Our Paleo Challenge Results

Well, we made it through our 40-Day Paleo Challenge!  It was a really interesting and different challenge for us, and it was definitely NOT easy.  We both agree that it was tough, but it was nice to stay disciplined and have some sort of goal to stick to every day.  It was also fun to get creative and learn about different ways to prepare healthier but delicious meals. I found a TON of new recipes and substitutes for my typical ingredients that will help us lead healthier lives forever.  I also really loved sharing my successes (and difficulties) with everyone, and hopefully we inspired others to live cleaner-eating lives too!  Below are some questions that we have gotten, and some answers about our experience:

Do we feel healthier?  I would say yes.  I think my body has more energy and things are definitely regulated... if you know what I mean... Not to go all TMI, but your insides will surely be happy when you are only eating natural foods.  Just saying.  I would say above all, I feel good that we have not been putting any chemicals or crap into our bodies! 

So, how successful is this as a diet?  Well, we did not set out to do this to lose weight.  That means we still ate dessert (Paleo versions of course), drank alcohol occasionally, etc.  And I will tell you what, we have both lost a fair amount of weight.  I'm down about 8-10 lbs and my husband is down over 10 lbs.  So for people looking for a lifestyle change that will help them lose the pounds, I would definitely recommend it.  The proof is right there!  We have by no means been starving ourselves- we have just been replacing calorie-heavy foods with more vegetables/nuts/etc, and that led to weight loss for us.  I'm not sure what will happen once we start eating some of the non-Paleo foods again, but I am guessing if we stay 75% Paleo, we will at least maintain our weight, and stay healthy of course.

Was this more cost effective?  I honestly don't know.  I should have kept better track of our grocery store visits.  The thing is, we were basically only buying produce and meat and eggs.  So we definitely cut down on "snacks" and eating-out and alcohol, etc.  I tend to find that produce and eggs are generally more cost effective than buying cereal or bags of chips or anything like that.  The big cost would probably be the specialty items like almond flour, coconut oil, and so forth.  Maybe that will be my next charge: figuring out the cost difference!  It clearly wasn't very noticeable either way, but it might be more obvious over a longer amount of time.

So what is next? Well first, I am going to go CRAZY on some non-Paleo foods on Easter Sunday.  I know my body will not be happy for it, but I NEED some cheese and pasta.  For real. Beyond that, I'm not sure yet what will happen.  As we have said before, we want to stick with Paleo, but not 100%.  I am not willing to live my life without my favorite foods like cheese and pasta.  Life is too short!  We are still discussing how the 75/25 plan will work for us (probably 2 days per week eating whatever we want, and 5 days of strict Paleo), and I am definitely still planning to find new Paleo recipes and report on them!  So stay tuned...

We hope you have enjoyed following us on our Paleo journey, and be sure to keep up with us as we continue on (at least for the most part) in our Paleo ways!