The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet[Hardcover]
Customer Review:
Let me begin by saying that I have always been a healthy person--or at least that is what I thought. Since I was fourteen, I went to the gym almost every day and ate foods that I thought were good for me. Around the age of thirty I got super busy. Although I still worked out and ate foods that I had been told were healthy, I didn't sleep as much, stressed a whole lot more, and things began to go down hill. I developed a fairly good-sized tire around my midsection. The color of my skin was a little off. And, most importantly, I no longer felt super healthy. I tried everything I could thing of, which basically boiled down to eating less of the foods I had been told were healthy. I ate a ton of lean meats, and I combined them with a ton of carbs in the form of rice. I cut out every ounce of fat I possible could. And guess what? I started to feel (and look) even worse. In an attempt to correct the situation, I began working out even harder. Although I got stronger and gained more muscle, I still had that tire of fat around the midsection and had very little energy on most days. Was I just getting old? Were the good old days of being fit and healthy gone for good?
A friend of mine had been following Robb's teachings for some time, and he turned me on to the diet. As with most people who learned "nutrition" in college, I was highly resistant. I mean, why would they be teaching us the wrong nutrition in college. The professors seemed pretty smart, and I doubted that they had the goal of trying to kill me. But I was failing with the traditional way of thought, and so I decided it to give the thirty days. My friend told me that Robb preached the "give me 30 days" philosophy, and so that is what I decided to give this new and strange diet, which I still doubted would ever work. Well, thirty days later I had dropped TWENTY SIX POUNDS. Am I joking about that number--absolutely not. A part of it had to do with the fact that I was working out a whole lot more--but the only reason I could work out more is because I was feeling so GOOD. How good? Well, to be quite honest, I was feeling like I did back when I was eighteen (well, maybe not eighteen, but twenty one for sure.)
Now a year and a half later, I feel better than ever. That twenty six pounds of weight loss not only did not come back on, but it turned into thirty pounds of weight less (and yes, I needed to drop thirty pounds.) Just like Wolf's slogan, I LOOK, FEEL, AND PERFORM better than I ever thought imaginable. For someone who has always prided himself on being fit, healthy, and happy, I can honestly say I owe Wolf the world. His teachings have convinced me that getting older does not mean getting fatter, sicker, and less happy. Will you be eighteen for the rest of your life if you take Wolf's 30-day challenge and then adopt a Paleo lifestyle--no, probably not. But you most certainly won't be 40 or 50 or 60. You will look younger than you are, feel younger than you are, and be happy in your skin. Honestly, I don't see how you can put a price tag on that.
What about the sacrifices? This is the big one, right. Well, I have been on diets before, and this is not a diet. It is a lifestyle. And when you get that "diet" word out of your head, restricting certain foods becomes a lot less challenging. Trust me when I tell you that I was a guy who LOVED my bread and wheat beer. But you must also trust me when I tell you that I do not miss these delicious products in the slightest. . .Wolf's lifestyle plan puts you in much better contact with your body, and when you acquire that mindset, things that make your body feel, perform, and look better begin to taste better. Foods I used to despise now taste wonderful. And the foods that I once could not have lived without (bread, rice, pasta) are now the farthest thing from my mind. I've talked with other people on the Paleo diet, and many of them have told me that when they cheat, they can feel the negative effects immediately. Personally, I think I may have cheated on the diet twice in a over a year. Is it because I am super strong willed. Absolutely not. When it comes to will power, I don't think I have that much of it. The reason that I haven't cheated is because I simply don't want to cheat. When I smell the foods I once loved, I no longer have the urge to consume them. Did this take fun out of my life? Did this destroy the thrill of eating and socializing over a tasty meal? Actually, the opposite has happened. I actually enjoy eating a whole lot more because it makes me feel powerful, just like food should. It makes me feel strong, both mentally and physically. And despite what some people will believe, eating healthy does not destroy your social life. All it may do is add some interesting conversations into the mix.
In conclusion, try the Paleo Solution. it works. It works well. And it will change your life in ways you can not imagine. I know change is scary for a lot of people (it was for me), but when the changes you make break the barriers of what you thought life could be, you won't regret it!
A friend of mine had been following Robb's teachings for some time, and he turned me on to the diet. As with most people who learned "nutrition" in college, I was highly resistant. I mean, why would they be teaching us the wrong nutrition in college. The professors seemed pretty smart, and I doubted that they had the goal of trying to kill me. But I was failing with the traditional way of thought, and so I decided it to give the thirty days. My friend told me that Robb preached the "give me 30 days" philosophy, and so that is what I decided to give this new and strange diet, which I still doubted would ever work. Well, thirty days later I had dropped TWENTY SIX POUNDS. Am I joking about that number--absolutely not. A part of it had to do with the fact that I was working out a whole lot more--but the only reason I could work out more is because I was feeling so GOOD. How good? Well, to be quite honest, I was feeling like I did back when I was eighteen (well, maybe not eighteen, but twenty one for sure.)
Now a year and a half later, I feel better than ever. That twenty six pounds of weight loss not only did not come back on, but it turned into thirty pounds of weight less (and yes, I needed to drop thirty pounds.) Just like Wolf's slogan, I LOOK, FEEL, AND PERFORM better than I ever thought imaginable. For someone who has always prided himself on being fit, healthy, and happy, I can honestly say I owe Wolf the world. His teachings have convinced me that getting older does not mean getting fatter, sicker, and less happy. Will you be eighteen for the rest of your life if you take Wolf's 30-day challenge and then adopt a Paleo lifestyle--no, probably not. But you most certainly won't be 40 or 50 or 60. You will look younger than you are, feel younger than you are, and be happy in your skin. Honestly, I don't see how you can put a price tag on that.
What about the sacrifices? This is the big one, right. Well, I have been on diets before, and this is not a diet. It is a lifestyle. And when you get that "diet" word out of your head, restricting certain foods becomes a lot less challenging. Trust me when I tell you that I was a guy who LOVED my bread and wheat beer. But you must also trust me when I tell you that I do not miss these delicious products in the slightest. . .Wolf's lifestyle plan puts you in much better contact with your body, and when you acquire that mindset, things that make your body feel, perform, and look better begin to taste better. Foods I used to despise now taste wonderful. And the foods that I once could not have lived without (bread, rice, pasta) are now the farthest thing from my mind. I've talked with other people on the Paleo diet, and many of them have told me that when they cheat, they can feel the negative effects immediately. Personally, I think I may have cheated on the diet twice in a over a year. Is it because I am super strong willed. Absolutely not. When it comes to will power, I don't think I have that much of it. The reason that I haven't cheated is because I simply don't want to cheat. When I smell the foods I once loved, I no longer have the urge to consume them. Did this take fun out of my life? Did this destroy the thrill of eating and socializing over a tasty meal? Actually, the opposite has happened. I actually enjoy eating a whole lot more because it makes me feel powerful, just like food should. It makes me feel strong, both mentally and physically. And despite what some people will believe, eating healthy does not destroy your social life. All it may do is add some interesting conversations into the mix.
In conclusion, try the Paleo Solution. it works. It works well. And it will change your life in ways you can not imagine. I know change is scary for a lot of people (it was for me), but when the changes you make break the barriers of what you thought life could be, you won't regret it!
+++++
Humorous, logical, and full of science, "The Paleo Solution" is a surprisingly entertaining educational book. Wolf (a former research chemist, now gym owner/trainer) relates his own story of how he became extremely sick on a supposedly healthy vegetarian diet and how he regained his health after he learned that he had a family history of celiac disease - a condition caused by exposure to gluten and exacerbated by grains, legumes, and dairy - and took steps to eliminate these problematic foods from his diet.
Wolf lays out the anthropological evidence for how our modern life is truly out of step with our genetics, which haven't changed much in millions of years. The products of agriculture (a recent development in the course of human history), while great for culture and civilization, are terrible for the health of the individuals who eat them. Grains, legumes, and dairy were introduced into our diet so recently that they are incompatible with our (essentially hunter gatherer) bodies.
Wolf obviously knows a lot about physiology and what can go wrong at the chemical level when we are exposed to stressors that are basically poisons (if not immediately fatal ones). Modern lifestyles and neolithic food are implicated in the development of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, infertility, and cancer. Wolf thoroughly describes the mechanisms through which grains cause disease while also reassuring the reader that one can successfully implement the paleo solution laid out in later chapters of the book without fully understanding the scientific details.
Also of high interest are the chapters on sleep deprivation, chronic versus acute stress, and how the wrong kind of exercise (excessive, insufficient, or too unvaried) also contributes to our collective failure to thrive.
Wolf's arguments seem scientifically sound, and he does a good job of trying to keep things humorous. Some of the science-heavy chapters may be a bit much to get through in one sitting, but he does tell readers up front that they CAN go straight to the chapters on implementation, with their recommendations for before and after blood tests, sleep hygiene, exercises, and 30 days of recipes. Most impressive is his challenge to remain skeptical, even of everything he says. He asks that readers take the 30 day plunge and discover if they truly do look, feel, and perform better. If so, they have found the lifestyle that suits them and their genetics. If not - it's time to ask more questions.
Wolf lays out the anthropological evidence for how our modern life is truly out of step with our genetics, which haven't changed much in millions of years. The products of agriculture (a recent development in the course of human history), while great for culture and civilization, are terrible for the health of the individuals who eat them. Grains, legumes, and dairy were introduced into our diet so recently that they are incompatible with our (essentially hunter gatherer) bodies.
Wolf obviously knows a lot about physiology and what can go wrong at the chemical level when we are exposed to stressors that are basically poisons (if not immediately fatal ones). Modern lifestyles and neolithic food are implicated in the development of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, infertility, and cancer. Wolf thoroughly describes the mechanisms through which grains cause disease while also reassuring the reader that one can successfully implement the paleo solution laid out in later chapters of the book without fully understanding the scientific details.
Also of high interest are the chapters on sleep deprivation, chronic versus acute stress, and how the wrong kind of exercise (excessive, insufficient, or too unvaried) also contributes to our collective failure to thrive.
Wolf's arguments seem scientifically sound, and he does a good job of trying to keep things humorous. Some of the science-heavy chapters may be a bit much to get through in one sitting, but he does tell readers up front that they CAN go straight to the chapters on implementation, with their recommendations for before and after blood tests, sleep hygiene, exercises, and 30 days of recipes. Most impressive is his challenge to remain skeptical, even of everything he says. He asks that readers take the 30 day plunge and discover if they truly do look, feel, and perform better. If so, they have found the lifestyle that suits them and their genetics. If not - it's time to ask more questions.
++++
Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution" is a wonderful resource for both the current Paleo eater and someone new to the arena of ancestral eating. Wolf breaks the book down into both the scientific "why" and the everyday "how" so that the reader can decide just how far down the scientific rabbit hole s/he wants to go. "The Paleo Solution" is a fun, light-hearted but educational adventure into ancestral nutrition and exercise that anyone can follow but it doesn't stop there. Wolf explains how diet, activity, sleep and lifestyle stress can radically effect one's well-being. I've followed Wolf's blog and podcast for years and I'm excited to have all of that information in one place -- an easy to read and understand text, to give to friends and family who are interested in improving their lives through diet and exercise.
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