#paleodews

That hashtag should actually just be singular,#paleodew, because I'm the only one in the house on board {for now}.
Anywho...I've done it, I've jumped on the paleo train. I've only been at it about three weeks so I'd hardly call myself an expert and definitely don't consider myself "paleo". I am still learning but I've already learned a lot and my body is responding.
About a year ago, almost exactly, I attempted to go paleo. I spent $250 on one shopping trip {double what I was, then, normally spending}, searched and searched the Pinterest for recipes, made a big deal about it, and then failed. I thought all my Pinterest-ing had me prepared but all it had done was overwhelm me and make me not want to do it because "it was too hard".
Fast forward one year and I was ready to do something drastic for my body. I want to emphasize that I am not doing this to lose weight. My reason for wanting to try a paleo diet was for my health and my body. I had been eating somewhat clean, but not really. I had heard from friends how amazing they felt after going paleo, their skin looked better, they had more energy, their bloat was gone, the benefits were endless.
I was tired of waking up feeling tired. I hated going to bed feeling "blah" and waking up feeling pretty much the same. My "belly fat" was never going away. I wasn't sleeping the best, restless and waking up even when the kids weren't {dumb}. I knew that I had muscles under neath this layer of "fat" and I was really hoping that cutting some of the culprits would help bring those muscles forward and, who knows, even make them visible? That last part hasn't happened yet but I'm closer than I was 3 weeks ago.

dress c/o Amaranth Collection
The thing I've read about paleo is that it's more of an 80/20 plan. If you can eat paleo 80% of the time you're doing alright. So that's been my approach to it thus far. I've had a few "cheats" here and there {mostly on the weekends} but for the most part I've stuck to a pretty paleo diet.
Once I took all the thinking out of it, it was actually really easy to do. I thought I'd die without cheese, literally. I never in a million years thought I'd be able to eat an omelette without stuffing it with cheese. I didn't think it was possible to enjoy tacos {burrito bowls} without cheese. I was OK with the no dairy part and the grains didn't really concern me too much but the cheese? I just couldn't imagine life without it.
I just wrote a whole paragraph about cheese...
So yeah, once I stopped over-thinking it, it became much more do-able. For some reason I was thinking dinner was going to be so difficult but, ummm, hello...meat and veggies! How easy is that? No need to come up with something elaborate every night. I mean I still like to come up with some creative recipes and try out new things but in a pinch I marinate some chicken and slice up some sweet potato chips and a side of fruit, voila! It doesn't have to be hard!
I've been at it for 3ish weeks now and I already feel so much better. I feel leaner, even if I don't look it yet. I wake up feeling good and energetic instead of sluggish. I have lost about 3-4 lbs which, like I said, wasn't my intention but an added bonus, I guess. I just like the fact that I am feeling better inside and out.
Now, if I could just get my other half on board. He eats whatever I make for dinner but as far as breakfast and lunch go, he's on his own. He'll come around sooner or later, I just know it.
I am really enjoying this new lifestyle and the changes that my body has made thus far. I'm trying out new recipes and food combinations and that's been fun. My cravings for sweets and carbs are gone. I no longer look towards comfort foods but instead fuel my body with foods that I know are going to do it good. It's crazy because the better I do sticking to the paleo plan the better I want to do. If I slip up it makes me want to do better the next day and really stick to eating whole foods rather than have another "cheat".
Hopefully going forward I'll have some more paleo recipes to share but other than that I'm not going to get all paleo blogger on you, don't worry. If you follow me on IG you've already seen a few dinner ideas and you can follow the hashtag #paleodews if you are interested in seeing more of our paleo meals. If you are looking for a real paleo blogger check out PaleOMG, Nom Nom Paleo, and Stupid Easy Paleo, just to name a few.