Little by little - progress is progress!

I started following the Paleo diet on Ash Wednesday. I can't tell you how many people have told me that I'm crazy, or asked me how it's even healthy when we need "fiber." I can tell you that 1) it's not easy, 2) I'm actually enjoying the creativity it allows, and 3) in some sadistic way, I enjoy quizzing servers about whether their salad dressings have added refined sugars and if I can swap in cucumbers for cheese. They really think I'm crazy!

Little by little over the past five days, I've noticed progress:

1. Instead of dreaming about eating cheese, peanut butter, and cookies, last week I had a NIGHTMARE from which I woke up extremely anxious.
2. I no longer crave the Dove Promises that are still hiding somewhere in the bottom of the black hole I call a purse.
3. I took a picture with my best friend's nine-month-old daughter yesterday and I barely recognized myself...which led me to the scale last night, where I found out I've lost an additional 5 pounds since last Thursday and I'm STILL the lightest I've been since 2010 (woot!).

Lots of people I've talked to recently have wondered what, "if anything," I'm eating these days. If you're curious, continue reading the details in the bullets. If you're not, run along a little further.

• Breakfasts: Egg scrambles with any assortment of veggies and meat, generally with half a banana on the side or one serving of other fruit; bacon; Protein fruit smoothie (with Vega protein smoothie powder, almond milk and 3 servings of fruit - usually all, or the majority of, the fruit I'll eat in a day)
• Lunches: Leftovers from a homemade Paleo-friendly dinner; salad with chicken or steak with dressing whose label has been thoroughly vetted to ensure it's Paleo-friendly (or I keep it simple with olive oil and balsamic vinegar), no cheese, no croutons
• Dinner: Spaghetti squash Italian casserole with Whole Foods chicken Italian sausage bolognese; bunless hamburger with salsa and bacon, sweet potato "chips" (homemade, with coconut oil and seasonings), and berries

I also now have the Against All Grain and Practical Paleo cookbooks and can't wait to give them a shot!

In other food-related news, I had to travel for work this week up to my old stomping grounds in Virginia, where I was quickly thrown into the realities of eating Paleo while on the go. I discovered that the hotel will pack your hot breakfast to go, that some restaurants still make dressings without added sugars (yay!) and that Chipotle rocks even more than I thought it did (no joke, I've had Chipotle for dinner two days in a row - steak on Sunday and carnitas on Monday). This trip was simply a warm-up though, as the real test will take place in France and Great Britain at the end of the month. Full disclosure: I'm expecting to cheat on Paleo a little bit while I'm abroad. I don't think I'll pass up the foie gras, magret du canard, tarteflette, Nutella crèpes, shortbread, gin and scones, but I'll severely limit my intake. I promise you'll hear more about those adventures soon!

All of that being said, change can be scary, especially when it means abandoning things you think you love. I thought I loved food. But as scary as it is, it's even more exhilarating when you realize that you're making progress to a greater goal. I created a list of "Reasons why I want to get skinny and healthy" last year and just reviewed it. At the top? "1. Fit comfortably in airplane seats - including AirFrance." I think I'm safe to say, at about 25 lbs lighter than I was when I made that list, the trip abroad should be slightly more comfortable this time around, even as I try to follow Paleo and remember to do modified WODs in the hotel room!

Cheers,
Lauren