It's The Little Things

Lunch
Chicken salad, mixed greens, grape tomatoes, and blueberries

I had my annual physical today at 11 am. When I scheduled it, I asked for an earlier appointment; I wanted the earliest available since I would have to fast for it. 11 am was the best they could do without a 3-month delay so reluctantly, I agreed. In the past, I had found it difficult to fast for a 9am exam. By the time the appointment rolled around, I would be feeling nauseated and weak. I've always been one who needed her breakfast within an hour or so of rising to avoid feeling sick. But not today. I got up around 6am, had black coffee and made it through to my 11am appointment with no problems. I attribute this to my new paleo-ish lifestyle. My blood sugar is much more stable now, and skipping a meal is just not a big deal like it used to be. I know that's a little thing. But add that to the list of other little things -- like reduced cravings and hunger, more energy, improved mood, better sleep, gradual weight loss -- and what do you get? A long list of little things that make such a big lifestyle change worth it.

Of course my doctor asked about my nutrition so I told her I had mostly eliminated grains from my diet. She was very pleased to hear my positive results, but expressed concern that I wasn't getting all those nutrients from grains. I didn't bother to explain to her that [in reality] grains are a poor source of nutrition as compared to vegetables and fruits. Plus there's the added nutrition I'm getting now from the increased protein and fat in my diet. I didn't try to convince her, and I won't try to convince you either. Check it for yourself. Why do you think all those cereals and breads are fortified? And besides, my results are so life-changing that I'll take a multi-vitamin over the food cravings, sluggishness, and depression any day.

I'm anxious to get the results of my blood work back. It's only been five and half weeks since I made this dietary change, but I'm curious to see the impact so far. Hopefully there will be more little things to add to my list.