I had an opportunity to talk to sophisticated cavewoman and fellow blogger Katie from Personally Paleo. She has an amazing story about how the decision to go Paleo changed her life. It will resonate with you no matter where you are in your journey. She also shared some great tips about how she manages to have an active life in the big city of Chicago and still keep it Paleo.
So how do you personally define Paleo?
To me, Paleo is a lifestyle that encourages eating whole, natural foods for optimum health benefits and an avoidance of foods with potential negative health impacts such as grains, legumes and sugar.
With Paleo, you eat real, whole foods and learn how your body will react to different groups, allowing you to splurge if/when you want and still maintain your health.
How did you discover the Paleo lifestyle?
My boyfriend, Kyle was actually the one who brought this lifestyle to my attention. I was deep into a low-fat, whole grain lifestyle with my personal trainer. When Kyle was looking for a homeopathic way to help focus more at work, he landed at Mark’s Daily Apple. After he shared the site with me, I spent hours reading up on it. Everyone in the community was so open to share their struggles and how Paleo made the difference for them. I agree to give it a go for 30 days. After spending two weeks planning everything out, we started living Paleo and haven’t look back since.
Did you experiment with other diets before going Paleo?
The list of diets, restrictions, etc that I tried is endless. It’s what I now realize to be a long list of unhealthy, temporary solutions. The worst I ever tried was HCG. It consisted of droplets that I took under my tongue multiple times a day and limited me to 500 calories/day. I dropped almost 10 pounds in a week and thought it was great. Well yeah, what did I expect? I was starving myself.
Ultimately, these limitations were completely unnatural and unhealthy. They weren’t something that I could maintain long term and improve my health. It didn’t teach me the benefits and appreciation of food that paleo has. What it taught me was that food could be modified and processed to do whatever you wanted it to (less calories, added vitamins, etc), which is pretty gross when you think about it.
What were some of your initial struggles when first starting out?
I cannot accurately explain how stressed I was during my first grocery trip. Everything felt completely foreign to me. Yes, it was simple to go grab fresh veggies & fruits, but the attention that had to go into picking out almonds, meat, etc was so overwhelming. At the time it was enough to make me have an anxiety attack. I am actually pretty positive I threw my hands up halfway through and proclaimed I was “DONE, JUST DONE.” Looking back on it now, my frustration makes me laugh. Aside from that first trip, it has been so easy because I know exactly what I need and I know where to grab my tried and true brands. After the struggle to shop, I thought the first time I ate out at a restaurant I wouldn’t be able to find anything. That is definitely not true. Making small changes (“no bun, please”) or ordering a purely meat and veggie dish makes it possible to eat virtually anywhere.
How did your friends and family react to you going Paleo? Have you ever felt stigmatized or dismissed by anyone?
I think that any major life changes result in some confusion and questioning from people. I definitely had and still have people question what I am eating based off of what they deem to be “healthy.” It is definitely something that bothered me initially but after a couple months I realized it wasn’t something to sweat.
Paleo is what works for me. It is what makes me feel good, not only physically but also mentally. It is what is best for myself and my lifestyle and that is what matters.
If whole grain, low fat, deli sandwiches are what works for them and how they want to live, then that’s fine. I’m not going to criticize them and I’m not going to preach to them, but I would appreciate the same in return.
As a younger person, what are the biggest challenges you face when incorporating Paleo into your lifestyle ?
I’m 25 and live in a big city full of so many different opportunities and events. I wouldn’t say that I have a problem finding something paleo friendly to eat when I go out, but there is much more temptation to eat unhealthy foods. For me to make it work, I give and take. I try to make a healthier choice that still allows me to indulge. If we go out for drinks, I’ll opt for wine instead of beer. If we go to a burger bar, maybe I’ll indulge with a slice of cheese and opt out of French fries (Just kidding, I would never opt out of French fries).
What would you tell someone who is contemplating going Paleo, but unsure where to begin?
I would absolutely direct them to Mark Sisson’s website, Mark’s Daily Apple. That was, by far, the biggest help in laying everything out for me in layman’s terms. It also has a really great community that can answer any question you might have.
I would also be sure to tell them to not give up. The transition to paleo can seem rough. For the first couple weeks, you may be lethargic and discouraged. Your body is adjusting and you just have to give it time to do its thing. I always recommend that you give it 30 days before you make any decision about paleo. It gives you an adequate amount of time to see what benefits you will really receive. I thought I felt good pre-paleo, but now I realize how great I actually can feel and I attribute it to this lifestyle.
Why did you decide to start Personally Paleo? What have been your biggest achievements and biggest challenges with the blog so far?
It was really the encouragement of all my family and friends that drove me to start Personally Paleo. I was constantly sharing the recipes of what I was making or offering to cook something up for them, so posting them for easy access seemed like a brilliant idea.
When my blog was finally up and going, I received some feedback that made me feel really good. I realized that I made a difference in the lives of a few people and them thanking me was so moving. Shortly after, I started to reach out to some of the bloggers that had made a big impression on me. When I contacted Bill & Hayley of Primal Palate, they reached back out to me and wanted to be able to share my story. I would definitely say my interview with them (http://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-blog/paleo-85-pound-weight-loss/) was the biggest achievement so far. Their recognition helped to grow my blog base and reach more people on a day to day basis, which I would chalk up to being the biggest challenge. It’s definitely a lot of work to grow your social media platforms, but it’s a lot of fun as well.
How do you come up with your recipes? How do you keep things fresh/exciting/tasty?
I usually come up with my recipes off my really weird cravings. I think for a month straight, all I really wanted to eat were burgers, (which is what has inspired my latest recipe!) To make sure I didn’t get bored, I had to start getting creative with them. I like to change up 1-2 of the seasonings, try a different meat, switch to a sweet pepper, etc. The smallest change in ingredients can make a huge change in flavor.
One of the other main things is that I want to make dishes and sides that people can actually make. I make sure each recipe is unique, but simple to make. There are some days when I have no problem spending a couple hours in the kitchen and then there are other days when I want to be in/out in 5 minutes. My recipe collection is designed to work for whichever of those moods you are in.
What is your all-time favorite Paleo recipe?
Hands down, Kalua Pig from Nom Nom Paleo. It is so simple, so versatile and so mouthwatering. I make this at least every other month. Of my own recipes, it is my Sweet Rosemary Hash. I make a version of this for breakfast pretty much every weekend.
I think Katie’s story shows that when you decide to move beyond diets and make a commitment to changing your lifestyle, anything is possible.
Make sure you check out her blog for some great recipes!