Cracking the Paleo Diet Code: Lose Weight Fast With Primal Eating & Intermittent Fasting (How to Lose Weight Your Way) (7 page)

There is no substitution for great medical advice
, but people who have been living a Paleo diet lifestyle have reported numerous health benefits that our traditional processed food diet doesn’t offer us. As always, make sure to see your doctor before you partake in any major dietary changes. These benefits are not a reason to stop medications or anything like that.

●
Lowering the risk of diabetes, and/or lessening the symptoms of diabetes. It is only in this time and age when people are finally discovering the real scope of this medical condition. People are now more aware of the fact that processed food items contain a lot of elements that can trigger unwanted spikes in blood sugar levels, increase insulin resistance, or establish permanent insulin deficiency.

By subscribing to a diet rich in fresh produce, blood sugar level
s can be stabilized much easier than before. It certainly cuts down on the high sugar and high sodium (salt) level that people can acquire from consuming processed food items and drinks. This helps prevent the onset of Type II diabetes, particularly in very young individuals. It also helps lessen the symptoms and complications of this condition in people who have Type I diabetes.

●
Better nutritional absorption rate. Incredibly, many people these days are suffering from malnutrition, despite the fact that they are consuming a lot of calories. This is usually due to a diet rich in processed food items and beverages. Many of these contain inordinately high levels of fat, sugar and salt, not to mention artificially-made food additives and preservatives. These have absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever.

Additionally, because of the high
unhealthy fat content of these processed items, these tend to block or decelerate the body's ability to transform good food into energy. This is the very reason why many still suffer from malnutrition despite supplementing their poor diets with occasional healthy food. Once a person commits fully to the Paleo diet, he or she usually experiences a surge of energy from the food he or she consumes.

●
Better dental health. Sugar can wreak havoc in the body, especially on your pearly whites. Aside from increasing the risk of tooth decay and halitosis, too much sugar can also increase the risk of gum disease, tongue cancer, and the deterioration of the jaw muscles. Let’s go back to whether or not you can afford to eat healthy. A trip to the dentist can cost thousands, and most of the time is very preventable with the right diet.

The good news is that
when you follow the Paleo diet, sugar is highly restricted. But naturally occurring sweets, like those found in fruits are not. So you still can satisfy the occasional sweet tooth, without actually consuming additional sugar.

●
Better skin health. According to multiple studies, one of the main reasons for poor skin health is poor nutrition. The skin, the biggest organ of the human body, needs a lot of good food in order to maintain its optimal condition. Unfortunately, with the invention of “convenience food,” good nutrition went out the window as well. Your skin’s elasticity will also improve by eating all these foods that are high in antioxidants.

●
Improved blood circulation. This can make the skin regain that healthy, vibrant glow. This also improves the health of the hair and nails.

●
Less acne and visible skin blemishes. Good food can help maintain smaller and clearer pores, which in turn, helps lessen the emergence of acne and other skin blemishes (e.g. patches of darkened skin, patchy coloration, dull or gray looking skin, etc.). Nails also look pinker, and hair regains its natural shine.

I don’t think there is any denying that a diet free of processed foods, excessive sugar and fats will make you feel and be healthier overall. You may experience many or none of the above benefits
, as it is all based on your current state of health and how you choose to incorporate the Paleo diet into your life.

When we
talk about getting back to a primitive lifestyle it is important to acknowledge that the cavemen were most likely fasting, especially when the hunt for the day didn’t work out so well. I feel it only makes sense to go over intermittent fasting in this book so you too can see if it is something you want to add to your Paleo lifestyle.

You should take note that fasting does not mean completely depriving your body of food for days on end
, as you may have seen during protests on T.V. You do not have to starve yourself in order to fast. Instead, you can time when you eat and skip certain meals. You will continue to consume sufficient amounts of water to prevent dehydration, which is advice I give anyone whether they are fasting or not.

Fasting should not be done for very long periods of time. Some people believe that if a little is good
, more must be better, which is seldom the case. If you fast for more than forty-eight hours, your stress level can increase, which starts to slow down metabolism and boost cortisol production.

This is not ideal for weight loss
, because high amounts of cortisol in your body can make you feel tired physically, emotionally, and mentally. What do we all love to do when we feel like that? Eat junk food of course. When you fast for prolonged periods it increases your chances of binging once you come off of the fast.

You can also damage your muscles by fasting for prolonged periods of time. Cortisol breaks down muscle tissues by releasing amino acids. When you lose muscle, you decrease your chances of losing weight quickly because muscles are necessary in burning excess fats.

Most people skip breakfast in life already, and more studies are starting to really challenge eating 6 times a day as it is. If you are naturally skipping breakfast already, adding intermittent fasting (IF) into your life will be quite easy. Many people also find life to be a lot more convenient when using IF.

There are three main ways
you can incorporate intermittent fasting into your lifestyle:

1.
You can choose to eat all your food during a specific time period, usually 6-8 consecutive hours of the day. An example would be only eating from noon-8 PM. This is how most people who skip breakfast eat, already unless they are mid-morning snackers. 

This method requires you to still eat healthy and the right number of calories a day but will most likely be condensed to 2-3 meals instead of the 6-8 other people consume.

I will be the first to say as a weight loss coach that eating a big meal at 8pm and then going to sleep two or three hours later with zero physically activity can lead to weight gain. If you start to notice weight gain from this fasting method I would suspect that your 8pm feeding is the culprit, in which case I would eat 10am-6pm or 12pm-6pm.

This type of intermittent fasting can be done daily as long as you are ensuring you consume enough calories to maintain a healthy energy level in the 6-8 hour period. For weight loss you will be aiming for
10-15 calories per pound of lean body mass divided between the number of meals you choose to eat. This is just a starting point, and you would need to adjust accordingly based on your results.

2.
Other people prefer to take a full 24 hours off from eating a couple times a week. This would look like eating on a normal schedule for your day finishing your last meal at 8pm, and then you would not eat again until 8pm the next day or whatever time your last meal was the day before. I strongly recommend you only fast for 24 hours twice a week on non-consecutive days.

I would say you need to be disciplined to do this method
, because it can lead to overeating fairly easy. Have a meal planned after the 24 hour period that is high in fiber and will fill you up; otherwise you may find yourself downing a pint of Ben & Jerry’s because you are craving sugar so badly.

3.
5:2 Diet is a type of intermittent fasting that also works with Paleo. It would mimic more of what would happen to the caveman if the hunt for the day turned up empty and they relied on some of their stored foods. They would be eating quite a few less calories that day and would embark on another hunting mission the next day in hopes that food would be more plentiful.

The 5:2 diet, also known as the 5/2 diet, is a diet that involves extreme calorie restriction for two non-consecutive days per week and regular eating for the other five days of the week. With the 5:2 diet, men consume six hundred calories during their days of fasting while women consume five hundred calories during their days of fasting. A typical day of fasting might include a breakfast that consists of three hundred calories
: popular choices are black coffee, water, or green tea with ham and a couple of eggs.

For lunch or dinner, grilled meat or fish with vegetables can be eaten. This meal consists of three hundred calories. It should be noted that the five hundred or six hundred kilocalories daily requirement should be taken in small portions. Avoid doing one 500-600 calorie meal all at once.

On your regular days you are free to eat what you want but will want to avoid going over 2000 calories for women and 2400 for men. Meal planning is essential to ensure you stay within your allotted calories on your fasting days and your regular days. There is no point in fasting two days and overeating the other 5. The calories are estimates, and you will need to test what works best for you.

When you eat, your body takes several hours to process the food and burn fats. Since you have eaten, your body will not resort to your stored fats for energy. Instead, it will use the fats from the food you have just consumed. This is especially true if you have just eaten food rich in sugar and/or carbohydrates.

When your body uses just the food you have eaten as your primary energy source all the stored fat in your body goes untouched. Not the best scenario for fat loss. We obviously need to eat food for energy and to function
, but we can use intermittent fasting to maximize our stored fat usage.

When you fast your body will be forced to use your stored fats as a source of energy instead of the glycogen in your liver and muscles or the glucose in your blood stream. The same thing goes when you
work out while in a “fasted” state. During this state, your supply of glycogen and glucose becomes depleted.

I would attribute a lot of my weight loss to working out in a fasted state even though I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing at the time. I was exercising at 5:30am and didn’t feel like eating before I went to the gym
, so the reality was I was in a mini 8 hour fast each time I went to the gym and then would eat right after.

What happens next is your body becomes forced to adapt and use the fat stored in your cells for energy. This happens because your body reacts to the consumption of energy with the production of insulin. Basically, the more sensitive the body is to insulin, the more efficient
ly it can lose weight and build muscles.

When you sleep, glycogen stored in your liver and muscles is depleted, and when you work out, it gets depleted further and you become more sensitive to insulin. When you eat after working out, the food you ate will be stored as glycogen and burned as energy. There will only be small amounts stored as fat.

If your sensitivity to insulin is at a normal level, meaning you are not on an intermittent fast, the carbohydrates you consume that are not used for energy become stored as fat. Your growth hormone increases while you fast and while you sleep. So if you want to lose fat and build more muscles, you should increase your sensitivity to insulin by practicing intermittent fasting.

Benefits

Most people discover when they start fasting that they were eating food more out of habit then out of hunger. When you are
fasting, you are consciously choosing the exact period of time you are eating that day and not mindlessly eating. Like any way of eating there are pros and cons to what it can provide you.

Some people have claimed the following benefits while fasting:

● Improved immune system due to the absence of regular colds and flus

● A boost in energy

● An increased overall sense of well-being

● A reduction in cholesterol, glucose levels in the blood and blood pressure

● Total body detoxification

● Healthier eating patterns and reduction in overeating

● Noticeable improvements in arthritis, digestive disorders, skin conditions and other ailments

● Increased fat burning capabilities

● Your metabolic rate actually increases during short-term fasting (but decreases after 72-96 hours of fasting so don’t overdo it)

Even with these benefits always be sure to consult your doctor to ensure you do not cause yourself any personal harm.

One of the main benefits of IF, which we discussed, is weight loss. Anytime you lose excess weight you are going to see an improvement in the quality of your life. Your health will be better, your body will be less toxic and you will have higher energy levels.

This happens whether you lose weight with fasting or not. Just realize that these benefits can be as short or long
-term as you want them to be based on your dietary choices. As you lose weight you are more likely to participate in exercise, which makes the health benefits twofold.

I know when you are overweight even starting exercise can feel like an impossible task. You don’t need to exercise to start losing weight with the Paleo diet and intermittent fasting
; the lifestyle adjustment will allow you to start losing weight without breaking a sweat. You will be amazed at how motivated you are to get moving once your weight starts to drop.

What’s more, the good bacteria found in your gut will improve. Intermittent fasting supports healthy gut
bacteria, which boosts your immune system and protects you against numerous diseases. If you have a healthy immune system, you will be able to sleep better, have improved mental clarity and be more energized.

Intermittent fasting works because proper calorie consumption is vital
to weight loss. So when you fast for sixteen hours each day or twenty-four hours a couple times a week, you make it easier for your body to restrict its caloric intake. You are able to lose weight faster because you eat fewer calories than you used to.

Side Effects

Anytime we switch from an unhealthy eating lifestyle, or even our regular eating routine, we are going to experience some side effects. Healthy food or not, there will be a change your body experiences when you make the adjustment.

Hunger is going to be the main side effect when you start to fast. The reality is our feeling of hunger is being triggered by our need to support our overeating habits. Your body expects to have the freedom to gorge itself every
day, so when you change that behaviour it thinks it is hungry. In my book
Weight Loss Domination Diet
I talk about resetting your full meter so you end the feelings of hunger.

Our habit of overeating all the time makes our body feel like it is starving after 2 hours. As you adjust to fasting the hunger pains will decrease, as you are retraining your body about when it should expect to eat. Your full meter is going to be reset to match your fasting.

Some people claim they have experienced these side effects during the transition:

● Low energy levels

● Headaches

● Increased hunger pains

● Muscular weakness

A person leading a healthy lifestyle may notice minimal side effects switching their eating habits versus a person who constantly overate junk and was a smoker. Also, you could experience many more symptoms then what are listed. It is difficult to give an exact list that you should expect to experience.

Numerous people drop out during the transition phase
, so they will be the ones stating that fasting doesn’t work and that the side effects were horrible. Then you have the people who stuck it out and said all the side effects disappeared within a short time.

The important point to acknowledge is
that we are all different and will experience different side effects at different levels of intensity. A lot of these side effects are from the detox you feel once you cut out unhealthy food.

You are also going to read that fasting is not good for long
-term weight loss, and I agree with that statement if you are using fasting in the traditional sense. That type of fasting has you starving yourself for days or weeks at a time, which this book is not about at all. You can fast in a healthy and safe way intermittently.

When you are on a Paleo diet you can be assured you are eating the right types of food and to make intermittent fasting work you just need to be eating the right amount of it.