Today is start of week four for my new Way of Eating (WOE) - Primal/Paleo*. I can't believe how fast the time has flown. I'd said at the beginning I'd give myself 30 days to see if I could adapt and find myself satisfied. My worst fear was that I'd be hungry all the time and feel deprived. I also worried about my complete change in lifestyle from restaurants to stay at home eating. I shouldn't jump ahead to the end but I gotta say I can see this carrying on for the long term meaning a new way of life.
I was motivated first and foremost by weight loss. I'm closer than many to a good figure but farther than I'd like to be if that makes sense. I've dieted before only to gain the weight back when I resume my old habits. I'd 'arrive' and it would give me license to eat crap and the cycle would start all over again. This time my emphasis has shifted from weight loss which will occur naturally to health. I feel amazing. More energy and positive mental health than I remember having in a few years.
This particular time I started with friends and began a hardcore workout routine and wasn't really thinking too much about altering food. I knew the rules of what not to eat. No highly processed food, no deserts and light on the carbs (pasta, potatos) yada yada yada. I knew it all. Or so I thought.
As I began to increase my strength gains through 1 - 1.5 hour weight routines I was frustrated I couldn't see the muscle development I knew was happening. How to literally cut the fat? Thanks to two readers - II Capo and Shel - I discovered Primal/Paleo eating. I remember Roissy referring to it once but I thought it meant you had to eat everything raw and I knew I wasn't going to be able to stomach it (literally). I'm a learner by nature and have done a fair amount of research since discovering it and I can say it makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. See bottom of post for links to sites which offer more info than I can.
I don't weigh myself because I have a tendency to obsess on the number so I can't tell you how much weight I've lost. I do know my fat ratio is dropping. I've been able to stay in ketosis (see links below) for three weeks and this is proof my body is burning fat for fuel. Side effect of ketosis - low appetite. I haven't had any sugar outside of fruit in three weeks and I can say at this moment I seem to have lost my craving for the manufactured kind. Can I tell you how good an orange tastes? I never knew!
For a quick refresher I'm not eating grains, legumes, dairy, tuber veggies (potatos) or sugar that's not natural. My cheats have meant soy milk for fruit smoothies (in three weeks I've had only 2 glasses) and cream in my coffee (I have one a day). I haven't experienced an increase in cravings after either so I'm likely to continue for the next while - I'll reevaluate as I go along. I have more problems getting enough food in than too much, it's a problem I don't mind having I'll tell ya.
My tummy has always been a better feature for me, but it's flatter than ever as you can see here. This picture was not altered to flatten, minimize or any other technique designed to make me look better than I am. My trouble spots remain my thighs and my back ass, it'll be a celebratory day when those babies get slimish.
Primal/Paleo links:
What is ketosis?
