Abs. I've got 'em.

Let’s talk for a minute about the Paleo diet.  I have skin issues.  I mean, I have skin ISSUES.  I’m pretty sure by the time my life is over, I will have had just about every damn skin issue in the book.  I had minor-moderate acne through middle school and high school, eczema, a crazy flare of cystic acne in my 20’s, pityriasis rosea, peeling skin, oily skin, itchy skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, perioral and perioccular dermatitis, and more I can’t think of off the top of my head.  And now, at the age of 30, I’m getting what appears to be adult acne and/or dermatitis.   After countless hours of research on the interwebs, my sources say try paleo.  I won’t get into the nitty gritty about the topicals, washes, and other crap I’m doing because this post isn’t actually about my skin battle.  Tricked ya!

This post is about my abs!  I can see them!!!   Okay, there are faint horizontal lines across my abdominals but they are THERE and my fiancé can see them too.  I’ve been pretty fit for the last couple of years thanks to my dedication at the gym and generally healthy diet.  But, my lower abs have always been covered with a soft layer of doughy-ness.  Ladies, you know what I’m talking about.  That thicker section that protects our uterus in case we decide we might like to use it later.  I was under the impression that my dough would be hanging out forever.   Paleo has started to lean me out and that squish is depleting rapidly.  The less crap I eat, the smaller that cushion is.  

I know what you’re thinking.  Obviously, Kate, if you eat a healthy diet and restrict yourself, you lose weight.  I’m not restricting.  Heck, sometimes I eat spoonfuls of almond butter just because I feel like it.  I eat and I indulge Paleo style.  So, what the heck am I eating?  I’ll give you a snippet of what I ate yesterday.

     Breakfast:

     Egg, sausage, spinach, pepper, onion frittata with a glass of almond milk, spoonful of almond butter and        tomato slices.

     Lunch:

     Spring mix and baby arugala salad with tuna, almonds, tomatoes, and homemade dressing. 

     Dinner:

     Pulled barbecue chicken over cauliflower rice with tomato juice.

     Snacks scattered throughout the day:

     Coffee with Paleo creamer, cucumber slices, carrot sticks, green peppers, almonds, strawberries and            blueberries, almond butter on a banana, chocolate chips (Paleo-ish) and raisins.

Seriously, I ate ALL of that in one day.  In fact, most of the time I add a half of an avocado in there too.  I ran out.  And, don’t you make a face at my cauliflower rice.  My fiancé made that same face until I made him eat it and he loves it.  He ate it even though I gave him a bun to put his pulled chicken on.  Yep, it’s that awesome.  Recipe to follow in the fuuuuture.

Anyway, back to the point.  I eat all day long and am now seeing muscle definition because of the Paleo diet.  I have not changed my exercise routine, only diet.  Now, I’m not a dietician (not yet, who knows what the future holds) or medical professional so if you’d like to use the Paleo diet to lose weight, I urge you to check in with your doctor or weight loss professional to make sure it’s right for you.   I am, however, a group fitness instructor and I can tell you that my energy level has been just as high as before I went Paleo and sometimes higher. 

So, what are some benefits you’ve seen since going Paleo?