My transition to Paleo

I wanted to take the time to show everyone my transformation from the traditional American diet to the Paleo lifestyle. I always thought that I ate healthy according to what doctors said, I ate oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, avoiding eggs and bacon because they are "high in fat" and I ate my cereal with skim milk. For lunch I would have a sandwich or salad of some sort, and for dinner I would have some sort of chicken or fish with pasta or rice. I ate a lot of veggies, very little meat, lots of grains, and I usually had a beer with dinner as well. I went from wearing a size 4 comfortably to muffin topping a size 10 in the matter of a year. I tried so many diets and would go running a couple times a week if I could get the motivation up and I got bored with it very quickly and usually came up with an excuse of why I couldn't go running that night. I was miserable. I was always tired, my clothes were tight, and I had cellulite! I wasn't eating much, so I couldn't understand why I was still gaining weight. When I reached 160 lbs (I was 135 all through college) I was finally fed up.

I was then introduced to 4Balance Fitness. It was unlike anything I had ever done before. I was the typical girl only wanting to do cardio on a treadmill thinking that was how to get skinny. Boy was I wrong! My first workout practically killed me. Olympic lifting was a foreign language to me. You should have seen my first attempts at a power clean. It was atrocious! 

My trainer, Michael Cole, asked me the typical questions. What is my workout history, do I have any injuries, what are my short and long term goals. Then he asked me about my nutrition. I remember telling him that I needed help with everything but nutrition because I didn't eat much, maybe a couple meals a day, and I didn't eat red meat, so my gaining weight couldn't have anything to do with food. Sound familiar anyone? The look on his face will be forever burned in my mind! He told me I was gaining weight because I was under eating. I didn't even know that was possible. I thought I would be skinny if I was under eating. He then took the time to teach me about the Paleo diet and the benefits it would have for me. He told me I was "skinny fat" (gasp) then he told me to EAT!! He did a body comp and I found out I had 26% body fat. 

This was March 2011. My cousin's wedding was in April, 6 weeks away. I set my goal to be a size 4 in six weeks. Michael thought it was possible but only if I did exactly what he told me to with weight training and nutrition. Being always up for a challenge, I started reading "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolf and dove in head first. The first few days were fine, then the cravings hit. I was angry that I couldn't have bread or sugar. That was my body going through withdrawal. I remember one cheat day I wanted to eat Chick Fil A, so I disclosed to Michael that I was craving that. He told me that was a terrible cheat and if I was going to cheat I needed to at least make it worth it. It took me a while to understand what he meant because I wanted it so bad. There are SO MANY better cheats out there. Mexican and Thai being my favorites. 

I was never a gourmet chef before, I burned everything... My first attempt at Paleo cooking was okay at best. It was carrot bread, or something like it. It was grainy... I didn't let that stop me though. There weren't as many resources when I first started so the recipes weren't great. I mostly stuck to simple meals of grilled chicken with a green vegetable or fish. Then the strangest thing happened, I wanted red meat. I hadn't eaten red meat in about 7 years and never had the first craving until I changed my diet. 

The body fat started melting off of me. I was working out 5 days a week, I had one cheat meal on Saturday, I was not eating any grains or sugars other than that one meal, and I was seeing results. When I went to my cousin's wedding, I was a size 2 and 135 lbs! I was looking and feeling amazing! I no longer felt like I needed to eat bread or sugar because when I did I felt awful. 

By July 2011 I was fitting into a size 0 jeans and I was the strongest I have ever been. I felt confident in a bathing suit when I went to the beach. I ran my first 5k and did my first mud run and I didn't feel like I was going to die. 

So, I challenge each and every one of you who doesn't believe that you can change your life by changing how you eat to give it a try. I promise you will see results if you just do it! What do you have to lose? I honestly don't feel like I'm missing out on anything at all. I still have cookies, cake, ice cream, pudding, whatever it is I want. I just choose a healthier version of it. It just takes a little effort. DO IT!! :)

Pre-Paleo

Muffin topping

Look at those hips!

Saggy Booty

Post-Paleo

6 weeks after changing my diet and working out

At my cousin's wedding

July 2011, 4 months into the Paleo lifestyle (15% body fat)

No more saggy booty (7 months into the Paleo lifestyle)