To be honest, I spend an inordinate part of my day talking to myself about why a committed paleo lifestyle will absolutely NOT work for me. But, for the most part, I’m hanging in there. At this point, it’s as much an exercise in awareness (about the things we eat) as anything.
Here’s what I’m finding so far:
1. I really don’t like meat that much.
2. There’s only so many ways you can eat beef-especially ground beef.
3. I like vegetables and I’d like to keep it that way. I’m actually eating fewer veggies 2 weeks in because frankly, I’m satiated.
4. I’ve never been a huge fan of salads in the winter-except occasionally.
5. I feel about the same. My rosacea did not miraculously disappear-it’s pretty much following it’s usual course.
6. I’m not willing to invest in or manage a large portion of grass-fed beef. I like not having a seperate freezer.
7. If I retrained my tastebuds to love more wild game (cleaner meats), I don’t have access to it (though Mark said he would be willing to start hunting) but…see #6 above.
8. I suspect that, overall, our family could benefit from a real paleo diet, (clean and organic everything, high in fat and low in simple carbs). I really don’t have it in me to fight that battle. Believe me, it would be a BATTLE!
9. Not sure how much longer I’ll keep at it. I will continue to abstain from part of the forbidden elements during lent. I’m running out of food options because I’m really not enjoying all the meat and I don’t think processed, packaged meats fits the bill.
10. I really think when my experiment ends, I’ll complain less about what to have for dinner-for a while anyway.
11. I feel lucky NOT to have to battle with allergies, autoimmune disorders and other types of food sensitivities. I will revisit allowing vegetable oil in various forms, high fructose corn syrup and chemicals into the pantry.
12. These 14 days, my mother-in-law’s mantra has repeated in my head…”Everything in moderation”. She lived to be almost 82 and she was pretty fit and active most of that time. Good advice.
13. I don’t feel like a failure. Rather, this is playing out as I anticipated. Maybe that’s why the sight of a bagel or a plate of pasta isn’t driving me crazy. I’ve known all along I would likely enjoy these foods again, but I guess I’ll try to enjoy them in moderation.
14. This makes me admire Kelly as much as ever. I’ve always appreciated her thoughtful and committed approach to all things family. Whether it be moving, budgeting, activities, whatever. And let’s be honest, when you’re a mother, nearly everything you do affects the whole family. I love how she’s made this change and stuck to it.
Beth, I love your ability to analyze a situation and put it out there in a no non-sense summary. This is great.
You know you and your family so well, so if it doesn’t work for you, then it doesn’t work.
(I especially like #2. Ha Ha. Made me laugh. Especially the fact that it’s right up there at #2 LOL)
I’m definitely eating a lot less veg than I used to for the same reason as you (#3). I always used to save my side-dish greens for last, but now that they’re usually the only veg on my plate, I’ve been putting them on right with the main dish so I don’t forget them or eat so much that I don’t want them. 🙂
I’m sure you’ve learned a lot about your tastes and your family’s tolerance.
I don’t think I’m admirable for this. The fact is that I have the weight motivator, which has driven many of my life decisions and really, Jt playing along (and sometimes driving the bus) makes a huge difference in the do-ability factor for such a huge change. But, thank you, I do appreciate the compliment. I admire you for the same reasons.
Kelly,
I love you you characterize my rationalization or bullshit as my “ability to analyze a situation and put it out there in a no non-sense summary.” That’s the mark of a true friend.
No question having the hubby on-board makes a huge difference. This is not to criticize Mark whatsoever. Food matters are hugely personal and habits are very hard to break so I think it’s great that both you and JT are on the bus, regardless of who’s driving it. I do suspect that allergies or weight issues or serious hormonal imbalances would be a great motivator. To my knowledge, none of those is present. Still, though, I think the whole experiment will have me making better food choices. Surprisingly, my definition of food has gotten a lot narrower-that’s probably a good thing. I can definitely see substituting for my plate when it’s not utterly inconvenient.
Have you roasted plantains yet? For some reason, those seem to be huge in the paleo plan.
Thanks, as always for the encouragement. I’m not completely done with this issue.
In regards to#2, guess what I had for lunch nearly every day this week? Meat muffins. That’s right. I made a meatloaf on Saturday and it was big enough so I filled a muffin tin with the left overs. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed them but I’m thinking it would horrify the purist paleo community.