Although it's incredibly hard to believe, I have now been on the Paleo diet for one month! I'm not sure exactly where that time has gone, but I wanted to write a post at this point to document my experience so far. I have definitely noticed a few changes, physically and emotionally, and, oh yes, there have been many challenging moments which I also want to talk about. I hope that if you are thinking of starting a diet, this post could help you decide if this is the diet for you, or that it could motivate you to keep going if you are already on it!
What has been the most positive aspect of the Paleo diet so far?
For me, one of the best things about the diet so far has been all the creative cooking that Logan and I have been experimenting with in the kitchen! Every day we are thinking up new combinations of foods and flavours, different ways to cook food, healthy substitutes and this has all resulted in some amazing meals! Before the diet we might have opted for easier or more familiar recipes, but now we take more time to think about cooking, going to the supermarket has become a real activity to see what we can find and we have invented a whole new repertoire of meals to eat which has been so fun! Some of my favourite dishes have been cauliflower pizza crust with walnuts, figs and parma ham, chicken wings fried in coconut oil with sweet potato fries and, of course, pumpkin humous. Sometimes, it feels unbelievable that we are even on a diet!
Roast pork, spiced apple, celery, walnuts and butternut squash mash!
How have I made Paleo work for me?
Mostly my diet is pretty strictly Paleo - this includes no butter (which I know is a little controversial in the Paleo community). My only real exception has been alcohol, although I have hugely reduced my alcohol consumption, and I also allow myself some 99% dark chocolate in the evening. So, I eat absolutely no dairy, starchy carbohydrates like bread or pasta, grains, legumes or beans. I cook all of my meat in olive or coconut oil, I eat a LOT of eggs, and have gotten a lot of use out of my spiraliser for making vegetables more interesting! We have also signed up for a monthly vegetable box, which is wonderful. Each week we get a different assortment of vegetables delivered to our door and, as we are now eating a lot of veg, this has been totally worth it.
What changes have I noticed in body and mind?
The biggest change in terms of my body is that I no longer feel constantly bloated and lethargic. I used to wake up feeling like this every morning and more often than not, after a meal, I would have that horrible 'over-eaten' sick feeling. Now, when I wake up, I'm not tired or bloated and it's been easier to get up and get going with the day quickly. I feel a lot more satisfied with my meals too and don't get hungry so often (or don't think I'm hungry). I feel like my body has definitely gone through some adjustment in the last month - drastically cutting a large amount of sugar and carbohydrates from my diet took some getting used to for my digestive system - but my tummy has definitely settled now.
In terms of my mind, the biggest change has been my attitude to how I look. I am really feeling a lot better within myself these days; for example, I don't hate every photo of myself! And this is not only because of the diet itself, but also becuase I am so proud of my will-power and self-strength for keeping to it for this long! This in turn has given me generally a better attitude and has influenced my lifestyle too, so for this alone, the diet has been worth it.
I can't say that I have noticed remarkably increased energy levels so far or that I feel much more healthy than I used to. Maybe this is because my routine hasn't really changed - I still feel tired in the afternoons, I still rely on coffee and I still got sick with a cold a couple of weeks in! I should also mention that I haven't changed anything with my fitness - aside from the fact that I walk everywhere, I don't work out - so I don't know how that, combined with the diet, would go.
Weightloss?
Yes. I don't weigh myself so I can't give any accurate numbers or tell you that this is how much you will lose in a month. But I have gone down two belt loops on my trousers, if you can use that for reference! I also just feel like my clothes are hanging a little more loosely, and I feel very comfortable. I would say there's nothing drastic here, the weightloss is slow and secondary to the other diet benefits.
What foods have I missed most and what has surprised me?
As expected, the things I miss most are comfort foods; chips, pasta, mac & cheese, CHEESE, pizza. As a religious cappucino drinker, this is something I am also deeply missing - I drink solely black coffee now, but I may need to consider adding cappucinos back into my diet (perhaps in moderation...). Surprisingly I haven't had much of a sugar craving - I only really get this if I see someone drinking a hot chocolate - and I also haven't really missed bread, which I thought would be really hard to give up.
What have been the biggest challenges?
Eating out. We basically haven't eaten out at all in the last month (which probably isn't a bad thing!). Hannover doesn't have a HUGE selection of restaurants, so we find that the only option for us when we do go out is salads, and if we can make something better at home this just doesn't seem worth it. I am still looking for some other Paleo options, but eating out is very difficult.
Socialising. Oh yes, when you see all of your friends digging into a bowl of chips at a party or popcorn at the cinema or sharing a pizza, these are the times when the diet feels painful. Doing the diet as a couple has been great because in these times we have really helped each other out, and we can just stick together. But I'm not going to lie, it hurts.
Travelling. It's not so much when you are away from home, as you can find Paleo options, at restaurants or in supermarkets. The difficulty is more when you are actually travelling; when you need a packed lunch for the train, want to grab a quick bite, some snacks, or maybe a nice hot drink. I have found travelling to be quite difficult.
Diet breaks?
We decided that at the end of each month of diet completion, we would celebrate by going out for a meal at one of our favourite restaurants. I think to have one break like this from the diet every now and then is a good thing, and it was so great to have it to look forward to! Last night marked our first month, so we went for a burger and fries. For maybe the first time in my life, I couldn't eat the whole burger! I left half the bun and only managed a few fries, I felt so full. This shows me something MUST be changing!
Overall, my experience of the Paleo diet has been good so far; the pros are outweighing the cons. There are hard times, and I am still learning to deal with them, but I am enjoying the new lifestyle that has come with the diet. If you have any more questions please leave a comment and I will do my best to answer. Otherwise, more on this at the end of month two!
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