How to Start the Paleo Diet

Ready for my latest challenge?  My friend put me on to this one and after two weeks she already looks and feels great.  It’s called the Paleo Diet, aka, Cave Man Diet.  I don’t even like to use the word “diet” because you are not counting calories, stepping on a scale, or eating boring food.  On the other hand, the Paleo plan lets you eat a wide variety of food except for dairy (eggs are not dairy), grains, legumes, and sugars. Although sugars are found in fruits, fruits are okay in moderation.  Starting the Paleo diet is really about eating natural products – nothing processed or out of a box.  Grocery shopping for the Paleo diet means not going down any aisles.  If you stick to the perimeter of the store, you’ll find that you have all that you need – meats, seafood, and veggies.

Sounds, easy doesn’t it? Well, not at first.   It will be tough not to eat any sugar (not even substitutes like Splenda). Hopefully once you get into the groove, it will get easier.  After I found some awesome Paleo friendly snacks and recipes books that included plenty of food I love to eat/cook anyhow (minus all the grains I would normally add to the side of my plate), I decided to give it a try.

What’s my inspiration for starting the Paleo diet? Well, I’ve been working out for years and although I am mostly happy with my weight, I’m not so happy with my BMI.  I want to look lean.  Lean like, I work out and run half-marathons type of lean.   The last two years my BMI has been slowly creeping it’s way up the ladder while my cardio activity is not at all decreasing.  In fact, I just ran a half marathon last month but can you tell? Nope!  (Plug: Read about my journey here.)   After speaking with a personal trainer, it’s pretty apparent that what’s stopping me from achieving my goals is my diet.  No, I’m not eating burgers or fried foods on a regular basis. Actually, I eat pretty well for a former carboholic which probably explains why my weight is fine.  But I’d be lying to you all if I didn’t admit to eating pizza or fries every now and again because cheat days help make long-term plans doable.

So my goal is not to lose a lot of weight. But … I won’t be complaining if I finally lose those last five pounds.  Instead, my goal is to lean up, get rid of the excess fat I have hanging around, and increase my performance, stamina, and strength at the gym.   Which leads me to my last point, you’ll still find me at the gym at least three or four times a week.

Here goes nothing!

Interested in starting the Paleo challenge with me?  Check out some of these great sites I stumbled upon!

Starting the Thirty Day Challenge by Whole9life.com
Awesome Paleo friendly recipes and program that will email you your entire shopping list!
The Paleo food list— it’s super long!