day zero pdf - wordpress.com · 2018-06-29 · my lower back and knees were constantly aching,...
TRANSCRIPT
Practically Paleo:
Day Zero
Alex CobbFounder, Practically Paleo
�1
Introduction
Eighteen months ago my scale was flirting with 300 big ones. Years of poor choices and
sedentary living was sending my weight steadily in one direction: up. My lower back and knees
were constantly aching, chest pain was common. Sleep apnea kept me awake at night, to
compensate I self medicated with muscle relaxers and booze at night and energy drinks during
the day. I was 26 years old and wasting the best years of my life: I turned down invitations to
hit the beach because I was embarrassed to take my shirt off in public, I either didn’t fit in roller
coasters or found them too uncomfortable, friends cars and airplanes were difficult to sit in for
extended periods of time. I was killing myself slowly, a death by poor decisions. Paleo saved
my life.
A quick search for “Paleo” on Google will return countless approaches that, while
similar, are all unique in their own ways. The guide that you’re reading now is an approach that
I adopted through consuming several hours of books, podcasts, conversations, and more.
Some advice I borrow from others, some is all my own. Not everyone in the Paleo community
will agree with everything I have to say here…something that you’ll discover is par for the
course. To that end, I have no formal education in nutrition, health, biology or a related science.
My writing on the matter is not extensively scientific, rather I take a layman approach to talking
about eating. What I do offer is an approach that has allowed me, as of this writing, to lose
seventy pounds in eighteen months AND keep the weight off. This approach has allowed me to
gain a quality of life that I never had before as an adult. I sleep better, I have more energy, my
back pain, knee, and chest pain are gone. I feel alive again.
If you’re ready to drop 25, 50, or even 100+ pounds….you can with this approach. I
know because it worked for me, a guy who was resigned to the fact that I’d never lose weight
or be happy with my body again. In your journey to weight loss I will be your ally, we’ll do it
together. Through my ongoing journey to weight loss I have discovered the specific reason that
people are overweight…the singular reason. In this guide I’ll reveal that reason to you and give
you some tools to combat that force. Together we’ll change your life. All I ask for is a little effort
�2
and determination. The road to weight loss is challenging, but we will travel it together.
How To Use This Guide
This is a quick start approach to Practically Paleo and is not exhaustive of ALL the tips,
techniques, and theories behind my approach. I invite you to follow me on social media via the
information provided below. I also respond to emails as often and as quickly as possible. This
guide is based on my opinions and first hand experiences… if you have more thorough
questions about how Paleo might impact your specific medical concerns, please seek the
opinion of a medical professional that encourages the Paleo lifestyle, they’re out there!
A Day Zero Food List is found on Page 9. Use this as a template for crafting your meals.
Get creative!
Page 10 is a thought provoking weight tracker. Fill out the questions and post it, tack it,
tape, or otherwise hang it above your scale. Weigh yourself once a week (I chose Wednesdays)
and record your progress on the chart. When things get tough use the reasons you listed as
motivation to stick with it.
Finally: Trust the process, do the work.
Welcome to Practically Paleo.
Alex Cobb
Founder, Practically Paleo
June 2018
Facebook: @PracticallyPaleoPage (facebook.com/practicallypaleopage)
Instagram: @slimredcobb
Twitter: @slimredcobb
Email: [email protected]
�3
We’re All Fat Schmucks
If you’re reading this, one of two things is likely true: Either you think you’re fat, or
someone else does. Right now you’re saying to yourself “that’s not true!” Bullshit. How many
people stumble upon a guide to weight loss if they’re already fit, healthy, and otherwise already
happy with their appearance? You’ve got these words in your hand for a reason and you
already know what it is: You’ve got some pounds to lose.
I say this not to be hurtful or to put you down, far from it. First, I want to make sure that
we can be honest with each other from the get go. Secondly, you should know that many
others, myself included, have or have had struggles with eating, weight, and confidence in our
appearance. You’re not alone. There’s more good news: I know why you’re fat. I also know
which “reasons” are bullshit excuses. Your stress level, work-life balance, your mother, your
“big bones,” your girlfriend, your income level…none of these have jack to do with how much
you weigh.
The reason that you’re fat is the same reason that anyone else is: In the back of all of
our heads is a voice. This is a voice that encourages us, after a week of eating well, to slip
through the drive through for a milkshake. “You’ve earned it,” it’ll tell us. It’s the voice that
allows us to rationalize eating a whole pint of ice cream after our boyfriend left us. We listen to
this voice and associate a summer vacation with Margaritas and fried foods. This voice
manipulates us into thinking that the reasons I listed, your job, big bones, etc, are the reasons
we won’t ever, can’t ever lose weight.
This voice is our Inner Fat Schmuck. We all have one, I named mine Frank. This Inner
Fat Schmuck is a master salesman of poor choices. Your Inner Fat Schmuck will lie to you,
conspire against you, manipulate you, and otherwise do whatever it can to bring on your
demise. The bottom line, absolute truth is this: if you’re overweight you’ve already lost control,
already let your Inner Fat Schmuck get into the driver’s seat of your life. Losing weight will only
begin once you accept the existence of this voice and admit to this reality about it:
When we allow our Inner Fat Schmuck to be in control of our lives, our internal reality
�4
becomes our external reality. When we give up control to our Inner Fat Schmuck we
becomes Fat Schmucks ourselves. Only through winning the war over this force can we
lose weight.
If you’re not ready to admit that then, please, by all means keep living the life you’ve
been leading. Keep waking up tired. Keep popping ibuprofen to make your back feel better.
Keep not playing with your daughter because you don’t have the energy. Keep finding zero
enjoyment in beaches, theme parks, and sporting events. Keep resigning to living your life as a
Fat Schmuck. But if you are ready to change, Practically Paleo will give you the tools to change
your life. We cannot entirely eliminate our Inner Fat Schmuck, but Practically Paleo WILL put
YOU back in the driver’s seat of your own life.
So What’s So Practical About It?
I think of the phrase “Paleo” a lot like religion. Paleo, like Christianity for example, has
followers of many unique varieties that all prescribe to some common, central tenets. The
Paleo Lifestyle, similarly, is founded on a bedrock of a diet high in fat and low in carbs. Purists
in the community might only eat grass fed meats, they might avoid all alcohol, and might see
artificial ingredients as the bane of existence. There are those, however, that might eat some
legumes, might drink some dairy, maybe even eat some organic whole grains in moderation.
Every approach to Paleo is a little different. I refer to mine as “Practical.” What does that
mean?
Affordability is key. Grass fed meats and organic groceries are ideal. If you determine,
however, that these products are outside of your budget then stick to “regular” products that
still fit within the Paleo paradigm. “I cant afford to eat that way” is a bullshit excuse that I hear
from people who don’t want to make the switch. “It’s too expensive” is a common lie that our
Fat Schmuck uses to keep us hitting the drive through for cheap fast food.
I take a flexible approach to ingredients. Artificial ingredients like flavor adders in
seasonings and rubs as well as artificial sweeteners found in low carb/low calorie drinks do not
�5
meet the purist’s definition of Paleo. I encourage avoiding them whenever possible. That said, if
a seasoning with some brown sugar or a powdered low carb drink with Sucralose is going to
keep you from falling back into your old habits…then eat and drink those things. Avoiding non-
compliant ingredients will increase your chances of success and reduce the time it takes to
achieve your goals. But, with that in mind, don’t be afraid to live your life. If it’s low carb you’ll
probably be alright.
Alcohol is permitted on Practically Paleo, so long as it’s low carb. Light Beers are
alright, but liquor with a zero carb mixer is better. I regularly drink Vodka mixed with Club Soda
and a lime wedge. “Regular” liquors (meaning unflavored) are all, essentially, zero carb. Most
“flavored” liquors (think Vanilla Whiskey, for example), especially at or below 35% alcohol likely
have sugars, etc. This is a great example of a time you COULD and SHOULD avoid artificial
ingredients but where mixing Vodka with, say, a powdered Sucralose sweetened drink won’t
derail your progress.
To paraphrase: If you’re eating low carb and avoiding artificial ingredients as often as
possible, you’re on track. A more detailed breakdown of the foods you should be eating can be
found later on.
Welcome To Day Zero
Some day one of two things will happen: Your choices will kill you or you’ll choose to
change your choices. Either you’ll choose to change the foods you put into your body, you’ll
choose to get serious about losing weight, you’ll choose to quit having to rely on chemicals to
stay awake at work, you’ll choose a regimen that helps you get better quality sleep. Or,
alternatively, some day…your Fat Schmuck choices will kill you. Make no mistake…only you
decide how much control you allow your Inner Fat Schmuck to have. He will kill you, if you let
him. I’m committed to helping you take back that control. One day, though, you’ll have to
decide for yourself that you’re ready to change. I hope today is that day.
Day Zero is the day that you finally decide to take control of your life. Day Zero is the
�6
starting point of a long journey towards independence from the control that your Fat Schmuck
has over you. It won’t always be easy, but I’ll be in your corner the entire the way. There are,
essentially, three steps to achieving initial success in weight loss. The first two are easy. The
third, not so much.
1) Throw Away All Of Your Shit Food:
Go through your pantry, your freezer, your kitchen… throw out your sweets, your dairy,
your snacks cooked in industrial oils (canola oil, sunflower oil, etc), your breads and grain
based foods, anything marketed as “low fat.” I know plenty of people that balk at the notion of
throwing away “perfectly good food.” But these foods are killing you. Advertisement agencies,
your Fat Schmuck, and even the US government through their “Food Pyramid” have convinced
you to believe so many of these things are good for you. They aren’t.
2) Eat Fats and Veggies:
If it once was breathing, eat it. Put an emphasis on high quality, fatty cuts of meat like
Ribeye and Salmon. Lower quality meats like bacon, sausage, and the like are fine as well.
Essentially all veggies (excluding Legumes) are Paleo compliant and can be eaten liberally (see
the Day Zero Food List). Fruits ARE Paleo compliant but are not low carb and aren’t suited for
weight loss, but don’t feel you have to avoid them entirely.
3) Do The Work and Be Consistent
This is the hard one. It’s really easy to START a weight loss plan. You’re buying new
foods, posting pictures on your Instagram of healthy meals, flying on a feel-good high. But then
something happens… Maybe Thursday is your normal night to meet your buddies at the bar for
wings. Maybe you have a rough day at work and you want to fall back into your normal routine
of a bowl of ice cream. Maybe you’re traveling for work and “don’t have the time” to find
something healthy. The simple fact of the matter is that these are all bullshit excuses. Your Fat
Schmuck sells these in droves, and you’re buying. We can talk a lot about ingredients that you
can use in a meal but the most important ingredient in weight loss is consistency. If you’re only
committed to eating compliant meals two to three nights a week, you’re going to fail. I promise.
�7
If you’re only strong enough to stick with the plan until your first rough day at work or until your
boyfriend pisses you off, you’re going to fail. But if you’re ready to quit accepting less than the
best you’ve ever felt…if you’re ready to have energy to go out on the weekends…if you’re
ready be confident in yourself again…if you’re ready to stick your nose to the grindstone and
stick with the program…then it WILL work.
What you have to do, though, is set goals and list your motivations. Take a moment to
write down how much you weigh now, how much you would LIKE to weigh, and all of the
reasons you’d like to get to that number. This list of motivators will keep you going after that
rough week, or after your girlfriend makes a snide remark on the telephone, or when a wave of
self pity hits. There are no right or wrong things to list here. “I want to have energy to play with
my daughter again” is just as valid as “I want to look good in a bathing suit next summer.” This
is your life and your desire to drop the weight, be honest with yourself.
With all of that said I offer you these…
5 Keys to Success
1. Some figures to consider… But first, a caveat: We’re all different. We have different starting
weights, different frames, different metabolisms. But, with that said, it is generally accepted
within the Paleo community that 50-100 carbs a day is sufficient to achieve weight loss.
This might seem like an insignificant amount at first glance but it will appear much larger
when you consider how few carbs there are in meats and most veggies. Eating less than 50
carbs is not necessarily good or bad, but I don’t encourage eating more than 100 if you’re
trying to drop the weight.
2. Eat. As much as you want. If you find that you’re hungry… eat until you’re no longer hungry.
So long as the foods that you are eating are Paleo compliant…eat your fill. Your body is
used to large quantities of carbs and sugar, two sources of energy. The goal of the Paleo
diet is to replace those sources of energy, essentially, with fat. You may even find that
you’re eating more, measured by volume, than you were before. While you might be eating
more food you’re still consuming significantly fewer carbs, which is the point.
�8
i) Pro Tip: It can be easy to fall back into an old habit of eating out of boredom. If you find
yourself debating whether or not you are actually hungry, ask yourself this: If this steak
was ACTUALLY a big plate of plain, stewed carrots… would I still be eating it? The
answer to that question will usually be the insight you’re looking for.
3. Dairy Alternatives like Coconut Milk, Almond Milk, and Cashew Milk ARE Paleo but they are
usually full of added sugar. Name brand versions of these drinks that are labeled “Original”
or “Regular” usually contain sweeteners to make these drinks more enjoyable and
appealing to consumers. Look for the “Unsweetened” flavors that do not have any sugar
and usually contain a carb or less per serving.
i. Pro Tip: I love plain, unsweetened Coconut Milk in my coffee, the taste and texture
reminds me of half-and-half. It even goes great in paleo smoothies.
4. Master the art of “Passive Cheating.” Traditional Paleo wisdom encourages an 80/20
approach to eating: Eat Paleo compliant foods 80% of the time and you should lose
weight. This adage, particularly at the beginning of your journey, is generally accurate. A
good number of people use that mysterious 20% of their eating to include “cheat meals,”
snacks, ingredients they know they shouldn’t be eating, and so on. Consider in your mind
that there are three categories of foods: Foods that are 100% paleo (like steak), foods that
should be eaten in moderation (like sweet potatoes, for example), and foods that are not
remotely compliant (a piece of cake). Some folks will eat the first two categories 80% of the
time and the third category 20% of the time. While this might work, a great way to speed
up your weight loss is to eliminate the third category all together and treat the “Eat
Moderately” foods as your treats. This will involve re-wiring the way you think about what
food is a treat and what isn’t, but once you get over that hump the rewards will be great.
5. Ask questions and ask for help. The internet is a wealth of information, don’t be afraid to do
your own research. I commonly do Google searches like “Paleo alternatives to soy sauce”
or “Paleo Thanksgiving recipes.”
�9
The Practically Paleo Food List
This list is not exhaustive but is a general template of the foods you should be eating as
much as you want, in moderation, and as few times as possible. When in doubt: Ask Google.
I’ve often found myself in a grocery style aisle searching for “Paleo alternative to…” or “Is X
ingredient Paleo?”
Green Light Foods: Eat As Many As You’d Like
• Beef
• Fish
• Lamb
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Goat
• Asparagus
• Pumpkin
• Olives (and oil)
• Avocado (and oil)
• Coconuts (and oil)
• Onions
• Greens (Mustard,
Collards, Etc)
• Mushrooms
• Peppers
• Carrots
• Coconut Milk
• Almond Milk
• Cashew Milk
Yellow Light Foods: Eat In Moderation
• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Oranges
• Apples
• Rasberries
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Coffee
• Tea
Red Light Foods: Avoid Whenever Possible
• Dairy (Caveat: I cook in
grass fed butter)
• Grains (All kinds)
• Beans (Red, Black, Green,
etc)
• Soy
• Sweeteners (natural and
artificial)
• Protein Powders
• Energy Drinks
�10
Day Zero Progress Chart
My Name:
My Day Zero Was (Month/Day/Year): _____/______/20____
On Day Zero I Weighed: __________ lbs
My Target Weight is _________ lbs, a Total Loss of _________ lbs
I Want To Lose Weight For/Because: (List 3-5 Motivators)
I’m Anxious To Try Paleo Because: (List 2-3 Reasons You Might Be Anxious, Nervous)
I think Paleo Will Work For Me Because: (List 2-3 Reasons You’re Confident It Can Work)
Day Zero Weight Tracker
Day Zero:
Day 7:
Day 14:
Day 21:
Day 28:
Total Lost in 1st Month:
Day 35:
Day 42:
Day 49:
Day 56:
Day 63:
Total Lost in 2 Months:
Alex Cobb is a native Floridian, currently living in St. Petersburg, Florida.
He started Practically Paleo as a way to share his weight loss techniques
with others.
When not at a Tampa Bay Lightning Game, Alex can often be found at
Disney World with his fiancee, Crystal.