Acclimation

I've been living in Texas for 3 years, 2 weeks, and 3 days. I'm from Atlanta, so I was used to the heat and humidity, but it was nothing compared to moving here in the peak of summer. When I first moved here, I kept the thermostat at 72°F and often found that warm. After about 6 months, I increased the temperature to 73°F. A year later I found myself at 74°F. Add another year (+ a few months) and another degree, and I found myself at 75°F when I moved to my current place in late April. Three months later (this past weekend), I increased my thermostat to 76°F because I found myself getting cold and waking up so chilled each morning, that I'd huddle under the covers for a while before I could work up the willpower to leave the warmth of my bed and sprint for the shower.

The reason I tell you this is because adapting to changes in environment can take a while but it does happen... And thus, we come back to Paleo. I've been following the Paleo/Primal/Caveman Diet since February, almost four full months. In that time, I've done a pretty good job of switching over, with some lapses. However, I still don't feel fully acclimated to this new way of eating/living. I realized this past weekend that I'm still thinking about when I can take breaks from Paleo. I intend to continue this long term, but I need to change the way that I think about it. I need to recognize that I'm not perfect and I'm not going to eat Paleo ALL of the time, but I also need to view this as a permanent lifestyle change. I haven't made that full change yet, and I find myself reluctant to make some changes, for example:

Alcohol. Part of me wants to give it up altogether, but another part of me says "No way! What about going out for your birthday? Or to happy hours? Do you really want to be sipping on water while everyone else around you is drinking?" So, that leaves moderation, but I don't know what limit to aim for. What is considered moderate alcohol consumption? And what's considered normal for someone in their mid-twenties? I know a lot of people around my age who drink a lot more than me on a regular basis. I also know a few that drink less. And why do most people have the urge to drink excessively and let loose? Frequently, our reaction to stress in our lives is to unwind and go a little crazy. Me? I usually want to hide out, read a book, and relax. Often when I'm extremely stressed, I want to curl up under my desk and hide from the world. Why I have the urge to hide under something is beyond me. I guess I am trying to hide from the stressful world...


As I'm sure all of you know, it's hard to make drastic changes all at once. So I'll continue working on changing gradually, and hopefully I'll get to a point where I don't crave sweets anymore and am not tempted by breads and Mellow Mushroom pizza crust. I'd like to be able to say that I'm not ever going to have anything bad for me again, but who are we kidding... Mellow Mushroom is tough to forego.


I must work on patience!