Giving Up Grains

In the last 4 days I've gained 5lbs and the only thing I can really attribute it to is grains. Same thing happened during my visit to NC although I figured some of that was due to increased meat intake and not getting as much produce as I'd been getting.  This weekend however, there wasn't a lot of meat, I was still getting my juice and lots of veggies  and the only other difference was some added grains... and some wine.

Friday we drove up to Nashville to visit Trader Joes & Whole Foods (and I amazed my hubby at TJ's prices!). While up there I picked up some wheat-free oats to make some granola. I had some of that granola on Sunday with some peanut butter and once I ate a bite I couldn't stop... damn addictive stuff. Then I just kept eating, it seemed like. Popcorn, dark chocolate (again from TJs).  During our trip we stopped for Stir Fry and while I knew I should have declined the rice altogether, I decided to opt for some brown rice. Almost immediately I knew i twas a bad idea. It left me feeling bloated and gassy and just yucky.

I've mentioned previously that I was considering the Paleo Diet. Initially, I was hesitant to jump on it after I read that it doesn't include any grains or beans. It's basically a low-carb diet of sorts, on the principle that you eat only things the cavemen could/ would have eaten.  I was already feeling so limited by cutting out dairy and wheat and leaning towards really limiting meat that I felt like this was just too much.  However, after this weekend and the more I read, the more I realize that this is the direction I'm going (whether on purpose or not).

As I've read more about the diet I'm finding that beans aren't totally shunned just limited by the idea that their carb to protein ratio isn't as good as it could be. So, they should be a once in a while thing rather than a regular thing. I'm ok with that since that's pretty much how I look at them anyway. I do love some refried beans and some chili on occasion. But, they aren't something I'm going to want to eat every day.

At this point, for me, it's about listening to my body and finding the foods that make me feel good. I want foods that do the job, give me energy without negative side effects.  It's been working so far and I've had a number of people comment on how much more energy I have and how much better I look. It's a work in progress, just like me :).