More than 5 years ago, I 'went paleo' permanently. Before you roll your eyes or snort at my choice of diet, hear me out. Trust that I will not go into details, rules or dogma here. Let's just say that the last 5 years have been a journey of self-discovery that began with the paleo diet. When I decided to drop grains, legumes, seed oils and processed food from my diet, I started really paying attention to how I felt and how my body reacted. A few months down the road, I discovered the Whole30 and did my first 30 day challenge (which is super strict paleo, for anyone not interested in following the link). The intent of Whole30 is to kind of detox your body (without weird drinks or starving yourself) of traditionally problematic foods, and then systematically re-introduce eliminated foods to determine how your body deals with each of them. I did multiple Whole30's over the years with varying levels of success on those controlled reintroduction periods. The end result was that, over time, I've figured out what things my body does well on, what things are worth 'splurging' on and what things I never really care to eat again. I also know what things I need to avoid if I want to lose weight mostly because I cannot control myself around those foods. I have learned that I can get to my current weight (10 lbs up from my lowest) without too much effort by just being my normal active self and eating consistently well and that if I want to go lower, I have to track and restrict my intake.
Let me clarify that I don't care what anyone else eats. I don't avoid whole food groups on principle, but there are foods that just don't make me feel great and they are last on my list of priority. In summary, I avoid grains (oddly enough, wheat is the least problematic for me and corn is the worst), legumes including soy, seed/grain oils and dairy protein (specifically, casein). I also try to avoid all forms of sugar, but that's mostly because of empty calories and cravings...not because I cannot digest it. I also eat very little processed food and only items with ingredients I recognize. We really make so many things from scratch and we cook from home a lot. My meals are predominantly vegetables, fruit and high quality meats. I compliment this with healthy forms of fat, nuts (only as a condiment...not as a snack!) and occasional seeds. None of this is due to allergies, so I do the best I can and I try not to be 'that person' when we are eating out or when I'm traveling.
I don't understand why some people have such hate for the paleo diet and are constantly posting articles about how some fossil human had grains in their teeth so the paleo diet is bunk. I also don't understand how anyone can say that any one diet is perfect for everyone. I've seen how others do great on soy or corn and I know how badly my body reacts to those things...so clearly we are not all the same. There is no ONE diet just like there is no ONE religion. To each their own. Let me do my thing and I'll let you do yours. Disclaimer - I know when I first discovered paleo and Whole30 I was so super excited about how awesome they both made me feel that I wanted to share that with everyone. I still think this way but I've long since given up on my evangelism. I apologize to those I may have accosted back in those days! ;-) We must all be patient with recent converts to any new way of eating as they tend to go overboard.
All of this matters partly because I feel like my way of eating has finally given me freedom from food obsession which was a big issue with me, prior to discovering paleo/Whole30. It wasn't uncommon for me to eat an entire half-gallon of Breyer's Mint Chip ice cream in one sitting. Or an entire box of Kraft Mac & Cheese mixed with canned corn. Or an entire 3 ft baguette with margarine... This also matters because I have two size ranges of clothing in my wardrobe. I have my current size range in my active wardrobe. I have the sizes I would wear if I were 10 lbs smaller packed away in a couple of big Rubbermaid bins (mostly bottoms, but some dresses and fitted tops, too). Before this year is out, I need to decide where I want to live in terms of weight because I cannot keep two wardrobes. Giving away 1 item per day will eventually necessitate that I eliminate one of these size ranges. I need to decide which one it will be before that day arrives. Am I happy with where I am and the amount of effort I need (or don't need) to put in to live here? Or am I willing to give it a final push down to the weight I'd rather be and then put in the effort needed to stay there? This is the decision that must be made in the very near future.
Today's donation: This is a dot tank from Banana Republic that I've maybe worn once. Instead of giving this to Goodwill, I will be sending it to ThredUp. ThredUp is an online consignment store that I've used in the past. Not only have I given them lots of things, but I've bought a few favorites from them as well. I like using them because then I know that the item will go to someone who really wants and will wear it. They are very selective about what they'll accept, so not everything I give away can go this route. BR items that are current and in like new condition certainly can though!
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