I guess first things first, my name is Shauna and I am currently living in Portland, OR with my wonderful boyfriend (R). We moved to Portland a few weeks ago for R’s job and have been loving it so far.
Now.. why paleo? Well it all started when one of R’s friends got interested in it. R was explaining it to me one day…no bread, no dairy, no beans. And honestly, I thought it sounded like hell. I have tried the South Beach Diet before – which I guess as far as dietary restrictions is similar. But that was only for a couple of weeks and the premise behind becoming paleo is that it’s a lifestyle change not just a diet. I wasn’t sure if that was something that I could realistically ever commit to, but did find it interesting. Then, a few months ago R registered for his first triathlon, which is on September 21st here in Portland. He knew that it was going to take a lot of training and dedication to get him ready for it, so we started talking about different things we could do TOGETHER. (Because really, no one likes being on a training regimen when your other half is sitting on the couch eating oreos and peanut butter – hypothetically.)
So with a little brainstorming and discussions we decided to look into the paleo lifestyle a little more. R bought us both the book “It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways” by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. (I HIGHLY suggest making this purchase) This book was so eye opening because it not only explained what it was we were and weren’t supposed to be eating, but it also went into the scientific reasons for WHY. And on top of that, the scientific information that they used was broken up by easy to understand analogies, so that common-folk like me could understand what the heck they were talking about.
The idea is, give your body 30 days of the paleo lifestyle and you will begin to see and feel the difference for yourself. At that point, you can add different items (maybe a little dairy here, a few black beans there…) and see how it effects your body. If it doesn’t help you feel better – why would you eat it? It’s a great question that I usually ponder while I have a oversized glass of pinot grigio and a Chinese takeout container in front of me.
So now it’s game time. R’s triathlon is in 7 weeks from this Saturday and there is no time better than the present to start making positive changes to our lifestyle. While the “It Starts with Food” recommends 30 days of paleo in order to see the improvements – R and I are committing to 50 days, bringing us from August 1st to September 21st.
Each day I will be recording our journey to becoming happier and healthier by posting our meal plans, our shopping lists, our recipes, our struggles and our successes. Here’s to a new city, a new apartment, and a new lifestyle.
CHEERS! (using a glass of ice water because alcohol is strictly a no-no as a paleo)
Portland Goes Paleo 
Is this blog going to have pics? Hugs to you & R (you’re going to have to give him a nickname because I don’t think “R” is gonna cut it!)
Pictures to come! 🙂
(Even some later today!!!) and I was too busy using my creative juices on the title and other nonsense to think of a better nickname 🙂 miss you!!
Hey Shauna! Know we don’t talk much but I think this is awesome that you’re trying this out. I just wanted to say be really careful with your LDL’s and cholesterol intake – I went full blown paleo for 3+ months with good scores before but then had a doctors appointment at the 3 month point; I then had to completely stop my diet to throw in grains because I was getting warnings of a heart attack because my levels were so high! Eggs, red meat and bacon are great and have wonderful recipes for paleo/whole30, just use in moderation. There are some really great websites out there too – so have fun and good luck!
Hey Liz! Seriously thank you for letting me know about your experience – not knowing the “whole story” is something that I have been a little concerned about, so any extra information I can get is really appreciated! I am working hard to not just rely on eggs and red meat – but it definitely is going to take some serious thought and planning to make sure we are doing this the healthiest way possible!