Day 5

This little guy depicts exactly how I am feeling this morning: happy and worthy of a gold star because this is my fifth day eating clean.

Monday I decided to ease into Paleo gently, because I knew I would be going out to dinner Wednesday night. Wednesday I woke up almost paralyzed, first because I was going out, and second because my friends decided Mexican was the way to go that night. In most cases, Mexican food contains everything that makes my digestive track scream with pain.

So I prepared. Checked the online menu and decided to order steak -- hold the beans and rice -- which I did. I know the steak was not organic, grass-fed, but it was steak, accompanied by non-organic guacamole, salsa and a vinegar coleslaw -- about as Paleo friendly as I could get. I also followed Paleo guru Robb Wolf's drink trick -- tequila with fresh lime and seltzer. Definitely lip puckering, but baby sips made that drink last through the four-hour gab fest I had with my friends. I focused on the conversation and them, and was able to pass up the two desserts that kept circulating 'round and 'round the table.

Was it a perfect Paleo meal? Nah. But did it make me feel in control and really proud of myself? Absolutely.

But most importantly, it convinced me that I can embrace a Paleo  lifestyle and not feel deprived. I can go out to dinner -- an important part of my life -- and if I plan and make good choices, I can eat well and be happy.

I am so tired of diets that control my life and make me miss out on living. I am tired of weighing and counting. I am tired of eating straw and telling myself that it's not bad. And I am tired of the latest food craze.

I want to eat clean, unprocessed foods. I want to shop the perimeter of the market. I want to look at my grocery basket and say there is nothing in it that will clog my arteries.

Our days on Earth are numbered, and I want to enjoy each and every one of them to the fullest.