Robert Smith 
Paleo is one of the most popular diets on the planet (up there with the Keto diet) and I bet you have questions.
I got the answers, my friend!
In addition to helping people “go paleo right” with our online coaching program, we also create epic guides like this one that covers all the bases.
What is the Paleo Diet and how does it work?
I know it sounds like a fad/marketing gimmick, but the Paleo diet isn’t a “diet” and it makes a lot of sense when you think about it.
Here is the ENTIRE menu in a nutshell:
“If a caveman didn’t eat it, you shouldn’t either.
As the theory goes, tens of thousands of years ago, before Nike, Cap’n Crunch and Healthy Choice food, our ancient ancestors thrived as hunters and gatherers.
Although it’s been a long time, our genetics haven’t changed that much since then.
And yet…these days we are overweight, out of shape, stressed, unhappy, sleep deprived and dying from too many preventable lifestyle diseases.
A few thousand years ago, humans discovered farming, the agricultural revolution began, and we progressed from hunter-gatherers to farmers.
We settled down, formed societies, and the human race progressed to what we are today. Which of course is great for several reasons:
- Wild animals will not eat him
- Electricity
- Automobiles
- Nintendo
The problem is that our bodies never properly adapted to eating all the grains and sugar we now consume.
As paleo guru Robb Wolf says, imagine a 100-yard football field:
The first 99.5 yards is the time Homo-Sapiens spent as hunter-gatherers. When they got good at hunting and gathering, our bodies adapted to that lifestyle over thousands of years.
That last half-yard represents our species after the Agricultural Revolution, where our diet has shifted (but our genetics haven’t).
So instead of loading up on meat, vegetables, and seasonal fruits, we’ve become a species “addicted” to grains—bread, pasta, rice, corn, and so on.
66% of us are overweight, 33% are considered obese, and these numbers only worsen.
Something is wrong and we need to fix it.
The Paleo diet is an effort to return to the roots of our ancestors.
To start eating the way we are biologically designed to eat, allowing us to tap into our genetic potential and begin living healthier lives immediately.
While this video is pretty hyperbolic, it does a pretty good job of explaining the Paleo diet in a few minutes:
So, To recap the rules of the Paleo diet:
Only eat foods that a caveman would eat See Rule #1 Note that he doesn’t mention calorie counting, meal timing, or macro tracking.
That’s part of the diet’s popularity: eat Paleo-approved foods when you’re hungry, and that’s it.
Will I lose weight on the Paleo diet?
“Will the Paleo Diet Help Me Lose Weight?”
Probably. If you can apply the rules of the paleo lifestyle, you can get some pretty solid results.
The paleo diet will work for weight loss… provided you put yourself in a caloric deficit.
You have to have the right mindset, you have to focus on the right foods, and you have to structure your environment so that you are not tempted to back off and abandon the Paleo diet after a few days.
However, it has nothing to do with what Fred Flintstone did or did not eat.
So, It’s about science and thermodynamics.
As I point out in our article How to lose weight: What is the perfect diet (for me?) if you want to lose weight:
- Eat fewer calories than you burn each day.
- Do you want to be healthy too? Eat mostly real food.
- Do you want to KEEP your weight off?
Add #3: Do these two things consistently for ten years.
Here’s why you’ll lose weight on it:
You only eat meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and nuts. These are foods that are packed with nutrients, and will make you feel full, but don’t have nearly as many calories as junk food.
You eliminate calorie-rich, often nutritionally insufficient, unhealthy foods. That means no grains (pasta, bread, rice), no dairy, and no beans. This also means no soda, no candy, and no sugar.
And yes. By eating only real food and avoiding all junk food, you’re more likely to stay out of a caloric deficit—and lose weight. All quotes told are USATODAY taken. Also, check out more blogs in the fashion and health section.
