I feel like I say this pretty often, but this is gonna be a long post. Settle in with a cookie. Let’s do this.
I have considered adopting a Paleo style of eating for a long time. I’ve been interested in it for both it’s digestive benefits as well as its anti-inflammatory benefits. My dad’s cousin has rheumatoid arthritis, and has experienced a dramatic reduction in her pain since going Paleo, and I’ve heard IBS success story after success story about Paleo.
Just because it works for them, though, doesn’t mean it will work for me.
Still, I talked seriously about switching up my diet over winter break, and again during spring break, and finally again Memorial Day weekend. At that point, I knew I was officially giving it a try when I came home for the summer.
The (dietary) changes
I eased into it a little at school, but was never going to stress about it during finals. When I ran out of bread and cereal, I stopped eating bread and cereal. When I ate the last cup of Greek yogurt in the fridge, I stopped eating Greek yogurt.
When I got home, it got real. I started reading labels for sugars and milk products, stopped eating beans and cheese with my Chipotle, and took peanut butter out of my extensive nut butter rotation.
The (physical) changes
It went really, really well. I can’t point out the day it happened, and it was probably gradual, but I was less bloated than I can remember being ever for a solid two weeks. My sharp stomach pains went away, and while I felt full and satisfied when I went to bed at night (night snacks forever), my stomach no longer felt distended. I even imagined that my general EDS pain was reduced a little bit (not a lot, but anything is better than nothing). It was wonderful. .
And then it stopped “working”. I could attribute this to the fact that my body adapted and then rebelled. It does that with medicine all the time, so why not with my diet? I could also be a little more fair and attribute this to the fact that I ate a lot of cookies that weekend. I mean, I made two batches to test them, and probably ate a full batch over two days. Like, whoa.
I’m the first person to tell you that just because something is Paleo or made with relatively healthy ingredients, it doesn’t mean you should eat a ton of it – especially with dessert. But sometimes I don’t follow my own advice. Also, sometimes I just want a damn cookie. Or 15. Semantics.
It took me about four days to feel any better after that, and another five days before I started getting back to feeling good. Some of those five days were when my mom and I were in Chicago, and I was only loosely following Paleo guidelines. Still, I wasn’t quite to the level of awesome of those first two weeks.
Even though I wasn’t feeling perfect, I was feeling better. So I kept with it.
The (mental) changes
I should probably write a full post on this, and I’ve alluded to it in the past, but over this past (rough) school year, I developed a pretty weird emotional eating habit. I would feel insatiably hungry, eat a lot to satisfy that, and then go on to eat as much food as I could handle at least once a week, on top of a full day of food. Honestly, there’s not much more to say than that. It doesn’t feel great physically, and I couldn’t make a lot of sense of it, except that my body probably needs food. Still, if you ever want to talk about that, shoot me an email or comment or something. Because I get it.
Anyway, going Paleo has made me think a lot more about what I eat and when and how. I don’t just go back to the fridge a million times for more Greek yogurt, or keep pouring bowls of cereal. I prepare meals with produce and take time to prep meat to have on hand and make meals ahead of time if I’m not going to have time to do it later. I make snack packs of fruit, nuts, and veggies. When I eat, I make sure I’m satisfied and then I move on. I’m not snacking as constantly. My eating is intentional.
Obviously, as evidenced by my overdoing the cookies and demolishing a serving of sweet potato fries as big as my head, I still overeat sometimes. Sometimes it’s cookies and fries, sometimes it’s too many handfuls of nuts, spoons of nut butter, or heaps of berries. But it’s much… gentler. Like, instead of, “Ugh, I’m too hungry to function, I hate everything and I’m sad, so I need to eat all the things I can find,” it’s, “Wow, this tastes really good right now and I would just like more please.”
Personal Paleo
I am 100% sure I do not follow a perfectly Paleo diet. On vacation, I definitely didn’t. That would’ve been nearly impossible unless I brought all of my own food. I don’t special order my bacon or smoked salmon, so there’s a tiny bit of sugar in it. There are probably fillers in my nut milk, because I don’t make my own. I eat (85%-90%) dark chocolate, and while I do try to buy dairy-free, it has a little sugar in it. If my prep skills are lacking some week, and I need meat right this second, I’ll eat a few slices of deli meat. And if I’m eating with people and they offer me a bite of their non-Paleo food, I’m probably going to accept it.
What you eat should make you feel great. #fitfluential #bgbcommunity Share on XSo, I’m not perfectly Paleo, and I’m okay with that. What matters is that your food works for you and your health, and this is what’s working for me.
Your turn:
Do you know what foods work best for your body?
I went gluten free about…26 years ago.
I felt so much better.
I could think so much more clearly.
I had no idea it was GLUTEN Id eliminated until about five years ago!!!
I just knew Id found what worked for me.
You were gluten free before it was cool ? Hooray for finding what works for you! Such a fabulous feeling!
Girl, you do you. Whatever it takes, do it!
Love you ❤️
I am so so happy that you’ve found a way of eating that works for you! I was very, very guilty of the sugar-and-dairy munching habit late at night this past year in school–I don’t have to worry about weight gain or anything, but it made me feel really gross and tired all the time. I finally started the Whole30 last week (eep) and so far it is going super well. I realized yesterday that I’d forgotten what it feels like to be full, satisfied, but not bloated! I’m going to write a blog post about it this week, but I am a little worried about judgment. It’s silly, but I still am.
I so relate to feeling like people will judge. That’s a (small) part of why I didn’t do straight Whole30, so good for you for going for it!!! Honestly, I feel a little weird even doing this. I’m going from being the girl who can and will eat anything to packing a lot of my own food for events/family gatherings. I make my work breakfasts and lunches the night before, and I don’t head to the vending machine at 3pm for an afternoon pick-me-up. I can eat whatever and not gain much weight, but I can’t do that and feel healthy. This isn’t perfect, but it’s sustainable and satisfying. Yay for finding something that makes you feel better! Can’t wait to read your post 🙂
I don’t think you should ever feel like you need to follow a certain “diet”. Eat what feels good to you and your body, adapt and change with your body, but never label it.
I love the way you think, my friend 🙂
I honestly believe that it’s so critical to find a diet that works for you. Not because it’s the latest trend or you want to fit in with a certain crowd, but because it fits into your lifestyle, is sustainable, and (most importantly) you’re happy on it! I’m SO happy that you’ve found something that’s working for you and that you’re not boxing yourself into being full Paleo since it doesn’t work for you. I love it when people are flexible with their eating. Life is wayyyy to short not to eat the cookie.
Aw thank you, Christine! Food should make your body and soul feel good, and the ones that do are different for everyone. You just gotta do you 🙂
Woah, long time, no talk! I was busy for commenting but I’m happy to be back! Glad to see what paleo(ish) works for you. I did whole30 in the past (quite similar) and it was great. But it stopped work for me too and I switch it for high carb low fat vegan?
Yay! Nice to hear from you again. Hahaha our bodies are always changing, aren’t they? Still, glad you’ve found something that works for you (for now, at least 😉 )!
I find it incredibly frustrating because most of the time I don’t have digestive issues but then every now and then out of nowhere I feel awful and bloated. It is really tricky to pinpoint foods that would cause it though. :/
Ugh. I know that feeling so well and it is SO frustrating. And honestly, I still get it sometimes. That’s why I said this whole switch is imperfect. Funnily enough, I’m feeling that way today, the day I posted this update saying I’m doing well. I think sometimes it has to do with stress, and sometimes it’s probably a “perfect storm” of a lot of different factors. There may not be a fully reliable fix for those days, but I hope they don’t outnumber the good ones and I hope you’re able to find some relief somehow. <3 Let me know if you ever wanna chat/vent!
Well, I’m all about that ish AND finding what works for you. Right now, it’s paleo and nightshade-free for me. Although I’ve had some “iffy” but freaking delicious bars lately (squarebars) that aren’t perfectly paleo. As I’m going through this healing process it’s all trial and error.
I’ve heard about the nightshade-free thing. They’re fairly high-FODMAP, right? Or is it something else? Either way, you do you 🙂 Ahh I’ve never tried Squarebars, but I might need to. I’ve been loving RXBars and Epic bars lately.
Love this, Ellen. I’ve never really had dietary issues and have always (well, save for a *very* brief wannabe vegan period) eaten ALL the foods, but I firmly support finding what works FOR YOU. I think a majority of Americans would feel MUCH better if we ate more “paleo-ish” and less “from the drive-thru.”
I hope you continue to feel better – I am sure you’ll learn more about what causes you pain along the way.
I’m glad you’ve never had to deal with any weird dietary issues! It feels like you’re in the minority these days 😛 And you bring up a good point. Of course focusing on whole foods will probably make me feel better. Thanks, Catherine!
Totally relate. Also, dessert recipe testing definitely impacts how my stomach feels, especially over the course of a few days if I’m baking a lot. Paleo is great but excess sugar of any kind just doesn’t sit well for me even if it comes from natural sources. Also if I go out or on vacation I try to stay gf and low Fodmap but not paleo 🙂
I’m realizing that sugar is definitely a big deal for me, too. And I never would’ve guessed it, since I’m a former sugar queen. I think you have a super-practical approach!
I love that you have done what is right for you, girl!
For me, what works best for my body is balance – and real food! I eat what I guess you would call a “clean” diet (but only because that’s what I like to eat and what my body likes!) and I’ve found that my body doesn’t like a high protein diet so I have to be mindful that I’m not eating too much protein. I eat a lot of grain free and paleo meals by coincidence but I don’t know that I could ever give up my peanut butter or legumes 😛
Haha I might want to try to reintroduce those things and see how it goes at some point. Basically, I think I’m just switching to being a lot more mindful, and I never expected to have to be mindful of food. I’ve always eaten ALL the things, and now I’m being nicer to myself and realizing that maybe that’s not so smart for me.
I love that you are doing what works for you, even if it does not fit into a certain mold of a diet. I know for me personally, even though I am not paleo, I have come to take on that mindset that you talked about — eating until I feel satisfied and eating more balanced whole meals, rather than snacking a ton. I have found I feel a lot better doing that and my mindset towards food has improved a ton. Keep doing you girl!
I definitely see that it’s changing my mindset a lot! At some point, I’d be interested to see if it’s that mindset that helps more than the particular foods I’m consuming. Thanks for the support, Brie!
Boy, oh boy, I love this, because you really really hit on the ‘individuality’ of each body, and Ellen, you are just so balanced in your approach. I REALLY hope that you do find something that really works well for your body. Please keep sharing what you’re learning, because I’m learning from you too.
Thanks so much, Emily! I’m glad to be helpful to you 🙂 You’re lovely!
When I tried going Paleo I gained about 15lbs because I had the minset “oh it’s paleo so it’s healthy and I can eat a ton of it”…uh no! I love that you’re doing what works for you and your body! After trying every thing from paleo to being vegan I’ve finally found my happy medium eating all foods in moderation.
I think a lot of us have to go through some experimentation to find what works for us, and it changes over time. I think most of us end up somewhere in moderation land – and that’s a pretty good place to be 🙂
It is SOOOOOO SHOCKING when you start reading food labels… Realizing how much CRAP is being pushed at us… And posing as HEALTHY!!! 😮
Seriously! It kind of blows my mind how much “stuff” is in our “food”.
Great post, Ellen! The way you’re eating now sounds wonderful and like it’s really working for you. Not labeling it 100% Paleo sounds great to give yourself some flexibility. So glad you’ve been feeling better!
Thanks so much, Liv!
I think it is just AMAZING how diet changes can have just a huge, positive impact on our health! This summer, I have drastically reduced the amount of sugar I eat and I really do notice some excellent benefits, like less bloating! This was a great post to read! Thank you 🙂
Thanks, Rachel! Too much sugar is definitely an issue for me, too. I’m glad you’re feeling better!
LOVE this post! I’m paleo-ish right now too. 😉 It’s hard to stay true to it when I’m pregnant, but usually I’m pretty good about it. I hear ya on the cereal thing – I used to eat BOWLS AND BOWLS and still find that to be my comfort food. I found that when I went paleo my psoriasis cleared up and I had so much more energy. Can’t wait to get back on track after baby #2 is born!
Thanks, Chrissa! 🙂 BEST of luck with your pregnancy. So exciting!
Great post Ellen, thanks for sharing! I love that you said this works for me, but everyone is different. I am glad to hear that you found something that helps your IBS! As a dietitian who has IBS and counsels clients with it, I know how much it can affect your life! Have you heard about FODMAPs? Many of those foods you mentioned are sources of FODMAPs and it sounds like decreasing them in your diet has helped. Also, those cookies look wonderful!
I so appreciate the suggestion! I did a low-FODMAP diet for a month, and it made my symptoms worse…? I was so disappointed because everyone has such great success with it! Thanks so much, Victoria 🙂
I am sorry to hear that Ellen! Glad you found something that is helping!
My body definitely looks best when I’m eating “clean” (which for me is vegetarian, not a ton of starchy carbs and lots of lean protein) but truthfully it makes me feel like I’m missing out. I LOVE carbs (bread, crackers, pasta, etc.) so if I’m giving that up, I always feel like I’m missing out. I’ve tried to stop eliminating things and just eat in moderation now!
I like the way you think. I definitely think I’ll add foods in as I crave them. I don’t want to feel deprived. And sometimes, the stomachache is worth the soul-filling properties of good bread/pizza/ice cream (pick your poison)! I’m glad you’ve found what works for you 🙂