90 Days

I’ve had a lot of friends ask me recently about the Paleo Diet…what it is, how it works, why I do it, etc. So I compiled a short list of links, along with some things I learned from personal expereince, in an email for them. I thought I’d share it here as well, in case any one of my followers is interested in going primal…

Here are some links to give you a general idea about the guidelines of the diet, as well as the beliefs behind the method:

1. FAQ with the paleo demi-god, Robb Wolf. Particularly check out the Paleo Overview,  the Quick Start Guide, and the Shopping List.

2. Whole9 - a paleo nutrition and goal oriented program to get you started

3. Own your Paleo - Doing the diet your own way

4. Paleo Diet Foods - a comprehensive list of what you should and shouldn’t eat

5. Everyday Paleo - paleo cooking blog

6. Paleo Diet Lifestyle - great recipe blog. I bought his recipe E-book and it’s awesome. 

7. Changing Weight 101 - this is from my crossfit box blog. Quality info from one of our coaches. Also, browse around the site to see what types of workouts we do and if crossfit is something you’d be interested in trying…

I’m not an expert, but I can tell you what’s worked for me:

     I think the best approach, as hokey as it may sound, is to sit down by yourself for a little bit and figure out what your goals are, and how you want to go about obtaining them. Write them out and make sure you have a plan of attack that seems both challenging, yet doable. Keep a record of your progress so that you can see differences that you won’t notice on a daily basis. Take a “before” picture for something tangible for comparison later on. 
     The first few weeks are the worst. As your body weens itself off of sugars and refined carbs, you’ll probably get headaches and your stomach may feel wonky, but it’ll pass soon enough. I find that the hardest part of this diet is making time to prepare ALL of my meals. But it’s truly rewarding to sit down and feast upon something you just spent the last hour cooking. It really makes you appreciate all the hard work you just put into creating something good to fuel your body. 
     I think my progress so far has been 60% diet / 40% crossfit. I ate a good amount of veggies and healthy fats / protein before the challenge, but that’s what really kicked it into high gear for me. Giving up foods like alcohol, refined carbs, and sugar sparked my initial weight loss, but my continued progress stems from working out regularly and maintaining a 90% paleo lifestyle. 
     In the beginning, I think it’s best to try and focus on eating strictly paleo…at least for the first 30 days. If you feel good enough, try going strict for 60 days. You’ll be amazed at your increased energy and how good you feel. And how shitty foods like pizza, refined sugars, and alcohol make you feel after your body has detoxed. 
     Even though the diet frowns upon caffeine, I never gave up coffee. Although, with the increased energy I get from working out before breakfast, I guess I don’t really need it anymore. But I love the taste and ritual of drinking it too much to let it go.
     Oh yeah, make sure to drink plenty of water, too. I shoot for a minimum of at least 96 oz per day. 

Good luck!