The Eatpocalypse. That’s what I’m calling my trip to NYC this past week where I ate and drank so much I gained 11 lbs in 5 days. It was a great time, and I ate a lot of delicious food and I had a blast drinking with my wife and daughter, but the weight gain afterward made me take a long, hard look at the price I paid for that fun. In the end, it was worth it. Every minute, every bite, and every gulp of Pimm’s Cups I downed was absolutely, 100% worth the pain, consternation, and grumpiness that the weight gain brought me.

With that said, in the two days since my return from NYC and my return to eating Paleo food, I’ve lost a solid 7 lbs. You read that right: 7 lbs in 2 days. How is that possible? Easy: it’s water weight. My body was bloated from the increased sugar intake from the cheesecake, breads, and alcoholic beverages. Now that those are all absent from my diet, my body is getting back to it’s normal, and I can actually feel the improvements.

Just 4 lbs more to lose before I get back to my pre-trip weight. I think I can do that by this time next week. Of course, there is a Christmas meal or two in between now and then, but since my amazing wife makes Paleo food for us for Christmas, I should be able to weather it just fine as long as I can keep my serving sizes under control. That’s the real key for me now that I’m back to my Paleo foods.

It’s a good lesson in how much better for our bodies the Paleo Diet is. I’m seeing right now why so many people can lose upwards of 20 lbs their first month on Paleo or doing a Whole30. Half the weight you lose immediately is water weight due to sugar intake. Once you take the sugar out of your diet, your body no longer holds on to all that water. The rest of the weight loss is legit body weight being lost.

Oh, and the most interesting aside: I haven’t run since last week. I either haven’t had the opportunity, or I’ve been nursing some minor injuries that has kept me from running for nearly 2 weeks. So, none of this weight loss has been aided by exercise or fitness. Like I always say: weight loss is 90% diet. I should be able to get back to running tomorrow, so perhaps that will help propel me past that last 4 lbs I need to lose.