by Sean Croxton
It goes without saying that I’m a HUGE fan of the paleo diet.
Though I don’t call myself “paleo” — I prefer to say that I just eat real food — I think a diet and lifestyle based on ancestral living makes a whole lot of sense.
And judging by the lean physiques and energetic presence of last week’s Paleo FX presenters and attendees, eating and living this way definitely works…
But not all of the time.
If I had to guess, I would say that for every one person who has tasted success with paleo (it tastes like bacon, by the way), there are at least ten who have failed.
And that’s because following a paleo diet means you have to follow a paleo diet.
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy a caveman can do it.
The honest truth is that, for most people, going paleo isn’t just a matter of reading the latest paleo book and dropping the grains, legumes, and dairy.
As with any change in behavior — in this case, diet and lifestyle — a concurrent shift in perspective must take place, without which the change is sure to be short-lived.
Or as this week’s UW YouTube guest and author of The Paleo Coach Jason Seib says, you’ll soon find yourself doing your second or third 30-day paleo challenge.
This is the difference between those who succeed with paleo and those who do not.
Of course, you need the nuts and bolts — food lists, recipes, workouts — and know-how to get started with your paleo lifestyle.
However, it is a shift in mindset that ensures that you stick with it.
In the video below, Jason and I discuss the missing psychological piece of the paleo puzzle.
You’ll learn….
* why focusing on appearance alone won’t get you very far
* why intrinsic motivation is the key to long-term success
* the pitfalls of implementing too much paleo too soon
Check it out and leave a comment with your thoughts!
Sean
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss
I’m thankful that it’s easy for me to go paleo and stick with it. My body responds really well to it. My only problem is finding the food. Why is everything around me so grain-based and processed?
These principles apply to everything health-related and I adore it. Thanks for sharing this!
-Deena
This kind of dialogue is very frustrating. First of all, if someone keeps coming back, they haven’t failed. Their path may be longer and more meandering or messy than YOU might want it to be, but they haven’t failed. Secondly, identifying that in your experience you see women having body dysmorphia and a twisted sense of “healthy” and pinning that as a fault of the women, rather than on the culture in which we live and the messages we’re taught, is furthering the oppressive message. “Hot and healthy”– but in whose eyes? It seems to me that phrase again further roots the oppressive dynamic. “If you want to get really deep”– whether or not you WANT to get deep, those dynamics exist, and you can’t continue pretending they’re not there just to prove your point. All of this is intertwined and you’re perpetuating the toxic and destructive cycle with what you’re saying here. A little more compassion and flexibility will actually be the thing that helps people, not the message of “if you’re not on board with this, then you’re just not ready, and there’s nothing we can do to help you.”
Finding the right diet really was a dance for me. I do believe in paleo – but I don’t believe there’s only one Paleo Solution, but many, depending on your genotype. I really recommend people check out D’Adamos book: The Genotype diet.
My pancreas is producing 4 times the amount of digestive enzymes of what is considered the norm, thus I really can’t eat carbs the same way other people can – they send me on a bloodsugar rollercoaster, making me dizzy and tired. I can’t have small meals eather since my stomach is shaped in the form of a “Fishinghook” – I need fluid with my meals otherwise my digestion won’t get triggered.
For me it has to be dried beans (fiber, folic acid and prebiotic-starch) fried and baked soaked in fat (not any kind of fat, but high quality Beef-fat), I eat them with grilled Lamb/beef-sausages (Vitamin A, D and Omega 3, Zinc, Iron, Copper) fermented Radish(vitamin C, Probiotic) , some goat cheese (Calcium) a cup of beef-bone broth and ground Horseradish (Antioxidants, Etherial Oil) – occasionally having berries between meals.
Avoiding Caso-morphine (like the plague!), Grains, lactose, most fruits, nuts and vegetables. Also avoiding bacon, pig- and goose-lard as it gives me cramps.
Since I’m eating large meals, I avoid having Dinner after 7pm as otherwise the food will sit inside my stomach until next morning.
You may call this the Northern Big Game Hunter Diet – or simply: Neanderthal Diet.
Hi Sean,
This comment pertains to the Unground Wellness Podcast. In the last month I have had serious issues when I visit the PodCast page; when I try to scroll down the page streches out like a funhouse mirror. I am also having trouble downloading the pod casts. I am not really technically savvy, but I am downloading other podcasts just fine. I checked my settings, and UngroundWellness has not been blocked. I would have left this comment on the Unground Wellness page, but as I stated earlier when I try to scroll down the page I have problems.