Paleo 101
Hey Athletes! Steve asked me to write up a little piece about my recent lifestyle change. About 8 weeks ago (shortly after I started Crossfit) my wife and I began the “Paleolithic Diet” commonly referred to as eating / being “Paleo”. The background for the change was that I have a intestinal disease that is hampered by foods and through research I have found positive reviews of Paleo and this disease. So off we went.
The “cliff notes” version of Paleo is that you eat only lean meats, fruits, vegetables, some nuts and some oils. You remove all dairy products, all breads/grains/legumes/lentils and all non-natural sugars and all alcohol, soda, etc. It sounds pretty drastic. In a way, it is. In a way, it isn’t. I’ve found in 8 weeks that this has truly become a lifestyle and not a “diet”. My goals were not weight loss, increased energy levels and better sleep – but they were all positive side effects I have experienced. Shopping is easy – you shop around the outside of the grocery store and skip the aisles. Its all process CRAP anyways! 
The easiest way to kick start Paleo is to go 100%, cold turkey. Throw away all of your crap food and head to the grocery store. The cravings and headaches lasted only a couple of days for getting rid of sweets/caffeine. After about 3 weeks, it was all habit and grocery shopping and cooking were now easy. It really is easy – eggs and sausage in the morning, almonds and an apple for a snack, salad with turkey and some mixed veggies for lunch, a piece of fish, broccoli, strawberries for dinner and a light snack of berries before bed. The best part is there is no calorie or carb “counting”. We just eat. Often. You eat til your full but you instead fill up on natural, healthy foods.
Any questions you might have – shoot me an e mail or ask me at the gym.. It is very easy, I’ve never felt so healthy and all of the positive side effects are real bonuses. I’m able to push harder at Crossfit and still come home with energy. Good luck on your journey – let me know if I can help! Additional info is available at
http://www.urbangetsdiesel.com/ – The “30 Day Paleo Challenge”
http://robbwolf.com/ – Paleo extraordinaire – Biochemist turned Personal Trainer
http://paleodiet.com/ – hundreds of Paleo related links/articles/etc
Thanks Guys !
Jeff / Buttons
I forgot to mention in the write up that I DO cheat. I’m not 100% strict Paleo. I would put myself at 95% Paleo for my total food intake. I still eat things like salad dressing and some “Non-Paleo” nuts like Cashews. I also have a cocktail or a beer here and there but have cut back on that quite a bit as well. I figure 95% is “good enough” where I’m still living life and enjoying the things I am eating.
Get to it! Try Melissa Urbans “30 Day Challenge” and change the way you feel!
Nice write up!!
Interested to see how you progress, do you have pre-paleo data to compare too? (weight, bf%, pictures?)
I’d say I’m about 80%.. minimal dairy, multi-grain breads only (not very often), no processed sugars, and I do still eat red meats but I’ve been expanding into things like buffalo meat, ostrich, etc.. Leaner and more nutritious. Also, lots of seafoods..