Nobody said it was easy . . .

For those of you who don't know, Landon has been gluten-free for a little over a year and a half.  To make a long story short, we found out that he had many allergies; gluten and dairy being two of them.  Since taking the gluten and dairy out of his diet, things  have been much improved for him.  However, living this way as a little boy is not always easy.  I can understand. 

About a week ago, I found a folded up flour tortilla in his room, on the  floor.  I thought it odd, but just picked it up and threw it in the trash.  A few days ago, his sister came to me with 2 folded up tortillas that she had found under his bed.  I asked him about it and all he could say was, "it's hard!"  And you know what, it is!  Making important life changes to ones diet is not easy. For him, it is gluten, and dairy.  For me, it is going full-tilt Paleo . . . most of the time.  I can't say that I will NEVER eat mexican food  again, or tart frozen yogurt with fruit on top, or pizza . . . because I can't imagine it. But  I know it will  be the exception and not the rule.

Kevin and I get up at 4:30 three times a week to go to boot camp at 5:00 in the morning.    I am not a morning person, and it is hard.  In fact, we have a new trainer now, and  the routine is different.  I find myself struggling through it, and not liking it much of the time.  I get frustrated thinking that I should be a lot further along, but I then have to remind myself that most of the population wouldn't even be able to do what I have been doing . . . and a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to do it either.  I remind myself to have perspective.

For me it is about the quest for optimum health throughout the rest of my life.  I want my family to be healthy too.  Kevin has a lot of health issues on his side of the family.  He lost both of his parents so I know he can't take his health lightly. 

I urge you to begin somewhere  - anywhere.  Just get started.  One step at a time, one day at a time.  Don't expect perfection, but just do something.  You  can do it - just like we're doing it.

 I am going to help my son by no longer buying flour tortillas for his sisters.  We have brown rice tortillas, and corn tortillas and everyone can eat those.  My hope is that the kids will one day be more Paleo too, but just because I dove in, I need to give them grace on their journey.  And yes I am the parent, but still . . . it is their journey and they have to want to do it.  Small steps equal great big steps in the long run, so take those small steps, won't you?

Happy Wednesday!

Why I Chose Paleo . . .

I hope my Paleo journey will inspire those of you who need it. We all need a little inspiration now and again, don't we? Part of the reason I will be blogging about my Paleo journey is for myself. It gives me focus, and something to look back on as I progress. It also keeps me accountable. I need that accountability in my life. So here goes . . .

About a year and a half ago, I was at my highest weight, I felt gassy, I was bloated, my cholesterol was slightly elevated, and I just didn't feel like myself mentally. I soon found out that my son Landon (who has many allergies to certain nuts, salmon, dogs, cats, dander, grass, feathers, etcetera) had a dairy and gluten allergy - and since it is hereditary, this meant that I most likely did too. (Ahhh, that would explain the stomach issues!) Well, for the most part, I dropped the dairy and all wheat products and just ate corn, rice and potatoes along with a mostly healthy diet. I also began working out on January 3, 2011. I got to the point during this past summer where I was attending boot camp, taking spin classes, and doing kickboxing classes 5 to 6 days a week and sometimes 2x per day. I shed just a small amount of weight but I did lose 8-10 percent body fat. This is all great, and I feel much, much better but I still could not shed those extra pounds that I know I needed to lose. It was frustrating and I am still not comfortable in my own skin.

I heard about the Paleo diet several months ago. My friend talked about it and I read briefly about it. I knew I wanted to try it. This past December the holidays set in and I ate things I shouldn't have, which of course made me feel bloated and fat. This prompted me to start reading about the Paleo way of life. I started with "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolff. I then bought and read "Everyday Paleo" by Sarah Fragoso. (This is where I am getting a lot of my great recipes!) Currently I am reading, "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson. All are great books and it just makes sense! Basically you eat just like your ancestors ate, which would include mostly lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables including yams and sweet potatoes, nuts, seeds, and a little dark chocolate. In my case, I don't necessarily believe that we have been on this planet for millions of years, but I can go as far back as Adam and Eve, and base my diet on what they ate. It makes a lot of sense, and if you decide to read about Paleo, you will see why. It explained a lot as to why I am not losing weight.

So, today has been my 7th "official" day doing Paleo. I feel good and I have lost several pounds, which is a huge deal for me. I even decided to take Mark Sisson's 6 month challenge, which meant that I had to actually take and send him pictures today. I gotta say, I have come a long way, but that was still hard to do. (I am not quite brave enough to post them here right now.)

So that is the kind-of short version about why I decided to go Paleo. A year ago, I set a goal of 2 years to get myself in the kind of shape that I wanted to be in. I now have a year left, and I feel completely good about the workout part of my plan. I know I am getting stronger, and building muscle - I can see it, but now it is time to do the rest of it, so that is what I plan on doing. Feel free to join me, and let me know how you are doing. I would love to hear about it!

Take care,