On Going Paleo

A few months back I vowed to go to crossfit and train for a half marathon to whip myself into shape.  Well, here I am, almost done with January, still barely able to run a mile.  I asked myself so many times, why isn’t this working and what am I doing wrong, but I kept coming back to one thing: nutrition.  Random, right?  Well, as you may know from my about me or by knowing me personally, I have some dietary restrictions that I need to adhere to in order to feel healthy and happy.

For the longest time I though I had my gluten allergy under control and figured my stomach was just sensitive to other foods I was eating (like dairy which I know makes me ill and small amounts of soy) but I figured if I got those under control as well, I would be symptom free and healthy. Notsomuch. I have still been getting sick, and by this I mean extreme, painful bloating, and all the wonderful not-to-be-mentioned accompanying symptoms from bloating.  All I could think was, “SERIOUSLY?!”  What now? It was so beyond frustrating and for a while I thought I would always be the burping, bloated person I had become. But then I thought maybe there was a less dramatic (who, me, dramatic?!) way of dealing with these issues.

I’m going paleo.  I’m removing all of the things I have been noticing that have made me sick.

But that’s not all, I have already been paleo for 10 days.  I needed to make sure my will power was there before sharing this big news!

OK, no I will not be 100% strict paleo for the rest of my life.  Yes, I will have cheese and yogurt again in my life.  Yes I will also probably reintroduce some grains that have never made me feel ill.  But I will never rely on these foods as I was.  These will be few and far between.  Cheese will be a luxury, as I feel it should be.  Grains such as quinoa and brown rice will make appearances every once in a while.  But that’s it.

10 days ago, I went to bed with a stomachache (a normal occurrence) and made up my mind that I was committed to making it through 30 days of paleo.  If, after that 30 days, I didn’t see an improvement or change, I was going to have to figure something else out (i.e. a serious talk with my doctor).  I am a third of the way into that commitment.  I feel great. My skin is starting to clear up after some pretty bad months, I find myself less fixated on food and what to eat, and in the first 7 days, I lost 3 pounds.  Who knows if the weight loss was a fluke or due to the fact that I’m eating less processed foods, but it is the first loss I have seen in almost a year (and yes, I’ve been trying). This is major.

I made only one New Years resolution and it was to cook every recipe in the Against All Grain cookbook.  It has been fun, challenging and DELICIOUS thus far!

Since this post is getting lengthy, I will continue in another post on Saturday to get down to the nitty gritty of what it takes to go paleo.  I’ll leave you all with some pictures of my eats lately!

PS Now that my nutrition is focused and under control, I am working on the exercise portion! Crossfit has been awesome so far and running is just as much of a struggle as it has always been, but I’m hoping to change that!

Where have I Been?!

I have never been one of those people who tries to convince others of my ‘busy – ness’ all the time.  Mostly because I think it is used as a tool, mostly by women, to convince themselves that they are doing more than others and are somehow superior due to their level of chaos in their life. Somedays I try to justify things in my head because “I’m sooooo busy.”

I’m calling BULLSHIZ on myself.  Time for some real talk, yo.

While yes, I do have a lot going on, I am by no means pull-my-hair-out, insomnia-ridden or mentally-fried due to my schedule.  Do I think that you have to reach those extremes before you realize that it is time to slow down, absolutely not, but I’m just saying that for me, I am relatively low stress.

So what was the point of that rant?  Well guys, I haven’t really worked out in weeks.  Yes, some of it was due to the fact that I was going to the chiropractor up to three times per week for a very real, and very scary back issue. Now that my back is feeling better and I can actually bend, (do you guys know how hard it is to get dressed when you can’t bend?!) I am trying to recommit myself to exercise.

Next week I am starting on-ramp classes for Crossfit. BAH! What? Yes, I’m finally taking the plunge I have been talking about for almost a year.  A box opened in my city and I am jumping on that train. In addition, I have reached out to the author of a blog I follow and we are going to be virtual running buddies.  YAY accountability!

As some of you know, I was supposed to run the Twin Cities 10k a few weekends ago and I decided to not run it.  I seriously struggled with that decision but it was the right choice.  I was coming off my first few chiro sessions and was feeling as though it would be very detrimental to my improvement to participate.

Finished this 5k in 41:00. I’m ready to beat that time!

What have I been mentally working on to prepare myself for this new stage of workouts? Well for one, I’m so done comparing myself to others. I used to say, I wish I could run like my sister, or I could be like that if I tried.  Well, why don’t I try? Why don’t I work on my running? I’m scared out of my mind! What am I scared of? I have no clue, but I want to dive into that deep dark unknown, and am giving myself full permission to cry if I have to, just so long as I do not give up.  I’ll be damned if I let my mind stop me again before my body stops. There is nothing worse than being uncomfortable in your own skin.

So Crossfit AND running?! Who jumps into a workout regime like that after doing nothing for a few weeks.  ME.  And I am determined to follow through.  Following my first month of intro classes at Crossfit, I will go twice a week. It ain’t cheap to join crossfit and I’m not willing to just give that moolah away by not going.  On the running side, I have decided to look for a 10 mile or half marathon (who am I?!) to run next spring.

Um, needless to say, training is beginning this weekend.  I am going to master a 5k first (in 8 weeks) then switch over to a half training plan.  So what’s this resurgence in working out about? Well, I have been STRUGGLING to lose weight. And now that I have my diet (mostly) figured out, it’s time to work on the second component.  Also, it helps to tell people and so I’m telling you guys.  My family and most my friends know, and I’m not one to sit here and act as though talking about weight loss should be stigmatized.  Chances are, if you look like you need to lose weight, your friends and family will be right on track with you and ready to jump in to help.

I remember when I sent out a desperate email about 2 years ago to all of my family, essentially begging them for help in regards to me cutting out gluten. I was still eating it every once in a while, and I needed them all to know I needed their help.  I expected support, but woah, not that kind of insane, unconditional love.

So while I haven’t started my training /workouts yet, I am writing to you guys asking for help! It’s already helpful to talk about it.  I’ll be on here (hopefully about once a week) to check in and give progress on the mental, physical and emotional.

Just because this post is lacking pictures, IT’S POMEGRANATE SEASON AGAIN!  Hallelujah! Rejoice!

Hello delicious!