The Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet

If counting calories and not changing what you eat is at one end of the spectrum, then the Paleo Diet is at the complete opposite end of that spectrum: no calorie counting, but extreme restriction on what you can consume.

This is one of those diet that people either love or love to hate: it seems far too restrictive for some, while for others it’s the only way that they can find success. 

In a nutshell, eat as if you were Fred Flinstone, consuming only foods that existed way back in the day:

Eat this: meat, fowl, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy oils.

Don’t eat: anything else.

Boom.  No calorie counting.  No perfectly timed meals. Only eat the stuff above, and eat as much of it as you want whenever you’re hungry.

In my opinion, due to the nature of the diet and how counter-intuitive it is to what’s considered a “healthy diet” (and I use that term loosely) these days, it can be quite difficult to stick with a Paleo diet.  This is especially true if you have to eat out, your family/friends don’t eat the same way, or you travel a lot.  However, if you can manage to stick with the diet and build healthy habits, you’ll have the best possibility to see the best results.

For example, my friend Saint spent two years restricting his calorie intake and running more without getting the results he wanted.  It wasn’t until he went 100% Paleo and started lifting weights that his body fat percentage dropped down into the single digits.  Staci, our resident powerlifting superhero, also credits her crazy success with the Paleo Diet and heavy lifting.

So, this is the most “difficulty increased” diet out there, but it can also produce the most drastic results and healthiest benefits.  If you need to lose a LOT of weight quickly, or if you are interested in getting down into extremely low body fat percentages, the Paleo Diet is your play – just make sure you have the ability to say NO to a lot of foods throughout the day.

So what’s the best one?

I’ll give you the same answer that I give people when they ask me “what’s the best workout plan?”  The one that you’ll actually stick with!  Us members of the Nerd Fitness Rebellion are in this for the long haul, so we pick diets that work for our particular body type and situation because we know that they’re diets that we can stick with.

Tony lost a BUNCH of weight following the Fitness Guide – not because it has some super secret workout or magic bullet diet plan, but because it was a solid plan that made sense to him – He stuck with it, followed the blueprint consistently for months, and not surprisingly saw awesome results.

No matter what type of healthy eating diet you choose, be it counting calories, vegetarian, vegan, glycemic load, or paleo diet, you are going to have the most success with the one that you can actually stick with.  For that reason, I recommend that people start slow at the easy level until they have a good level of knowledge about how their body adjusts and what portion sizes are.  At that point, they can determine how invested they are in making changes:

• If you want to be healthy and get down to a healthy weight – I’d push you towards the glycemic load type of eating.  Avoid foods that cause insulin spikes in your system, cut out as much junk as you can, and focus on the good stuff.
• If you want to look like my buddy Saint - then I’d push you towards the Paleo Diet with a few warnings: to get to that low of a body fat percentage, you need good genetics, a strict workout routine, patience, and the iron will to say NO to foods that aren’t on your list of approved foods.

Determine what level of commitment you are comfortable with, and then make adjustments based on that.  Before you discredit or dismiss any of the advice above, I recommend you spend 30 days trying it out for yourself before passing judgment – question everything, and come to your own conclusions.

Making it All Work

“Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Teddy Roosevelt

“You gotta have fun.” – My Dad

If I had to break down my personal diet philosophy, it would be a combination of the previously mentioned Paleo Diet along with these two quotes.  I tend to eat Paleo for around 80% of my meals, I eat the best I can when traveling which is frequently, and then I eat whatever the Hell I want 10% of the time.  I might eat pure Paleo for three straight days, and then for two nights in a row I’ll eat pizza and chicken wings while drinking beer while watching football.

I have absolutely NO problem with this, because I found a method of healthy eating that works for me.  I know that one meal doesn’t define me.  I know that a weekend of poor eating doesn’t throw me off track.  I know that a vacation where I’m going to enjoy myself for a few days (which I’m going on next week) is NOT the end of the world.

I do the best I can, with what I have, where I am.

I also know that I only get one chance on this planet, so I’m going to have some fun too. I eat what makes me happy occasionally and then go right back to healthy eating because I want to become the best version of ME that’s possible.

I encourage you to do the same – do the best you can and have fun!  Make small, permanent changes that you can live with until they can become habit, and then pick another small change to tackle.  Don’t feel guilty about a bad meal or an unhealthy weekend.  Pick right back up where you  left off as soon as you can, and continue living your life.

How can I help?

Why not start today?  Clear the junk food out of your cabinets.  Take the candy jar off your desk.  Remove the temptation, and pick one habit or two to remove from your diet.  Start making changes.  The more drastic the change, the higher the possibility for drastic results, but the higher likelihood that you’ll fail as soon as you hit a bump in the road…so balance these changes with your personality.  You might stumble a few times before you find your stride or you find a method that works for you.

Failing or stumbling is okay, as long as you get back up and try something new.

So what other questions do you have about healthy eating?  How else can I help you level up your life?

Leave your questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.