Being a healthy lifestyle enthusiast for many years now, I have tried every single “diet” plan there is out there. It’s just been in the last 7 years that I have made serious changes to the way I eat based on how my body feels.
7 years ago, I was basically eating Paleo style. I liked it and felt good on it. I didn’t feel like I had to give up much and eventually, all the things that I did crave (such as breads, pastas) I no longer even cared for. On the Paleo, I discovered I was lactose intolerant. Give me a drink of milk or bite of ice cream and my stomach would blow up!! So that was easy to give up, as I hated feeling that way.
About 3 years when I was moved into a toxic environment (mold) and didn’t know it, I started developing a lot of food sensitivities and product sensitivities. Certain foods bothered my eyes, my stomach, made my head itchy, and just made me feel crappy. So I struggled with how to eat or even WHAT to eat! I felt like I had already given up so much doing a Paleo diet, what else would I have to give up! But I found a way. NO more wine or beer, or high sulfate drinks, nuts made my head itch, I had to find swiss processed decaf coffee to avoid moldy coffee, no night shades (basically tomatoes) as they made my break out and itch. I’m sure there were others. It was very frustrating, but I did it, Not knowing at the time it was the mold that was stopping my body from being able to process certain foods. It sucked!
This past year, as I have moved out of the toxic environment and started to heal, I was able to start adding other foods back into my diet. But honestly, at that point, I no longer really missed them. BUT I had gained weight from the mold and really wanted to drop it.
It wasn’t until I started the Keto diet this past November, that I finally started feeling so much better! I completely cut out gluten, which I had tried in the past, but never stuck to it. I have experimented with where my calories needed to be and my macros needed to be where I felt good and started to lose weight, and I did. When I started, things slowly started moving. I lost a few pounds and inches. But it slowed. So then I decided to cut out dairy, as it has a tendency to cause inflammation. Things picked up and the weight started to drop again.
You might be asking what I DO eat then if I cut out all that stuff?! I try to focus on meats such as beef, chicken, turkey and pepperoni. More fibrous veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and salad. My fats tend to come from coconut oil, fat bombs, bacon fat, eggs/yolks and avocado.
I know there are people who do not agree with the Keto Diet. I get that. It took some time to get my husband to wrap his mind around it, but now he loves it! He no longer has any digestion issues and feels great!
My point is all of this is that no one diet works for everyone. Even different times in our lives we may need to try or eat differently. Some may do great on the Whole30 Plan or the Paleo. Even some may be successful and feel great on a Low Carb Meal Plan. Genetics are different for everyone, so what works for me, may not work for you. It’s about finding what works for you, your body and your lifestyle without feeling deprived. So you may need to do some experimenting to find what works for you. I had to. 🙂
I may not stay on this Keto Plan forever. I may do a combo of Keto/Paleo eventually. But for now, this is where I am at and where I finally feel great and am making progress in my fitness goals.
What types of Nutrition Plans have you tried? Which ones worked for you and which ones didn’t? I would love to hear your stories!