Chapter 2: Fight The Fat
Or
The Importance of Paleo
Make no mistakes, when the end comes, the fatties will go first. Why? Because they can’t run very far or very fast.
I know we all like to believe that “everyone is special” and we should never leave a man behind. But when you’re being chased down by someone or something that wants to eat, imprison, rob, or just plain maim you, you will find yourself in quite the moral conundrum as you wonder whether to risk your own hide for a guy who will slow you down.
Conversely: do you really want to be the guy whose uncompromising love for pizza and Twinkies has compromised the group who tried to protect you? Or do you really want to be responsible for the life of someone who died trying to save you? Absolutely not.
So how do we fight the fat?
Diet & Nutrition
Occasionally on TV or websites you see the heroic story of an individual who went from morbidly obese to Chuck-Norris-lean. Usually it’s affiliated somehow with P90X, but let’s face it—we don’t all have 1-2 hours, 6 days a week to get our workout on.
The fact is that any of these heroes will confirm: somewhere between 80% and 90% of their success stemmed from what they didn’t do. More specifically, these people got lean because of what they chose NOT to eat.
Exercise is important, that is best left to another chapter. Right now, you need somewhere between 80% and 90% of your focus on your diet.
The Formula For Fat
If you wish to lose a significant amount of weight, you need to keep in mind a few very basic principles.
The first is a very simple formula:
Calories Consumed – Calories Burnt = Calories Stored
According to the formula (and any nutritionist will agree), the key to losing weight is simply a matter of burning more calories than you consume. Therefore, when it comes to your diet, your goal should be to consume a satisfying amount of food while ingesting as few calories as possible.
There is only one tried-and-true way to accomplish this: the Paleo Diet **please note that this is simply referred to as the Paleo diet for simplicity’s sake, the given topic is weight loss for survival: not some neurotic debate about the influence of gluten on our diets**.
The Paleo Diet, is named as such because it is supposed to resemble the way that hunter/gatherers (cavemen) ate. This means: meat, fish, nuts, leafy greens, regional veggies, and seeds. No pasta, cereal or candy!
Arguably the most beautiful aspect of the Paleo Diet is that, when properly executed, it requires NO calorie counting. Eat until you’re satisfied. Your meals should include a healthy portion of meat and as many vegetables as you like.
The average human being, without intentional exercise, will burn about 1200 calories daily: if all they do is sleep. An adult male, just going about his normal routine, will most likely burn about 2000 calories, give or take a few hundred; a woman: approximately 1600 (figures approximate to help you orient yourself nutritionally).
So your job then, if you wish to get to a low body-fat percentage, is to maximize your nutrient-intake while minimizing calories.
The Paleo Diet, in short, will help you lose weight, build muscle, and quickly prepare you for outrunning hordes of zombies and tackling the minions of the evil Grapple CEO.
So here’s how it works:
What you can’t consume:
Grain, dairy, all processed foods, refined sugars.
Here’s what’s on your plate:
Eggs: those enriched with Omega-3 are ideal.
Meat: grass-fed, NOT grain-fed.
Fish: Wild fish. Farmed fish have been known to contain mercury and other toxins.
Fowl: Chicken, duck, hen, turkey…winged creatures (if you want to try bats, go nuts, though they don’t count as fowl), whether they can or can’t fly.
Tubers: yams and sweet potatoes. These are higher in calories and carbs, so they’re ideal right after a workout to restore the body’s glycogen levels.
Vegetables: As long as they’re not deep-fried, eat them by the truckload.
Oils: Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil – think natural.
Fruits: Have natural sugar, and can be higher in calories, so limit if you’re trying to lose weight.
Nuts: High in calories, so they’re good for a snack, but don’t eat bags and bags of them.
A Way Of Life & Thinking Thin
As with any diet, consistency is crucial for success. So it won’t help if you treat this as another ‘diet’ per se. In fact, it has to be your diet. Attack this with a lifestyle-change mentality. Is there a food you can’t live without? Eat it once a week; there is no need to rip simple pleasures from your life before Tuesday dawns. Just remember your goals. Losing weight? Have the pizza, just go for the run later.
BUT
If you really want the fastest results, be strict. Give it a try for thirty days and see how you like it: the Paleo Diet can allow for fantastic eating. We’re talking steak with asparagus and sweet potato fries, grilled chicken salad, massive omelets, apples dipped in almond butter, and heaps more foods if you get creative. Pick any of the things from the list and eat as much as you please (with the noted exceptions). It will change your life.
Remember: Never let your caloric intake dip below 1500 daily (and this is for an average size human being) to keep your body from preparing for starvation, which would be counterproductive. The taller and bigger you are, the higher that number goes. If you’re big because you’re fat, don’t worry about the number: just eat more vegetables.