for now we are hoping to ease into it, making one change at a time, with the hope that these things will stick or at least help us make better choices in the long run.
my understanding, based on the various things i've read is roughly this: the food the average american eats (read: carbs and sugars) keeps our blood sugar at higher levels than our bodies like. our bodies use the hormone insulin to keep our blood sugar in its preferred range. insulin lowers our blood sugar, ultimately converting excess sugar into fat to be stored away for later use. but because we keep feeding our bodies more foods that convert to sugar in our blood, it doesn't really get to burning that stored fat for fuel since it's always using the sugar first.
paleolithic diets generally focus on eating the types of food our cavemen ancestors ate -- though there are some variances from person-to-person about how they adapt this for a modern lifestyle -- suggesting minimal grains, starches, and sugars, and more dietary fats, protein, and vegetables.
the first step we are taking in making changes is to cut grains, starches and sweets - with the exception of up to one cup of rice a week. this includes (but unfortunately is not limited to): pasta, bread, corn and corn products, candy, juice, soda...
we will be doing this for about three weeks, and then see how we feel, whether we have noticed any differences in the way our bodies operate and weigh, and if we feel confident that we can continue with the change.
so far we have been following these eating habits for a few days, and while there have been annoying moments of us contemplating things we want but can't have, the change overall doesn't feel so bad. one of the things i really like about it is not having to count calories or points as in previous diets. i eat until i am full, and i feel like this is significantly less than i ate before, because fat is filling. instead of sitting down with a waffle with the works (usually sweet stuff on top), i've had an egg over-easy with a piece or two of sausage, and felt full for hours. i can snack on a handful of almonds instead of a bag of potato chips, and feel quite content and significantly less guilty.
we'll see how things progress. right now we are taking it one day at a time, and trying to be a step ahead of our hunger by knowing what our next meal is going to be. i find that if we wait until we are hungry to figure out what to eat, we are more likely to give into bad choices.
...more to come on what we've been eating. ;)
