So, here we are one week into the Paleo nutrition challenge we are doing here at NoCo Fitness. I wanted to take the opportunity in the blog to discuss how I have been feeling for the last week and what my thoughts have been so far!

For those of you that did not choose to take part in the paleo challenge or aren’t quite sure what the paleo challenge is, it is simple. Eat only foods a person in the Paleolithic era was able to. Spanning over a 2.6 million year long time period, the Paleolithic era is what we commonly think of as being the age of cavemen.

Supporters of the paleo diet believe that by eating foods that our ancestors had access to is favored genetically for our digestion. Although I do agree that these foods are awesome in their micronutrient profile, I would argue to say that it isn’t quite that simple. Over time, our ability to digest foods other than just paleo era foods has adapted, allowing us to eat other foods. This would explain why people have been able to survive in different areas of the world, where different foods are available.

Nonetheless, I decided to give it a try along with my wife, Amber! I decided over the next month, I would follow the paleo challenge, but I would still eat the same amount of calories, as well as protein, carbohydrates, and fat that I have been eating recently. That way I could see if just changes in food choices could produce results.

I do believe in flexible eating, where hitting your numbers is very important, but being rigid is not as important. I also believe that there is something to be said for NUTRIENT dense foods, containing vitamins, minerals, etc. that are all important for some of our metabolic processes! Although I do eat flexibly, I also try to make the base of my diet healthy and nutritious foods, and not just pizza and Poptarts, although this is how people sometimes think of flexible nutrition. So, here is my time line of how things have gone so far!

Sunday, June 3

We went to Sprouts to get all of our food for the week. We loaded up with foods like strawberries, sweet potatoes, bananas, etc. Also in the shopping cart were items like 100% maple syrup, as well as raw and unfilitered honey and most importantly, paleo-friendly pancakes! I knew at this point, being able to have pancakes, this month would be a breeze! We already had meat in the freezer at home, so we didn’t need to worry about that. All in all, our shopping cart was around $100 for the week. Not too bad!

Monday, June 4

Start day. I weighed in at 229.1 lbs., after a good weekend birthday celebration, although my weight does usually stay around 225-228 consistently. I had my food prepped, ready to go, and off to work I went.

Friday, June 8

I wake up at 220 lbs. Work has been busy, but nothing unusually busy. My training sessions have remained the same as always, as far as intensity goes. So, my change in diet for the week must explain the 9 lb. weight drop. Some of it has probably been water weight, as my waist also dropped .5 inches throughout the week. But, nonetheless, 9 pounds have shed off!

Still feeling great! I am feeling great with the food I am eating. I am not really ever hungry, and my whole body feels great. Like I said earlier, I do think that getting good NUTRIENT dense foods, not CALORIE dense foods, is really important to a good nutrition plan.

So far, I do think the paleo challenge has been good, as it really has challenged me to be creative with my food all week. I am excited to see how the next month goes, and to see if I keep equating calories and macronutrients over the next month as I would eat not on the challenge, what it will do to my body composition! For clients, I do think this would be a great challenge for you all, as it really will challenge you to find a way to cook, eat, and satisfy all of your cravings with very nutritious foods. If you have any questions or want to get involved in the challenge, stop in at the gym to get some info from the trainers!

By: Ryan McIvor