Wellness Wednesday: Fighting the Summertime Fat with a Paleo Diet

Happy Summer Solstice peeps! I'm so excited the warm weather is here AND we have a new Crunchy Contributor joining our community. Today, Rebecca Wong, shares how changing your diet, just like the seasons, do wonders for your health. Don't forget to enter our SUMMER SOLSTICE SWEEPSTAKES (above) and get a chance to win one of 3 awesome prizes! ~Nacia

Summer can be a time of easy living, BBQ’s, sitting by the pool sipping a cold drink, enjoying ice cream and treats… We are all guilty of it; falling away from our intentions of eating healthier.  The paleo diet can be a perfect way to start the summer and bring into focus new ways to clean up our diets.  I know, I have done it and here is my story.

After having my second child my body was a far cry from my athletic pre-child days and I struggled with my body image.  Having lost many other aspects of myself to motherhood, this struggle was a big one for me.  I ran a half marathon and trained hard for it, I breastfed both our girls, I thought I was eating well, but my body only showed signs of fatigue – not improvement.  I was discouraged and a tad desperate. 

For a while, my husband and I had been hearing whispers about a Paleo diet , a cave-man/hunter-gatherer style of eating.  At first it sounded hard, really, really hard.  No grains, legumes, dairy or added sugar!  But we kept hearing testimonials of people who swore by the results of a paleo lifestyle for a laundry list of health issues and they all looked and felt great and watched a relative totally transform his body in less then a year. 

And then while handing me a prescription, my PCP mentioned the paleo diet as an alternative way of helping my body regulate insulin resistance, restart my metabolism, heal the autoimmune, endocrine and mood issues I was facing -- I went home inspired and enthusiastically shared the information with my husband.  That night we read up on The Whole 30 Program and decided to jump in!  

Luckily for me, he was as eager as I to give it a try. We joined crossfit around the same time we started our first whole 30; the two went hand in hand nicely.  At crossfit, we found a community of fit healthy & inspiring people who shared recipes and encouragement while we shared sweat and laughter.

  
So, what are we eating?  That’s simple, really good whole foods – vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, fruit, nuts and seeds.  Ideally we source our food locally and organically as much as possible.  We consume our carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables instead of breads and cereal or pasta.  We eat lots of healthy fat that comes from grass-fed beef, coconut or avocado – all healthy energy sources.

  local pastured, grass fed sliders in a baked asian yam ‘bun’ topped with salsa verde

spaghetti squash, collards, pasture raised eggs, onions, garlic, ginger & pasture raised (no sugar/nitrate added/whole30 approved) bacon

We took care to keep roasted chicken, sliders and baked yams/sweet potatoes prepared in the fridge -- we were set.  We cooked large dinners leaving left overs for lunches (and breakfasts) the next day and always packed food to go wherever we went.  My skin cleared up within a week or two, IBS symptoms vanished by week two, both my husband and my moods improved and we no longer got on each other’s nerves for being  hangry.  And, we both lost weight, lots of noticeable weight.  

I lost about 15lbs in my first 30 days, he about 10lbs. Our energy levels and sleep improved.  Sugar cravings minimized and our relationships with food began to transform.  We also like that we have minimized our risks for a whole host of lifestyle diseases and conditions, like diabetes, heart attack, stroke and autoimmune simply  by cleaning up what we put into our body.

After our first Whole 30, we continued eating a Paleo diet most of the time.  We relaxed our restrictions somewhat when we were out but stayed pretty strict at home.  About 80% of our everyday consumption was paleo.  By the time we completed our second Whole 30 this past May, I had dropped 3 (almost 4) dress sizes and his waist size went down 3 inches.  More importantly, we feel healthy from the inside out and my desire to continue eating this way has increased because when I ‘cheat’, I feel the difference and it doesn’t feel good.  Cleaning up my diet has made me aware of the sluggish body I was living in before and I don’t want to go back to that – that’s all the motivation I need!

What changes have you/will you make in your diet? Share your stories below!
 

Feeling Fit in Granolaville,

~Rebecca

Rebecca Wong resides in the Hudson Valley with her husband and their two wild, adorable little girls. She is a SAHM & Licensed Clinical Social Worker; her private practice has been built around providing psychotherapy and support to postpartum mothers and families.  This past year Rebecca and her husband have found their way into both the paleo and crossfit community--both of which have transformed their bodies, physical fitness, well being and energy levels.  They hope to be teaching their daughters by example, modeling smart food choices and exercise routines,  so that they grow up taking care of their bodies and minds, nourishing themselves from the inside out, feeling strong and healthy and having fun.

Posted in: diet,food,paleo,rebecca wong,summer,wellness wednesday