Finishing up Week 1

The first few days were a little tough I am not going to lie. I felt the detox for sure. Headaches, fatigue, a little achy nothing too ridiculous but I could feel it. Even though I have pretty much cut most dairy out of my diet for almost a year I was craving ice cream! So weird... Then by about Thursday I was generally having no more cravings for my beloved starchy grains and sugary treats...

I said this before when I did Paleo last year. I am NOT very hungry at all. It is bizarre. Well I guess its not; It's actually science I guess. The processed grains in our diet spike our glycemic index because they turn straight to sugar and then when you crash, which doesn't take long, you are hungry again. Paleo diet is very  low glycemic index. When you are eating bunches of vegetation, fruits, nuts & seeds, healthy fats and lean animal protein you are FULL. It takes a while for your body to digest these things because it wants to take all it can get since there is so much for these foods to offer your body. I know this is all so trivial we ALL know these things because its our instincts to know what real food is.... Its so amazing though how we can turn it off because its just not as convenient. Although I have had a pretty healthy diet for a while now there is no question that I can easily combine it with too many carbs. When I was pregnant I stayed away from processed foods and have avoided fast food for a few years now; but I love pasta, homemade sandwiches with too much avocado, brown rice, english muffins etc... I would try and validate it by saying "but its from Trader Joes.." But at the end of the day, sugar is sugar. These things in moderation are fine and life would be sucky without them once in a while but its easy to overdo and to have a carb based meal at each meal of the day.

I can honestly say that eating healthy can absolutely be convenient. My shake is easy to make, my salads with my pre-chopped/washed salad simple, grabbing a handful of nuts obviously easy. The only thing I really need to do a little preparation for is dinner and its really not that hard to cook some veggies and chicken. Not to mention I enjoy making my family dinners with a fancy spin on them. Doesn't sound like a lot of food but I promise it is if you allow yourself to feel it. Grains turn to sugar, sugar makes you hungry... Cut out the grains and you will be fuller.
*Quinoa is a seed not a grain so absolutely eat this. It does have a higher carbohydrate level so I am holding off on incorporating it back into my diet until I am closer to reaching my goal.

I am down three pounds after week one. Im not discouraged, Im not starving... If anything I am mad at myself that I didnt just keep this up because it can be so easy if you let it be. Thanks everyone for your support and asking me questions and allowing me to share the knowledge I have gained in nutrition these past few years. Every month I seem to learn something new and I love sharing it with others.

My regular day to day Paleo foods

I am someone who needs a routine to keep me grounded and consistent. I thought I would share my typical paleo diet day in case someone needs some inspiration.

Breakfast: (simple and fast)
3 strips turkey bacon
2 fried eggs in coconut oil

This not only keeps me full for hours and hours, but its super fast and easy to make with a toddler demanding breakfast and snacks and Mickey Mouse and diaper changes. You get the point...

Lunch: (easy filling salad)
Pre-chopped lettuce -I like the bags at Trader Joes
Avocado
Chicken - I like the canned chicken at Costco for its easiness
Sunflower seeds
Little olive oil

Snack ideas:
Roasted seaweed snacks
Brazil Nuts (easy on these though)

Mid day Smoothie (I usually make it around 3pm)
1 cup almond milk
1 cup blueberries
1 banana
2 tbsp chocolate hemp protein powder
1 tsp kelp powder (for minerals)

Dinner:
A meat serving (we eat a lot of lean chicken on almost a daily basis)
Brocolli sauteed in olive oil with garlic and onions

Dessert:
In a blender pour about 2 ounces almond milk
a 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries
a 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
Add in about a 1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Blend until chunky but kind of creamy
Pour in a dish, cover with *paleo granola, drizzle honey and shredded coconut

*There are so many paleo granola recipes online, pick whichever sounds the best to you :). I found this one online and I love it. I didnt add the coconut shreds, just sliced almonds, brazil nuts and sunflower seeds.
http://carrotsncake.com/2013/01/my-paleo-granola-recipe.html
Hope this all helps.

Paleo Diet Day 1

I am 140 pounds at 5 feet tall. Am I obese? No I’m not. But I am overweight. Being overweight is not as extreme but it still hinders my life greatly. I don’t like that my closet is full of old baggyclothes because I have to wear the same weekly outfits since that is all that fits me right now. I don’t want to spend money and go shopping because I will have to settle for clothes that I don’t like and that are probably not very fashion forward for my age, so that sucks the fun out of that. I am a 24 year old mother to a 1 and a half year old. I can't blame it on the baby weight alone because that’s not what it is. I gained too much weight while pregnant because that was something I allowed myself to do. I have to do something about it. At this point its my weight, not baby weight anymore. So here I go back on Paleo diet.

Why the paleo diet? A little background; I was petite my whole life until my senior year of high school. I developed horrific eating habits and became very sedentary after my school activities were over. I reached 140 pounds at age 20 years old resulting in a 40 pound weight gain in just 3 years. I lost the weight by age 21 by hard core portion control and regular exercise. Now that I am a mom I cant do it the way I did a few years ago because my lifestyle is not free like it used to be. I cant work out all the time, I have a childs schedule to follow and I cant make it through my day hungry and grumpy. I would not be the best mom I can be if I do it that way. The Paleo diet is very low carb which is hard but I know is effective. This is actually not my first time attempting the paleo diet. August 2012 I had reached 155lbs and felt I had to do something severe. I did and one month later I got down to 140. The reason I stopped was because I got hit with a bad cold, then the holidays hit and have really put a wrench in the process. So here I go again and I hope I can go all the way to my goal weight of 115!

My first weight loss in 2009 I had the support of my friends at my Cosmetology Academy. I never realized how essential a support team is because dieting as a stay at home mom is extremely challenging. No accountability... So please feel free to message me or comment and say yo Jackie, whats the deal with your diet?! I know at the end of the day its my will power but a cheerleader never hurt anything ;)...

This was me at 155lbs in July 2012, right before Paleo attempt 1. (10 months post partum) :(

This is me now at 140. (18 months post partum) Ive been able to maintain but ready to go the 

25lb weight loss! :)

God says to treat your body like a temple. I want to do that because I know it not only glorifies him but because he knows what he is talking about. The healthier you are the happier a person you can be so you can enjoy all of lifes blessings that he has to offer. Christianity + Paleo is controversial but I know who I am and I am strong in  my faith where I can balance it out. Thanks for reading! I will try to post a weekly progress.