I do get asked a lot of questions frequently (regarding this diet). Here are some…
Q: So how does this diet work exactly?
A: They call it “un-weighed, un-measured paleo” meaning you can eat as much as you want of paleo foods. Apparently Ann-imal has nicknamed this plan “all you can eat paleo.” The super hardcore CrossFitters try to follow the Zone diet (portions and proporitons) and only eat paleo foods along the way. That sounds significantly more challenging.
Q: And paleo foods are?
A: You know, I’m not sure I’m being 100% loyal to true Paleo philosophy, but I follow what they tell me at the gym. It’s basically meat, vegetables, eggs, nuts (but not peanuts), seeds, fruit, and NO SUGAR. The other noteable restrictions are no dairy (except cream), no legumes (beans, peas, peanuts). I don’t really understand the no legumes part, but I go with it (most of the time). You’re not supposed to drink booze either, but if you do you should drink wine or tequila since everything else is made from grains, and grains are VERBOTEN. I drink wine from time to time, and last night I had my first beer in two weeks.
Q: Why are you doing this?
A: Well, I think thie minds behind CrossFit are really onto something – I think they’ve got fitness figured out. Since all the CrossFit nerds claim that eating Paleo will make you feel better and improve your athletic performance, I thought it was worth seeing what all the hype was about. They also say it is the perfect diet to help you lose fat and gain lean mass. Peer pressure also played a little role in the decision – like my friend Patrick who is a health/fitness nut and has given up sugar, and my cousin Greg who did the same. Both of them had very positive things to say about the experience.
Q: Are you trying to lose weight?
A: No, I was fine with my weight, but I also know that studies generally suggest that skinnier people live longer, so if I lose fat, it’s fine with me. In the first two weeks I’ve lost about 5 pounds. I kind of wish I weren’t losing weight so quickly, but it’s hard to eat enough to keep that from happening.
Q: How do you feel?
A: I have to admit I feel pretty good! The nicest part is that my energy level feels pretty constant all day – no post-lunch lulls.
Q: So what exactly are you eating?
A: I’ll get to that in the next post. Here’s one example though…

Food Court Paleo