So, it's day two of post 30-day Paleo challenge. I'm doing well.
In a way, the 30-day challenge was easier than every day life. It's easy to say "for 30 days I'll be super strict and cut out all this crap" because the old me would say "there's a light at the end of the 30 day tunnel; I can eat crap again."
No!
I will stick to paleo. I will stick to paleo. I will stick to paleo.
Not quite as strict as the 30-day thing...but I will stick to paleo.
So, as I mentioned in my other blog, A Look Inside My Mind, (much more cleaver of a title than this one) I tried the 30-day paleo challenge, and I've come to the conclusion that this is it. This is how I will finally, FINALLY...after 26, almost 27 years of living, feel comfortable in my skin and enjoy the physical aspects of life. This is it. I really feel, in my soul, in my gut...in my everything, that it's either Paleo, or unhappiness for the rest of my life. So Paleo it is.
I did not walk into this blindly. I did not try it because my best friend, "Johnny" lost 40 pounds in a month...or my friend's mom's sister, "Lucy", can now do 207 jumping jacks in less than a minute. No. This is not a fad. This is not a craze. This is not an overnight answer...pop a pill and I'm done. I didn't decide to do this until after lots and lots of articles consumed and information digested on the matter.
With that said, this is my venting. Tonight I realized that living a paleo lifestyle won't be a piece of cake. I'm not talking about the difficulty of staying away from crap and gluten and dairy. That may be difficult at times, but I can handle it. No, I'm talking about the constant crap people give me when they find out what I'm doing.
Example. Tonight at a party.
A friend of mine knew I had tried the 30-day challenge. Being a good friend and wanting to show interest, she asked me how I felt and how it had gone. I simply replied, "Great. It went really well. I feel super good, lighter, cleaner...sleeping better. It's all good. I want to continue making it a lifelong thing." At that, another person, whom I do not know at all, pipes in and says, "Oh really? What are you doing?" I then proceed to explain Paleo with this person...who looks at me sceptically the entire time. I say things like, "I know not everyone agrees with it. I just know I feel good and healthy...and it is backed up by several nutritional scientists. So I feel safe with it. But it's not for everyone and I understand differing views." She says things like, "Well, I'm a nutritionist. I know ALL. (okay, she didn't say she knows ALL...but it was in that sort of tone.) How are you going to get this form of blah blah blah? I don't believe anything that cuts out something completely is logical or even sustainable. Blah blah blah." You know...stuff like that. Well excuse me. I'm sorry I'm not a nutritionist... I'm sorry I didn't go to school to be taught a specific way...YOUR way.
Tell me something. Why is it, that every nutritionist and every doctor thinks he or she is right...or his/her way is the only way? And yet...they all differ from each other? I'm finding what's right for me, and I'm making it livable...enjoyable even. I can honestly say...HONESTLY...that once I cut those things out of my diet and got enough sleep, I no longer craved the bad stuff. I was completely satisfied and happy the entire 30 days. So, it works for me, many people in the health and nutrition industry are starting to lean toward these eating habits, and just because I didn't go to school to be a nutritionist does not mean I can't heavily educate myself on the matter. Obviously. We live in a day in age where we can have a vast amount of top quality information at a moments notice. I keep myself informed. I'm up to date. Plus, bachelor's degrees honestly don't supply you with enough information to make you an extreme expert on any matter anyway. Give me a break.
So...this will be a challenge. Explaining myself. I don't have to voluntarily offer an hour-long lecture on Paleo...but when people inquire and then become argumentative, it's going to wear on my nerves. I'm not afraid to stand up and fight. I feel that I'm doing this for a good reason and that it's a good thing. I also take comfort in knowing that I'm not blindly jumping into it, and I'm making it a lifelong goal, not just a crazy fad.
But anyway... Venting. This is how I started my health/paleo blog. By venting.
This will work. I will do it. I will stay strong.
Good for you, Crystal! I don't follow the Paleo diet, obviously with me being a vegetarian, but I think that if you're making a change in your diet that makes you feel great, then who's to say you are wrong? I've done different research on healthy living and I have my own views, but I'm the same way you are. I feel the way I do and if someone else feels differently, then that's okay.
ReplyDeleteI hate when people try to sway you from what you are doing when what you are doing makes you feel good! I've had people tell me the same stuff and I hate it. I guess you just smile and tell them 'thank you for your opinion' but this is what makes me feel good and so I'm sticking with it. I'm excited to read about your whole journey with the Paleo diet.