weight loss

To those who think a vegetarian diet may be healthy, look to Tamara for advice. As a vegetarian for 22 years, her body rejoiced when she began eating a Paleo Diet. Tamara helped start a Facebook group called NOLA Paleo, and this is how we found each other! 

My life has changed drastically in the last few years.  Until three years ago, I had been a vegetarian for 22 years.  Well not exactly a vegetarian, more like a carbotarian.  I stayed sick and my weight steadily increased.  I lived from one Weight Watchers meeting to the next. I read labels and counted calories. I ate on little portion-controlling sized plates.  I was probably averaging about 1200 calories a day.

Apparently I wasn’t reading the right part of the nutritional label.  I had been jumping from one neurologist to the next trying to deal with my daily migraines.  I wanted off the drugs.  I was taking meds to stop the migraines.  Then medicine for the side effects of the migraine medicine.  I had special “booster” meds for those migraines I couldn’t shake within the typical four days (after I had maxed everything else out).

I was miserable with almost all aspects of my health.  I felt like I lived with my head in the clouds.  I had to write everything down on notepads.  I wasn’t sleeping.  My skin was riddled with cystic acne. I seemed to have constant sinus infections and never ending belly issues.

My third neurologist in 6 months told me that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.  But I was so miserable I was open to anything!  He said that I was my own worst enemy, and since I had migraines since I was a kid he could rule out the tumors and such. He said that I probably had a food allergy, and he couldn’t follow me around and watch everything that I ate.  He said it especially gets difficult when you eat processed foods that have many ingredients involved. 

His suggestion was for me to eat meat, veggies, and fruit.  He even suggested that I give up the flours until I was certain of what was giving me my migraines. 

I had nothing to lose, but I was convinced that I wasn’t allergic to anything! I was determined to prove it to him so I followed his instructions. I was still apprehensive about going back to meat but instantly felt like a million bucks when I did. My transformation was pretty quick.  Within a few days, I noticed my migraine lifted.

I continued to follow his instructions and go for three weeks before adding things back in one at a time.  I didn’t get past the day before I ended up with a severe migraine.  Come to find out, I’m allergic to MSG and most things hydrolyzed, modified, or autolyzed.  

Life began to change. My weight fell off. My skin cleared up.  My head colds disappeared.  I began to sleep deeper.  And I’m more satisfied with my food than I ever have been before.

After three years of feeling alone in New Orleans, I began to search for others who share my views.  After meeting a few people on a website, we started a fast growing Facebook group called NOLA Paleo. There is nothing better than to have so many people with the same goals, all bringing something different to the table.  In NOLA Paleo, we have chefs to help paleo-fy recipes, green thumbs to solve caterpillar problems, and people willing to split shares of beef.  

Through everything my biggest advice would be to find a support system.  Find someone whose eyes don’t glaze over when you start freaking out about some odd ingredient you found in your favorite food.  Find someone who’s willing to look at the pictures of your favorite meals. Find a group on Facebook, Marksdailyapple or anywhere.  But find others that will support you!   Most Paleo people aren’t strangers at all. Even if you hadn’t ever met, you already share so much in common!

Want to be the next Testimonial on my blog? Send me your story at bravoforpaleo@gmail.com, and I may feature you!