The Paleo Prince: The Paleo Prince's story!

Purpose

This site is intended to help provide you sustainable health and wellness. I think it's only right if I share my journey with you so you can see first hand how the paleo lifestyle changed my life. These posts stem from my experiences and interpretation of what will bring on success based on the things I have done, read, and learned. I hope you enjoy and this blog provides value to you!

My Paleo Journey...

I was always able to maintain my weight as a child and through high school. Probably because I stayed active with soccer and tennis year round. It also helped that I grew up in a neighborhood with lots of kids and we played outside regularly riding our bikes or shooting hoops. Soon it was off to college which is often regarded as the quintessential writ of passage for any young adult. I had grown to a strapping young lad of 5' 8", weighing approx 170 lbs. Along with college comes the infamous freshman 15. For me, in my first two years of college this turned out to be the freshman 40! After leaving college I began working in retail which led to some very bad habits of fast food each day on break and quick instant dinners since I usually didn't take an interest in cooking for myself. One faithful day I saw a picture of myself and a few friends and I was taken aback. I felt the instant shock and awe because I was the largest in the picture and realized how far I had let my eating habits go. At that point, knowing that weight was becoming an issue for the first time in my life, I eventually gravitated into being a young man who 'thought' he was doing all the right things to stay healthy. This meant limiting red meat intake, exercising 3-4 times per week (cardio + lifting), and eating everything under the sun that had the label whole grain on it. It goes without saying that I was also counting calories. Perhaps many of you are, or have practiced some of the same ideals. Read on to learn more...

At age 24 I was at my highest weight of 245 lbs and I knew I had to change things. At that point I created a lifestyle regiment which included no breakfast, one 6 inch Subway sandwich for lunch without any cheese or mayo, and a rigorous workout at the gym in the evening consuming ONLY a protein shake for dinner. I was following the old conventional wisdom of 'energy out must be greater than energy in.' This did lead to a steady weight loss over approx 9 months and I brought my weight down to 200 lbs. However, that lifestyle left me hungry, fatigued, and in a state of malnutrition. No matter how hard I tried, I could not break through the barrier of being under 200 lbs. Also, I knew that this was not a sustainable way to live life. By age 27 I was still hovering at the same weight and began to accept that maybe I was just husky and destined to be this way because of the way my body was naturally designed. When I was 29 I had received a promotion at work and decided to let the good times roll which included eating a little bit larger portions and ordering more deserts while eating out. I ballooned to 215 lbs and once again knew that it was time to take matters into my own hands the only way I knew how - calorie counting and monitoring energy in vs. energy out. My weight came back down to around 205 lbs where it stayed until 2012.

In late, 2012 I was having dinner with a friend who lost a significant amount of weight and introduced me to the paleo lifestyle. He simply told me that he stopped eating processed food. I said - "that's it???" In addition to that he told me about the blog Mark's Daily Apple which really blew me away as I read through some of the articles. I'll let you research on your own but highly recommend you visit the site and absorb as much info as you can about ancestral living and lifestyle. This is when I began my sustainable journey to health and wellness. After easily subscribing to a paleo lifestyle, I have brought my weight down to 165 lbs and significantly increased my muscle definition. Don't get me wrong, there were challenges like the low carb flu, and some sugar cravings (remember I am a dessert guy!). But overall, I found the transition to be fairly simple and started seeing results right away which kept me motivated. This is also partially due to my new fitness routine which includes exercising less - yes I said less! I used a local gym for the first 3-4 months and the joined a crossfit gym, but I only go 2-3 times a week currently and the workouts are usually less than 30 minutes long - although very intense. The remaining days I spend taking 1-2 mile walks, or playing some tennis once a week. Much better than grinding away on a treadmill or elliptical for hours a week. My pant size has gone from a size 38 waist to a size 30. I have boundless energy and haven't experienced a food coma since I started eating paleo. Oh those unproductive food comas! I have also noticed other subtle changes such as, faster healing from injuries, increased immunity to falling sick, and more vivid dreams (an interesting bonus). I plan to continue on this journey as the paleo prince and try to share what I learn and experience each and every day so that I can have a positive impact on the lives others. Check back regularly for more!

Books I have read and recommend:

- The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson
- The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
- The Primal Connection by Mark Sisson
- The Paleo Coach by Jason Seib
- The Paleo Manifesto by John Durant