Dudes. HOW does this time fly by so dang fast for me?!! I am sure for those of you that have entered the Epic Room Makeover Giveaway it has NOT flown by, so sorry about that.
Tonight at midnight (MST) the votes will be finalized and the Top 4 will move on to make up 4 of the Top 10!!!
I cannot EVEN tell you how close the voting is. (Like there are 10-15 of the entries that are all neck in neck) Its SO freakin stressful to watch because I know how bad everyone wants it!!
Hailee is coming over today to finalize everything else and we will probably hit up the DI for a little thrifting fun. May the thrifting gods be with me.
Also. (sorry this post is SO random!!)
I am trying to eat Paleo, but truth be told I am having a hard time giving up milk…and sugar. Do you eat Paleo? What is your secret to not switching to your 7 year old self that sneaks treats? (Please tell me that I am not the only one that does that!!)
And Miss Dylan has always been a light in our lives but the last few months she is progressively getting more and more hilarious. For example? Last night we were driving home from picking up Durangos at 9:10 and she says “Mom. The red lights are for hot fire and the green lights are for……um……Green Grapes?” So here’s to you Dyl.
Also if you follow Vintage Revivals on FB you know that yesterday I posted a vote rallying video (I wont link to it because I don’t know how fair that would be) BUT Dylan has been singing “Ma-a-aa-a-a-a-an-diiiii-licious. Mandilicious.” ALL FREAKING DAY. So thanks for that April.
And I just need to proclaim from the rooftops my love for Beckie from Infarrantly Creative. This girl is the real deal people.
Ok enough rambling.
Love Your Guts, Mandi
I can’t say as I’ve gone paleo, but we’ve been on a really restrictive diet, that has worked, but I definitely found that inner sneaky seven year old. I do have a friend that calls herself a ‘weekday’ paleo dieter. It seems to work for her. She loves to bake, and that gives her that outlet, while staying on the diet that she feels great about the rest of the time.
Hey Mandy,
I started eating paleo-ish back in Jan and am still going strong. It’s awesome, i dropped 15 lbs pretty much effortlessly and feel great. My advice is:
1) Ensure you are eating plenty of fat. Paleo is semi-low-carb by it’s nature and when you decrease carbs you need to increase fat. Make sure that you aren’t’ avoiding things that are fatty. It’s hard to make the switch mentally since you’ve probably spent your whole life thinking that fat is evil.
2) Know what treats you can have and keep them around. Dark chocolate and raw pecans are favourites of mine.
3) Some pale people think that dairy products are ok on paleo – but you don’t want to emphasize it and you want full fat. Try reducing milk but not eliminating it for now. I still put heavy cream in my coffee and eat cheese, but I don’t every buy a carton of milk or a tub of yogurt.
4) It doesn’t have to be all or noting. I still put heavy cream and a little sugar in my Americano and eat a few things that aren’t paleo. I’d say I eat 80% paleo overall. It’s enough to feel good, and gives me enough lee-way to feel sane and satisfied.
5) Consider a cheat night. I have a cheat meal every Tuesday night and it does a LOT to keep me sane. If I had it in my mind that I’d never eat pasta again I would have a really tough time with that. But having one night a week that I can nosh on bread, cookies, pasta, rice, or whatever is enough. How bloated I feel after that is also a good reminder of why I don’t eat that stuff.
Hopefully that helps! Of course it’s “better” do to 100% paleo, but I’ve found that moderation is the key to making it something that you can sustain.
CB’s tips are right on. Become friends with almond milk and full fat coconut milk, dates, and honey in moderation (what does that mean?). CB’s number 5 is true. When you notice how big your stomach is after grains and how flat it feels without that is motivation enough. We are more Nourishing Traditions/Paleo now. Avoiding grains and beans altogether is expensive if you ask me and harder for kids. Processing them correctly by soaking/sprouting them to avoid the bloat and make them easier to consume is better for my budget. But, we try to avoid a lot of dairy and sugar.
Hey G,
How do you process beans correctly?
Take one meal at a time and don’t stress it.
After a while you won’t crave it, the less and less you eat it.
Personally, I feel like dairy isn’t too bad IF you can tolerate it, IF it’s good quality, and IF it’s got all the fat.
I also had to get it all out of the house. I’m not that heavy on the will power.
Now, I love how I eat. I can have it in the house and skip it because it just plane hurts me if I eat it.
“Personally, I feel like dairy isn’t too bad IF you can tolerate it, IF it’s good quality, and IF it’s got all the fat.”
This.
I think also that you have to decide why you’re going Paleo in order to be able to make the commitment to it. I don’t believe in the whole Paleo myth, so for me it wasn’t a plan I could stick to. I did a Whole 30 and learned about some foods that I don’t react well with and so that was definitely helpful – but as a lifestyle Paleo simply doesn’t work for me.
Some of the changes I made include eating far less sugar than I ever have before, completely eliminating sodas and fizzy drinks (I used to drink Diet Coke fairly regularly), and cutting back on grains. Those have been good things. But the challenge also made me realize that I will not eliminate beans/legumes or dairy from my diet because I believe those are healthy things and part of my balanced eating plan.
I kind of reject the idea of “going Paleo” or “going” any kind of eating plan, to be honest. To me it smacks too much of cult-think. Eat what works with your body and makes you feel good, and strong, and healthy.
All good comments.
My biggest key is eat your fat! I can eat a ton of meat and veggies, but what makes me feel satiated the longest is getting some fat it. I’m not talking about chewing on steak fat either. A tbsp of almond butter or handful of olives is good. My newest discovery and current favorite is coconut butter. You should have about a thumb sized portion of fat with every meal.
And if you really miss the milk thing, go for full fat coconut milk.
I’m almost done with my second week of the Whole30 and it’s going great so far. I feel amazing.
Good luck!!
My husband did Paleo for awhile but we were spending a more money each month to eat unrefined stuff and lots and lots of meat. Also, I question this diet simply because of the meat factor. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts about this diet and the Word of Wisdom. Because you eat so much meat, do you find it conflicting with “eat meat in moderation?”
We eat Paleo. We have for about 6 months. For me, I ended up getting pretty sick. I think there are some people that have to eat carbs. So I found myself really running out of energy with no carbs. But, for my husband, it was amazing. He lost 25 pounds and has been at his lowest weight in over 12 years!! He also feels amazing. So just wanted to throw that in there in case you have issues. I have since found stories of other women that struggled with the no carbs on health forums and diet forums.
The hardest part of Paleo for me is the constant cooking and the fact that you can’t run to the pantry to grab a snack. You can. . .if you’re really prepared. . .but also snacks don’t really even sound good anymore. Kippers and homemade mayo. . .not too appetizing. . .hummus and vegetables. . .for the millionth time. I struggle in the snack department.
I would really really really really recommend the book Well Fed. That book was a godsend for us and really opened our eyes to a world of Paleo-friendly foods. The book explains what to cook and what spices to use and how to have 15 ingredients in your kitchen and turn them into a wide variety of meals. And, honestly, the meals are REALLY good. I was amazed by this. We made a taco hot plate one night from the book – ground pork, red bell peppers, corn, cauliflower, homemade taco seasoning, and a chile lime sauce from the book – SO GOOD! I was really surprised!
The book also explains how to make cooking meals not be a 2+ hour affair each day (you’re about to find that you have to cook EVERYTHING!! And I personally get so tired of cooking.)
Those are my thoughts. Good luck! (Love your blog!! I am officially hooked!)
I thought not all of the entries were based on votes. Is that right? Like 3, 4 will be based on votes, and then another 3 will be random.org and then a couple will be of your choosing. Is that right? Please tell me it is, because I am pretty sure my entry is not one of those that is so close in voting with other entries. Please, random.org, choose me.
The anticipation is killing me. I stayed up till 3AM last night because I kept thinking about this. I am not sure if I’ll sleep at all tonight.
Hugs and kudos for trying to eat Paleo. I’ve heard good things about it. I had to give up gluten and know how you feel when you say you revert to your 7 year old self, because I am often tempted to do so as well.
Good luck and have fun thrifting with Hailee.
We have been “paleo” (I use that term loosly) for almost a year now. I think that with any change in eating that it takes time to get used to it completely. And I also think that if you do not have “treats” every now and again that you will never stick with eating a certain way. I do paleo for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every night of the week. But on Saturday we have pizza night because the kids love it. Once you learn what is allowed and not allowed cooking paleo gets easier, too. I’m starting to learn how to change meals to meet the paleo way, rather than the regular way. Here is a link to my Paleo recipe board on Pinterest. I hope it helps! And good luck.
https://pinterest.com/christy_denote/paleo/
Mandi! I’m one that is in total and udder freak out mode right now. Like, hands sweaty, heart racing, crazy!! The anticipation is absolutely killing me!
and, you’re very welcome for the song. When I was writing it, it would wake me up dead of night with some new line and I’d have to get up and write it down cause it was a good one. If I win…we’re so doing another video during the makeover with us singing it as we work!!!
Hi Mandi. I read your blog but I never comment because I’m shy like that. (I also live in Utah.) But i had to comment today because I have recently switched to the Paleo diet. I already had a lot of food restrictions that I was working with due to allergies so it wasn’t that hard for me. But I absolutely indulge in good quality dark chocolate every single day! Sometimes several times a day. I don’t really put a limit on it because I feel like it’s good for my sanity, you know? Regardless of that, I have still lost weight and felt a million times better. In the last year and a half I put on 16 unexplained lbs. Going Paleo I have lost 12 and I feel like the last few will come off easily. I’m not sure what your reasons are but I have been shocked at my energy levels and quality of sleep! Hang in there girl! You can do it 🙂
Flew by for me! I thought the last day was the 17th. So it really sped up today, hahahaha! that’ll teach me to read way more carefully.
Good luck everyone (go #20!! LOL)
What’s going on? It’s time to announce April as the winner it’s almost 1 am. Bring it on girl:)))
This year I am on 12 month quest to lose 100 lbs. I’ve lost 54! Woooooooohooooooo! Anyway, I’ve integrated A LOT of Paleo recipes into my diet. However, I can’t claim eating Paleo because I eat beans. Also, I’ve cut out red meat because I’m not a big fan. I eat a hamburger occasionally. I would say 80% of my diet is Paleo. The real kicker for me was the dairy. I did an 8 week cleanse (you can read about it here: https://lorivanwagoner.blogspot.com) and I had no dairy or sugar. The first time I had some cereal and milk after that I was in the bathroom 30 minutes later. My body no longer tolerates it. I can have a little bit of cheese but a glass of milk is totally outs. It is crazy. So, I don’t really miss it any more. If I need a ‘glass of milk’ I have some almond milk or soy. And coconut milk can be used as a substitute for a lot of stuff … I wouldn’t drink it though (blech). Anyway, that is my two sense. I’m all about “Clean Eating” rather than Paleo. Good luck. I hope you’re feeling better by eating better. I know I do.
Here’s my secret…read It Starts With Food and do the Whole30. Awesome book! Easy, fun read & spells it all out. And makes it easy.