Eat Like a Caveman

I recently discovered some wonderful resources at www.EatingWell.com. Among them is a 12 week diet challenge that is less about the diet and more about our attitude and lifestyle. (You can check it out here).

Step # 1 is to evaluate your readiness to change. After all, change is the whole reason we're here. We want to change our longevity, change our quality of life, and most of us want to change our weight. But change is also scary. We've been dabbling in change for years with one diet or another, or maybe joining a gym and still not exercising regularly. Our cabinets still have cake mix and frosting, bags of chips, and boxes of crackers. A look in the refrigerator reveals leftover lasagna or pasta salad with chunks of American cheese, while in the freezer is a tub of wonderful Chocolate Moose Tracks ice cream (Heaven on earth!)

So, are we really ready for a change? It's time to identify the obstacles you may face over the next 4 weeks and figure out how you'll deal with them. Family objections to giving up their favorite foods will certainly be a challenge for many. And I'm sure that the frenzy of managing a crazy job and a busy family will leave little time for meal planning and extra shopping for organics. But if you're truly ready for change, you can find a way to make it happen.

It's funny, but I expected my husband to fuss when I cooked without any grains or rice or cheese. But his feedback for every meal so far has been that he was very satisfied and didn't miss the potatoes. If he needs a bread fix, he eats a sandwich at lunchtime. I also expected my friends to make fun of my "obsession", but my energy improvements have my business partner so intrigued, that his family is going to incorporate as much of the paleo concept as they can into their vegetarian diet.

So far, three weeks into my personal change, I've found that the idea of giving up cookies and Cheerios was worse than the actuality of it. It required a change in my thinking from,"I need to lose weight" to "I deserve to feel healthy and do what's right for myself". I'm not eating Paleo because I should, I'm doing it because I want to.

I'm committing to these changes over the next 4 weeks.
1. I will eliminate most artificial and highly processed foods from my diet.
2. I will drink (on average) no more than 1 glass of wine a day (I'm an enthusiast with a pretty nice cellar going, so I'm not interested in cutting back any more than that)
3. I will select organic and pasture-fed foods that are produced locally whenever available.
4. I will faithfully record everything I eat

What changes are you committing to?