How shall I cope over the festive season? I’ll do my best to stick to Paleo which as I said in my last post shouldn’t be too difficult as Christmas food is full of protein and fat. Heard an item on the news the other day said Christmas dinner is one of the most unhealthy we Brits eat (can’t speak for other countries). It’s full of carbs, apparently! Yet I well recall an item on one of those TV slebbery cookery programmes (not gonna name him, don’t want to give him anymore publicity) that said Christmas dinner is actually one of the HEALTHIEST we ever eat because we cook it from scratch. So which is it, which?
We are so bombarded with contradictory health messages about what to eat and what not to eat I often think the best thing to do is go with whoever you want to believe and make the evidence – if there is any! – fit your own plan. I find high-protein and high-fat suits me very well because I don’t have to count calories and I don’t have to exercise. It’s the perfect food lover’s lazy slob diet.
But if you want to stick with the mantra of low fat/low calorie and lots of exercise, by all means, knock yourself out. That’s probably what you’ll end up doing – fainting from sheer hunger and boredom!
If you want to lose weight and enjoy life, there is only Paleo. It celebrates eating and encourages gorging on what you enjoy. And then sitting back and letting your body have a bit of a rest. One of my favourite things I’ve discovered from Paleo is that I can now go for long periods without eating. If I simply can’t be bothered cooking or don’t feel all that hungry, I don’t eat. And I feel fine! That never used to be the case whether I was dieting or not. A typical Western diet full of processed carb leaves you hungry more often than full. It plays havoc with your blood sugar levels and it’s a horrible way to diet because you’re forever having to deprive yourself. And talk about food being “naughty” or “sinful”.
Food isn’t bad for you!
Why you’d almost think food was bad for you! It’s not. Enjoy it and stop fearing it. That’s the message from Paleo. My blood sugar is stable, I can feel it. I can feel the difference. I’ve not given up carbs entirely. I’m human not super human and I’m not a robot. I will be having some chocolate over Christmas – you should just SEE those chocolate bombes I’ve ordered! – and also some roast potatoes. A drop or two of chilled sparkling champagne as well. That aside, I’ll be mostly eating Paleo over Christmas.
I’ve never blogged before this and confess I used to be a bit disdainful about those who did. But I’ve really enjoyed it and I can see why people like doing it. The freedom is lovely. You can write whatever you want when you want. No deadlines, no editors, no sub-editors, no queries, no rewrites, no checking. But that’s what also makes blogging rather difficult if you’re used to writing to order with deadlines, editors, etc etc.
If no one makes you do it, and you know hardly anyone will read it, why bother? Blogging is the ultimate self indulgence but it’s also the ultimate in self discipline. It’s kept me going over what’s been an incredibly difficult year for a variety of unrelated reasons.
I am hoping for better in 2014. For me and for you, my tiny but loyal band of readers. Thanks for coming with me on this journey. I’ll see you in January and have a very happy Christmas. Without any fear. Oooh, I’m tearing up! Time to go. Bye.