The Mental Shift

I've been thinking since this weekend (and my subsequent binge, which I'll talk about in a minute) about this whole paleo adventure I'm on.

Plain and simple, I know I'm on the right track. Physically, my body still thinks I've lost my ever lovin' mind and my mind is trying to figure out what the hell is going on with my body, but I do know I'm on the right track. How do I know when I still feel so wacked out?

Well, my mom forwarded an e-mail she received from my aunt to me about someone in my aunt's church who has a thyroid disorder who's also on synthroid and was doing research and found the gluten aggrevates the thyroid. She went gluten free and is doing far better and is only on synthroid.

Prior to finding the out about the paleo way of eating (I'm tired of calling it the paleo diet.) I was toying with the idea of going gluten free, and was considering getting tested for gluten intolerance. I had read of a lot of people (who also listed a LOT of other things wrong with them that I frankly don't have) deciding to go gluten free. I weeble-wobbled back and forth on the issue. (As I am want to do on most everything. If you haven't figured that out yet.)

When I go to the endo, I'll have him check that, but gluten is out.

I know, I know. Gluten is out anyway on if I'm eating paleo. That's what I'm striving for, but I also have to take it steps at a time while I'm in the midst of it.

I'm still fighting with sugar. Talking with Mom, my plan of attack with that is to have an orange or piece of fruit with breakfast in the morning and that's it for the rest of the day.

Carl's Ice Cream on Saturday was incredible! Since Wednesday or Thursday of last week I began craving something smooth and creamy. Carl's totally hit the spot. I got a chocolate ice cream waffle cone and it was incredible. Better than I remembered. So incredibly yummy! And it was made even better because I went with Mom and my future sister-in-law, K. After Carl's K mentioned she hadn't eaten and wanted a burger. So we went to Sammy T's,

a cute little restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg. I had a bbq sandwich, which was really good. Sweet with just the hint of heat. Very nice.

Monday, was a sugar binge to end all sugar binges. I fell off the wagon feet first and just kept running. How do I feel today? Strangely? Not hungover like people talk about? Though getting up was brutal. I credit that more to going to bed at 11 two nights in a row.

(Going to bed THAT late last night had to do with coming home to my poor husband on the floor after rolling out of his wheelchair 5 hours prior. *sigh* I live in a crazy world. But sssshhhh . . . I wasn't supposed to mention that. )

Now about my title (I actually have a thought out title for once! I know! Go ahead . . . go get your smelling salts. I'll wait.). Since I've started on this paleo adventure I've continued reading the same blogs that I've always been reading. A lot of them vegetarian food blogs that I used as "reasearch" (if you will) when I was considering a more plant based diet (not necessarily vegetarian). As I'm moving away from that I'm finding while I still enjoy reading about their lives, I'm having a harder time connecting with them and reading about what they're eating is actually a distraction! :-( I hate that!

I feel invested in their lives (how crazy is it that these people I've never met, may never meet, but I've spent hours reading and I feel invested in their lives? What??) and I feel guilty unsubscribing to their blogs. But at the same time, I need to look out for my best interests and find blogs that are showcasing recipes or foods that I want to be eating now.

This is the mental shift I'm making. Moving from toying with the paleo diet (I know, I've said this before, but I think maybe I actually might mean it this time? Or I'm getting closer to meaning it?) to actually doing it. My husband is coming around and really supporting me in this which really helps too. He's eating all of the carbs in the house! (ha ha ha!)

No, that's not the mental shift I'm making either. Via blogs I mean. *sigh* The newness of paleo is wearing off. It's not so shiny and new and sparkly anymore (yes, my attention span is that short.), but it still feels right. I think its something I can stick to, something I can raise my children on (though my Italian and I may fight over that point) and something that I can eventually convert my Italian too (?) (ha ha ha ha ha!!!!).

Part of the change I've noticed is realizing I need stuff for me for all meals. Not just dinner. When we went grocery shopping this week, I picked up stuff for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and my Italian didn't say anything. He even found free range eggs for me! (At least I think they're free range . . . I hope so.) I'm trying to be economical with what I buy, but clean food at the same time. (Though my Italian still doesn't care. "I don't want to live forever" he said at the grocery store while we were discussing meat and what the meat he was looking at ate before it was butchered versus the meat I was picking out for him ate. I think it's time to rent Food, Inc. but I don't think it'll have an effect on him. We'll see.)

So their is a mental shift happening with both of us. Slowly. Slower than I like, but his is following mine.

We're progressing!