Keen to start Paleo but get confused

[jodster]

I have tried to start eating the paleo way but get confused with nitty gritty details.

I am a working mum so dont have a lot of time. I understand not eating carbs and sugar (of course) but when it comes to salad dressings and what is good and what is bad, I get confused and then end up eating badly any way.

I had bacon and eggs for breakfast the other day and then made a chicken salad with avocado and a teaspoon of mayo. Felt guilty about eating mayo and ended up eating badly for the rest of the day. I desperately want to eat the paleo way and get to my optimum fitness.

Has anyone got any advice or simple suggestions so that I can ease into Paleo and therefore make it a way of life.

[Georges]

I think the number one tip is that you don't need to feel guilty or let it derail you if you eat something that isn't paleo. Whether it's by mistake or whether you just have a craving, keep in mind that overall, you're improving your diet. It's not pass/fail. You may even have the most success by easing into it a bit more slowly.

With the time constraints you face as a working mum, here's one thing you could try. Every weekend (or day off from work), try learning about one new meal that is paleo - why it's paleo, how to cook it, what variations you could use while keeping it paleo. Maybe keep a notebook or a recipe file for them, start it out with the things you already know (like bacon & eggs for breakfast). Even with just one new recipe a week, you'll soon have enough meal ideas to do "partly-paleo."

[Elastigirl]

I think what you are doing is easing into Paleo.Yes store bougth mayo has some bad oils in it as does salad dressing, but you made some awesome progress by cutting back on carbs and sugar. Its fine to start slow and learn as you go. Basic Paleo is veggies, meat, and some fat. When I started paleo, I did store bought dressing and mayo, it was just too overwhelming to make all the changes at once-and that is fine.

Some good sites are nomnompaleo.com, marksdailyapple.com and robbwolf.com

I great book that I am reading is It Starts With Food by Doug and Melissa Hartwig

[Mike Pants]

One of the greatest skills I acquired when I was learning to cook was learning how to make salad dressing. It's really quite simple, whether you're going for an herb vinaigrette or a creamy ranch style, so don't be intimidated. I haven't used a dressing out of a bottle for years now and find them rather unpalatable.

A good rule of thumb for eating Paleo is if you have to open a package or bottle to get at the food, it's probably not Paleo. At the very least, it warrants a look at the ingredient list to see if they managed to sneak corn syrup in there. (Hint: yeah, they probably did)

It sounds like your making great progress, so don't be discouraged. Slipping a little doesn't mean a step backwards; it just means a slightly smaller step forwards.

[CalvinHobbes]

Don't be discouraged, small changes can do a lot. I am a terrible cook, so for instance this week I attempted a paleo turkey meatloaf and it was terrible, made better by only non-paleo hot sauce. My thought: which is better, a teaspoon of hot sauce or trashing it for easy-mac? I am making progress even though I do things like that.

Congrats on making the commitment to it--it's a big one!!! And welcome to the rebellion!

[tigersheart]

You are doing great, but I have one suggestion.

STOP DOING THE GUILT TRIP ON YOURSELF

As others have said, do not worry to much about it. Fine, you had store bought mayo...no biggie, for your next meal, do your best to have nothing but paleo, and maybe some paleo mayo!...and if you can't go 100% paleo on each meal, ESPECIALLY in the beginning, no worries! Jut keep trying every meal, and take it one step at a time. Just do not let it become habit, be aware of it, but move on with each new meal/snack.

Remember, do not treat paleo as a 'diet', where it throws you off if you make one mistake, it does not work that way. It is a lifestyle, and it will become much easier as you learn more, and the little times when you go off track truly make very little difference overall.

Keep up the great work, and hang in there

[Loren Wade]

Have you thought about getting a book on it? It's the easiest way to understand. It Starts With Food is fantastic and explains it from beginning to execution.

[jodster]

Thank you so much everyone, for all your advice and encouragement, I really appreciate it.

I think I am looking too deeply into it for being a beginner and need to take baby steps and do some reading.

Thank you for the info on books and websites, going to look into them all and definately try and learn a new paleo recipe each week and try to make my own dressings. Have a great day everyone. Cheers.