is not encouraged, and neither is portion control.
(I will be calorie counting just because I'm interested in how many calories this diet takes in, exactly)

2. Eat unlimited amounts of saturated fats like coconut oil. Beef tallow, lard and duck fat are also good, but only if they come from healthy and well-treated animals. Beef or lamb tallow is a better choice than lamb or duck fat. Olive, avocado and macadamia oil are also good fats to use in salads and to drizzle over food.

3. Eat generous amounts of animal protein. This includes red meat, pork, poultry, eggs, organs, wild-caught fish and shellfish. Don't be scared to eat the fatty cuts, and all meals with protein should contain fat as well. Learn to cook with bones in the form of stocks and broths.
(There will be no organ-eating here)

4. Eat good amounts of fresh or frozen vegetables, either cooked or raw, and served with fat.
(Not sure if I'll "serve with fat". I tend to prefer my veggies au natural")

5. Eat low to moderate amounts of fruits and nuts. Try to eat mostly fruits low in sugar and high in antioxidants, like berries, and nuts high in Omega-3, low in Omega-6, and low in total polyunsaturated fat, like macadamia nuts. Consider cutting off fruits and nuts altogether if you have an autoimmune disease, digestive problem, or trying to lose weight faster.
(While I'd love to lose weight faster, I think I'll keep the fruits in there for now, just because I don't want to restrict too much too quick and set myself up for failure. If this goes well, I'll make giving up fruits Phase II. Also, Chad will be eating nuts, but I will not - I have an allergy)

6. Preferably choose pasture-raised and grass-fed meat coming from a local, environmentally conscious farm. If that's not possible, try lean cuts of meat and supplement your fat with coconut oil. Also, preferably choose organic, local and/or seasonal fruits and vegetables.
(I'm poor, so I'm shopping at the grocery store. That's the best you're getting out of me. At least I'm eating healthier, even if I'm not eating expensive)

7. Cut out all cereal, grains and legumes from your diet. This includes, but is not limited to, wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, brown rice, soy, peanuts, kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans and black eyed peas.
(I've had many people ask why no legumes. It's because legumes generally are not consumed without preparation the likes of which our Paleo ancestors would not have done)

8. Cut out all vegetable, hydrogenated, and partially-hydrogenated oils, including, but not limited to, margarine, soybean oil, corn oil, Crisco, peanut oil, canola oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil. Olive oil and avocado oil are fine.
(I'm hoping this doesn't extend to the Sunbutter I just bought last night at the grocery store, but I kind of think it does. Damn)

9. Eliminate sugar, soft drinks and all packaged products and juices (including fruit juices). As a rule of thumb, if it's in a box, don't eat it. At the grocery store, visit only the meat, fish and produce sections.
(Within reason - for example, breakfast this morning was berries with coconut milk. Coconut milk is in a box. Stuff like that will have to be a judgement call)

10. Eliminate dairy products. You don't need dairy.
(I'm 50/50 on this. I may have a small glass of milk every other day, just because I've learned the hard way in the past that if you don't use your lactase enzymes you stop producing them, and lactose intolerance just isn't fun)

11. Eat when you're hungry, and don't stress if you skip a meal or even two. You don't have to eat three square meals a day, do what feels natural.

12. Eliminate the most sources of external stress that you can, and sleep the most you can. Try to wake up without an alarm, and go to bed when it's dark.
(Ha! Clearly whoever wrote this has never met my children)

13. Don't over-exercise - keep your training sessions short and intense and do them only a few times per week. Take some extra time off if you feel tired. Consider short and intense sprinting sessions instead of very long cardio sessions.

14. Consider supplementing with Vitamin D and probiotics. Levels of magnesium, iodine and vitamin K2 should also be optimized. Iodine can be obtained from seaweeds. You probably don't need a multivitamin or other supplements.
(I'm just gonna take a multivitamin)

15. Play in the sun, have fun, laugh, smile, relax, discover, travel, learn and enjoy life like a daring adventure.
(Suddenly my diet sounds like a commercial for herpes medication...)

Now let's talk goals. I'm currently weighing in at the same weight I was when I delivered both of my sons. Yuck. I'm lucky, in that I am 5'7", so I've been told I don't look my weight. Or maybe they're being nice. Let's pretend they're being truthful, cause it makes me feel better. According to my BMI, I am obese. According to the BMI scale, I should be between 118 and 159 lbs to be in the "normal weight" category. That's a HUGE range. I've also seen myself at 118, and I looked skeletal, so that's all sorts of not happening. If I can get down to 159, I think I'd be ecstatic. But I think I'll feel and look my best between 135 and 150. So that is my current goal. HOWEVER, the purpose of the Paleo diet is not so much to lose weight (though you may do that, depending on how much crap your normally eat that you have to cut out), but to eat healthy. And that is my BIGGEST goal. I'm of the mind that I'm not going to stress over a number on the scale as long as I'm eating healthy and I'm happy with the way I look.

If you've stuck it out through this whole post, I hope you've learned something! And I hope you'll come back to share in our journey. And I hope Chad will maybe post something at some point too, but we'll see. I've already taken away his coffee, so that may be asking too much.