How going Paleo changed everything...

On April 3rd I ran a Half Marathon... my first race after going Paleo. At the beginning of my Paleo journey I told everyone, that the night before the race I'd eat a nice, big bowl of pasta... because that's what conventional wisdom recommends for the evening before the race. Load up on carbs, and you'll be fine.

And then my Paleo lifestyle changed everything. I learned to eat without all the grains, sugar, and dairy. I learned, that the human body was not made to digest any of those foods, and while some may live the high carb life just fine and without any side effects, I started looking around me, and realized, the majority of people don't. (Yep, there, I said it!) I had eggs and bacon for breakfast, or steak, or chicken, or whatever else I had left from dinner. I became a completely new person, one who no longer needs to load up on pasta, to run a good race. I eat plenty of vegetables, meat, maybe some fruit. For breakfast on my race day I ate a banana. Then I craved meat all day. And I ate and enjoyed every bite of it. I finished my race 10 minutes faster than last year's.

Today I ran a 10k in my Vibrams. Yes, I finally got rid of my running shoes. They were slowing me down. They felt like bricks on my feet. I ran this 10k a full 30 minutes faster than my last one. What an accomplishment. I'm still on a Runner's High... and best of all, I'm not hurting. Nothing hurts today. I feel just the way a healthy human being should feel.

But what else has changed for me, you ask? Well, let me fill you in.

1) I am no longer the sugar addict I used to be. As I was struggling to get my children to eat a healthy diet (or what I believed to be a healthy diet), I also sneaked chocolate and candy on a daily basis. What a liberating feeling to have this chocolate bar sitting in my cabinet without feeling the urge to eat the whole thing right here and now.

2) No more 15 day periods. This may be a taboo subject to some. But I have to mention it here, because this is probably the biggest and most important change I've seen, since I changed my diet. I struggled with long periods for 8 years! It's crazy going from doctor to doctor, only to be told that "nothing is wrong with you physically," or "Face it, nature hates you." Nature hates me? Really? Less than 4 months after changing my diet, I am regular. I have 5 day periods... and they are no longer accompanied by a big, bloated belly and diarrhea (grossed out yet?).

3) 22lbs! That's my weight loss. I've been told by a number of people that losing this much weight in such a short time is not good, not healthy. Well, the fact is, my body was simply waiting for me to do the right thing. Once I did, it knew what to do. Dropping this weight was so easy, I'm still in disbelief! I didn't count calories, I didn't count points. I simply ate when I was hungry and stopped when I was full. You can't do it, you say? Well, I dare you to overeat on meat and vegetables.

4) I sleep. You know, as in real sleep. As in close your eyes and sleep, and wake up rested. It's amazing to sleep like this.

5) I run. I run the way I should be able to run. I don't feel pain. I don't want to quit. I feel genuinely excited about running a Half Marathon. I was born to run. My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (etc) grandfather had to outrun his dinner. How lucky am I that he passed his genes on to me?

6) I enjoy my food a lot more than ever before. I taste a glass of wine, and my taste buds go crazy. A little bit of Parmesan on my Spaghetti was always delicious, but now it's simply divine.

7) And finally, I really do no longer need to be shopping in the center aisles of the grocery store. Keep your grains and cereal and processed foods. I'm no longer your slave.

Oh, I know, plenty of people will tell me (and have told me), that they could never live without _________________ (enter your preferred conventional wisdom food here). It's your choice. It's not that you can't. It's that you won't. And that's perfectly fine by me. I'm not here to convert you. I'm simply telling my story.

Enjoy. :)

My blog entry tomorrow: What's Paleo? And how do you do it?