The start of my Enchanting Journey. How I became Paleo.

My story is actually one of a lifetime of up and down with weight. Even as a child I was always called normal for weight...........another way of saying I was not chunky. As a child I could eat a mountain of food and was just normal, not really overweight but on the verge. That changed as I got older and into my 20's. I could not really eat anything and remain at an ok weight any more. Thus began the battle of up and down 20 pounds. When I was down I looked thin. When I was up I was chunky. Well fast forward to my 40's. After baby number one I got back down to thin, but three years later I could not go below that top weight of the up 20 pounds. Well add another few years and it kept creeping up at about 2-5 pounds a year. One day I looked at myself and could no longer say I was chunky, nope I was fat! Something had to change but how.

I tried the Ketogenic diet and the weight started comming off. That was October of 2012. Wow it was actually working at the rate of one to three pounds every week. When I got to the six weeks mark I started getting muscle cramps and decided that my body needed different nutrition. With the ketogenic diet you put your body into a constant state of ketosis and eat the majority of your caloric intake from fats, next proteins and very little from carbohydrates. I was also beginning to walk regularly about five miles a day.

I had heard about the Paleo diet and began doing research. I decided to jump ship on the Ketogenic diet and hop aboard the Paleo plan. Wow all of a sudden I could eat all sorts of good foods. I was careful with the nuts and fats in the beginning. I also was careful of kinds of meats I ate and avoided egg yolks. This was mid December. By the end of December I was below my goal weight and was still loosing. I felt amazing and strong. My cholesterol which had been borderline high most of my adult life dropped to just at the top of the normal range (40 points). January and I dropped more weight. By March of 2013 I reached my lowest weight since college when I was in my late teens early 20's. Now almost a year later I have maintained that weight and have become even more fit. Last Summer I did a Rim to Rim hike of the Grand Canyon in one day..............26 miles. I took a day off and hiked back across................26 miles. That is not only mileage but also an elevation loss of and gain from rim to river and back up...............and that is me in the photo top right during the hike back across comming out of the Devils Corkscrew on the South side..............I was passing everyone on the trail and felt like I could go forever! The picture on the left is me about 3 years ago 40 pounds heavier than the photo on the right!

The Paleo Lifestyle has really changed my life. I feel at least 20 years younger and have more energy than I ever thought I would again. To me food has become a way to nourish my body. My tastebuds no longer crave sugar and I have found that wheat causes all sorts of problems.

There are tons of sites on the web that talk about why the Paleo eating plan is how we should eat. Since we went from being hunters and gatherers and have grown crops our diets have changed. Our bodies are not made to eat wheat and other grains, refined sugars, not to mention the artificial colors, flavors and preservatives that many people eat as the mainstay of their diets. The essence of the Paleo plan is simple. Concentrate on what you CAN eat not on the forbidden list. What you can eat is: fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts, and healthy fats. What you do not eat is: grains, potatoes, peanuts, soy, refined sugars, and dairy...............before agriculture people did not have cows following them around to be milked.

And...............as a disclaimer: what I have written are only my opinions and I am only sharing my own experience.