So here we are - the last week of the 30 day challenge begins. I know some of you have struggled to stick to the plan, but that's okay - at least you've become acquainted with what it means to eat a paleo diet. Maybe you'll be ready to go another time.
For some of you, the experience has been very rewarding. I know from personal correspondence that those of you who jumped in with both feet and held yourself strictly to the plan are seeing amazing results. You know it's a big deal when you're eating healthy foods you enjoy, and eating enough to be satisfied - and yet still losing almost a pound of excess weight PER DAY. That's right - one of our participants lost 18 lbs in the first 20 days, and is feeling better than ever. This is the kind of result that is possible when you fully commit to the plan, and I wholeheartedly congratulate our successful participants on the progress they've made.
What Next?
So what are the next steps? There are several options, but the choice is yours. For those of you who struggled or didn't maintain strict adherence to the plan, there's no reason why you can't take a step back, catch your breath and give it another shot. Now that you know what the paleo plan means, you can try a challenge on your own schedule when you feel ready. Or you can wait until the next group challenge!
For those of you who stayed the course, I would offer the following options:
1. Keep going full steam ahead. If you're seeing good results and feeling good about the diet, there's no reason you have to stop at the end of the 30 day challenge. This is an eating plan your ancestors lived with 24/7 for their entire lives, so you can live with it too if you want to.
2. Keep going at mostly paleo, but allow yourself a cheat meal once or twice a week. Once the first few weeks are done, you've had a chance to adapt to the new way of eating so a little deviation now and then won't hurt. Weekends are a good time for a cheat meal because of social pressures, or you can save the feast for after a particularly heavy workout when your body is looking for extra calories.
3. Keep almost everything paleo, but add ONE non-paleo food back in to see how your body responds. Dairy is one option - maybe you've been really missing cheese during the last month. If you add just one thing back in, you'll be able to tell how much that food affects you - if you add a bunch of stuff back in and feel like crap, you won't know which item is the problem. This is a great way to identify your problem foods, and the 30 days of paleo has cleaned the slate so that you have a starting point for testing. If adding the food makes you feel worse, drop it again and try another. If you tolerate the test food well, by all means enjoy it a few times a week.
I know that milk gives me skin problems, but I never would have been able to identify that without going full paleo and then adding it back in to see the effect. That's part of the charm of the 30 day paleo challenge.
My plan after the 30 days is to start adding in a few cheat meals after going to the gym or on weekends. I'm going to shoot for 80-85% paleo, with most of the week being more strict and generally lower in carbs. Then around the weekend I'll bump up the carb intake for the days when I do my heavy gym work. This kind of "carb cycling" approach has been beneficial for some folks with regards to exercise performance and body composition, so I'm going to give it a try. I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes, but my primary measure of success will be how well my lifts are going from week to week.
Good luck everyone, and drop me a line to let me know what you're planning to do after the challenge.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
30 Day Paleo Challenge - Week One
Well, the challenge is in full swing now. Day 3 is almost behind us, and if you've been keeping reasonably strict you should soon be noticing the effects. For those of you who normally eat a diet with lots of sugar or refined carbohydrates, this is also the time when you might be feeling the effects of the transition to a different fuel source. As your body weans itself off the sugar, you may feel sluggish, hungry, or light-headed. You may even experience headaches, especially if you're cutting back on the caffeine as well. Unless you were eating a pretty clean diet before the challenge, this is all perfectly normal.
Things to remember
Now I know what you're thinking - it may be normal, but it's not any fun! That's true, but keep in mind that the transition period is relatively short, and once it's over (in a few days) you will feel better than ever. It's also important to understand that you can do things to help minimize the severity of the transition.
1. Eat more meat and fat. One of the biggest causes of issues early on is simply being too skimpy with your protein and fat intake. Remember - a huge part of the average diet is derived from crappy processed carbs. Now that you're not eating those anymore (right?) you need to replace the lost calories with something else in order to keep your energy levels up. You're not supposed to be starving yourself. The only way you're going to meet your caloric and nutritional needs is to eat plenty of meat and fat. Try to get some meat with every meal for both protein and fat, and get some additional fat from nuts, olive oil, coconut and avocados. If you're hungry, eat more!
2. Watch your fruit intake. Yes, fruit is yummy and good for you. But eating lots of fruit can lead to more hunger for some folks. This is especially true if you eat fruit with nothing else. If hunger is a problem for you, try cutting back on the fruit and replace it with lots of green vegetables. When you do eat fruit, try to combine it with a fat or protein to increase satiety. A good choice might be smearing a little almond butter on an apple.
3. Drink water. Sometimes that feeling of hunger is really thirst in disguise, so try drinking a glass of water to see if the feeling subsides. And if it doesn't, just eat some of the nuts and jerky you thoughtfully packed in a ziploc bag for just such occasions. You did remember, right?
4. Limit caffeine and sweeteners. Caffeine and artificial sweeteners can stimulate hunger, so if you're having trouble in this area you might want to cut back or eliminate them entirely. I personally don't have a problem with coffee or diet soda myself, but I am aware of their potential to cause cravings. It's been shown that just tasting something sweet can cause an insulin response in the body, even in the absence of actual sugar. You may want to limit your consumption if annoying hunger is a problem for you.
The most important thing to remember is that it's okay to eat when you're hungry. This eating plan is about choosing QUALITY foods, not worrying about quantity. If you need to bump up the food intake to get through the transitional phase, that's perfectly fine. In a week or two those cravings and hunger sensations will be a thing of the past.
Also keep in mind that the more strictly you follow the plan, the more likely you will notice the transition - but you will also get through it faster than if you drag it out more slowly by straying into cheat meals. But more importantly, strict adherence will bring you quicker results.
Good luck and keep going strong!
Things to remember
Now I know what you're thinking - it may be normal, but it's not any fun! That's true, but keep in mind that the transition period is relatively short, and once it's over (in a few days) you will feel better than ever. It's also important to understand that you can do things to help minimize the severity of the transition.
1. Eat more meat and fat. One of the biggest causes of issues early on is simply being too skimpy with your protein and fat intake. Remember - a huge part of the average diet is derived from crappy processed carbs. Now that you're not eating those anymore (right?) you need to replace the lost calories with something else in order to keep your energy levels up. You're not supposed to be starving yourself. The only way you're going to meet your caloric and nutritional needs is to eat plenty of meat and fat. Try to get some meat with every meal for both protein and fat, and get some additional fat from nuts, olive oil, coconut and avocados. If you're hungry, eat more!
2. Watch your fruit intake. Yes, fruit is yummy and good for you. But eating lots of fruit can lead to more hunger for some folks. This is especially true if you eat fruit with nothing else. If hunger is a problem for you, try cutting back on the fruit and replace it with lots of green vegetables. When you do eat fruit, try to combine it with a fat or protein to increase satiety. A good choice might be smearing a little almond butter on an apple.
3. Drink water. Sometimes that feeling of hunger is really thirst in disguise, so try drinking a glass of water to see if the feeling subsides. And if it doesn't, just eat some of the nuts and jerky you thoughtfully packed in a ziploc bag for just such occasions. You did remember, right?
4. Limit caffeine and sweeteners. Caffeine and artificial sweeteners can stimulate hunger, so if you're having trouble in this area you might want to cut back or eliminate them entirely. I personally don't have a problem with coffee or diet soda myself, but I am aware of their potential to cause cravings. It's been shown that just tasting something sweet can cause an insulin response in the body, even in the absence of actual sugar. You may want to limit your consumption if annoying hunger is a problem for you.
The most important thing to remember is that it's okay to eat when you're hungry. This eating plan is about choosing QUALITY foods, not worrying about quantity. If you need to bump up the food intake to get through the transitional phase, that's perfectly fine. In a week or two those cravings and hunger sensations will be a thing of the past.
Also keep in mind that the more strictly you follow the plan, the more likely you will notice the transition - but you will also get through it faster than if you drag it out more slowly by straying into cheat meals. But more importantly, strict adherence will bring you quicker results.
Good luck and keep going strong!
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