THE GARDEN OF EATING

I did not lose any weight this week.   Sorry to bring you such disappointing news on Weigh-in Tuesday, but I have to keep it real.  My body is probably getting used to the paleo eating.  I still have not reached my twenty-five pound goal and it seems absolutely ridiculous that this many months later I am still fighting just to achieve such a small number.  I WILL MAKE THAT GOAL THIS WEEK!  You can rest assured.

If I'm going to be totally honest here, I did have a flawed week.  The heavy workouts did exactly what Mark Sisson said they would; it stirred up a major appetite and some craving for carbs.  I didn't go berserk, thank God, but I had some things that were more than just a little off the diet.  I do really well on this program and have to say of all the restrictions I've endured in the past, I've had the most success with the paleo diet.  So by no means am I disappointed in it.  Nor am I disappointed in myself.  I think two weeks in a row of losing five pounds and going nearly eight weeks without having any bread, cereal, snacks, sweets, sugar, pasta, or wheat, is pretty impressive.

The longer I'm on the diet, the more of a rhythm I develop.  But one of the interruptions in the beat is, naturally, a desire to eat things not paleo approved.  It is almost like after so many days I can't bare the thought of having another egg for breakfast or another salad for dinner and I have to have something unique.  I do, and generally suffer no consequences, and the next day I am happily eating eggs and salad again.  It doesn't seem to set me back much nor does it cause me to go on a bender like in previous dieting attempts.  It seems to satisfy me enough in the moment to give me the energy to carry on.

This weekend I took it a little further than I normally do and I am certainly paying the price now.  I woke up today feeling out of it, lost, sluggish, more hungry than had I just stuck to the diet, and sorta irritable.  I like to call this phenomenon the "gluten coma!"  LOL.  These moments bring me clarity because it reinforces my belief in this style of eating.   It is not a placebo affect, and in fact, it has benefits beyond weight loss as to how I feel physically.  It solidifies for me that "wheat" is the enemy!

While I may have had some bumps in the road this week, my husband did not. He is remarkable at changing a behavior long term with little to no deviation. I have never seen someone who will give up a substance, or in this case, an entire group of substances, and never look back!  He is amazing at maintaining that level of focus and control and rarely gives in to temptation.  I hope he remains this diligent when it comes to other women...LOL ;-)  He had a little bit of all-natural ice cream last week, ice cream being his nemesis, that and coffee, but nothing too terrible.  In fact, when I deviate it is usually more exotic and I feel like suddenly I have landed in the Garden of Eden, or in this case, The Garden of Eating.  I am tempting Adam with the golden, delicious, apple, which this week, just happened to be a patty melt from Red Robin...LOL Sadly, no regrets there as it was goooood!  The only difference is, my Adam, has the strength not to give in to temptation and ordered grilled chicken and salad off the menu!

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Genesis 3:6