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.

Before we start...

Some starting statistics! We'll update once a month.

Sarah:
Weight - 195 lbs.
Waist - 42 in.

Simon:
Weight - 314 lbs.
Waist - 50 in.

Throughout our blog journey, keep in mind that we won't be 100% strict paleo. We're going to have to make some compromises to stick to it as best we can. For the most part, we'll be as paleo as possible.

We went to BJ's yesterday and bought a lot of bulk basics like olive oil, eggs (for Simon; I have an egg sensitivity), avocados, nuts, meats, seafood, etc. Including our toilet paper and other personal items, the total was $243 (I'd say $200-ish was food). Then I placed a grocery order to be delivered tomorrow, with produce, more meat, and coconut milk. That totaled $100. Lastly, we went to Whole Foods today for coconut flakes, coconut oil (virgin and regular), and almond flour, none of which my regular supermarket had. That was about $30. I'm calling our initial investment about $325. I'll continue to update how much it costs us (I'm sure it will go down as we stock up on staples) and try to compare it to what our usual monthly grocery spending was.

We had a little binge this weekend. Pancakes yesterday; pizza, beer (for me; Simon doesn't drink), and cake at a birthday party today. I know it's not a fabulous idea, but we love food, especially bread and cheese, and we just needed one more taste of our favorites before they go away for a long, long time. I cleaned out the fridge yesterday, tossing lots of non-paleo food, and cleaned out the cabinets of nonperishable non-paleo food to donate. I had cans and cans of corn, peas, and beans. Oops. And creamy soups. Did you know "healthy choice" tomato soup has soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, and wheat flour? I didn't! Now I do. No wonder people go paleo. The crap we're not supposed to eat is EVERYWHERE. Our systems must be full of it.

So. Here we go. Wish us luck.

Who are we?

Sarah and Simon are a married geek couple trying the paleo diet to feel healthier. They intend to follow it as strictly as possible for the first two weeks or so, then gradually add in a "cheat" meal one or two days a week. They know their limitations and don't expect to be 100% paleo all the time. Bread and cheese are just too good!

Together, they enjoy playing World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons, and many other video and tabletop games. They met on Craig's List in 2007 and have been married since October 2010.

Sarah is a 31-year-old self-employed photographer and housewife. She has been overweight since college and the death of her mother, but is perfectly healthy with spot-on blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. She is hoping that going paleo might help with her IBS, acne, asthma, and/or fertility issues. Besides photography, Sarah enjoys reading, writing, singing, crafting, and archery. She's also obsessed with Harry Potter and anything by Joss Whedon.

Simon is a 37-year-old IT Director. He has been overweight most of his life and battles hereditary high blood pressure with medication. He is hoping paleo will help him lose weight and have more energy. Simon enjoys a variety of video games (especially Minecraft), cars, LEGOs, music, photography, and making chain mail. He is a big fan of Joss Whedon, the TV shows Fringe and Castle, and the Harry Potter movies.

(Photo by Lisa Rigby Photography)

Blog header photo by CelestialAxis Photography