First off thanks for reading. Assuming anyone is reading out there...which I suppose I'll find out over time.
I want to start by giving a full description of the system I've decided to use and why I decided to use this particular combination. See, I started doing research on the Paleo Diet/Caveman Diet because it seemed to make a lot of sense in a way - the idea of just eating what our ancestors did. I mean you really can't feed yourself better than whole fresh veggies, proteins, and fruits. But as I looked into it more and more I started to see things that didn't make a ton of sense to me. For example, did you know that according to a few websites I looked at - including http://www.paleodietfoodlist.net/paleo-diet-food-list/ and http://altmed.creighton.edu/Paleodiet/Foodlist.html that it's OK to drink diet soda, wine, beer - listed on altmed.creighton.edu, and booze but it's NOT OK to eat root veggies (like yams), beans, or brown rice.
I found this troubling because there is no way I can wrap my head around diet soda being something our ancestors ate, first of all, and second, I have a hard time imagining that no where in the world were caveboys and cavegirls eating yams or potatoes. Since I was so baffled I decided to bitch about it on Facebook - bitch central - and my dear friend Michelle asked me if I'd looked into the Eat Clean system. I had - ages ago - and thought I might as well check it out again. According to http://eatcleandiet.com/what_is_the_eat-clean_diet.aspx Eating Clean "is eating the way nature intended. You eat the foods our bodies evolved to function best on, and that makes you feel – and look – fantastic. When you Eat Clean you eat more often. You will eat lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. These practices keep your blood-sugar levels stable and keep you satisfied. The best part is that if you need to lose weight it will happen almost without you having to try. And yes, you can have a treat now and again." And, as I looked at the foods that they support including in my diet I found that I agreed with a lot of it - especially the inclusion of naturally occurring root plans and things like beans. BUT I found myself perplexed - again - at the inclusion of things like bread. I just don't like the idea of eating processed stuff on a regular basis. Especially processed stuff with things like wheat gluten, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup in them. And, a little disclaimer here, I'm certainly not saying this system is scientific - it's not at all! What I've designed here is 99% instinct and 1% changes to existing systems because I don't think they make sense.
So, here's what I'm doing. At this point I've decided I'm giving this thing 3 months and just going to see what happens. I intend to exercise also - FYI. I have been for three years and it keeps me sane (and saves my wife from having to deal with my crankiness when I don't work out) so I'm not stopping now.
Foods I can eat as much as I want of:
- All fruit
- All veggies
- Lean protein: chicken, turkey, seafood.
Foods I can eat a lot of:
- Root veggies
- Nuts
Foods I can eat some of :
- Lean-ish meats: pork and lean beef
- Milk products: for me this is mostly yogurt and some cream in my coffee
- Olive oil
Foods I can eat a little of:
- Beans
- Rice
- Quinoa
Foods I'm avoiding:
- Bread
- Pasta
- Artificial sugars/processed sugar
As for workouts - they vary week to week cause I love to keep my body guessing!
But, a 'typical' work out would be something like a combination of cardio and strength with the strength targeting either the top, middle, or lower part of my body (top: arms, shoulders, chest, upper back, middle: core, lower: legs, butt). And I do yoga at least once a week to balance it all out.
So there ya go - that's the program. It feels intuitive to me so we'll just see how it goes.
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