Shifting My Perspective

I am a firm believer in evolution. I'm not talking Darwin Origin of Species stuff (although I am a believer in that too) I'm talking about being open to change...seeing where different paths take me, and most of all, applying what I learn.

Since the beginning of this blog, I believe I have evolved significantly. I started out by cutting back on my calories, tracking everything I ate, going to the "Y" every morning, weighing in on my Wii Fit, and blogging. This was my strategy. Tried and true, I had lost weight that way before. It worked. Until it didn't.

Here is the important part. I did not give up. Giving up or tiring of my "plans" had been a previous downfall of mine. Instead, I maintained for about 3 months. During that time, I was cognizant of what was going on. I knew I was tired of my routine. I knew I was letting my old habits get the best of me. Luckily, through this blog, I developed a sort of support system. People whose blogs I read religiously, because they were inspiring to me. I rarely comment, so I'm sure these people have NO idea who I am, or how they helped me get past the bump in the road. I was a hungry fish staring at an island of food- if only I could get onto land and eat. (well, it was kinda the opposite of this, but stick with the analogy here)

One of these blogs led me to research the Paleo Diet. I knew instantly it was exactly what my body needed. My insulin was and most likely had been out of control for years. I was storing fat like there was no tomorrow. I researched and researched. I was fascinated by the testimonials. June 1, 2010, my legs sprouted and I crawled up onto that beach. I found a new me that I never thought was possible. I felt great. I lost weight with ease. I was ME. I wanted to shout from the rooftops how everyone needs to go Paleo immediately. I cursed myself for not finding out about Paleo sooner.

Eating Paleo led me to CrossFit. My crawling around on the beach has now shifted to a more upright walk. Each day I perform functional movements that make me stronger. I'm better at everything I do. I'm so much stronger then when I walked in there on day one. However, I can't lie and say I'm not disappointed the scale hasn't moved more than a few pounds since starting CrossFit.

With that one simple "complaint" came the next big leap in my evolution, a shift in perspective:
1) I'm changing my body composition (I see bones and 'dents' from muscles where I have never seen them before at this weight)
2) If I lose 5 pounds of fat, but gain 5 pounds of muscle, the scale isn't going to tell me that!

Eating a clean Paleo diet essentially turns my body into a fat burning machine. Performing CrossFit exercises builds my muscle. Of course there is going to be some transition time where it "appears" as if nothing is happening. But I can tell you for sure, my body looks different. My clothes fit better. That is precisely why I measured at the beginning of the 60 day challenge...to further educate myself and continue to evolve. I will be walking upright in no time at all. Perhaps a wheel invention, or harnessing fire is next?

Oh, and the irony of starting out my journey by blogging, working out on a treadmill, and weighing in on a Wii Fit and then "evolving" into eating and working out like a caveman is NOT lost on me.