It has to start somewhere

I find I'm starting my first blog post with the same feeling I start a lot of new things with. I'm excited...I have so much I want to share and talk about I find it a little overwhelming and almost paralyzing. I get this way about a lot of things I'm excited about from decorating a new room, to starting a new challenge, to taking on a new hobby, to shopping at a great Sale. :) There is excitement mixed with thoughts of wanting to make the right choice...which soon leads to feeling a little overwhelmed...which sometimes causes a little anxiety. My thoughts to want to do things "right" and "perfect" have kept me from doing a lot of things in life.

I felt this way when I was thinking about starting the Paleo diet. I had been struggling for a long time with a lot of different symptoms and then was diagnosed with PCOS. (We can talk about that later.) The doctor wanted to put me on diabetic medication and hormones. I really didn't like the idea of being on medication for the rest of my life and just covering up the symptoms while not really dealing with the root of the problem. So I started researching....and researching...

Research led me to the Paleo diet. Exciting...It seemed like this had really worked for a lot of people. Could this be the answer I was looking for? Intimidating...what if I couldn't do it? Overwhelming...there was so much information and so many variations. Paralyzing...where do I even start...which variation of Paleo should I follow...what if it doesn't work? I talked to a friend about it and she told me to check out "Whole 30." 30 days? That seemed doable. So I started in January of 2012. I tried to put all the "what if it doesn't work/what if I'm not doing it right?" thoughts out of my mind and just took one day at a time...one meal at a time...one snack at a time. 30 days later...all my PCOS symptoms had pretty much gone away and I felt great! IT CHANGED MY LIFE!! I didn't look back and continued eating Paleo moving forward.

Fast forward to June 2012. One of the biggest changes you may notice is the 35 pounds I have lost. (I had previously lost about 20 pounds before starting Paleo...and I had to fight hard for each one!) But some of the many changes you may not notice at first glance are the elimination of headaches, heartburn, stomach pain, gasteroparesis symptoms, many PCOS symptoms, food sensitivities, seasonal allergies, acne, restless nights, fatigue and depression that I had been struggling with for so long. More than everything I have "lost" eating Paleo, what I have gained is the real story! I have gained peace from my symptoms that seemed to consume my every day life. I have gained a peace of mind when it comes to eating...my life is not consumed with calories and guilt. Food isn't the enemy anymore! I have gained the joy in living my life again. You don't realize how bad you feel until you start to feel good again.

And so I start my first blog...my first post...like I did my journey to regain my health...one simple step. I've learned to just go for it and start somewhere. It doesn't have to (and most likely isn't going to be) perfect! I'm starting to learn that part of the fun is the journey and not just the end result. The results I have seen from my Paleo journey thus far helped to reinforce that. Was I "perfect" every day? No! Did I make the right decisions every day? Uh...nope! But I just took it one step at a time and didn't let any missteps get me totally off track.

And just like that I've completed my first blog post. :)

This gives me somewhere to start. People have started to ask me a lot of questions regarding the health/nutrition decisions I have been making. I have so much to say! I hope to share some stories, recipes, things that have inspired me, and who knows what else. I guess we'll find out together and enjoy the journey!