09 March 2015 ~ 0 Comments

What To Expect After A Month Of Paleo

By admin

I survived! I did it!

I completed a full month of being on a paleo diet!

And you know what? It wasn’t so bad.

(Click here to read about why I did the challenge and learn about Paleo.)

No grains?
No dairy?
No legumes? <— NO PEANUT BUTTER!?!?!
No processed sugar?

How will I live without peanut butter? Without a sweet treat here and there?

Well, apparently quite easily. And what’s more, I learned a lot of interesting things about myself an my body.

I received several questions about my experiment so I thought it would be best to break the post up with them in order I cover everything you guys wanted to know.

What was the hardest thing to eliminate?

I’ve been on a mostly gluten free diet for quite some time now, so really the only grains I had in my diet were rice and oatmeal. Taking those out weren’t so bad. And thanks to 90-second rice, Dan was still able to get his rice fix without making it a big deal for me.

So that wasn’t tough.

I’ve been dairy free (with the exception of a random piece of cheese here and there) for years. So again, not a big deal.

Sugar? I knew I needed to cut back so actually doing this challenge was the motivation I needed and it made it super easy! I found myself craving lots of fruit and that seemed to control cravings.

Plus, I was able to find some pretty sweet recipes for paleo cookies and treats. So I didn’t go completely without.

But legumes…

I love hummus and I really love peanut butter.

peanutbutter-paleo

 

During the month of February we were hit with a lot of cold weather, which meant I wanted soup. How can you have soup without beans? Lentil soup and split pea is our favorite so it was tough not being able to make this.

To handle the peanut butter cravings, I turned to sunflower butter (a little too often) and I stopped making homemade peanut butter during the month.

Dan had to settle for store bought… I knew if I made it there would be no way I would be able to control my finger from scraping the Vitamix.

vitamix

Did I have any cravings?

Only one…

Craft beer.

screenshot_397

This was really weird since I am not a big beer drinker. I never crave beer, but for some reason all I could think about was a Espresso Chocolate Coconut Porter I had enjoyed months ago. It was on my brain every Friday and Saturday. I pretty much dreamed of the day I could go back and get another.

But now that the challenge is over, I really have no desire for it. Told you, weird.

Paleo naturally lowers carbs, did I feel low on energy?

running

I actually asked Ashton this question last week. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t unique.

I learned a long time ago that I am not someone that needs a high carb intake for endurance and energy. I very rarely get that “low blood sugar” feeling and I went years keeping my carb intake under 120 grams/day.

So I wasn’t surprised, that I never felt run down or sluggish with my lower carb intake.

What I was surprised about was how much my energy actually INCREASED.

My workouts were strong all month, I was full of spirit for my classes, and I honestly felt great.

In fact, I even noticed an increased recovery time between workouts. I was able to complete some pretty awesome workouts on consecutive days. Of course this also made it hard because my body wasn’t telling me it needed a rest day, I just had to use my brain.

I had heard that grains and legumes fatigue the body, so perhaps that was the reason?

How did my body change?

Okay, this is the real question people want answered so I won’t push it off any longer.

Did my body change? Yes.

Did I drop a ton of weight? No.

The biggest change I saw in my body was more definition. My muscles definitely toned up a bit more and body fat decreased a bit.

screenshot_407

A snap shot from my news debut: LowCountry Live!

It wasn’t extreme and it wasn’t until I compared pictures that I noticed.

I ended up dropping about 3 pounds and here’s how my body changed:

30 days of paleo

Of course I think it’s a combination of things:

  • A more structured training plan
  • Low sugar intake
  • Decreased alcohol consumption
  • Increased protein & fat
  • Decreased carbs

Now that it’s over, are you continuing with paleo?

Yes and no.

grapefruit-poppy-seed-muffins-600

It’s been a fun experiment that has carried over into March (those muffins are amazing).

I’ve been testing out a few non paleo foods to see how my body reacts and that has been the MOST BENEFICIAL part to all of this.

For example, last week I ate peanuts and peanut butter. Every time I did, I was plagued with gas and excess bloating. I have felt very uncomfortable and outright gross. With that being said, I’m going to research and see if perhaps I have a small intolerance for peanuts. I’ve decided to take them out of my normal diet for now because clearly I feel better without it.

Another fun outcome…

I don’t want sugar!

I know, it’s insane. Here’s a funny story:

For Valentine’s Day, I put together a little love basket will goodies and little saying hanging off each one for Dan. One of the items was a Cadbury Egg with the tag “it was an EGGscellent idea to marry you” (awww, right?). Anyways, we gave my brother all the candy we didn’t want, but I kept that egg for when the challenge was over.

Well, when it was, I grabbed the egg, looked at it and was almost repulsed. I dint’ want it, but I wanted to want it. I decided to eat it and thought maybe after the first bite I would find my sweet tooth and be happy with my splurge.I took a bite, chewed, frowned, and threw out the rest of the egg. My sweet tooth is gone, it wasn’t satisfying and I was actually really pissed! Lol. But I guess it’s a good thing, especially since I have a photo shoot coming up!

So I am going to continue on with the no processed sugar and the no peanuts. Other than that, I am going to take a more intuitive approach. With my 50K training plan, I feel that’s pretty mandatory right now.

Additional Changes And Observations While On Paleo

  • Feeling of fullness due to increased protein and fat with each meal. Helping to keep satisfied without snacking.
  • Regularity in the bathroom (you know what I mean).
  • Fun playing with new recipes.

breakfast-paleo-stead

Overall, it was a great experiment and one I will stamp as a success. I felt great, I feel I look better and I learned a bit about my body along the way.

Do I think it’s a diet that should be done every day of your life? No, I think everyone needs to allow some leeway for nutrition. There is no such thing as “good food” and “bad food”. Instead there is “great food” and “moderation food”.

Obsessing over each bite will drive you mad and everyone around you.

What are the negatives of paleo?

The hardest part of it all was being with friends and family. Going to restaurants and finding items that I could eat was tough. My mom and I went out for dinner and there wasn’t a single appetizer we could enjoy together.

Another time, for family dinner at my parents, I wasn’t able to eat a single thing my mom prepared. Of course that makes it tough on family, they don’t want to watch me eat a salad while they enjoy fried chicken, corn, and whatever else was on the menu that day (I won’t lie though, it was nice to use the Paleo as an excuse to not eat that, ha!).

Other than that, there really weren’t any negatives!

So should you do it? That’s up to you. I love experimenting with diets and nutrition to see how my body reacts and to deliver the news here. It’s like I’m back in school. It was a great process for me, but it may not be for you.

What would be the hardest thing for you to give up for a paleo challenge?

For me it was the beans and legumes. For Ashton, it was cheese!

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