Last week, I stepped on the scale and was less than happy. Okay. I was very unhappy. Except for when pregnant with Lily, I had never weighed that much in my life. Okay, I’d weighed more when carrying a 25 lb backpack, but not by much. At that moment, I decided I had to do something about it. Yes, I know I’m aging. Yes, hormones are changing. Gaining weight is normal, but I was not okay with the amount of weight. (Are any of us?)

A good friend, Lin Morel, suggested I try going grain-free to help jumpstart my metabolism. Grain-free means no rice, no wheat, no quinoa, no spelt, no corn, and so on. My diet was pretty heavy with grain. My usual lunch was a sandwich on non-GMO, no soy sourdough bread. Breakfast often included eggs and toast or cereal or pancakes or… I can make pancakes, but with almond flour. It’s not quite the same, but I think they could be good with a different recipe.

One of my neighbors is eating the Paleo Diet. She loves it, but that excludes dairy, except eggs, and beans. I do not, but I do stick to raw, non-hormone cheese, raw milk, and organic butter. I do not stint on any of these.

My diet has increased my intake of greens. For instance, every morning, I make myself a green drink that includes fresh organic kale, Swiss chard, Russian kale, chia seeds, and some fruit to sweeten it (because I can’t stand bitter. No, I don’t drink coffee.) Lunch can be a salad with some type of animal protein, raw cheese, nuts (sometimes), lots of lettuce and other regular salad veggies and homemade Italian salad dressing or eggs or soup. (Mind you, I do not skimp on the animal protein.) Dinner is usually animal protein, a vegetable of some sort, and salad.

The other day, I made a delicious lentil soup from scratch. Unfortunately, two bowls of that packed on a pound, so I am off of lentils for a bit.

The hardest part of going grain-free is the mindset. When I need a snack, it’s easy to reach for those crackers with some cheese or munch on some pretzels. With this, I can’t do that. So, the first few days I had to think of other snacks that didn’t include grain. Things like celery or apples and peanut butter, carrots, strawberries, nuts, and so on. It’s still a bit challenging, but I do eat food that is usually cut out of diets: bacon, high fat cheese, and butter. I even had some frozen yogurt (no hormones in the milk or corn syrup) and managed to still lose half a pound.

The second hardest part is still feeding my family. My husband doesn’t understand why I feel the need to diet, but when someone says, “You have a curvier body than some women. That red belly dancing outfit just emphasized it,” you know it’s a kind way of saying you are chunky. I agreed with them, or I wouldn’t have cared.

Since last Wednesday, I’ve lost five pounds without starving myself. With the pool closed, I haven’t been swimming either. The key is for me to stay away from grain for now.

Will it work for you? I don’t know. I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all diet. You have to go with what works for you. This is working great for me.

How much do I want to lose? Ten pounds was my original goal, but I’ve come to the conclusion that my body will stop when it’s done losing weight. That as long as I am healthy, eating a healthy amount of calories, my energy is high, and I maintain my strength, I’ll be okay with it. That may mean I only lose a few more pounds or I could get down to pre-Lily weight. (Although that may be too thin.)

The Red Belly Dancing Outfit

I’ll repost a pic of me in this outfit in another week, just to see where I’m at.