Living Paleo – My 30 Day Reset Experience

Living Paleo – My 30 Day Reset Experience

For the last 30 days I have been living a completely new lifestyle. Not so new to my gorgeous man, but very much different for me, and it all revolves around getting healthy and how we eat.

I haven’t embraced the latest fad, I haven’t chosen a quick fat loss path or anything that requires me to count calories, measure portions or weigh myself continually. What I have done is plenty of research. I’ve also been seeing the results of people I know move from being tired, overweight (on various levels from a few kilos to a lot) and always getting ill transition to being happy, healthy energised people who all have less body fat. (whether as a happy by-product or by design).

We also have family that a few years ago went down this same path and had experienced fabulous benefits of this new lifestyle, and one of those people was my man, who had been eating this way before we met.

We both have health issues and being overweight certainly doesn’t help it for either of us. We also are planning a big trip middle of next year and we want to be feeling as fit and healthy as we can when we go away so we have the energy to cram in all things we want to do. So after a lot of discussion on my part, and no persuading on his (he was always keen!) we decided that it was now or never to get started on a healthier lifestyle.

I think the big catalyst for me though to make a change was when we had no lifts at work for a week after a burst pipe caused electrical faults in 2 out of 3 lifts and we had to traverse the stairs. Whilst I only had 99 stairs each way (which was less than half for the people up on Level 11) it highlighted just how goddamn unfit I was – and how embarrassing it was for our lovely security guard and receptionist to notice that and hence ferry me in the lift back up wherever possible with the other injured/disabled/fat arses like me. If they didn’t spot me I would sneak up the stairs, even though every muscle ached and I could barely breathe, just so people wouldn’t take pity on the fat chick.  At this point I knew I had to stop saying I will do something about it soon and actually get off said fat arse and make a change. Walking down the stairs during this time was not yet a lifestyle change!

So what I have been doing is living Paleo – eliminating all processed foods from my life and eating naturally grown organic produce, meats, seeds and nuts and not eating things that are man-made or processed, contain chemicals etc– including dairy, legumes and grains.

Here is a pretty good definition I found online:

The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years which ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture and grain-based diets. In common usage, such terms as "paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet.^[1][2]

Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

Now whilst at first I was sceptical about eliminating some of these things - the dairy especially, I was amazed at how quickly my body began to respond to not having any chemicals in it. Now I won’t lie, it was not all a bed of roses – the most effective way to do it properly is start out with what is called the ’30 Day Reset’ – which is a really strict following of the basic principles of Paleo to allow your body time to detox from all the processed foods and chemicals that we eat, even the chemicals from the ‘healthy’ stuff like pesticides on non organically grown fruit and veggies and of course all the processes involved in creating the grains we use to make bread, cereals etc. You also have to do a fair amount of prep each day in ensuring you have all your food covered – (Paleo, especially until you’ve done your reset and are confident with how to chose the right foods when you aren’t the one cooking) means you need to be preparing all 3 meals each day. When you are tired and going through the detox phase this can be taxing – but I’m glad that I managed to hang in there, I am so happy that I did because of how I now feel.

Now this 30 days, depending on how ‘healthy’ you were before will be different for everyone. For those people like me who were big fans of ‘junk’ then I can tell you that at the beginning of it , it was anything but pretty. But the upside is that even though I did experience the worst of some of the side effects, doing it properly, I also started to get the positive effects at the same time.

With all the research I did, everyone suggested keeping a journal of how they felt, what they experienced etc so you can look back over it and see how far you have come. Loving to write as I do, I decided to do just that in the form of a blog, and then kind of got bored with it when the bad stuff stopped and the good stuff really started!

So below is just a snippet of the first few days, then I’ll get into the really good stuff J

For anyone that has read my blogs before, you know I will be brutally honest about what I tell you. So if you are squeamish about bodily functions or too much honesty, then look away now! If you can handle it, and want to know more that isn’t from a text book but a real experience, read on J

Day 1 and 1/3

We actually started day 1 with a Paleo meal at dinner. We had to go do our shopping and thought why wait and start it on Monday when we can get straight into it? So we put on the slow cooker and added some grass fed lamb pieces, sweet potato, carrots, mushrooms, onions and tomato and let it cook for about 5hrs. I then added a tin of organic tomatoes and some organic tomato paste and an hour or so later we had the yummiest lamb and veggie stew. The only thing missing of course was the crusty bread to soak it up, but to be honest, it was really filling and we didn’t need the bread.

Our first shopping experience was expensive as we stocked the cupboard with some of the Paleo ‘essentials’ that would allow us to cook with variety as well as being as compliant as possible – Organic Ghee and Coconut Oil for cooking in, Macadamia Oil to supplement for Olive when we are wanting to change the flavours in our salad dressings, Coconut Flour, Almond Meal, Nut Butter and Coconut flakes and Coconut Milk. But of course, we won’t be eating / using all of this at once, so things will run out as oil and butter and flour do in a SAD diet. Now I love this term SAD – it actually stands for ‘Standard American Diet’ and I had a few giggles the first time I heard it, but as an acronym it kind of makes sense when you think of all the Maccas, KFC, Hungry Jacks, other fast food and tinned/processed foods we all consume – even the alleged healthy ones like ‘Lean Cuisine’ and ‘Healthy Choice’  – especially when you understand how chemically enhanced those foods are – and believe me, I could confidently say my previous way of eating absolutely was SAD.

So the real Day 1 started on Monday. Here is my ‘diary’ from those first 5 days J

AM: OK it’s day 1 and I’m feeling really optimistic. I am tired, my sleep has been off kilter for a few weeks so I am absolutely feeling sluggish even after a good meal last night, I could happily have stayed in bed today. BUT, I am looking forward to eating the new foods and seeing how we will go, especially as I have prepared our breakfast for today (which I did last night)  and I’m really happy with how it tasted!

It’s now lunch time and having had a nice protein hit for breakfast, I’m not really all that hungry. Although, I am feeling a little nauseous and this could be because I missed my daily skim mocha mudslide chiller from Gloria Jeans. It was my staple caffeine and dairy hit, which had started out as a treat and quickly moved to a daily occurrence. So instead of the chiller I had a cup of black tea and it was quite alright, but not the same L

OMG lunch was just an absolute epic fail.

Last night I had roasted a gorgeous organic free range chicken and made a great asian inspired salad. I decided to try something different with the dressing however and used the wrong olive oil. I poured it over my salad (thankfully not my chicken) and then took the first mouthful. It was so revolting I nearly threw up. So in the end my lunch ended up being the chicken, a banana and raw nuts that I had brought with me for a snack!

PM: By the time I got home I was feeling a little hungry so I snacked on a hard-boiled egg, which helped as I had a few hours cooking ahead of me preparing more meals for the week.

Right now I have a raging headache and terrible nausea. There is no doubt my body is beginning to detox. Somehow I managed to cook us dinner, but I barely ate any of it before finding myself throwing up and feeling really terrible. Fortunately, by the time I did throw up I had digested the little I had managed to eat, so it was more the dry retching than anything but the nausea refused to go anywhere. I am now more than ready for bed and the hope I will wake up and it will all be over in the morning. Oh and that salad dressing was so bad I just dry retched as I disposed of Darrin’s in the bin! – I am almost doing it now typing this, the memory is so strong!

The positive to how I am feeling – there is no way I am going to cheat and have to go through any of this again!

Day 2

AM: Amazingly I slept a bit better last night and when I woke up, I still had the headache, but the nausea seemed to be gone. I am however feeling a bit upset in the stomach. The good news however is that I’m not feeling anywhere near as bloated as I normally do, and although tired, I feel like I have a bit more energy.

PM: I ended up working from home today as I felt I needed to be close to the bathroom – although that ended up being a false alarm, and although still surrounded by some Non-Paleo foods that we are getting rid of on the weekend, I wasn’t tempted to cheat at all.

I also found that between meals I wasn’t as hungry and my portions were definitely smaller than a few days ago.

Oh the nausea decided to return this afternoon – so much for thinking it was done and dusted, but it’s nowhere near to the extent it was on Monday night thank God.

Day 3

Day 3 will affectionately from now on be known as ‘fart day’. I woke up with the craziest case of wind you can imagine. Poor Darrin had to deal with some very un-lady-like behaviour before I went to work, and I spent the day ‘popping off’ to the bathroom to ‘pop off’! I didn’t sleep as well last night, but again, although I’m terribly tired and my head is still fuzzy – pretty sure this is the ‘carb flu’ I was told to expect with the detox, but again, I’ve got more energy and feeling way less bloated. I know it’s only fluid in the first few days but already I’m feeling like I’ve lost kilos. The headache is still present and a little bit of the nausea, but I know it’s not long to go and these will disappear. The peppermint tea first thing certainly helped and of course water, water and more water!

Day 4

Finally the fog has started to clear! Today I woke up without the headache – that was a huge bonus I can tell you. The nausea is just this faint twinge, I’m feeling like it is almost gone and if I eat it will disappear. Once I had breakfast, I was feeling really good. I ate less than what I cooked and felt really full. I’m a bit slack on the veggies still, they aren’t going down as well as I’d liked, but I think my taste buds are just readjusting –they are used to a lot of sweetness, and aren’t getting any other than from fruit. I’ve also been a bit constipated too these last couple of days and I know that is because I really haven’t been eating much in the way of volume, and it’s been mainly protein. I did finally manage to go this morning and felt way better for it, in fact the nausea seemed to go completely after a good brekkie and a good poo!

We went to Burwood to buy a couple more staples and although we were surrounded by amazing smells and cakes and sausage rolls and the things we would normally want to eat, I wasn’t tempted in the slightest. When Darrin said he wanted a chocolate milkshake I happily went off and bought us both sparkling mineral waters and tried to convince him he was drinking a shake! Amazingly, although we are both really tired and drained still, we both seemed to have more energy as we moved through the shops which was surprising to both of us.

We also took some time out to go sit by the water and watch the world go buy whilst we ate fresh fruit and raw nuts, instead of cakes and donuts. And I’m feeling really GOOD for it. The Jazz apple I had was the best apple EVER – so crunchy and juicy and it was delicious. Not sure what has happened to the Danielle of old but I’m actually starting to enjoy these foods now I’m feeling better.

Pleasingly no more headache today at all – things are looking up!

Day 5

Worst night sleep last night – I tossed and turned and when I wasn’t doing that I was dreaming. One of the websites I’ve been following gave us a timeline of potential things to expect like weird cravings and things we may get as well as how we would probably have food dreams that will be really vivid and that don’t help the cravings in the daylight hours! We had a good giggle when we read it, but then last night they started for both of us. And vivid is was! I dreamed that I was drinking a diet coke and I swear I could taste it! Man it was good! BUT, I did manage to have just a couple of sips and then threw the can against a wall! Darrin’s dream was about roast pork rolls he loves. In his dream he wasn’t so happy about being rid of his, he dropped his roll on the road, a truck ran over it and he picked it up and finished eating it! Got to love how our mind wants to trick us into eating and drinking those things! Obviously my body is missing the artificial sweetener as much as the real deal sugar. Darrin is obviously missing the bread! Will be interesting to see how long these dreams go on for and what else we dream about.

So with crap sleep I’m really tired today and feeling a bit achy and my sinuses are going nuts, but that is the worst of it – standard cold like symptoms, so definitely just my carb flu. The good thing though is definitely no sign of headache or nausea so for me that is ‘winning’! Oh and OK I know I’m not supposed to be weighing myself til the end of the 30 days, but because I am feeling lighter and less bloated, and was able to comfortably do up a pair of jeans I haven’t been able to wear in months I wanted to see how I was going on the scale. With any new regime, especially when I haven’t been eating healthily before-hand I can often lose a couple of kilos in the first week, so imagine my surprise when a couple is actually 5.2kgs! I know this is a one off level of that many kilos in a week and next week I will stabilise, but still, it’s a nice boost J

Onwards and upwards

So to be honest, you really don’t want to hear anymore about how I was feeling and by this point I was bored in writing it all down! For me the nausea came back again on and off for a few days but by the end of the first 10 days I was feeling brilliant. Because my body isn’t bloating from wheat, gluten or dairy, my stomach is pretty much ‘flat’ each day, even after a decent sized meal. “OK what are you on about- you’ve got a huge stomach still” I hear you say, and yes there are many kilos to lose yet, but if you’ve ever suffered from bloating of any description, you’ll understand what I mean when that bloated feeling goes away. Well now, I don’t get that bloated feeling at all.

What I also never really put 2 and 2 together with was how some of things I was eating and drinking made me retain fluid. Although I’ve been very lucky to be a fat chick without cankles, I’ve noticed that all my skin is firming up and I’m not looking like I’m filled with fluid anymore, granted I have lost fat and I’ll get to that shortly, but there is a definite puffiness to people who do retain water and I notice it so much more not only in myself but other people as well now.

My taste buds have totally changed. Where once my taste buds craved chocolate and everything sweet, I can actually look at things and not be anywhere near as tempted as I would normally be, because they don’t taste the same. I’m finding that I don’t need the sweetness I always craved. In the beginning of our journey I really struggled with homemade mayonnaise. I’m not a salad lover by any standard and I always got through them by eating really creamy aoli’s and dressings. When I made mayo and it had nothing artificial and definitely no sugar in it I couldn’t stand the taste. Now when I make it, it tastes just right.

I also had something I shouldn’t. I hadn’t planned on cheating in my 30 days but I made a silly decision and decided to have some chocolate. We had a charity box at work for someone’s kids day care and I bought a Giant Fredo. Now earlier in the year when we had a similar drive I think I ate half of the damn box, I always seemed to be there purchasing them, so I felt bad they had lost their sponsor! So I spent my $1 and wasn’t actually going to eat it when I caved. And you know what? It wasn’t half as delicious as I remembered them to be. In fact I was really, really disappointed in how it tasted. As guilty as I felt for having cheated so close to the end of the reset, I was glad to have done it too, because it showed me I’m really NOT missing out on stuff!

My colleague Nicole has recently come back from Corporate Centre in Switzerland and before she went (which was pre Paleo) I told her she wasn’t to return without Lindt chocolate from Switzerland. Of course by the time she returned I was only 7 days in, so the chocolates have been sitting on my desk not to be touched til the reset is finished. This is them here J

The freaky dreams continued for a couple of days, my favourites would have to be when Mum wouldn’t let me eat a cupcake, which was in fact Paleo because it was the size of my head and the best one was about watching Pantera on stage eating scones during a gig! WTF???!!!

My actual weight stagnated for a week or so before kicking off again, but during that time my circumference was decreasing, so I wasn’t concerned.

We Managed to very successfully eat out 3 times and each time we were 100% Paleo – you should have seen the look on the guys face at the local club when I asked for both steaks with no chips, no sauce and steamed veggies, I think he thought the fat chick had lost her mind! We’ve been at work and family events and whilst tempted, not enough to consume the chips, cakes, sausage rolls etc that once would have had me consuming my weight in. Instead we’ve taken our own snacks of nuts or veggie or kale chips. Whilst that might sound like we are really boring, my family couldn’t get over the taste of the totally dairy, gluten and sugar free banana bread I made them, and they even joined us in eating the parsnip, sweet potato and beetroot chips J

So physically I obviously still have a long way to go – I’m realistic enough to know that whilst the first kilos have fallen off fast, the rest will slow to a reasonable rate, but that is ok, I’m prepared for that. I’m not dieting, I don’t feel deprived, allI feel is really, really well and engergised.

I’ve had two small panic attacks, where in the months leading up to it they were pretty much a daily occurrence. My anxiety just before we started was the worst it had ever been. I sleep better, deeper, I’m more refreshed and less tired when I wake. Water no longer gets boring.You know how when you’re drinking other things as well you have a couple of glasses of water and then you are over the taste? Well that doesn’t happen to me anymore.

My allergies which should right now be incapacitating with my sinuses going crazy are barely reacting to the cooler weather.

My hair is healthier, shinier. My skin is a bit dry, but that is the season, take that out of it, it has never looked so clear. My wrinkles in my forehead are less pronounced.

I still have zero patience with the commuters of City Rail and people of Ashfield in general, but nothing was going to change my disposition that much! I do however feel less stressed in general.

At work we have a wellbeing program and 3 weeks in I had a general health check. In the past this would have scared me as although they have never medicated me for it, my cholesterol was always fairly questionable and in need of coming down. Doctors are also amazed that with a life long history of my weight that I’m not diabetic or pre-diabetic, but my sugars are always normal with every type of glucose and insulin test they have done. This time was no different, sugar was perfect, but even better was that my cholesterol was in the normal ranges- even the bad stuff! So that was incredibly pleasing.

So as of today, the 30^th day I am officially 8.9kg lighter. I have lost 10cm off both my waist and hips and 2.5 from my under-bust. I’ve also lost around 4cm off my neck and possibly lost a chin!

Although this lifestyle might be from our ancestors, our modern world means there are so many great resources to find out about Paleo in general and food blogs galore! OMG Paleo Food Porn is rife – on facebook and the net in general.

For me though, the most valuable resource and the deciding factor was the ‘Paleo for Dummies’ book. I think it cost us $30 from Dymocks but it did what I needed, it took all the really scientific reasons for doing this and made it simple for an idiot like me to understand how to do it and why.

The other was an ebook called “The Paleo Miracle” – it was compiled by a man who had his own Paleo breakthrough when he was looking for something to help him medically. He then compiled 49 other stories – some people like me looking to lose a fair amount of weight, some looking for a remedy to assist their celiac disease and others with behavioural problems that thought diet might help. If you are considering this journey, especially to see if diet can help you to get well, then I definitely recommend purchasing that ebook, I read it during my darkest first couple of days and it was what I needed to show me I made the right choice. I found it via the facebook page “Just Eat Real Food” – they often showcase some of the people from the book and the links are there to purchase it.

So that is me right now, this is the journey I am currently on to get well. As a bonus I’m also losing weight as is my man and we are both planning on being around for a very long time and continuing to get ridiculously healthy J

Me - at my Cousin Andy's wedding in October, about 2kg lighter than when I started this 30 days ago and today down 8.9kg. Check my instagram - thefabulousmsnoir for a clearer version :)