Fish, I have been changing in stages. I am not finished yet, but making improvements as I go along. So far, it has been a 3 year process, and lasting sobriety has been my biggest hurdle. But tackling that helps me with all my other changes. If i drink, I eat more as well, or get too tired to do the exercise, lose focus, etc...
Anyway, I did not ever do a diet or Paleo, or Atkins, or South Beach, but i did use diet(as in the way I eat, not "a diet") to control my blood sugar very tightly. You need to use a lot of test strips and maybe spend out fo pocket for extras. Doing that pretty rigidly, I lost 50 pounds and have pretty much maintained that. Well, I lost over 60 pounds, but keep finding that last 10 again.
So, now I have cut wheat, and need to exercise more. I have added much more veggies, harldy eat any fruit(sugar), etc... Stages. Just trying different things now to tweak my results and try to lose weight.
I do not think of it as a diet or deprivation, but like to cook and try to think of yummy things to make with the veggies and proteins.
I am sure lasting sobriety will truly be the best benefit, however. If I am sober, I feel better, so I put forth more effort into everything else.
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Lillian, I was not putting down the Paleo diet. When I am on trackm I probably eat failry "paleo" but I just don't have a name for it. I just find it funny that the claims are longevity and it does not seem the cavemen had that going on. I have read many of the articles on all sides of it. The whole thing is discussed ad nauseum at my diabetic forum. Low carbers that we are there.
I think we can all agree that eating whole food, not processed, is where it is at, and if we eat animals, eating animals that are raised with as little stress as possible and given good, clean diets as well. Loads of colorful veggies. That is my focus.
So hard though because the junk does find its way into our home. Kids... There are Cheese its here, often. I actually don't go for those. my weakness is potato chips(wheat free, you see, lol).