“Did you know food gives you energy?” — Andy Dwyer, Parks and Recreation
As we covered in Fuel 101 v1.0, if eating less and moving more worked to achieve the body we wanted, we would be all set, but as many of you can attest, this just simply isn’t the case. What does work? Paleo works. Like anything, you have to be committed and consistent to see your desired results.
Why paleo? Paleo is a way of eating that at it’s base is eating as natural and nutrient dense foods as possible. This is an extremely anti-inflammatory way to eat. Everyday living is enough to cause inflammation in your body, add a workout (or other stresses) on top of that and you definitely want to make sure you are fueling your body in ways that will not add to the inflammation. You want to ensure that your diet is working to repair damage and reduce inflammation already present. Paleo is the key that unlocks both.
The paleo diet places an emphasis on quality protein sources to both fuel your body and repair it from the damage done to it either by weightlifting or day-to-day stress. Healthy fat is used by the body for energy, insulation, and vitamin absorption. A common mistake is not getting enough protein or fat in your diet. Macro Fit has a great macro-calculator to help you find hard numbers to follow so you can keep your fat, protein, and carbohydrate ratios in check.
The following guide is an excellent tool for getting you started with some good numbers to use a guidelines and goals:
Weight loss:
Protein between 0.5 and 1g/lb of BW
Carbs under 100g a day. Choices aren’t always good/bad. Just more/less.
Fat between 25-35% of daily cals.
Performance:
Protein 0.7 and 1g/lb of BW
Carbs between 200-300g a day. Post WOD focus.
Fat between 30-40% of daily cals.
Carbohydrates are a place to examine to ensure you are fueling with quality macro nutrients. Your body breaks down carbohydrates to sugar to be used for fuel. Your body views all sugar the same way, however, it’s hard to overeat fruit and it’s very easy to overeat processed sugar like that in candy, soda, and the like. A common mistake in eating is getting far more carbohydrates than your body needs so that unused sugar in turn becomes stored in the body as fat. Carbohydrates themselves are not the issue so much as which type of carbohydrates. You want the majority of your carbs to come from nutrient dense veggies. The bonus here is you can also eat more if you choose well. Obviously 100 calories of vegetables are going to be a lot more filling than a dinky 100 calorie pack of pseudo-food. The timing of when you consume carbohydrates is also a key factor to success. Taking in 80-100g of carbohydrates post-workout will boost your glucose stores aiding in both recovery and optimum performance. Experiment with carbohydrate intake right after workout and see if that makes a marked difference in not only how you feel and perform but also in what you see in the mirror. Jet Fuel offers a more in depth look at pre and post workout supplements and fueling for optimal performance.
What is the paleo prescription to achieve the body you’ve always wanted? Quality. The best possible foods for emphasis on how you look, feel, and preform. You are an experiment of one, so it might take a little bit of tweaking to find your best plan for your best health, but with dedication, these resources, and a little effort, it CAN be done.
Where do you start? Building a repertoire of favorite paleo recipes you and your family enjoy is the key to success in meals and eating in general. Planning ahead is your secret weapon to having high quality paleo foods at the ready and not resorting to the quick, easy, and oft times unhealthy options. Here are a couple of places to help you transition in to eating a more consistent paleo diet and setting yourself up to win with make ahead and on-the-go options. Once you have experimented with a few recipes and meal plans you’ll know what fits best in to your lifestyle and what will be most sustainable in days to come so you can revisit favorites as paleo becomes more and more second nature.
If you are looking for an entry level course in paleo cooking, PaleoLeap.com is a fantastic place to start. You can even get a pdf of their top 25 most popular recipes emailed to you for free just by signing up for their enewsletter. There are meal plans that start as low as $7 and there are also cheat sheets and simple instructions in case this is your first foray in the kitchen.
PrepDish.com has great once-a-week meal preparation day cooking plans with recipes, shopping lists, preparation instructions and instructions for day of meal enjoying. All very easy to follow and a favorite of the Biles family. Also, this vegetable spirializer found on Amazon is an easy way to turn nutrient dense vegetables in to a power-packed base for all of your great pasta and previously “served on noodles” dishes.
Fuel 101 listed out many other great resources for Paleo recipes that are also worth checking out. And, what if getting jacked with giant biceps and quads like tree-trunks is your goal? Not to worry, Tank Fuel notes have you covered.
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Chris Biles, DC is the head trainer and owner of CrossFit Waxahachie. Established in 2010, CFW is a premier strength and conditioning facility for athletes of all levels- beginner to advanced.
If you’re still looking for the Carrot Banana Muffin recipe click HERE.