How to Get Started in "Paleo"... and Where It Leads

There are 100+ ways to define paleo. Primal is just a more specific version. And while my paleo kitchen may not even match up ideologically with some of the other folks I swap recipes and produce with... it all falls under the same paleo template. Look... What works for me may not work exactly as well for you. We're all built and wired (physically, mentally and emotionally) differently.

I had a friend call me the other day and ask me what I've been doing to get healthier. He's put on some extra weight and is now frustrated to the point where he's willing to try what has worked for me. Which begged the question... How do I explain to him what worked for me? I decided to keep it simple. Below is the one page summary (italicized) that I sent him... my best effort to spell out what a paleo/primal lifestyle requires.

Primal Economics 102 - Produce

I wasn't always a fan of the produce section.  The veg in my shopping cart used to come in the way of some canned green beans, an onion, a few out of season roma tomatoes and a bag of frozen french fries.  Oh, and ketchup.  [Odds are the tomatoes were going to go bad sitting on my counter.]  My shopping cart slowly evolved over the years... and the places I got my produce from changed, as well.

While most Central Market grocers have well organized and beautifully arranged produce sections, you have to do a little digging to find what little organic produce they stock.  Whole Foods carries more organic produce... but you're going to pay for it.  Listed below are a few of the other ways you can affordably source your produce.

What is a Paleo/Primal Kitchen?

The question of how to stock a primal or paleo pantry is a common one... and each of our answers are a little different.  While we all stock our fair share of meat and vegetables, the details start to vary from there on.  But what about the actual kitchen itself?

I imagine the original paleo kitchen was pretty simple: a fire, a knife and maybe a flat stone that could be heated and cooked on... maybe a mortar and pestle.  Even looking back a mere hundred years or so, most people would be lost in a kitchen circa the turn of the 20th century.  No ice or filtered water dispensed from the refridgerator door?  No dial on the oven to meter the temperature inside?  No food processor?  No microwave? 

Just as the human diet has changed and evolved over the centuries, so have the kitchens we use.  I started thinking about how and why...

My Second Change: CrossFit

Exactly 52 weeks ago today, at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning, I set foot in a CrossFit box for the first time.  In the early part of 2011, I came to the realization that I was incredibly out of shape... and fueling myself on a fast food diet while leading a sedentary lifestyle wasn't going to do my lifespan any favors.  I knew I had to find some sort of physical exertion that I could enjoy enough to stick with.  I'd tried running in my neighborhood... and found it to be boring.  Treadmills and ellipticals bored me even more.  But across from my old office, there was a gym that seemed to be thrown together in a warehouse.  Unlike most gyms, there was no traditional equipment to be seen inside... and the people who went there did odd things... like running around the block while carrying heavy objects.  Interesting.  The sign out front boldly proclaimed the establishment as CrossFit Strong.  As I wanted to find out more about how they would make me "fit" and "strong," I checked out their website... and tumbling down the rabbit hole I went.

Primal Economics 101

Grass fed beef gets expensive.  So does free-range chicken.  Especially when you are feeding more than one mouth... or a growing family.  And, while someday I may be able to shop exclusively at Whole Foods and the like, I'd like a little more wiggle room in my grocery budget.  I decided to conduct an experiment in consumer economics that I would like to call Primal Economics 101.

I looked at my last few grocery bills and realized that the majority of the bill was going towards protein.  Meat, fish, eggs, bacon, nuts, protein powder, etc.  There was a significant amount of produce on the receipt, too... but that will be reduced soon, as our vegetable garden will start producing and we will be picking up our weekly share from a local CSA (community supported agriculture) farm.  I'd heard from a few sources about how serious money can be saved by shopping at Sam's, Costco and the like.  But nobody provided a breakdown of what and how much.  And then there's the idea of having to pay for membership.  I remained skeptical.

So, this weekend, using a free one-day pass that I found online to try out our local Sam's Club...

Lessons Learned in My Kitchen

The past couple of weeks in my kitchen have been checkered with successes and failures.  Some people think that "failure" may be a harsh criticism to throw out there.  But, I'd be sugar coating the reality if I tried to downplay some of my poor results... and sugar isn't primal/paleo.  While almost nothing I made was worth posting on Primal Texas, I suppose these lost endeavors cannot be labeled total failures.  For one thing, nothing that was prepared had to be wasted.  It may have tasted kind of "meh", but my wife put on a smile that even I (almost) believed and told me it wasn't as bad as I thought.  And, there were lessons learned in every instance.

Before the First Change...

I was dramatically overweight, had no energy to do anything but watch whatever the DVR had recorded for me when I got home, and "didn’t have time" to make the right decisions with food.  Eating was a matter of convenience.  So more beginning of year reflection lead me to think back on 2011.  One year ago, an average day of eating looked something like...

My First Change: Packing Lunch

I’m sitting up… past my bedtime… refreshing the CFWR schedule website for the 37^th time to see if tomorrow’s WOD has been posted yet.  Alas, it has not.  I’m not sure why I’m so curious about the workout’s makeup.  There is nothing they could post that would inspire me to stay home and skip it.  I’ll be there at 8 a.m., even though the coach who planned the WOD described it (with his trademark wry smile) as “…going to be tough.  Yeah, it’s gonna suck for you guys.”  Um, when I asked about Saturday’s workout, I was looking for specifics… not smirking and vagueness.  Checking for the 38^th time (still nothing), I vow not to check again tonight… to let it be a “pleasant” surprise tomorrow morning.  I know that early tomorrow morning I will be presented with the challenge to overcome.  A 5k? Murph? Filthy Fifty?  Or perhaps a uniquely designed Chipper?  Our coaches can be so creative.

As I (pointlessly) refresh for the 39^th time, I begin to wonder, “What has come over me?  When did I become consumed by this way of life?”  This has prompted a bit of even deeper reflection…which has me thinking back on my life a year ago today.

I Am Thankful For...

I realize that I am truly blessed and I am thankful for many things.  My health... My wife... The love and support of my family... The amazing trainers and awesome community at CrossFit White Rock... and of course, bacon and eggs.

Without them, I don't know if I would have made it this far into my journey toward a healthier lifestyle.  While today is Thanksgiving, and it will filled with many indulgences, I started the morning like I have so many others this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

In The Beginning...

In the beginning… I weighed in at 217 pounds.  At least, that’s what the scale said the last time I made the effort to stand on it.  Who knows? I may have packed on a few more pounds with stress eating in the days that followed.  But for the purpose of measurement and tracking, 217 was my starting point.