Musings from Week 1

Well, it has been a week since we started our Paleo journey!  Here are some of our trials and tribulations:

- The first 2 days were really rough.  For me at least.  I actually felt like my body was going through withdrawals on the first day, which I know sounds extreme, but I was VERY used to eating carbs.  And dairy.  Like I have said, I typically eat cereal, crackers, cheese, yogurt, and so forth every day.  So completely shutting that out of my life all of the sudden was difficult.  Plus, I had yet to come up with good meal alternatives, so I ended up feeling starved.  Luckily, after a few days now it seems like my body has figured it out and I am feeling fine again.

- I thought the hardest part would be replacing my favorite dinner meals with Paleo friendly ones, but it turns out the hardest part is what to eat during the rest of the day.  Really for dinner I have just been swapping the typical carb component for an extra veggie, so it hasn't been a big deal.  Plus it has been nice to try out new dinner options!

- I won't call it "cheating," but we have made a few exceptions in this first week.  Mainly in the form of dairy.  Silly me still had a fair amount of milk in the fridge from the pre-Lent days that we didn't want to waste, so we've been having a glass here and there.  In terms of "unhealthy" things we have been eating, we did indulge in some alcohol.  There are so many mixed-messages about whether or not alcohol is allowed with Paleo, and the consensus we came to is that is is okay in moderation.  We have cut our consumption level down and drank mainly wine since I still maintain that it's got to be Paleo-friendly (it's just grapes, right?).  Finally, we've been eating a bit of dark chocolate as a sweet treat.  I know there is still a little sugar in there, but since it is mainly cocoa, which is allowed, I have been okay with it.  But I think in the next week or so we will be moving forward towards 100% Paleo (or at least what the majority of the Paleo-community considers 100% Paleo to be...).

- So how do I feel?  Well as of now, I feel pretty healthy.  It's hard to tell any major difference in my body or internal organs or anything, but I feel good, which is a positive!  I even felt motivation to add a little run after my usual workout yesterday, which may or may not be a result of the food I've been consuming.  I wonder if this lifestyle will dramatically change my health in the next few weeks... we will see!

At the end of the day, I won't lie- I miss my carbs.  I love that we are eating all natural/non-processed foods and that we are cutting down on sugar.  But I could really go for some pasta covered with mozzarella cheese right now! Maybe after 40 days of this lifestyle, my body will stop craving that stuff, but for now I am still working hard to stick with it!  As my husband says, it has been "rewarding but challenging."  Keep following along with my updates to see how we are doing!