The Beginning of a lifestyle change...

• A few weeks back I decided to try the Paleo Diet. Not as an every day fad diet but as a lifestyle. For the past 16 months I have suffered with various nerve issues which include lack of feeling in my left hand and my right thigh; to include loss of muscle and function in those areas. I also suffer from severe migraines due to brain inflammation, spinal tingles, several herniated disks, horrible carpel tunnel, ovarian cysts, split vision, hot flashes, chronic acne, bowel issues including bloody stool everytime (6 months), eczema and the list goes on. Over all I am the oposite of healthy. There is a possibility that I have Multiple Sclorosis but currently I have zero myelin sheath damage so a possitive diagnosis can not be made until more MRIS and tests are done. For now I just have to find ways to manage and hopefully over time eliminate the issues I have. 

​I started Paleo lightly two weeks ago but was forced to stop after a wisdom tooth extraction so I could eat soups and bread to give me substance since solid food was not an option. I have had trouble eating anything solid for the past six months due to nerve pain in my face so my dentist thought having the tooth removed would alleviate that over time. The sucker in my mouth was HUGE. It even had a curve to the end of it. I had bad tetracycline staining on my tooth from taking tetracycline as a teen. The tooth however was 100% intact and healthy, it was just too close to a nerve. Currently the hole in the back of my mouth is 70% closed and I am finally able to eat fairly solid foods. I still have trouble with nuts and what not but I make it work. Anyways Today i decided it was time to give the Paleo Lifestyle my all. There is so much research out there about Paleo and the health benefits it can have especially with people who have Autoimmune disorders and nerve issues. It is actually quite fascinating to read about how changes in diet and nutrition can change a persons life so drastically. 

I started by ordering a cook book. I actually have two others I am interested in buying but want to wait until after I move to purchase them. The one I bought has a total of 300 different paleo recipes. I went through and came up with a meal plan for the next two weeks and made a shopping list to match. All together it cost $195 to buy everything for 16 dinners for 4, misc breakfasts and 14 simple lunches. I did have a ton of stuff already, meaning the stuff that gets used over time such as sauces, powdered items and spices. 

After purchasing everything I spent 5 hours going through and prepping all of the meals. I froze most of them but left 4 days worth in the fridge to go through. I didnt cook all the meals, just went and prepped by separating out the exact ingredients I would need such as meats, veggies, seasonings and did all the chopping, dicing, and slicing required per meal. This way i could save time later and know exactly what ingredients I had left over to work with for other meals and lunches. 

In case you arent aware there are a lot of things you can and can't eat on the Paleo diet. It is actually quite simple since basically you are eating like a caveman. Some say its more expensive but honestly if you deal search and use coupons I feel it can actually cost the same as any "normal" diet.

Note: Quinoa is a questionable food in the Paleo diet. Some versions of Paleo allow it while others strickly forbit it. Personally I decided to keep Quinoa in my diet. 

Today begins day one of full on Paleo. I started limiting dairy two weeks back to maybe once every three days and switched my coffee to using coconut cream but now it is time to fully say good bye to dairy. For breakfast I started with an veggie fritada, Paleo French toast, and a steam sweet potato. It was quite tasty. The paleo bread was a bit odd to me since it is made entirely of seeds and other paleo products but once cooked tasted good. I found the recipe for the Fritada in the cook book I bought and the sweet potatoes were steamed in a tiny bit of coconut butter. Tonight for dinner we will be having a Paleo Tangy Beef and broccoli dish which I will either pair with cauliflower rice or quinoa. 

I started the morning by taking some before pictures. After a baby, numerous health issues, steroids to help my problems, and less then healthy eating habits I have unfortunately not kept the body I want. I definitely don't feel comfortable in my skin. I am 5'7" and back in 2012 I was a size four weighing in at 138. Today I weigh 168 which is actually 12lbs lighter then I was a month ago. I wear between a size 8 and 12 depending on the manufacturer, however I wear bohemian style dresses so on average those are one size fits all which makes sizing myself hard.

I kind of hate sharing before pictures with the world and escpecially when I am far less then my best self. I am not unhappy with my body due to societies standards but because, personally, I dont feel myself. I love being fit and being able to walk miles without falling over from exhaustion, something I havent been able to do in a few years. 

Honestly It is kind of hard for me to talk about all the issues I face on a daily basis between my health and my body image issues. I do hope though by keeping this journal of my journey and hopeful improvements I can inspire those with similar ailments to make a life change for the better. 

I would love to hear in the comments section from others who may have had similar issues and switched to Paleo, other success stories inspire me to keep trying. I would also be happy to answer any questions you may have for me. I am very new to this lifestyle but I am learning more and more each day.