For those of you that CrossFit, you know that Paleo and CrossFit go hand in hand to some extent. When I took On Ramp there was a day of Nutrition, Paleo included. All I heard was no bread, no milk and cheese, and no sugar… That didn’t quite jive with my oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, and pizza/cookies most nights for dinner. Oh, and those animal crackers from Trader Joe’s that come in the big plastic tub? I ate those for dayssss! I brushed this Paleo stuff off as crazy person talk. For those of you that are pretty unfamiliar with Paleo, here is a super quick blurb from nom nom paleo: Eat whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense, nourishing foods. Prioritize grass fed and pastured meats and eggs, wild-caught seafood, and vegetables. Enjoy fruit, nuts, and seeds in moderation.
Here’s a handy little chart too 🙂
In walks Dave Pilloni to my life. He’s our gym’s community chiropractor and is also a Paleo Certified Physician (check him out at Pilloni Family Chiropractic). He’s kind of know all, be all of everything Paleo… and, while unrelated, also keeps me going with his adjustments (along with his best friend Dr. Robert “Tiny” Grace). For monthssss he went over how Paleo would benefit me, not only from a health perspective, but also from the fitness perspective. And I was all like…
My turning point came at a time when I really wanted to step up my game in the gym. I decided to go about it myself without doing any research and see what happened. Boy, that was a mistake! I was eating far too many fats (snacking on nuts like woah) not enough protein and I felt like garbage. In my uneducated mind I of course blamed the way of living instead of my lack of knowledge and preparation. Fast forward a month or two and Lurong Living was putting out their first National Paleo Challenge. I decided to read up on it and commit to giving it a real go. I read, “The Paleo Solution” by Robb Wolf and “It Starts With Food” by Melissa Hartwig. Both are amazing resources in their own ways, and really gave me the basic foundation to understand how to eat to fuel my body, and WHY I would want to do this. This includes the sciencey stuff behind how the food you eat interacts and affects your body and how it functions. (it’s actually pretty fascinating when you get into it 😉 ) I stuck with the Lurong Challenge and felt amazing! I didn’t realize I could feel this good, and from then on couldn’t imagine going back. No more were the days of NEEDING to nap in my car at lunchtime, and the loss in body fat/gains in the gym weren’t so bad either. I was sleeping better, waking better, feeling better, and performing better in the gym.
Let’s fast forward about a year and a half. I’ve had ups and down like anyone else. I would go strict Paleo for a while and then fall off the bandwagon HARD for weeks and have an awful time getting back on board. There was no balance, and I’m learning that when there is no balance, everything kind of falls apart. Even the best things. I’m at a point now where I no longer really feel as though Paleo is a “diet” for me so much as my lifestyle. I make my food choices every day and most of the time they happen to fit into the Paleo structure. Much of my success over the past few years I can thank Dave for, so thank you.. so so much. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you, and that’s just the truth. I probably would never have given this life a shot.
(Bacon is good for the soul)
My “cheats”, if that is what you want to call it, have been much better as of late then before. It’s not a complete “cheat day” or even meal, but maybe one thing. To expect to be 100% of the time isn’t realistic for me, and usually led to falling completely off the wagon. Life is about balance and finding what works for you. There are times where I really want that cookie or some pizza, and yes I choose to eat that too. I certainly pay for it after by not feeling so hot lol but for whatever reason I still go back every once in a while.
Leads to…
So there’s my Paleo story, (long story, somewhat short) and why you’ll see me post information, articles, and the like in the future to help everyone that is trying Paleo, eating Paleo, or even just thinking about it. Any and all questions and suggestions for posts are welcome 🙂 So because I’m a little bit of a nerd, I’m interested in which benefit(s) interest you guys the most! This will help me get to know you a little better. So if you have a minute, and made it allllll the way to the end of this post 😉 please take a second to fill out this survey. It’s just one question! [polldaddy poll=8204153]
As a send off, here is a great all encompassing chart. Check it out by clicking on it to make it bigger!
Stay Strong everyone!
~LKN
LKN
digging the blog so far! wanted to add my two cents re: Paleo
I like the focus on “real” food (if your grandmother wouldn’t recognize the ingredients, put it back!) –vegetables, quality protein, some fruit & nuts. Also focus on meals that have all components, not just snacks here and there (ex: have an apple with almond butter, not just the apple)
Paleo goes off the rails for me in 4 ways (it started as 2, goes up the more I think about it):
1) No dairy. I need yogurt or milk or something. Good calories, fat, protein. Squats & milk!
2) No beans. Again, good protein (yes some carbs but lentils are not why you gain weight). The explanation of “anti-nutrients” has some truth but is mostly hokum.
3) Calling it “Paleo” as in “Paleolithic” as in “eat like a caveman/hunter gatherer” and then giving some hand-waving reasons why that was better. I know I’m a stickler but anthropology is a science! Not all paleolithic groups ate what we would call “Paleo”. Tribes in Africa compared to New Guinea compared to Alaska. How each group eats and food composition is completely different. They can’t all be lumped together as “hunter gatherers”. Further, our ancestors ate what they could, when they could. If you aren’t eating intestines, heart, lungs, eyes and tongues of animals, you aren’t eating “paleo”. The idea that “Cavemen/Paleolithic humans” didn’t eat grain or that in 10,000 years we didn’t evolve to digest grain is junk science. Call the diet the “real food” diet. Call it the “farmers market” diet. But I wish the inventor hadn’t named it Paleo.
4) Desserts/baked goods with almond flour (or other flour) called “Paleo”. A brownie or cinnamon roll is NOT health food. The type of flour doesn’t matter. If you’re pounding back paleo ice cream and paleo muffins its like eating “all natural” chips. Junk food is still junk food! If I want a cookie or doughnuts, I’m going to eat the real thing and just take the hit and move on with my life.
ok, rant over
Justin C
Love your feedback!
To hit up your first two points, Paleo isn’t about weight loss (although it does tend to be a side effect). And I would even go so far as to say that it doesn’t dismiss certain food groups (dairy and beans) because they are inherently bad. Paleo focuses on the digestive system and how the foods you eat affect the digestive process and therefore the hormones released in your body (which affect basically everything). So yes, there are good things one can get from dairy and beans, but it doesn’t fit into the “paleo model”. Robb Wolf’s book that I mentioned does an amazing job explaining this in much more detail.
To your 3rd point – yep, there’s a lot of research and when you think about it it makes sense that back in caveman days people ate what was available to them. North America had different foods from South America from Asia etc as they all have different climates. The grains from back then, however, are different than the processed grains we see today.
I agree with point 4, “paleo treats” are still treats and I don’t consider them health food. Where they come in handy is people who have intolerance or allergies to things like gluten and dairy. Regular cookies and things of that nature aren’t an option. But yep, definitely still a cookie lol