New, without DH support page

[Shannon J]

I am 38yo, 190lbs, 5'7. I have been a vegetarian for 20 yrs, the kind that rarely ate vegetables but plenty of sugar and carbs. My cholesterol levels are 'borderline' and also my glucose levels are right below borderline. My dr said to work on my diet and return in 3-6 mo for followup bloodwork and she implied that within a year, if my cholesterol wasn't better, she'd recommend medications. Of course that freaked me out. I kind of fell into PB, from Eat Stop Eat, from some article on restricted calories being so important for glucose control. I don't know how Mark's book made sense to me, like I said, I hadn't eaten meat in 20 yrs!, but suddenly I found something that made nutritional sense. In full disclosure I had been thinking the past 2 years that I should probably include some meat in my diet again, for health reasons, but the idea of it was still pretty disgusting to me so it was only about 4 times a year.

I included some of the PB ideas into my life after reading the book, or rather thought about them and tried some meat. I could only do chicken breast as everything else seemed too gross. After a few months of not really doing it, still eating sugar, playing around with the PB ideas in my head but not my lifestyle really, this month I decided to really try to put it into practice. It is going pretty well, I have not lost astounding amounts of weight, very little in fact, but I do still have some grains (in two weeks about 6 servings?). I also had the flu at the end of Nov so went into the month weighing less than I would if I had eaten the week before!

My issues right now: My husband things this is an unhealthy way to eat and Mark's fans are fanatical. (He does enjoy having bacon in the house again, and 'permission' to eat it as he was a vegetarian also for 20 yrs - but he believes it is horrible for your body and he is being naughty to eat it.) He is unlikely to read the book, his parents died of colon and stomach cancers, he is concerned about my health. In the past few years he has been gaining a lot of weight, all in his stomach.

Second issue: I don't exercise. I love the idea of primal exercises, crossfit, etc but don't have any clue where to start AND don't really have the motivation to do it. Any advice on how to get past this beginners block? In the past I've done some exercising (walking, biking) but it never lasts more than 2 months. I have 4 kids (ages 3, 4, 9, 12 - the youngest are still home with me) and I work 20 hrs a week in research (but will be stopping soon).


I love reading the forums and really appreciate the inspiration and community here. Thanks.

[BarbeyGirl]

Welcome! I'm glad you've finally made the commitment to make this happen. I'm a recovering vegan, myself, and after about 5 months of PB, I'm leaner and stronger than ever.


Regarding your DH's cancer concerns, may I suggest you (or he, if he's willing) do some research on the connection between sugar consumption and cancer? In short, sugar is cancer's favorite food...and as far as the body is concerned, all carbs are sugar.

[OnTheBayou]

Congrats! Yes, we here are often quasi-religious/fanatical, not because of belief, but because of results. And science! I like to think of us as having unplugged ourselves from the CW (Conventional Wisdom) matrix. We live in nutritional reality.


Your husband needs to connect the dots of his increasing "wheat belly" and his diet. And the converse, those of us that have ditched grains, decreasing if we had one. Hmmmmmm........


"Everyone" who has gone paleo/primal has experienced incredible health benefits, even beyond weight loss. Diabetics that no longer need insulin or pharmas, chronic pain disappearing, GREAT blood panels, etc.


Besides reading whatever Mark has blogged about, check out Dr. Eades http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/ Dr. Cordain http://www.thepaleodiet.com/ and Richard Nikoley www.freetheanimal.com , especially recent postings about why we are "meant" to eat meat. Lots of it.


To the extent that hubby is willing to open his mind, there is more than enough educational material on the internet to last a lifetime. A long, healthy, meat eating lifetime.

[arthurb999]

Welcome!


I would challenge him to try it strict for 3 months... if he doesn't like the results, go back to what he was doing before.


Once you get strict for a while, it just becomes part of your lifestyle. The fat melts off, your energy comes back, ailments you had disapear...


I would also encourage you to start some sort of excersise program in conjunciton with your new nutrition plan. Being a stay at home mom with a 3 and 4 year old might be tough but here are a few ideas:


- You could sneak in a yoga video or something while they are occupied, napping, etc.

- Some body weight stuff in the garage at night

- Take them to the park do some sprints... they'll chase you don't worry... it's actually fun

- Weekends your husband can watch them while you take a fitness class or something like that

- Play a sport like softball or something you enjoy

- Biking you say you like... just do it more often


Once you workout regularay for a couple of months... it becomes part of your lifestyle and you love it.


It's life changing stuff here.