INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

I think my path to Paleo actually started nearly a year ago (April 2011) when I began eating a low carb/high protein diet.  I had never even heard the word “paleo” at that time.  I saw immediate results and felt much better!  I have used a food/exercise diary (www.myfitnesspal.com) nearly every day and through this I learned a few things:

1)      In order to get my “pie chart” (an illustration on the mobile version of the site that shows how much of your daily calories come from Fat, Protein & Carbohydrates) to look “good”, I had to eat more than the recommended 1280 calories per day.  By “good” I mean Protein having the biggest pie piece while carbs have the lowest.  Or around 30% carbs, 30% fat and 40% protein.  The reason for this is that protein is “denser”.   Fat has the most calories per gram, then protein, and finally carbohydrates have the least calories per gram.  So, basically, I throw the calories out the window.  I still pay attention to them, but I care more about my “pie chart”.

2)      If you don’t pay attention to fiber and just eat a ton of meat and not enough fruits and vegetables, you’ll be very, very sorry.  Or at least I was.  I have been having chronic extreme constipation for months.  I am still seeing doctors to determine what the cause is, but in the meantime, I’ve taken it upon myself to increase my fiber intake and drink a ton of water!  I will update here when/if I learn anything new.  My next appt. is with a gastroenterologist.

3)      Trying new things is awesome!  Since starting all of this I have discovered that I do in fact love almonds (especially the Blue Diamond Bold flavored ones, which probably don’t fall under “paleo”, but I’m taking baby steps here!). 

4)      Not eating bread is only hard for the first couple of weeks, after that you don’t even want it anymore.  And even though I do occasionally still eat a burger on a bun, I find that eating meat without the bun allows me to really taste the meat and it’s good!