First Post!

Hello!! :)

This is Pensive Paleo's first post! I started this blog to document my paleo/life journey and as a way to keep track of all my meals and recipes. I decided to do the Whole30 challenge (for the second time) for the month of November as a nutrition cleanse/reset. Life got really out of hand during Sept/Oct and with no sleep, huge stresses at school, tight job market deadlines, and getting over the hurt of a difficult breakup (emotional eating included!), my nutrition & fitness took a backseat. I found myself daily at the cafeteria for lunch, takeout for dinner, and snacks from the vending machine during the day. I hated eating this way (especially after such positive results from my first Whole30 experience last July) and it brought back addictive, unhealthy cravings that I didn't have the willpower to combat. Non-paleo eating made my body fee like crap, though I was in survival mode and eating to live was essential.

The Epiphany
On Nov 1 at 2am, I was finally finished with work for the day and started to wash up and get ready for bed (the 5 hours of sleep I'd be getting for the fourth night in a row). As I looked in the mirror, I could barely recognize myself. I looked like I aged 5 years... haggard, dark circles under my eyes, skin broken out, and my cheeks were puffy- I definitely gained weight. I really looked like hell. Plus, my jeans had started to feel tighter (after being looser this summer when I was paleo and exercising 6x/wk, 3-4 of which was CrossFit, the rest was endurance & hot yoga). It was really scary, and a huge wake-up call. I told myself that if I keep going down this journey of crap eating, high stress, no sleep, little exercise, and poor time management, I was going to look and feel a heck of a lot worse. I needed to get my life back in order; no one else would do it for me. I resolved to do another round of Whole30, starting when I woke up the following morning. This Whole30 would include a sugar detox (no fruit either). Whole30 suggested that people avoid doing the reset around the holidays because of the temptations of the season, but I NEEDED to do it for the structure regarding tempting foods or else I will continue on this downward spiral.

This blog will document my Whole 30 (Nov 2 - Dec 1) and my journey to getting my life back on track. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions/tips... it's always nice to know I'm not alone in my quest to live a paleo lifestyle.Thanks for joining me! :)

~Jessica