It begins...

[beccalyse]

My parents taught me to stress eat. I feel like I'm shifting blame every time I think that, but it came to me one day out of nowhere, and it is absolutely true. If my mom had a bad day at work, I'd inevitably find an empty bag of Peanut M&Ms stashed in the center console of her car the next morning. If my dad hit traffic on the way home, we'd go out to dinner that night because traffic sucks and who wants to cook when they're frustrated?

What's funny is that my parents always refused to buy junk food for the house. We were always well-stocked with Diet Coke and Snackwells, and my breakfast cereal choices always had to be vetted by my mother before they made it into the shopping cart. They refused to bring anything bad in... but they seemingly had no problem with traveling to consume the bad. For years now, I've been eating fast food in the car. I'd finish the bag before I got home, and leave it in the car because I didn't want it in my house. It's funny the things your parents teach you.

I'm 27 now. I live in Orlando, but in less than a month, I'll be moving to Rochester, NY for graduate school. I've been full Paleo for 24 days now, with a couple of gummy bear/fruit snack incidences along the way. I don't miss bread or pasta or dairy or anything, really. I feel better than I have in years. But I've spent the past 2 hours at work fantasizing about buying some Skittles from the vending machine down the hall. Or perhaps getting a Coke Zero. And it's funny, because I'm not at all hungry and I don't miss the sodas or the candies of my past... but it seems I'm still in that mindset of 25 days ago, where you cure boredom or bad days with crap and then feel guilty about it later.

I started out at 212. I'm down to 200. I was hoping for more so far, but I'll take what I can get. I was exercising daily up until this past week, when a bout of "screw-it" hit me which I've been as yet unable to shake off. I still do jumping jacks and crunches in the morning, but I haven't picked up a free weight in days.

My friends, family, and co-workers don't get the Paleo thing. I guess that's why I finally decided to join the boards. I've been patted on the back for my vigilance in maintaining my diet, but I feel like a 6-year-old being placated when I say I want to be a princess when I grow up. My friend told me he could never give up cheese. That's the single dumbest thing I've ever heard. My parents still chug diet soda while admitting that they've read multiple articles on how bad it is for you. They have dozens of health problems between them, and still they eat their processed, Weight Watchers meals, arguing with me in the grocery store about how Omega-3 eggs are $1 more expensive than the regular kind.

I think I've hit a motivational wall. I feel... drained. I'm still on-board with the diet, but I can't seem to amp myself up to work out anymore. I was doing Barre Method three nights a week, C25K 3 mornings a week, and lifting weights every other day. Maybe it was just too much too fast. I don't know.

I guess I just need to know that there are other people out there who live the way I want to live. I work on a college campus, surrounded by quick service burger places and pizza joints. There's nothing remotely Paleo-friendly on the menu at the restaurant in the student union, so I just sat with my co-worker as she ate her lunch the other day. And then I drive home through fast food land. And even in Whole Foods, there are entire aisles full of foods which are out-of-bounds for me. I just...

Help me. Please.

[Mike Pants]

You sound so defeated when you've accomplished so much! 12 pounds in less than a month, a complete change in diet, putting up with unsupportive and argumentative family members, and constantly avoiding the temptation of fast, cheap food? You should be posting in the Woot Room, not asking for help.

Every step forward is a step towards something better, even if you aren't moving at a sprint. Like Steve says, changing your diet is 80% of the fight, and if you never pick up another weight, you're going to look and feel better every day if you keep fueling yourself with good eats. As far as people poo-pooing you efforts, yeah, we all deal with that from time to time. Paleo is viewed more as a fad than anything else by those looking in, like South Beach or Atkins. But we know that it's more than a diet; it's a complete mental overhaul, and as long as you understand that, that's all that matters. If someone asks questions, do your best to educate, and if they don't react positively, let it go.

[weevilkris]

Hey there,

TOTALLY know how you're feeling. So step one is - try to relax a little. You seem like you're very stressed out about the impending move and you're letting the world around you amp up the stress level. The good news about finding boards like this is, we travel with you :-)

Regarding the food, there is Paleo-friendly fast food out there, just like there's vegan friendly fast food (I'm new to Paleo, but was vegan for awhile). You just need to know where to look. Some big-chain ideas: a McDonald's salad with balsamic dressing sans croutons. A burger with lettuce and tomato sans bun. A "burrito bowl" from Chipotle with just meat, lettuce, and grilled veggies. In a pinch, an egg McMuffin wihtout the muffin can even be a quick breakfast. Most "Atkins meals" will be Paleo friendly if you watch the beans. Fajitas without the cheese/sour cream/beans/tortillas, but with guacamole. A handful of almonds is a great snack.

Regarding the exercise, I wonder if your problem might be that you have yet to find an exercise program you really LIKE. To start out, it's more important to DO it than for it to be the "best possible workout". For example, I suck at running. It's actually quite amusing just how much I suck at it. So whenever I'd try to get healthy before (I know I know NF folks, I should have been weight training), I'd hit the treadmill thinking "if I hate it so much it must be doing something good for me". But the thing is... I couldn't stick with it.

Until I realized what I DO like to do. I love to swim. I started swimming again for the first time in over 10 years. I started out slow. It was still hard, but I didn't HATE it. I did some kickboxing videos, because I actually enjoy them. I started biking.

Find your groove, and focus on getting the "perfect" exercise plan later. The first step is to just TAKE one. :-)

Best of luck!

[ItalianGirl]

I just had to reply. My parents also didn't allow junk food, everything in the house was low fat or sugar free. I think they probably put diet pepsi in my sippy cup. My mom had a Weight Watchers mentality, even though it never really helped her to lose weight. (Funny, that.) My dad was diabetic, so his mentality was.....as long as it doesn't have sugar in it, I can eat it. Bag of Doritos? Fine! Block of Cheese? Sure! 4-5 diet pepsis a night? You get the picture. (Sadly, this kind of eating eventually killed my dad.) Also, needless to say, because I was a chubby kid, my mom always had me on a diet.

Funny, my parents also had drive through issues. My mom would take me to get donuts after school, as long as I didn't tell my father. My dad would take me to taco bell, as long as I didn't tell my mother. Furthermore, my sister was underweight, so they stuffed her with any junk food she wanted....namely twinkies and pizza rolls.

Junk food was always looming in the distance for me, but just out of reach. I was given tastes here and there, then told I couldn't have it. This led to an obsession with junk food, and a compulsive eating disorder. I gained 70 pounds in college because I ate everything in sight.

My mom is actually the one who suggested the paleo diet. Rather than try it herself, she suggested it to me. My mom is always looking for ways to improve me, when she needs to focus on herself. I googled it and found NF. I told her about the things it said to eat, and she got resistant. 'Are you sure you should be eating that much fatty meat?'

I guess all I can say is, I know how you feel. I am a lot like you. I started this adventure at 201 pounds. I have only been on paleo for 4 days, but so far so good. I am just beginning

Here are some things I can suggest:

If others aren't supportive, find other support groups. Boards are great, I'm finding. My mom will never lose the Weight Watcher's mentality, and I've accepted that.

If you don't like the exercise you are doing, try something else. Think fun and play. Go on adventures. Don't do too much too fast.

As far as the cravings and mindset, maybe try the 80/20 rule. I am going to do that first, so I have somewhere to go with this. If you start perfect, you have nowhere to go when you plateau. (and let's face it, it's gonna happen.)

Feel free to talk to me, I am just beginning this and goodness knows it's going to be a challenge.

And remember.....YOU'RE DOING GREAT!

[Ryan Sannar]

I follow paleo. We're here for you. Your making the right choices. Stick to it.

[Elastigirl]

You've made some fantastic choices food and health wise. Be proud of what you've done! 12 pounds is awesome. It is hard swimming upsteam against others who eat junk, but it does get easier. If your feeling burned out, maybe cut back on the excercise some. Give yourself some time off excercise and keep with the food choices then add the other in. Maybe do running 2 or 3 times a week and weight lifting 2 times a week, then only do the barr method if you want to.

[Jaswandi]

I'm living EXACTLY like you, on a college campus, surrounded by fast food joints, and none of my friends care about eating healthy. But I manage to eat paleo-ish, and so can you. Just remember to ask for substitutions. You can substitute the croutons/noodles/rice with steamed or fresh broccoli, have a salad instead of a sandwich, there are a number of options. I know, there are times when you feel like just giving up, but stick to it. I promise, it is worth it.

Don't think too much into the 'feeling-guilty-because-am-I-shifting-blame' thing, we overthinkers tend to numb our minds into oblivion. Just acknowledge it - this is how it was when I grew up, and I'm not a little child anymore so I can make a different choice now - and move on. Don't think.

Good luck on the move. It is going to be so exciting!