I invited my friend Kristin to be a guest on Freckled Italian today and share a bit of her story. Paleo really works for me and I love it, but I appreciate how everyone is different and how our paths to wellness can really vary. I hope you find some inspiration in her words!
Hello there! I'm Kristin, and I blog at Tales From the Nook.
Tales From the Nook is a lifestyle blog, but recently it's been focused mostly on my weight loss journey. Finding my "why" really smacked me in the face about two years ago. Although I wanted to lose weight for many reasons, I had an eye opening experience that really kicked my efforts into gear. I was sitting in the office of my Fertility Specialist, after 3 failed treatments, and he spoke the words, "you need to lose weight."
For me, I tried a lot of different programs. I went all organic for 6 months. I was eating really awesome organic food, and I didn't lose any weight at all. What is wrong with me? I went GMO free. Nothing. What is wrong with me? I did the Whole30 challenge and then went Paleo. I lost 2 pounds on Whole30. Ok, seriously, what in the world is wrong with me?? I was trying all of these things that went SO WELL for others, so why weren't they working for me? I was doing the right things (so I thought). I got great advice from Paleo pros like Megan! And slowly but surely I learned... nothing is wrong with me!! I just had to find what was RIGHT for me!
So I got a nutritionist.
And it was the best decision I've ever made.
The beginnings of my time with my nutritionist were tough. They were frustrating. I was at the same point that I usually get to around week 3 of my "diets." This isn't working. I'm going to quit. But this time was different. Because I had someone to tell me, once a week, to just give it time. Try doing this. Try taking away that. Add some fiber. Eat more vegetables. Tone down the protein. And guess what? IT WORKS. Slowly, but surely, I was able to find out what worked for ME. Not what worked for other people. What worked for MY BODY. And it's so amazing. In 3 months, I've lost 16 pounds, and I feel so good. I am finally doing it! I didn't quit because my nutritionist didn't let me. I love the way my body is changing, and I really love the way my attitude is changing.
She and her husband have a new blog launching March 3! Check it out.
So true!! Paleo is flexible and can mean different macronutrient ratios for everyone. For my husband and me it’s been great just to cut out foods that were irritating us and add in foods we were missing, but that doesn’t speak to what percentage of our diets are fat, carbs, and protein. There is no one Paleo diet, after all, they say!! When I switched to Paleo I gained 10 pounds of lean muscle and didn’t change at all in size because I had been raw vegan for 3 years beforehand. But it was a difficult switch at first since my husband was losing 30+ pounds and I was still stuck in the weight/scale trap. Now I’m of the mind that throwing away the scale and just paying attention to how I feel is the most important!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear these perspectives, best wishes in health to you and Kristin!
That's very true--even Paleo can mean something a little different for everyone. Glad it's working for you now!
DeleteThis is so true! I was struggling to lose weight and had no motivation and to top it off felt pretty crummy. Come to find out I have some food sensitivities that can explain the majority of my symptoms. I did the MRT test w/ LEAP diet plan (http://mrcandmeblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/living-leap-an-intro/)
ReplyDeleteI'm embarking on my journey and am feeling very positive. It's all about "what's healthy/working for one person, it may not be what's healthy/working for you". :)
congratulations, Kristin! and what a wonderful goal to work towards: not just a healthier YOU but also a healthy baby :)
ReplyDeleteone of the most frustrating things for me as I continue to lose weight is seeing things work for other people that just don't work for me. it must be so helpful to have a nutritionist to check in with weekly to remind yourself that you're on the right track for you!