Month 1 Recap - Sarah

Starting weight: 195 lbs.
Current weight: 192 lbs.
Loss this month: 3 lbs.


Starting waist: 42 in.
Current waist: 42 in.
Loss this month: 0 in.

Favorite meal: Almond and bacon scallops with cumin roasted carrots.

Feelings so far: Honestly, it's been easier than I expected in some ways. I thought I couldn't live without bread and cheese, which are pretty much my two most favorite foods, but I haven't craved them much at all. We accidentally had breaded wings from a restaurant one night and I was nauseous for hours. I'm in no hurry to repeat the experience. I'm sure minor gluten-free cheats will happen, but gluten seems to bother me more than ever now, which is probably an indicator that I'm better off without it.

I was sick for pretty much the first three weeks. The withdrawal was awful and my stomach just wouldn't digest anything properly. Even now I'm still having occasional issues, but I'm hoping they continue to fade. No noticeable improvement in energy levels yet, but I'm going to add some light exercise starting tomorrow. Acne has not improved, but my asthma has a little. I helped out shoveling after a snow storm (cold air and exercise are my asthma triggers) and I did fairly well.

I didn't lose a lot of weight, but I'm still amazed I lost any weight eating whenever I wanted and never going hungry. Every "diet" I've ever been on restricted me to 1,200 calories a day (or more if I "earned" them through exercise) and I lived a hungry, cranky life. Counting calories led me to disordered eating habits and depression, and I just can't do it any more for the sake of my mental health. Seeing a loss on the scale without risking my sanity is very exciting to me. No loss of inches but I just finished my period so I'm sure I'm still a bit bloated.

My main hope is that this helps my fertility. Getting pregnant has not been a problem for me, but I lost both pregnancies at 5 weeks, in August and January. I'm currently undergoing testing through a reproductive endocrinologist to see if we can find and fix the problem, but from what I've heard about gluten intolerance, it can cause serious fertility problems on its own. Ridding my body of that and soy can only help. We won't be trying to conceive again for quite a few months, and I hope by then I can have my body in a better state of health to support a new life.

Challenges: I enjoy cooking, but the sheer quantity lately has been a bit overwhelming. Not being able to resort to convenience foods means that I'm constantly making meals from scratch. I've learned some meals just aren't worth spending 2 hours in the kitchen for, and that there are quite a few meals that are quick and easy. I get my recipes from so many different sources (Facebook, cookbooks, iPad apps, etc.) that I've decided to compile a binder of the tried and true meals we enjoy for easy reference. I've been printing them out (and I'm going to photocopy some cookbook ones) and putting them in plastic sleeves and categorizing them under beef, poultry, desserts, etc. I'm finding this makes it much easier for me to find and prepare a recipe than when they're all spread out. Each source I find them in only has a few we like or can eat. I have an egg intolerance (which I'm hoping I can get rid of), we don't like mushrooms or olives, Simon's not a seafood fan, etc. I don't want to lose or forget the meals that we both love and I enjoy making.

In conclusion: While it's taking some time for my body to adjust, I'm finding paleo easier than I expected, and as time goes on, I'm sure keeping these new habits will be more automatic. I'm proud of myself for sticking with it and I can see this becoming our lifestyle and not just an experiment.