Good Fats = Energy
I've only been doing the Paleo/Primal way of life seriously for a couple of weeks when I wrote this letter to Mark Sisson at Mark's Daily Apple because I wanted to express how I felt after just a few short days.
Dear Mark,
I am sure you are inundated with questions and concerns so I just wanted to share my success and how I have grown to LOVE good fats--nuts, animal protein, some dairy, coconut oil, etc.
I came across your site this last year as I have been trying to figure out my health. I've always had an interest in nutrition likely because I have had a weight problem since I was very little. I grew up with 7 siblings and not one of them gained weight like I did. I was the chubby kid who turned into the fat teenager who turned into the obese adult.
I have had moments of the "thin life" when I white knuckled myself down to an acceptable weight, only to rebound and gain even more weight. My last major attempt 5 years ago, I was on a diet where I ate protein, veggies, some fruits and limited carbs, 6 times a day. I lost over 100 lbs. and started to enter the normal range but the minute I put sugar, carbs back in my mouth, it was all over. And I regained all that weight within 4 or 5 months. The one thing I kept thinking about that diet was "if I could only have some good fats--avocados, olive oil--I think I would feel really good." My body was calling for it since day one but I denied and denied it until I hit my wall and regained everything. I came away from that experience totally disillusioned with dieting and convinced that I had been given a broken body or one that I could not possibly figure out. I went the route of intuitive eating, then fat acceptance, then found out I had allergies to most grains and sugars. It has been a long and confusing road but one that broke me from "conventional health wisdom" and made me willing to stick my neck out.
I have PCOS and metabolic syndrome and I am now in my mid-thirties. The hormonal roller coaster I am on each month is exhausting and as I tried gluten-free, dairy-free, allergy-free diets, I couldn't seem to hang on to any of them (likely because of the grains, too much sugar, and not enough fat). I tried Paleo a few months ago but didn't start out well prepared and ended up eating too low-fat and thus had a hard time sticking with it. Some of my family has been gently nudging me towards bariatric surgery before I develop full-blown diabetes.
I just kept thinking: "I've got to figure out the keys to my body and know how to operate it." Well, I finally became convinced (thanks to you and some other cherished bloggers) that I really needed to go off all grains, sugar, seed oils and keep a close watch on my fruit intake and my starchy vegetable intake. AND increase the amount of good fats in my diet. So, I did just that. I cut all the grains and the sugar and the seed oils, I planned good meals, I worked on sleeping well, playing and walking. And I ate fat. For the first time in my life with abandon--coconut oil, butter, olive oil, bacon, avocados, nuts, And that was the difference.
Today I've just been HUMMING with happiness. Bliss. Peace. Joy. You know about carb burnout and you know how high insulin causes fatigue and energy burnout. That has been my life--for far too long. Tired, overwhelmed, depressed. Everything took so much effort. For me to feel this AMAZING in just a couple of weeks? I am astonished. Is that possible? Is this what good health feels like? If so, NO WONDER people love life. No wonder sunsets evoke poetry, people love waking up in the morning, and things get done in the world! Because to feel this good in this short of time is mind-blowing to me. I am not sure I have ever felt this good. And I still have many pounds to lose.
I'm a little giddy. And so, very, very relieved.
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