5 Tips for Staying Consistent With the Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet is key to health and performance. Whether using it to reverse diseases, prolong life, maximize performance or any other amazing benefit, it is all based on consistency.
We all know how hard it can be to stay strict to a diet, especially if it is much different to what we ate beforehand. This is why the below 5 tips will help you tremendously to stay consistent while following the Paleo diet.
1. Schedule cheat days. This is crucial! You are bound to cheat, and you are better of knowing ahead of time when that will happen. Personally, the best results have come from one day of cheating for me. I will take one day a week as my cheat day (Saturday) and eat everything and anything I want. This actually accelerates fat loss, as it increases thyroid enzyme production. This also allows you to be completely clean the other 6 days per week.
2. Keep the meals the same. Another simple way to always be consistent is to keep the meals the same. When you don’t have a choice, it makes things A LOT easier. If you think this is insanely boring think back to what you ate for breakfast this morning. Chances are you ate the very same breakfast a couple of days ago. This alone can make a huge impact for your diet.
3. Take before pictures/measurements Make sure to take “before” pictures before you begin the diet. Also include waist measurements, arms, chest and body fat. For athletes you can also take workout times as you’re “before” measurement. Personally, I CrossFit and have used workouts as my “improvement” indicator. When you feel like you want to cheat and have had enough of the diet, look back at the before measurements, it will give you inspiration to keep on going!
4. Surround yourself with like-minded people This, to some degree, is one of the most important things you can do not only to help you with your diet, but life in general. If you can find someone to go on a “30 day challenge” with you, or simply surround yourself with others who also diet and recognize the important of health as do you, it will keep you on track. Find these people through the same outlets you go to (such as the gym) and stick with them and hold each other accountable. As an added bonus you can make lifelong friends or perhaps a relationship more than friendly! (Note: This is exactly how weight watchers started).
5. Make goals, and check them off Unfortunately we know we will not get immediate results from dieting. There is an “immediate gratification” we all seek and when we don’t get it right away, we begin to alter course from the diet. This is why making goals is so crucial. Make weekly or even daily goals and write them out. Check them off as you complete it. This will make you realize first hand you are making progress towards your “big goals” and will keep you on track. (The goals can be anything such as checking off each day you eat clean, or once you decrease your waist by each half inch).
If you incorporate these 5 goals into your routine I guarantee you will stay consistent with the Paleo diet and see far better results, whether it is in the gym or on the scale!
