Losing Weight and Getting Healthy with the Paleo Diet

By Melissa Jenkins

As It Turns Out, You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks!

As my sister Meri revealed in an earlier post, dieting, food restrictions, or anything of the like have not been part of my lifestyle. Much to the dismay of my particularly healthy surroundings (husband, sisters, friends) I have been known to nosh on candy stashed in my glove compartment or grab fast food for a lunch on the run.

Back in October, when my sister initially coerced me into trying the Paleo diet for 30 days, I fully intended for it to be just that -- 30 days. I just wanted to prove to myself and others that I do have some self-control when it comes to food choices. In this case, “if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em” has turned out to have had a good outcome.

To my surprise, I have maintained quite a bit of the Paleo diet for over three months now.  This is still me, so of course I haven't permanently omitted any foods from my daily diet; but my intake of whites, sugar, and dairy is limited these days and I have now incorporated lots more protein, fruits, veggies, and water.

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So why have I continued??

1. More Energy

For me, a driving force has been the energy I felt during the month of strict Paleo. I pride myself on being “well-rested” (sleeping at least 8 hours a night and taking a nap whenever possible). However, I often still found myself feeling drowsy throughout the day.  My idea of a snack was a small bag of candy and a diet soda. Not surprising, this would result in a burst of energy soon followed by a wave of drowsiness. These days, my favorite snack is pistachios and seltzer water, which keeps me going and feeling good.

2. Clear Skin

Another huge motivator to keep this Paleo thing going is the clarity of my skin.  I live a relatively busy life and often use a facial wipe cleanser before falling into bed at night. This lazy approach does not exactly lead to flawless skin.  However, with limited intake of gluten and diary, I can slack off doing a total face washing and still have skin that makes me smile.

3. Weight Loss

Although I did not start the diet to lose weight, I'm certainly not going to turn it down. During the first month, I lost almost five pounds and since then I've taken off another three. Good to be back in my skinny jeans!

Moving forward, my goal is to roll into my 40s gracefully.  I just celebrated yet another birthday, and I am hoping that as time goes on I will continue to feel more energized, eat healthier, and look good doing it!

Especially now that I work at IronPT where I continually see individuals striving to improve their quality of life through physical exercise, I am inspired to keep this good thing going with my Paleo (modified) diet!

Has anybody else had success on Paleo?

Do you have any good recipes for breakfast...that seems to be the hardest meal?