Paleo Challenge

So it has been a while!

Yes I know that it has been a while since I posted any good info on the Paleo challenge.  I must first apologize for the delay in getting this out to all of you that are still following the challenge.  Don't forget that the winner of the challenge will receive a free month at the exclusive CrossFit 5280 facility!

I have noticed some dramatic changes in a few people that I would like to recognize here.  If you have not seen Mark H. in a while, be sure to drop by and stare at him for a while.  I think the challenge has served you well!  As for the rest of you, I am sorry I have not made it around to the other classes, since I kissed the "Pig" a couple of weeks ago, it has been an uphill challenge.  Now for the good info that will hopefully serve some of you in the next coming weeks.  This information was consumed in "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" by Dr. Loren Cordain.  I am trying to regurgitate that info and I hope I do it the justice it deserves.

Glycemic index and the Glycemic load

First I will attempt to explain the index so that all can understand my jibber jabber.  Plus I don't want to ramble, which is what I am doing right now.  The index was created some time ago so that a person could see a number that would correlate with the reaction that particular food has on the production of insulin.  The issue with the index is that it did not take into account the total carbs for the food and a candy bar had a similar number to a piece of fruit.  Then a group of really smart guys and gals got together and used this unknown thing called math to account for total card load and released the Glycemic load.  As you all can imagine processed foods will have a much larger load then it's wonderful counterpart of something that is grown or raised.  

Now that that has been given a quick explanation, how about the effects of each on our bodies?  Well, if you continue to consume foods that have a high glycemic load, your pancreas has to work harder to produce insulin so that the body remains in a general neutral status.  This can lead to two problems.  The first one is that your pancreas may get overworked and begin shutting down that will lead to type 2 diabetes.  The second problem is that if you are not burning the excess insulin that has been placed into your blood stream, it has to go somewhere.  Would you like to guess what it turns into?  How about I just tell you, it TURNS INTO FAT!!!  

Bottom line, you can continue to tear it up at the gym and notice minimal results.  You will achieve those results that you can see, but you will never turn the corner to having the body you want and deserve.  You must limit the high Glycemic load/index foods that create that extra insulin.  Your body will thank you!  And who knows, the mirror might just thank you also!!!

Tuesday, September 8,2009

Brilliant info for today!!!!

I am not so sure that this will be brilliant info, but info none the less.  I have become a connoisseur of info on the paleo diet and I located something very interesting today.  The Raw Paleo Diet.  I think once we finish this challenge we will commence on the Raw diet.  What do all of you think?

Bottom line...

I have been talking to a few of you and it seems as if some of us, ME, hit some road blocks this weekend and others got some encouraging news, maybe, about losing weight or looking thinner.  I think I am speaking for most, that the average loss in the first couple of days was awesome and should be credited to our loss of sodium, SALT.  I made several errors, that I thought were great choices and now that I look back on with more info show that I was actually taking a step backwards.  I consumed some great salads at a burrito joint and then was told that the meat is marinated in "stuff" that contains high sodium.  Great!  Then I had some family members over, and what is a night without a little Jack?  So if you had some hiccups over this weekend, all good.  Let's aim at condensing those hiccups to once a week and push thru the trouble areas.  I will search high and low for some new info and a few new recipes to try out.  Hope all is well and keep up the good work!!!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Here is some more good info on our diet challenge.  How is everyone doing so far?  I do have to tell you all that I have had some difficulties with energy and just trying to have the will power to avoid hitting the ice cream or some quick easy snack that is just sitting in the cupboard yelling my name.  I make sure I have carrots and apples at my disposal for those moments of near collapse.  I have noticed that I am dropping some pounds, looking forward to seeing the effects in the gym this week.  I would imagine that I will have a slight drop in performance until my body gets accustomed to living without processed foods.  

The essentials of the Paleolithic Diet are:

Eat none of the following:

· Grains- including bread, pasta, noodles

· Beans- including string beans, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts, snow-peas and peas

· Potatoes

· Dairy products

· Sugar

· Salt

Eat the following:

· Meat, chicken and fish

· Eggs

· Fruit

· Vegetables (especially root vegetables, but definitely not including potatoes or sweet potatoes)

· Nuts, eg. walnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia, almond. Do not eat peanuts (a bean) or cashews (a family of their own)

· Berries- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc.

 Try to increase your intake of:

· Root vegetables- carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, Swedes

· Organ meats- liver and kidneys (I accept that many people find these unpalatable and won’t eat them)

Expect some minor tuning problems- don’t worry, you can deal with them:

· It will take some time for your body to adjust to the changes after all these years. There is a huge surge in your vitamin intake. There is a huge decrease in your toxin intake.

And I love this video so here it is again...

Thursday, September 3, 2009

So if anyone of you are struggling with the first couple of days wondering what you will do for breakfast.  I searched the internet long and hard trying to find some answers for all of us.  Here is what I found...

Paleo Breakfast 1

Bowl of diced apples, shredded carrots, and raisins with cinnamon
Poached eggs
Cup of decaffeinated coffee

Paleo Breakfast 2
Honeydew melon, blackberries
Grilled lean pork chops
Herbal tea

Paleo Breakfast 3
Strawberries and apricots
Shrimp and avocado omelet
Cup of decaffeinated coffee

Paleo Breakfast 4
Strawberries
Small beefsteak with peach
Herbal tea

Paleo Breakfast 5
Blueberries and cantaloupe
Crab
Cup of water with lemon

Paleo Breakfast 6
Chicken breast
Watermelon
Herbal tea 

Paleo Breakfast 7
Bowl of sliced banana, pears, walnuts
Soft-boiled eggs
Cup of decaffeinated coffee

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Captain Cavemen!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

I got some info today from a client that I needed to add some info on good fats.  Those fats include Avacodas, Almonds, Olive oil and a spattering of others that I will include in later posts.  I understand that the next several days will be extremely difficult for all of us as we progress.  Stay on track and we will all be rewarded in the end.

Hey Kim here is your recipe for today:

Shrimp Stuffed Avocados

3 medium sized avocados

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 ½ pound small or medium sized shrimp, cooked, shelled, deveined and chilled 

Cut avocados in half; remove seed and skin. Stuff with shrimp; add lemon juice.

If anybody gets a chance to try this please give us a post and let us know how you liked it!  I think it sounds awesome!!!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

A little food info as we prepare for Tuesday, September , 2009.  As I prepare our kitchen and cabinets I have asked myself several times, what can I buy and what should I avoid.  I will post a few things the next couple of days on the good and bad.  Today I will post the good meats we should be eating for the next eight weeks.

Lean Meats 

Lean beef (trimmed of visible fat) 
  

Flank steak 
  

Top sirloin steak 
  

Extra-lean hamburger (no more than 7% fat, extra fat drained off) London broil 
  

Chuck steak 
  

Lean veal 
  

Any other lean cut 
  

Lean pork (trimmed of visible fat) 
  

Pork loin 
  

Pork chops 
  

Any other lean cut 

Lean poultry (white meat, skin removed)

Chicken breast 
  

Turkey breast 
  

Game hen breasts

Test Entry

Just a test!!!!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Welcome to the first ramblings by me on our journey to better fitness and health.  The first meeting occurred yesterday, Sunday, with 7 participants attending.  I will host the second meeting tonight and another tomorrow.  I am trying to accommodate everyone since we have such active lifestyles.  If I miss you and you want to take the journey, please get with me and we will get you up to speed.  I will be posting here every few days with different recipes that I have tried or that one of you have tried and like or dislike.  This will certainly be a test for all of us as I sit here and eat a Pop Tart.  Those things are awesome!!!

Don't forget to take those pictures and submit them to somebody that will hold you accountable.  You don't have to send them to me, but certainly would be good motivation.  If you like you can send them to Melinda her e-mail is melinda@buyerbroker-denver.com.  Ok, I think that is it for now.  I will post more in the near future.