Paleo Update

Brittany Bowman
Sep 18, 2016
7 min read

Aloha Y'all!

I want to apologize as it has been awhile since I posted my last update. Over the past few weeks, I have been really focusing all of my time and energy on healing & changing a lot of learned bad behaviors. I don't know if you have ever tried to change up your lifestyle but it is one of the most grueling things you could ever do. I have found I need to be mindful of every action & choice I make. I am trying to change everything for the better. I keep telling myself over and over, "put down that cookie, you don't need ice cream, get your butt moving, remember why you are doing this." To say it hasn't been a struggle would be a lie. Staying positive & focused on my goals have been on the forefront of my mind. I am afraid if I lose sight of why I am following this path, this lifestyle, I will slip back into my old patterns. After building & gaining so much momentum in this lifestyle change, I would hate to take any steps backwards. I am only human but is that a good enough excuse?

In following the AIP lifestyle, I have not been following it to a T. On such a limited budget, I have been finding it hard to venture out and try new recipes that contain things such as Gelatin which is an egg substitute. From what I have read, it is very tricky to use. Without any prior knowledge of it & a price tag of $18 for a bottle, I am not being as adventurous as I would like to be. Another area the AIP urges you to explore is organ meats and marrows. While I wouldn't mind trying bone marrow, it isn't something I know how to work with. So in an effort to save as much money as possible while trying to stick to this diet, I have been sticking to foods I know how to work with. The only "splurges" I allow for is frozen acai packets for my acai bowls. This has been leaving me feeling extremely limited in the food department because I am such a foodie. For right now, I am following the general guidelines of the AIP by staying away from foods known to be an inflammatory, staying away from processed foods & sugars, & filling my diet with only wholesome fruits, vegetables & meats. I am not big into organ meat. I don't know why but the thought of eating organs doesn't sound appetizing. In an effort to explore that department, I have been focusing more on kielbasa & italian sausage meats as these products usually contain a percentage of organ meats in them. One of these days I'll venture into that department, just not today. Although, I did read that kidney was really tasty. Who knows? One thing I would really like to try is bone marrow. Between watching Andrew Zimmerman & reading up on it, it sounds like it tastes really good. There is this recipe I found on pinterest where you can actually use the marrow to make a sort of herbed butter substitute. Interesting.

With that said, I should come clean now. I have slipped up a few times. I've had a slice of pizza, a scoop of ice cream & a hand full of cookies. I also had Pillsbury biscuits - biggest mistake I've made thus far. Where the pizza & ice cream only left my slightly sluggish, the cookies & biscuits had me crying in pain. The cookies made me feel extremely tired with an upset stomach. The biscuits on the other hand left me feeling exhausted, gave me a migraine to the point I had to turn off all of the lights, made me feel nauseous & slightly dizzy. Strange, I know! But within 15 minutes of eating these biscuits, all of these symptoms hit me like a freight train. I guess this is the point where you say, "Well dummy? What were you thinking?" I wasn't. I was hungry. I was tired of having to be on a "special diet" and I just wanted to eat like normal with my family. I knew better but I did it anyways. Could I sabotage my body anymore? I mean seriously! I am telling you this because if you are following the AIP and are having any of these slip ups or feelings, I want you to know you are definitely NOT alone. It is hard to change. I think the important thing here is knowing what to eat, what not eat, how both ways of eating make me feel & to be more mindful rather than acting on impulse. This is what I was talking about when I said I am finding I need to be more mindful of my actions.

Besides the slip ups, I have been doing great in living a healthier lifestyle. I haven't had soda in over a month and I definitely do not miss it! I've been taking my thyroid medication everyday religiously. I have been working out everyday for 30 min. & going for walks around the block. I have changed my shampoo & conditioner. I am currently using Pantene Pro-V Anti-Breakage shampoo & L'Oreal Intense Nourishing Conditioner. So far both are working great together. Where I usually have clumps of hair falling out in the shower, I have had zero to a few strands of hair fall out. I'm not saying these two products are 100% responsible for keeping my hair in my head, I believe it is a little of everything, but they are definitely helping.

Another thing I have been focusing majorly on is Personal Development. It is easy to get lost in the negativity of our mind & the negative messages society throws at us. Honestly, sometimes I just want to get out of my own head & tell the negative world to shut it! Though I cannot control the world's negativity, I can control my own thoughts. The only way I can fight through the barrier of my own mind is by focusing on positive personal development on a daily basis. This is something so crucial when you are trying to change your life for the better. Bad habits stick to us like strong glue - it's hard to shake it off. It's easy to slip back into our old patterns because it is a learned behavior we have been doing for years. The great news is, a positive behavior is learned as well. For us to change our habits for the better, we must be students of change. True, you will slip up but do not let your slip ups hold you back. Don't beat yourself up over it. Acknowledge why you slipped up. Have you been craving that cookie for days? Did you just want 1 scoop of ice cream because you wanted to treat yourself? Evaluate how and why you felt the way you felt before you slipped up. How did you feel? What I have been finding is if I treat my slip ups more as a way of learning, I find it easier to get back on track and not have as many slip ups in the future.

Lastly, an update on my hair loss. I wanted to give myself some time before I looked at the bald spot again. Though it has always been a nagging reminder in the back of my mind, I haven't wanted to focus on it. I wanted to focus on things that matter like exchanging bad habits for good habits, my fitness & nutrition, & working positively on my financial situation. So in these pictures, you and I are seeing it again for the first time in a few weeks. What I have done in the pictures below is include the progression from when it first started to now.

(Top Left: July 22, 2016 * Top Right: August 12, 2016 * Bottom Left: August 29, 2016 * Bottom Right: September 18, 2016)

It is interesting seeing the progression of hair loss & seeing the way it has changed shapes since that first picture on July 22nd. From a small patch about the size of two fingers to a larger patch almost as big as my palm, this is the closest size comparison I can give you. What I can say is by looking at the last two pictures, it is trying to get better. The left side of the patch along the top and the side is starting to grow back, you can see small wisps of new hair growth. Conversely, you can see on the right side, more hair is missing compared to before. It has left me with mixed feelings seeing new hair growth & loss at the same time. The more dominate of these however is optimism. The fact I am still losing hair is discouraging but I am not focusing on that. I am focusing on the hair that is growing back. Of course, the hair loss needs to be addressed but so does the hair growing back. I need to ask myself what have I been doing that has contributed to this? What have I changed? These are the same questions I asked myself when I first seen that first patch of hair missing.

I will keep pushing forward with my plan of healing through faith in Jesus Christ and holistic healing. I know at this stage, it is working. I also know I will not see results overnight. The body is a fickle thing. There are so many processes going on within our bodies at the same time which are affected by inner & outer environmental changes. Living this lifestyle & focusing on healing is not a destination but a journey. Everyone is different & will respond differently to these changes than the next person. The point is to learn as much as possible, always be a student of change & learn what works for your body. Be a scientist, take your own health into your own hands! No one can help you if you don't help yourself first. This is a lesson I have had to learn the hard way but it has also been an empowering lesson at the same time. Until next time!

Mahalo!