Cavemen Have Busy Lives...Stay ahead of the game.

When changing your lifestyle to Paleo, preparation is key.  If you're like me, you have a job to go to and a family to care for.  The kids have after school activities and the boss needs you to stay late again for whatever reason.  In this day and age, time is very important.  Because we eat our veggies fresh or steamed and our lean meats grilled or baked, we have somewhat of an advantage in overcoming time issues.  Here are a few pointers I have picked up in the past 21 days.

Pick a Day and Cook Away
Sunday is my day to prepare my lunch for the week.  I cook about ten pounds of chicken in the oven with some sea salt and crushed garlic (an Italian herb blend tastes great as well) and that gets me and my partner through the week.  I purchase the 10lb bag of frozen because it comes in 5oz servings and it's cheaper than organic. Organic is better for you but can get pricey.  I choose chicken for lunch because it's the most versatile meat and it goes from frozen to cooked in about 35 minutes.  I can pair it with a bag of steamable broccoli and cauliflower or I can throw it in a green salad.  Add a bit of salsa (no sugar added) and you've got yourself a tasty lunch idea.  It's quick and it's easy.  Best of all, I'm not breaking the bank by going to a restaurant and ordering something that I'm not even sure is authentic.  Therefore, creating a fatter pocketbook, while my waistline gets leaner.  WIN!


Fruit Cups are Your Friend

 
Get yourself a good set of storage containers with cup sizes included.  Trust me...this will be the best investment you will make during this transition.  I use my containers for most everything.  But I use them the most to make fruit cups.  I love to combine different fruits, nuts and vegetables to make interesting and tasty snacks.  I've tried everything from mixed berry cups (strawberry, blackberry, blueberry) to mixed fruit and veggies (cucumber, strawberry, blueberry).  The combinations are endless!  Make your fruit and veggie cups the same day you prepare your lunch for the week.  Hint:  If you get bored with plain ole fruit you can throw them into a saucepan with some walnuts and a pinch of cinnamon and water for a few minutes.

Eat Like a Rabbit
When I open my refrigerator the first thing I see is a container full of green salad.  I eat green salad before lunch and dinner everyday.  I can eat as much of it as I want and it helps to pre-fill my belly before I partake in the main course.  This is my way of maintaining portion control.  If I fill my stomach half full of green salad then I won't overeat and I'll feel full and satisfied quicker and for a longer period of time.  A typical green salad for me consists of:  romaine lettuce, tomatoes, celery, red onion, cucumber, and bell pepper (purple cabbage makes a great addition also).  A green salad will last up to four days in my refrigerator.  I always finish it in two days, so it has never been an issue.  I make my own delicious vinaigrette to drizzle over the top.


Shake it Up for Breakfast
A typical morning around my house goes something like this.  Wake around 6am, start a pot of coffee and begin breakfast before trotting of to CrossFit around 7:30am.  It's not always easy to stop long enough to scramble eggs (although I do manage from time to time).  Never fear, there is a solution to this problem.  I've learned to love my blender.  Before I started on this journey, my blender sat on a shelf in the pantry collecting dust.  Today, it's a staple in my kitchen appliances and allows me to get extremely creative with my fruits and veggies.  Try different combinations of fruits and veggies just like with the fruit cups.  Add a serving of unsweetened almond milk and a couple of tablespoons of almond butter along with a cup or so of ice and you have a great way to start your day.  Just make sure you don't wake everyone else in the house.

The Journey Begins

A few weeks ago, the owner of my local CrossFit box approached our 8am morning class with a proposition.  The deal was...he was willing to offer any member of our class two months of free CrossFit if they accepted his challenge and lost the most amount of weight by changing their diet to Paleo for 24 days.  Everyone was eligible and the challenge would start the following Monday.  Being a competitor and knowing that I could benefit from the prize, not to mention the change in my diet, I decided to accept his proposal.  I was hellbent on changing my diet first thing Monday morning.  The problem was, I knew very little about the Paleo lifestyle.  It was time to do some research. 

I surfed the web for the next several days and found enough information to get me started.  I discovered really quickly what not to eat - no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no sugar or processed foods.  In other words, no fun.  That's what I thought at first but in the past 20 days my outlook on the Paleo lifestyle has changed completely and so has my mid-section.  I've dropped ten pounds and shrunk two inches in my waistline and I haven't felt hungry at all, unlike the other diets I've tried in the past.  I have four days left of my 24 day challenge and I have decided to extend the journey for an entire year.  I have also decided to drag my better half along with me for the ride and anyone else who wants to follow us along our path to great health and fitness.

What is the Paleo diet?

The Paleo diet comes from the eating habits of our hunter-gatherer ancestors - leans meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts/seeds.  It's the healthiest diet in the world and it is grounded by the belief and understanding that the best diet is the one in which we are genetically adapted.  It is backed by documented scientific evidence and by real-life achievements in weight loss by everyday people.  I have experienced the results first hand.  In doing my research, I found that the best description I got of the Paleo diet came from The Whole9 Nutrition Elevator Pitch at whole9life.com.  Here's how it goes.

The Whole9 Nutrition Elevator Pitch
I eat “real” food – fresh, natural food like meat, vegetables and fruit. I choose foods that are nutrient dense, with lots of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, over foods that have more calories but less nutrition. And food quality is important – I’m careful about where my meat comes from, and buy produce locally and organically as often as possible.
It’s not a low calorie “diet” – I eat as much as I need to maintain strength, energy and a healthy weight. In fact, my diet is probably much higher in fat than you’d imagine. Fat isn’t the enemy – it’s a great energy source when it comes from high quality foods like avocado, coconut and nuts. And I’m not trying to do a “low carb” thing, but since I’m eating vegetables and fruits instead of bread, cereal and pasta, it just happens to work out that way.
Eating like this is good for maintaining a healthy metabolism, and reducing inflammation within the body. It’s been doing great things for my energy levels, body composition and performance in the gym. It also helps to minimize my risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases and conditions, like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Why choose Paleo over other diets?

I'm choosing to go Paleo for a year to show not only myself, but everyone, that there are ways of preventing illnesses like obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and stroke through proper diet and exercise.  I believe in the Paleo diet because it works!  It makes perfect sense.  We were designed to eat this way.  Not to mention, there are so many delicious foods and creative recipes to choose from on the Paleo diet that it would be a shame to eat any other way.  Whether you are an athlete who is trying to improve his/her perfomance or an on-the-go mom/dad just looking to shed a few pounds, anyone can reap the benefits of eating clean and staying healthy.  So...In the spirit of my own journey, I challenge everyone to take control of your own health.  Give up those late night trips to the drive-thru and pour those soft drinks down the drain.  Put down those donuts and trash those Dorito's!  Change your diet to Paleo for three weeks, if you don't see results go back to the twinkies and ice-cream.  Commit to a cleaner diet and you will start living a fuller life.  You ask, "Why should I choose Paleo over other diets?"  My response to you is, "Why not?"  If that's not good enough, here are a few reasons, in addition to the ones I've already given.

- Helps weight loss efforts.
– Increased strength, endurance and performance.
– Sex drive in overdrive.
– Constant and radiant energy.
– Clear and smooth skin.
– Deep and restful sleep.
– Good for mental clarity and positive attitude of the natural.