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One year ago today, I made a decision that changed everything. I decided to give up wheat. Giving up wheat was meant to be a little experiment to see if some of my health issues would improve. It ended up becoming the catalyst that led to my decision to transition to paleo.
After seeing the transformation photos of so many who gave up wheat and lost tons of weight in a month or two, I wanted that transformation for myself. I didn't get it. I'm still waiting for it to happen. Seriously, any day now would be great.
What did happen is that my headaches improved. My digestion became less painful. I didn’t even know how painful my digestion was until it began improving. I started sleeping better. My skin improved. Then I began to explore the idea of food becoming a healing force in my life and found paleo blogs and books that helped illuminate the journey I had stumbled upon and showed me what next steps I could take to foster further improvements.
I had hoped by now to see greater improvement in my digestion, more weight loss, etc. What I have gained, however, is a profound feeling of control over food instead of food controlling me. I have gained a freedom from the shame of uncontrollable and unhealthy food choices. I no longer feel the self disgust of returning from the cafeteria at work with junk food, knowing full well how bad I will feel after I eat it but unable to stop myself just the same.
I've learned that healing takes time. Somewhere I read that you should plan on one month of healing time for every year that you've been sick or dealing with your health issues. I've been dealing with some of my health issues since I was very, very young so I have a long way to go. I'm looking at years instead of months.
What I love about paleo is how you decide what your paleo lifestyle looks like. When I chose to transition to paleo, I knew it was a lifestyle change, not a diet that I would try out for awhile. I was deliberate in how I planned out my transition. Knowing that I struggle with too many changes at one time in my diet, I decided to focus on one thing at a time.
First was wheat. Once I got comfortable with that being gone, I transitioned out most grains. At the first of the year I did my first sugar detox. A few months later I gave up all grains along with dairy. Finally, I decided my beloved near-daily glass of wine would need to be put on hold until my issues had improved significantly and my weight reduced to a tolerable level.
I've now been fully paleo for about six weeks.
I’m waking up easier in the mornings. I wouldn’t say I feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed just yet, but I am finding it easier to pull myself out of bed and get my exercise out of the way in the morning. I used to not be able to pull myself out of bed until the very last possible moment I could get away with and still make it to work on time. I’m now getting up early enough for a decent workout in the morning, and I feel good about it. Sleep hangover? Not so much these days.
How you choose to embrace a healthy lifestyle is up to you. Ultimately, it is your choice. You have to make that decision to change for the better and stick with it.
One year ago today I did that. I made a plan that I knew I could stick with, and I stuck with it. I thank my younger self for doing that. I am grateful for the positive changes happening in my life, for the new friends I’ve made along the way, and for the sense of empowerment I feel about my health that I didn’t feel before. I’m not yet where I want to be, but I believe I can get there. I couldn’t say that a year ago.
Where do you want to be a year from now? It’s your health. You decide.
