Getting Back on Track
It happens to all of us. When I first started following The Paleo Diet back in 2005, I definitely had a slip up or two.
After having cut gluten and found all my GI symptoms disappearing in a matter of days, I was nearly completely convinced. It was right around Christmas time and I was heading home from LA to see my parents in New York for the holidays. I’d been feeling so much better, yet only a month or two in, I felt the need to test things out, just to make sure.
And that test happened to be in the form of a slice of the famous New York food on the street- Ray’s Pizza. Prior to moving to LA for college when I was 19, a slice of Ray’s was something I’d partake in as a ‘special treat’ at least a few times per year.
Back then, I was all about low fat and fat free, and ‘being good on my diet’ and all of that antiquated mentality that many of us experienced. It would be a rare occasion, and one certainly preempted by at least an extra hour on the stair master, but I sure did enjoy those treats now and then.
(I’m very happy those days are behind me now, since the balance of Paleo living has completely erased all those old diet thoughts I used to have, as I not only battled with daily stomach distress but also always wanted to be just a touch leaner and about ten pounds lighter. I share this experience as I’m confident that many others can likely identify!)
Back to that slice, now… I ate it, enjoyed it and within thirty minutes was so sick and so disgusted I vowed never to come close to gluten or dairy again.
And I haven’t.
It’s not a matter of developing super human will power. It’s just a case of knowing that certain ‘foods’ (if we want to call them that) will make me feel quite ill, and I’d prefer to not intentionally feel ill. Therefore, I choose foods that I know will make me feel energized throughout the day and keep me healthy.
That’s it.
So, if you’re new to Paleo and you have a slip up or two as you’re getting started, the worst thing you can do is throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water and keep eating down a path which is a fast track to nowhere.
Identify what you ate, why you ate it and how you felt, so you can make the connection between how you felt afterward.
The more you do it, the longer you stick with it, the easier it becomes.
I’ve been Paleo for nearly nine years and I promise there’s no craving for sweets, or dreaming of eating one of those darn pizza slices…ever.
Be patient with yourself and keep going Paleo.
It’s worth it in the long run!
