Paleo what?

I miss blogging. I have said it before & I will say it again. There was a time when blogging was extremely important to me. Why? Well, because I felt like I was helping people. That was really the reason that I was doing it to begin with. For a short time I tried to write about what the kids & I were up to...but that wasn't helping anyone & to be honest, I just lost interest. I couldn't justify taking time away from the kids to write about what we did. We knew what we did, we lived it.

It is no secret that the last several years have been difficult on all of us. When life is happening, it seems like minutes are days & days are years. You pray & pray & pray just hoping for a break. Sometimes not even remembering what you are praying for anymore. Time helps wounds to heal (or at least start to) & I feel like we are in a very healthy place right now....finally.

For the past few months I have been praying for the Lord to help me to find the motivation to eat better, not as a diet but as a new lifestyle. That I would become motivated to work out on a regular basis & finally start hitting some goals. I go through spells of diet & fitness but never enough to make a lasting change. I've read somewhere before that it takes doing something everyday for three weeks before it becomes a natural habit. Well, I am nearing the three week mark & I have never been more excited.

I am a not so former carb LOVER. Seriously, white bread (YUM), rice, pasta, potatoes...you name it. I have been waiting for the "all carb diet" for years but it never seemed to happen. When people mention high protein/low carb "diets", I laugh it off. NEVER could I do that. Never. Why would I want to? Carbs are so yummy. Bad carbs, good carbs....I will not discriminate.

I had heard of Paleo eating before & I pretty much ignored it. I may have done a Google search, saw it was basically no carbs & sugar & said, "Impossible". That is it. End of story. So back to my praying. On Sunday, October 2nd I was preparing meals for the next few days. I knew that I wanted to go through another healthy eating period, but even I didn't know what was about to happen. I've tried to tell the story a few times about how I decided to take on this new lifestyle, but I can't. I don't believe that I decided. I think that a prayer was answered for me. This is NOT something that I would have chosen for myself without guidance. That is the only way that I can explain it. I didn't chose Atkins, or any other "diet" that is similar or even more popular than Paleo. I just picked it. Decided. Done.

I won't bore you with details of every single day for the last two & a half weeks. I know I am wordy & this intro has gone on longer than I expected. As usual. But hey, it's my blog & I can be wordy if I want to. :) Whenever I have "dieted" before I have always looked forward to my cheat day or at least cheat meal. I am proud to say that I haven't cheated once. No sugar, no grains, & no alcohol for 17 days so far! The best part is that I don't want to & I have zero cravings. I have slept better than I have in years. My mind is so unbelievably clear. I feel more fired up than ever. I just have this way of thinking that is different than I ever experienced. It is a laid back feeling, knowing that everything is awesome & great & a true sense that I am doing exactly what I am suppose to be right now.

I have felt extremely blessed that my kids are accepting of this style as well. They are not as strict as I am yet, but new recipes & ideas are being well received. That is all that I can ask for. Kids expect sugar & junk food. I'll break them away slowly.

I have so much more that I want to say but I'll save it for tomorrow. This is going to be a long journey full of good food, memories, fun, experimenting, knowledge, support, & motivation. I am looking forward to the ride.

In the meantime, you can check out some basics for Paleo eating here. I have also posted some of my favorite websites on the side bar. If you want to receive these posts directly to your email, be sure to go to the upper left side of the home page & enter your email address.

Have a wonderful evening!