If you have been here before, you know that I am obsessed with all things food. (If you haven’t been here: I’m obsessed with all things food. And wine.) So it is with more than a little hesitation that I embark on a diet.
You see, due to an ongoing battle with Hashimoto’s disease (cliff notes version: thyroid problem; super hard to treat effectively; not life threatening;
doctors generally suck at dealing with it) I have gained a bit of weight. I’d like to get rid of it. I exercise regularly. I eat pretty well, yet I was still gaining weight.
After loads of research I have reluctantly decided to give a version of the Paleo diet a whirl. We will see how it goes. Here are the things I am not eating:
- Grains (bread, pasta, rice… Pretty much anything that tastes good)
- Dairy (cheese, ice cream… Pretty much anything that tastes good. Although I have cheated and allowed myself a swig of skim milk in my coffee… See last post. I need to function)
- Sugar (cookies, cake, chocolate, ice cream… Pretty much anything that tastes good.)
- Soy (there seems to be some version of soy in just about every single product on earth, so… Pretty much anything that tastes good. And sushi. Ugh.)
- Legumes (beans, chickpeas, peanuts, hummus, lentils… Pretty much anything that tastes good.)
- Wine (wait. You don’t seriously think I gave up wine, do you? Stop talking crazy. Yes, I probably technically should have, but I technically should do a lot of things… Like watch less TV, and floss. Whatever. Hoping my dentist is not reading this…)
Now, the things I can eat:
- Meat
- Fish
- Fruit (in moderation. Whatever. Nobody ever got fat eating grapes. Plus, wine is made from grapes, and is therefore a fruit, right?)
- Vegetables Nuts (not peanuts, or peanut butter. See above.)
- Water
- Tea (which is basically just water, anyway)
- Coffee (water, with caffeine added. And milk!)
It has been a week, and I am starting to see the effects (two pounds… Whoopee!) and have eaten more red meat in a week than I have in months. (I am a burger grilling machine.) Let’s see how this shakes out over the next two weeks… After that I am gong on vacation and, well, I have firsthand knowledge of how good the almond croissants (and breadsticks, and ice cream and pizza, and..) are on Seabourn, so I can pretty much guarantee I will be off the Paleo wagon for most of the cruise.
At the suggestion of friends, I also bought a pedometer (fitbit one; it arrived today; let’s see if its motivational messages make me walk more. I’ve named it Pedro), so even though the almond croissants have my name on them, so does the treadmill. Pedro and I shall go for a stroll, or jog. FKGuy will likely be there, too.
My question for you, dear reader, is this: how have you managed to lose weight and (a ) not want to strangle yourself, or (b) chew an arm off from hunger and (c) managed to go out to eat with friends on a regular basis? I’d love to hear your suggestions (and positive reinforcement). Thanks in advance.
10 thoughts on “How Do You Do It?”
Good job with the loss and sticking to this new plan. It seems this is extremely restrictive in terms of what you can’t have.
I’m not very good with limiting myself of certain things so I calorie counted to lose weight. I did try to eat a more plant-based diet though and almost all my meals are homemade.
Good luck with everything.
Yes, it does seem extremely restrictive… we will see how it goes!
Hi Stephanie,
Never tried paleo, though I may. I’m a fan of the South Beach Diet, phases 1 and 2. I’ve lost 35 pounds in the last year and I am hoping to lose 35 more. I’ve been down this road before, 3 years ago, and I have done largely the same thing: low-carb, low sugar. Try to limit processed foods. Fiber gummies in the morning. I eat fruit, vegetables, eggs. I understand I should eliminate dairy but that is not going to happen, so I just eat less of it. The hardest thing to quit for me is the sugar. i still want it. Oh, and I rarely eat after 7:30 p.m., even if I’m very hungry. When I do, it’s a guarantee that I will gain wait. Exercise is great for helping you feel good and helping you treat yourself a bit, but I have found that, in and of itself, it does not really make you lose weight. Good luck. And don’t be surprised if it’s happening slowly. That’s 40.
A lot of people have mentioned that after 7PM thing, but… dinner is generally our only socialization – either with each other or friends, so, yes, I am still eating after 7. The way I figure it is this: I’ll continue doing what I am doing (with the exception of vacation!) and once I hit the goal, I can continue paleo most of the time, just adding in some things I actually like here and there…
Oh, and I totally agree on exercise. (Though I am obsessed with Pedro the Pedometer – he’s a fitbit. Yes, I named him.)
You should drop the skim milk from your coffee. Try almond milk or coconut milk or anything but you should really drop the dairy 100%. I went to black coffee. I did this diet for many years, maybe 5 or 6 and it was the only time in my life I didn’t have to worry about my weight. I kept coffee and red wine which are both illegal on a paleo diet. I quit when I started at the library. You are such a great cook I know you can make things that will taste good and be paleo. If you can limit yourself to one glass of wine it will be OK as long as you don’t eat fruit that day except for berries. I don’t know why but berries on the paleo diet don’t interfere with weight loss the way other fruit does. I wish I could get myself to do this again. Good luck!
The thing is, I really like regular ol’ cow’s milk in my coffee, and I drink so little of it! Oh, and I am totally eating fruit. I can’t eat a bag of spinach for breakfast… 🙂
Been thinking about this for you, but I can tell you what has worked for us. Dropping dairy was a huge deal, but I found that I really don’t mind black coffee or good flavored coffee (sugar free) or tea. When I initially switched to soy or almond milk, I found that I liked the flavor it added. If you don’t already have one, get a spiralizer! We love zucchini noodles and top them the same way we would pasta. Get creative with veggies (kale chips, zucchini chips, roasted veggies) to add variety. Smoothies are our best friend. We add our fiber supplement to the smoothie or depending on how much ice I add, sometimes it’s more like a sorbet. So we’re not eating the same proteins all the time, we have also gotten creative with eggs. There are lots of great gluten free products now out there as well as a number of good paleo bloggers who post lots of recipes. It’s worth all the hassle because you will feel better in the end. Good luck!! (PS: glad it’s worked out with Pedro!)
FK Girl. Knowing you as well as I do, Success is on the horizon. I dropped nearly 80 lbs by simply giving up land animals. It was accidental as I did not give them up for any other reason except that they gross me out! As too eliminating or reducing the intake of wine…… THAT’S CRAZY TALK!