Already down 1 pound

So it's been 2 days since I have started, and I will admit I cheated last night because I promised my room mate that she could have her last "bad meal". I did feel pretty sick after so that was a kick in the butt telling me that obviously those foods are not good for me. I feel good this morning, though. I am sore but that's because I did my first workout of insanity. I'm very proud of myself. On the first day of insanity you are required to do the Fit Test, which involves 8 different exercises to see how in shape you are. When I tried it a week and a half ago with Kienan I had to stop after the first 2 exercises. I couldn't breathe. Not only that, when I would try to breathe my throat and chest would hurt so bad. It was from smoking and I knew that. Well, I have stopped smoking and yesterday I did all but one of the exercises and I finished it without feeling the pain. What an accomplishment. I'm really happy right now, and I will continue my journey to a healthier me. It's going to take some pain, sacrifice and a lot of support for myself but I know that I can do it. Day 2 is calling my name. After my breakfast of eggs and turkey bacon, I can't wait for what other meals are in store for me. Paleo Rocks!!!

The Journey of A Cave Girl

For the past year and a half I've been doing some research on way of eating called The Paleo Diet. I've read books, searched blogs, talked to a few experts and even a few people who have been changed their lifestyle to the Paleo Lifestyle. I've heard nothing but amazing things. It tells us about how our society has changed and eats foods that are not meant for our body. You'd think they were just talking about processed foods, but that's not it. They're talking about after the paleolithic age. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had the healthiest lifestyle before the agriculture revolution took over. It's amazing how things like medicine, technology and other areas of our lives have evolved. Unfortunately, our bodies have not evolved. We are not meant to eat things like grain, legumes, dairy or anything can cause inflammation in our bodies. One of the worst cases is grain/gluten. Grain may contain fiber which is "good" for us but it also contains what is called lectins which can completely mess up our receptors.
        Lately I've had problems with urinary tract infections, swelling in my ankles, back problems (which also comes from terrible posture), irregular sleep patterns even though I make sure I get at least 8 hours of sleep, and other problems in my body. I have gained weight very fast and I tried eating clean and sticking to whole wheat and whole grain foods. It just made it worse and made me tired. So now I've decided to try the Paleo diet. I have friends who have wheat and gluten allergies and they have had the same symptoms that I have had. I'm hoping that if this works for me maybe it could also help them.
       Sometimes I turn myself into the guinea pig. I want to see if something could work, especially where my health is concerned. If it doesn't work then I haven't really lost anything, except some grocery money. If, however, it does work then I am living proof of a solution and I can share this with other people and possibly help them. Our nation is one of the most obese nations in the world and it's sad that people think there's not much that we can do about it. Well, it's time to show them the answer. It's just a matter of giving things up and eating to live, not living to eat. I enjoy my life and I want to enjoy it even more. I want the energy I used to have. I want to have a healthy body and a body that I feel comfortable in.
      So starting tomorrow, I am leaving the grains, legumes, dairy, sugar and salt behind and I'm going to start my new lifestyle. Only meat, veggies, fruits and nuts are in my diet. I quit smoking and I will continue to keep myself from even touching a cigarette ever again. I've seen what my grandparents went through. I don't want to put myself through a quadruple bypass surgery, or ever find out what a heart attack feels like. I'm not ok with that. And people may say it's genetics but we can change that by changing how we eat.

The countdown to tomorrow begins.....6 hours and 33 minutes to a new life.