Rachel has a headache, Melinda wants an iced coffee: Our date with a diet

This is the carrot.

And, coincidentally, it also is orange.

When my friend Jill asked me to be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding, I saw it as a chance to lose weight, but, more importantly, get healthier. I’m a sucker for ice cream, chips with salsa and iced coffee, preferably all at one time, and often not in moderation. But, I know better. Moderation is great; it’s just rarely as fun.

Well, the time for fun is over. That shimmery orange bridesmaid dress, a.k.a. the diet carrot, would look smokin’ with the right shoes and accessories, and I want to wear the heck out of it!

For the next month, Rachel and I (because I obviously was not doing this alone) are on The Paleo Diet. I tried it a year ago for one week and lost four pounds that I never gained back. Last time, I cheated quite a bit, so this timeI figured I’d take it serious and see what I could do.

(Disclaimer: Rachel and I are being supervised and coached through Rimrock Chiropractic: A Wellness Center, 1133 Patterson Rd. Suite 3, which is owned by my good friend Dr. Greg Haitz.)

On Tuesday, May 29, Rachel and I went in for our first meeting with coach Ashley Overholt to have our measurements, weight, body fat and body mass recorded, while learning more about what The Paleo Diet is and what we could expect. Ashley gave each of us a cookbook and Dr. Loren Cordain’s book about the diet to read for the month.

(Yes. I took an iced coffee with me. They did not judge me.)

For the next 30 days or so, Rachel and I will base all our meals and snacks (except for one open meal a week) on lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, with limited amounts of healthy oils, non-water beverages and special sweets (dried fruit and dark, dark chocolate). We don’t get dairy, grains, legumes or processed foods high in salt or sugar, even fake sugar, because the hunter-gatherer diet this concept is based on would not have had access to non-fat cottage cheese or Diet Pepsi with lime.

All we have to do is keep a food journal to log what we eat and how much water we drink. Then, we rate how we feel at the end of the day. We’ll check in with Ashley every week and report back on how we’re doing.

Having each other for support and this blog as a public place to document what we are doing, will keep us accountable. But you know what else helps this time of year?

Paleo approved snacking!