308- It Just Makes Sense (to me)

When I first heard about the Paleo Diet, it just made sense to me.  It made sense to me on a deeper level then any other calorie in/calorie out diet had in the past.  The more I researched, the more involved I got in the science behind what is actually happening in a body, and how abuse of foods that raise your blood sugar (cause you to release excess insulin) REGARDLESS OF CALORIES are to be avoided at all costs. 

 

All those times I thought I was being a champ by drinking diet coke, I was tricking my body into releasing insulin (hence storing fat).  A Diet Coke has 0 calories you say?  Well, just the mere sensation of something sweet makes your brain think its time to release insulin.  All those times I thought I was doing myself a huge favor by putting splenda in my latte- I was tricking my body into releasing insulin.  All those times I thought I was being so good by eating tons of fruit- I was making my body respond with an overdose to my system of insulin.  Once I learned that managing insulin is the key to shedding fat from my frame, everything I thought I knew about weightloss was blown out of the water.  It was soon very clear that I needed to completely change the way I think about food/nutrition/health/exercise/lifestyle.

 

So I did.  I jumped head first into the Paleo thing without thinking twice.  I wanted to see for myself if this was something that held any merrit.  I never focused on what I couldn't eat (which, in hindsight is really weird because that's always the first thing people mention-what they can't have).  In fact, I started my whole journey by making a list of what I COULD eat.  By my first 8-10 days I was sold.  I knew I was onto something good and right for me.  Something different, and most importantly, something that gave me results like I had never seen.  Who doesn't like results?

 

Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend I'm some superhero and that after trying Paleo for those first 30 days I stuck with it up until now.  You can take one look at me and know that did not happen.  Instead, I fell off the wagon a few times.  I got back on, felt great, and fell off.  A complete alteration of lifestyle does not happen in 30 days, nor does it happen in one year.  But I can honestly say that today I'm in a much different place then I was a year ago because I kept at it.  Everytime I fell off the wagon, I'd get back on. 

 

Now, 50+ days into my one year challenge with myself, each day that I choose to eat real foods and little to no sugar gets easier.  I no longer question if eating so much fat is healthy- drinking fat free calorie free diet coke made me fat!  I no longer question if I go a week without eating a piece of fruit is healthy- fruit made me fat!  I no longer question my lack of whole grains and legumes.  I know that anything that can make me feel this good all the time, give me endless energy, excellent sleep so that I wake up before my alarm, make my clothes loose, make me rock my workouts, abolish my cravings, and has me not wanting to change ONE DAMN THING has to be healthy for me.

 

I needed to change.  I knew the path I was headed down over a year and a half ago was not leading to a good destination.  I kept an open mind, and listened to my body.  After years of looking, I found something that made sense to me.  If you are following a diet or lifestyle plan that doesn't make sense to you, my only question is: Why?