The Plunge

After reading my blogs and seeing the progress both my husband and I have had following this primal lifestyle, a lot of my friends have either made the switch or at least made changes for the better. That humbles me in a way I didn't think possible.

That you guys make my recipes, find inspiration in my stories, or take control of your health because of these words I write makes me feel a sense of pride unlike any other.

All that sappy stuff aside, I do get a lot of emails or questions regarding starting eating primally. More specifically, how did I feel? People want to know what to expect.

Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is this: if you're already a fairly clean eater and you're just moving to remove grains from your diet, you will likely experience little or no negative effects; only the good ones! However, if you're like me and sustained yourself on wings, lean cuisines, and beer during a stressful cross-country move for a period of weeks, the switch will be harder.

And here's where I'm going to be blatantly honest with you: if you are coming from a lifestyle of crap/processed food, the first few days will suck. Hard.

I literally felt sick, like I had the flu. I had a headache and was exhausted. I was uneasy and dizzy and just felt plain awful. The dishes and laundry piled up, the kids played under my lifeless body on the couch, and I didn't care. I didn't care that my work deadlines were approaching. I didn't care that there was a family of marmosets living off the petrified eggs on the dishes in the sink. I didn't care that I was wearing the same clothes three days in a row.

I felt that bad.

Motrin didn't touch the headache. Coffee didn't help the exhaustion.

But I stuck with it. I tried to focus on the bad feelings as all of the poison and toxins I had poured into my body slowly leaving them. My muscle fatigue and headaches were my body letting go off all the bad stuff.

I drank lots of water and green tea (which, I still think tastes like moose testicles). I napped when I could. And on day five, I woke up a new person. My body felt clean. I felt light and happy.

And I've pretty much felt that great ever since (with the exception of a too-far indulgence hangover). I Crossfit almost daily and try and fast a few mornings a week to let my body focus on ridding the extra toxins. And I haven't been sick once despite my poor kids getting cold after cold as their little bodies adjust to living in a new area with new germs. It makes me wish it was easier to raise kids this way (a post and rant for another day).

Friends who made the decision to go primal would text me and be like "WHEN DOES THIS END? I WANT TO DIE!" and I'd like them to comment here and assure people on the fence, that yes, it gets better. It DOES end.

And I guarantee once you get through it and feel how your body is supposed to work and feel how your meant to feel, you'll likely never go back down that road again.