AshleyEllefsen.com

I would consider week 1 on this diet…..errrr, I mean, “lifestyle” a HUGE success!

For anyone who knows me, you know that I love to eat.  I love to eat fancy, succulent meals just as much as I love to snack on junk food or indulge in a bowl of ice cream!  I was born in Georgia and my mom is a Southerner, so I was taught that when you’re entertaining guests….you eat, when you’re celebrating….you eat, when you’re grieving….you eat, when you’re stressed….you eat.  (Not to mention….when you’re hungry….you eat)!  Get the picture?

So, my week 1 major breakthrough came on day 4 when I completely stopped having hunger cravings!  I will forever celebrate, (with a big medium-rare steak) this day.  It will be marked on my annual calendar as the day that my mind overruled my stomach.

I know all of this probably sounds silly to those of you out there who can exercise a great deal of control when it comes to eating.  But, for someone who has never cut out bread, pasta, potatoes and rice from her diet….I’m feeling pretty strong, like I can accomplish anything I set my mind to!

I’ll confess though that the first three days were not easy.  I felt like I was always missing a huge part of my meals.  I would look longingly at the empty space on my plate where my large portion of carbs used to go…..and again, my belly would rumble it’s disapproval.  I was hungry between meals for the first few days and would open the pantry to a sea of “unapproved” foods, taunting me.  But, I stayed strong and  ave lived to tell the tale!

On a more serious note, the first thing I noticed was that when I was at the grocery store I was only shopping along the perimeter.  What I mean is, no aisle browsing.  There was rarely anything on my grocery list that I found down the center aisles of the store.  I spent most of my time in the produce and meat sections.  The benefits: less temptation buying, less time at the grocery store and less money spent on my overall grocery bill.  The downside to the lifestyle: I had to add an errand and stop at my local whole foods market in order to find some of the more specialized items on my shopping list this week.  Humorous side note…..I took the kids with me and Maegan, the more outspoken of the three immediately made a comment upon entering the store (and as loudly as possible i think) about how “funny it smells”.

If you are considering this lifestyle are are not sure where to start, there are hundreds of blogs, chat room discussions and websites with helpful information.  Many of them also offer recipes and meal plans to help you streamline your grocery planning and meal prep for a week.  I’ve decided to subscribe to one such website: www.paleoplan.com.  It is $9.99 a month, and I think well worth it for the amount of time it saved me the last two weeks.  The authors of this website plan 4 meals a day, with the recipes and a grocery list for each week.

I’ve found that after living this way for nine days though, that I’m not eating 4 meals a day.  I’m getting in about two meals a day, 3 on the days that I’m working out.  This is a nice break from the “7 small meals a day” plan which I previously subscribed to.  I find that this is MUCH less work and less time consuming.

Another thing I love about this plan….I don’t have to count calories!  Here’s the rule:  Eat when you’re hungry (from the approved foods list, of course), and eat until you’re satisfied.  The beautiful thing, I can eat until I’m completely full and still NOT have that after-dinner, lower belly bloating (ladies – you know what I mean).  I continue to supplement with XanGo daily multi-vitamins and anti-inflammatory juice along with a probiotic.

Physically, I haven’t lost any weight this week.  I’ve continued working out regularly, making it to the gym a total of 5 times.  However, by the end of the week, I noticed a slight difference in my cardio endurance and energy levels.

My final thoughts for this week are, if you’re thinking about giving this a shot, you CAN!    Yes, it’s important to live a healthy lifestyle.  However, this isn’t for everyone.  Everyones body is different – find what works for you, fits into your lifestyle and suits your tastes!  And, always remember: have FUN and be CONSISTENT!