Something I have to deal with now that I’ve never dealt with before is the stress I feel after I either eat something non-Paleo, or if I eat too much. My mind is playing tricks on me and makes me think I’m literally getting fat almost immediately after eating the food. I know it’s not possible, let the fear sinks in. I know that it’s not logical, and that it’s not rational, yet it happens.

I’ve had to learn to deal with these feelings because I think they can lead to a dangerous place if left unchecked. I’ve heard people say that you can’t get anorexia if you’re a man, and I’ve learned that this is completely untrue: both men and women can suffer from this condition. I know I’m not anywhere near having it, nor can I know what it’s like to have it, but I do feel that the stress I experience after eating non-Paleo foods or eating too much could be how the condition first manifests itself.

At my birthday, I ate a lot. I even had food that wasn’t Paleo. While I know from a logical standpoint that it was okay and that I will recover from it, the next day after lunch, I began to stress a little. The stress started spiraling into fear until I did a logic check and went over my progress, my food, and my exercise. Once I went through it all, the stress melted away. Something else that helped happened as well: two healthy bowel movements. 

What the scale says is but one measure of my health, and I have to remind myself often that it is not the most important one. My clothing still feel loose, my body still feels tight, and I still feel energetic. All these things tell me that I’m doing great. Just because the scale says otherwise after not having a bowel movement for three days means nothing.

Logic wins. Reminding myself of the facts helps. Not falling into despair or getting stressed about it allows me to stay on-track and to carry on. Will my weight fluctuate? Yes. Will it fluctuate even if I am doing everything perfectly? Yes. Then why worry about it if I have a little bit of a cake or some noodles?