About me on this health blog

I had a Paleo blog. I've had lots of blogs. But I am getting older and it's time to consolidate. This is only a hobby, after all.

So from my other website, here is what I said on the home page:

This Is Where My Put The "Crazy" Things I Do For Health Because My Friends Say "Whaaaaaat?"
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​I have a confession to make. I'm a total Paleo hack.

• I read the science but I don't remember it.
• I don't garden.
• I don't prefer cooking.
• Heck, I still have to Google what some vegetables and fruits are.

But I am enthusiastic about how great I feel when I eat Paleo.

And when I do all the other things I do that are strange like:

• Not using toothpaste.
• Using a platform in the bathroom.
• Sleeping on grounding sheets.
• Taping my mouth at night.

I had my third baby in my 40's - my first Paleo pregnancy - and it was the easiest by far! I love how I lost almost 50 pounds - and kept it off through the pregnancy. And I love how my children are easy going, un-whining people I don't have to chase away from the cookie jar.

So, is it harder to be Paleo than just eating the Standard American Diet?

Yes and no.

It's way harder than just ordering a pizza or going through the Wendy's drive through (which I used to do all the time). But it's way easier than feeling exhausted, having joint pain or back pain, being cranky, or living with cranky kids.

I went Paleo in 2011 and I haven't gone back. Not once. So far Paleo has been good to me. And it's getting better all the time. Now, with mayo!

:) Alora

But then I did "go back"

That baby became a toddler. A very busy toddler. And I started getting tired. Really tired. So I edged off the Paleo diet a little, slowly fell into a Standard American Diet-sized hole of potato chips, hit perimenopause, and gained 40 pounds.

And you know what? For the most part it felt great. I learned to be happy in my body no matter what, I kept my estrogen levels more stable, and I enjoyed a lot of "Paleo-ish" fast food. I don't like to cook and it was nice to have a break after all those years.

So now? Now I just piece things together. I'm 80% Paleo again. My youngest child is older now and I'm sleeping well again. I'm losing weight but I'm not counting. Maybe it's because I'm older now too and I don't care nearly as much what people think, but I'm feeling a lot of peace about my heath, regardless of my age/size/diet/etc.

Still, the reason I started the other blog remains valid.

This is what I said...

​This is what my old website said:

​This is my intermittent blog because my friends went "wha?" when I:

• Lost 50 pounds in less than 9 months (now I eat Paleo, and so do my kids)
• Stopped using toothpaste (healed gums)
• Plugged myself in to sleep on Earthing sheets (no more PMS, snoring, work-out aches)
• Spent over $300 on a water filtration bucket (all the cleanliness with all the minerals)
• Bought a platform to squat in the bathroom (yep, you heard me right)
• Gave up the microwave (seriously, what is that doing to the molecules in your food?) 
  and...
• Went on a 30 day juice fast (so liberating - and I wasn't ever hungry)

I also keep this blog going because friends keep asking and I like to give the grandparents a list of recipes we like. You know, in case they want to feed us and I don't have to cook.

Thank You, Paleo!
​Since Going Paleo... Since going Paleo I have no more:

• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Emotional sensitivity
• Backaches
• Joint pain
• Rosacea / acne
• Food cravings
• Stress eating / emotional eating
• Hypoglycemia or "cranky if I don't eat-itis"
• Weight problems (I don't count calories, I'm not hungry, and I'm my college weight, effortlessly.)

When I lost 48 pounds in less than 9 months in 2011 all of my friends on Facebook watched.  Now I run into old friends and new and they still ask "How did you do it?" or "You eat what?!"  or "Wow, you look so... happy!"

Since then I've inspired a number of friends and family look into their diet. There IS a diet that makes you feel amazing out there somewhere.

[I still believe this. Even if-and perhaps especially if-that diet is intuitive eating.]

I still get asked a lot of questions

I blog because I like to share. I like to write. I can't remember details. Friends ask me things. I'm one of those people who experiments with a lot of wacky stuff.

Do I recommend Paleo?

It's a great place to start if you have food issues.

I also recommend a lot of other things too.

That's what this blog is for. Not to point out the one thing that will change your entire health because there isn't one. (Unless you answer that question "meditation".) Health is a journey. It changes as you age and go through different experiences in your life. It's riddled with emotional connection and issues. It's such a charged topic it can divide discussion at the holiday dinner table as fast as politics. 

So don't look to me for answers. I'm just blogging because it feels good.
You should do what feels good too.
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