Over the past few weeks I’ve been randomly tracking the #paleo hashtag on Twitter. It is amazing to me the stereotypes that people attribute to this ‘diet’. Firstly, I don’t call it a diet. It isn’t a 7 day detox, or 30 day diet designed to help me lose weight. I view it as a lifestyle because it has literally changed my life.

I’ll admit that I was skeptical when Jonathon talked about it after we got married. I thought it was weird. No bread? No pasta? No BEER? No way was I going to eat the same way he did. Those of you that are married know what happened next. I started eating like him. It was easier to cook one meal, and since he was the picky one I started cooking food that was acceptable. Plus, I was never the biggest fan of bread, but boy did I enjoy a D.P. Dough calzone from time to time.

After a few weeks of making paleo meals, I started to continue to eat this way outside of the house. I’d order a burger without the bun, or go to a mexican restaurant and eat around the tortilla (did I mention that I never liked tortillas either?). I was amazed how great I felt! I was even more amazed at how AWFUL I felt when I cheated and ate a sandwich. Holy shit! *This* is why I’ve felt like shit over the past few years. Gluten!

I used to have a constant stomach ache. Some meals affected me more than others, but I used to go through bottles of Zantac a month because some doctor told me I had bad acid reflux which was causing both my upset stomach and heartburn. Since the Zantac worked, I believed him. I now am pretty sure I have a slight gluten allergy because every time I eat bread, I feel exactly like I did for years.

Since going Paleo, I’ve also adopted the Bulletproof Coffee routine.

Bulletproof Coffee + Grass-fed Butter + MCT Oil = the perfect breakfast.

This delicious concoction was created by Dave Asprey to help him get healthy fat early in the morning. On his site, BulletproofExec.com he shared:

“Normal” coffee gives people headaches, jitters, and crankiness. Bulletproof® Upgraded™ Coffee makes you feel noticeably better than any other coffee. You’ll never go back to Starbucks again. – The Bulletproof Exec

He’s *almost* right. I do still go to Starbucks, or local shops like Ozo for the occasional coffee, but his Bulletproof is superior as he processes them right after they’ve been picked to reduce mold and bacteria in the beans.

So what’s with the grass-fed butter and MCT Oil?

Butter has all the benefits of healthy milk fat with none of the damaging denatured casein proteins found in cream. It makes for the creamiest, most satisfying cup of coffee you’ve ever had. It will keep you satisfied with level energy for 6 hours if you need it. And because I’m having it for breakfast, I’m programming my body to burn fat for energy all day long! – The Bulletproof Exec

This post isn’t just about the coffee, so if you want more info on the, go visit Dave’s site BulletproofExec.com.

Anyways, since I’ve been having this coffee as my breakfast, I’ve noticed that all I crave for lunch and dinner are a small piece of protein (burger, chicken, or fish) and LOTS of vegetables. Jon and I have concluded that since I am getting enough fat from my coffee, I don’t require or crave any more fat from the rest of my meals. We obviously aren’t dietitians, so take this with a grain of pink Himalayan salt.

While delicious, Paleo doesn’t mean bacon with every meal, or even eating a strictly meat based diet. Honestly I see myself more as a vegetarian who sometimes eats meat. I’d take grilled zucchini over a bacon burger most nights. Don’t get me wrong, I eat a balanced diet, but I just prefer the vegetables.

So what is Paleo for me? This shirt sums it up nicely:

I don’t have a scale, so I can’t tell you if/how much weight I’ve lost since going Paleo, but I can tell you this: my skinny jeans are now baggy on me (and my washing machine has one setting: hot, which shrinks everything I own), I sleep better at night, I wake up feeling refreshed, and unless I eat gluten – I don’t get hangovers like I used to when all I drank were hoppy beers.

Paleo might not be for everyone, but I haven’t felt this good in a really long time.