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June 1, 2013 marked an important date for my husband and me. We made the informed choice to embark upon a 30-day adventure; we would eat clean, Paleo, for one month and see the changes and improvements in our bodies and spirits. Today marks day #25. For the first time in my life, after numerous diets and attempts to lose weight, I am not counting down the days until this challenge is over. I actually can't believe the month is coming to an end. I'm not counting the hours until I can have a 'cheat' meal or eat 'normally' again. For me, Paleo has been a breakthrough, an epiphany, the lightbulb that needed to illuminate. Not only have I lost 12 pounds in 24 days, but my entire idea of what food is has changed, as has the way I view the foods I used to eat and was so afraid I would miss.

Originally I wanted to do Paleo because I was hanging on to baby weight, and had in fact gained six pounds since my post-pardum weigh-in just one week after giving birth. Well, four months later I decided that my weight was heading in the wrong direction, as was my self-esteem, energy level and motivation to do anything about that. My husband had heard about Paleo, researched it and even attempted it for two weeks without my nine-month pregnant support (hey, I wanted chocolate and I wanted it all the time! I wasn't about to attempt a life change with four weeks left in my first pregnancy). I watched him as he ate ground beef and sautéed onions almost every night for dinner. The smell nauseated me and it didn't feel like a complete meal to me. Once our daughter was born, all bets were off. Not only were we in the hospital for two days (where the meals aren't exactly Paleo-centric), but the first few weeks with a newborn aren't easy and when you eat, it's fast, it's convenient, and in our case it mostly came from a drive-thru.

Again, there I was four months in to new mommyhood, back at work and feeling like I was still about seven months pregnant. I was desperate for a change, in anything, but mostly in my head. Some motivation to not crave sugar, bread, bad fats, anything that came from a box.

The Sunday night of Memorial Day weekend we were out at the bar for a friend's birthday. On the table in front of us laid half-empty plates of nachos covered in fake cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa and the usual accoutrements. Next to that were deep-fried jalapeño pepper slices with a ranch dipping sauce. I had spent that entire weekend gorging myself on fast food, pizza, cocktails, etc. because my husband and I were going to 'start eating well on Monday' (if I had a dollar for every time we have said that to each other, I would be able to hire my own full-time Paleo chef). I couldn't have known it then, but this time would be different. From the ruins of that 'meal' came a bright beacon of hope; a Phoenix rising from the refined sugar, corn, soy, hormone-riddled dairy concoctions...my husband and two of our friends challenged themselves to a 30-day ALL Paleo, NO cheating commitment. As the night wore on they hatched the details, the rules, and the guidelines. Their excitement was contagious and I hesitantly, and half-tipsily, agreed to join their effort. If only to prove that Paleo had nothing to do with weight loss and that I would soon tire of sautéed onions and ground beef. 

The next day I awoke with curiosity and a hangover that only five $2.00 glasses of red wine can provide. I spent time online, searching for information, recipes. What exactly was Paleo? What had I gotten myself into? Now, I am still a newbie so I will not pretend to be an expert. All I know is that we did our best that day to buy fresh, organic, grass-fed ingredients for the week to begin our journey. I decided 'What the hell?' I'll start Tuesday instead of Saturday...get a head start, it will be easier for me to start a routine while at work anyway. So the next morning, with determination in my heart and Paleo-approved snacks and a lunch in my bag, I began this life-changing challenge.

I was going to wait until after the 30 days were up to see if this experience was something that I wanted to share. However, after 25 days I feel so good that I decided I had to share not only my story (that's not really the good part) but what I have learned along the way. Inherently, the Paleo lifestyle is expensive as it requires quality ingredients that are mostly available in high-end grocery stores. I live on a budget and have still managed to make things work. I will share tips, motivation, advice and most importantly: recipes! I love to cook and in only three and a half weeks I have figured out some pretty cool ways to Paleofy some classics and have even come up with some new dishes that are crowd pleasers, whether the rest of your family or dinner guests are following the same lifestyle as you or not. Join me as I embark on the biggest challenge yet: what happens after the first 30 days!