April 17/2016 (posted late)
Gain Control of Your Health - Paleo
*Warning - please do not try the methods mentioned in this post without seeking advice from a health care professional.
Fun Fact: According to the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, more than two-thirds (68.8%) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese.
Actually, that fact isn’t fun at all. When I first started the journey to recapture control of my health, I weighed 207 lbs, overweight by 30 lbs.
I remember my doctor asking me, “Do we need to talk about your weight gain?” I said, “No, it’s football season. I’ll stop eating wings, cheese dip, and beer after the season.” I thought I was pretty cool with that statement. Meh. I’m still pretty cool, but not as fat.
Opportunity
Stop eating crappy food, lose weight, and get my BMI under 25% (which means I won't be considered "overweight" according to BMI, which is subjective, but whatever).
Why:
I have no control over my eating. In my fattest state, I ate eat nachos, wings, beer, ice cream, etc. and wonder why my weak sessions in the gym wasn't making me look like Brad Pitt from Fight Club. It turns out getting ripped is mostly diet.
I read a book called Primal Blueprint and it really resonated with me. The idea of eating natural foods and eliminating sugars and bad cards sounded good to me. I spent a small amount of time looking into the idea of eating Paleo, and decided, "What do I have to lose?" It's only my freaking health. Also, eating real foods has to be better than the Pop Tarts and the Honey Buns I was eating on the reg (youngster talk for "regular").
If you want to learn more about Paleo – make your first step to read Primal Blueprint.
There I was - eating meat, veggies, and fruit. I made it through the first 12 hours before the evening came and I was craving anything with sugar or cards. Rice cakes, ice cream, chips, candy, and oatmeal (oatmeal for dinner? What's wrong with me?!). It wasn't easy. I was able to push through with my sweet potato chips and small amounts of dark chocolate, and a lot of cold water.
The only way I could have successfully switched to Paleo was to prep my meals. For lunch I have 2 cups of greens (mixed or spinach), 1/2 avocado, 2T dressing of my choice (made sure it didn't have sugar), and 4 oz of meat (grilled chicken or smoked pulled pork). For dinner I would have whatever my beautiful wife would make. Shell-less Fajitas, zucchini noodles with meatballs, pork tenderloin and veggies, etc. My go-to snacks were sweet potato chips (baked with coconut oil), dark chocolate (small amounts), Paleo energy balls (Google it - there are hundreds of kinds), apples, peaches, and nuts.
The sweet cravings went away after 10-14 days. That was when I really got excited about what was happening. I was waking up each day a few oz. lighter and I felt great. Best of all, I finally felt that I could control my hunger and I was enjoying the new energy the pale lifestyle was providing.
Do you want to go Paleo but don't know where to start? Follow these steps, which helped me make the switch!
Eating Paleo since April 2016 (with the occasional non-Paleo meal/day).
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Obviously seek advice from your Doctor. Each person is different and there may be legit reasons why this is a horrible idea.
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Read Primal Blueprint to learn if Paleo is for you.
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Write out your goal and why it's important for you. Most people will skip this step. It takes less than five minutes and it will allow you to visualize and fully understand what is at stake. (You're Health, goof!)
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Plan - you need to have a plan for your meals, and your snack meals, if you want to succeed at changing your diet. I can't emphasize this enough. YOU MUST PLAN. Don't make me pull out the legendary quote - "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" Ok, I just did. You're Fault.
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DO IT - Make the first step, and DO IT.
Update:
July 2016
I have been Paleo for three months now (with the occasionally non-Paleo meal). I am enjoying the Paleo life, but don't freak out if you see me eating birthday cake at my daughters’ birthday or enjoying some fried sushi roll on occasion. Here are some of the benefits I can happily report:
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I have lost a total of 10 lbs since April (three months). <- This is down from the 17 lbs I already lost before Paleo
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No energy crash after meals (this is huge!)
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More energy throughout the day
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Less sugar craving
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Less desire to drink Alcohol (occasional red wine)
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Total Self-Control of what I eat
Are you considering switching to a Paleo lifestyle? Send me a note through the "Contact Me" form.
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Links:
Marks Daily Apple (Blog from the author of Primal Blueprint)