30 Day Paleo Diet Challenge: Day 2

This is day 2 of my Paleo diet challenge. Please don’t consider me a Paleo specialist, all this is intended for is to share my experience :) Please consult a nutritionist or dietitian for nutritional advice.

Wednesday, I took advantage of my last non-Paleo day to eat a nice bowl of pasta and drink some red wine along with it. I have to say, I have been eating so much pasta and breads the last few months that I was ready for a break! I was starting to feel sluggish after eating these so the Paleo challenge seems to be here at a good time. At the beginning of the Paleo diet, I’m weighing 213 lbs. with 13% body fat (the average man has 18-24% in the US, according to most sources). This is over my normal fat percentage of 7-10% but I have been intentionally gaining to build more muscle mass. I would like to get to 6% body fat. This is a personal goal and does not reflect on anyones else but me. Doing martial arts, strength & conditioning and other sports in combination with this diet should make this possible over time. I have been there before and am comfortable at that level and know where my limits are. To determine your goals, consult with your trainer (we can measure you body fat and help you with your training), dietitian or doctor!

Yesterday, March 1st, we went shopping to get everything we need for the Paleo diet. As you can see, once we passed the produce section, our cart was pretty much full already! Of course, we got other stuff as well such as meat, fish, nuts, eggs etc. Since it was our first shopping and we needed to stock up on certain things, it was expensive! I’m sure the next shopping sprees will be better though since we got many items that will last a while. We also need to figure out the routine, which probably will take about a week.

After shopping, we spend a solid 3-4 hours cooking to prepare as many foods as we could for the next few days. Throughout the day, I ate about 6 or 7 meals, consisting of soup, meatballs, chicken cutlets, eggs, fruit and nuts. I also juiced some fresh oranges (tastes so good!)

Unfortunately, during the first day I couldn’t satisfy my hunger. I don’t think it was as much physical as it was mental. I do believe we are addicted to some foods and after eating those, you need more and more in order to satisfy yourself. Not being able to eat these items, makes it hard to satisfy my hungry feeling! However, since it is such a change in diet, I think it just needs time. The first 2 weeks I expect to be pretty rough. However, today (2nd day) I am doing better already and feel less hungry (believe me, I’m eating a large amount of food).

Training wise I was pleasantly surprised I didn’t feel a dip in energy! I am sure it has a lot to do with all the meals I had, which kept my blood levels more steady. Although, I was still surprised since I did not have any pasta, bread, rice, potatoes etc. and I didn’t feel weak at all. My training yesterday was:

• A light Modern Martial Arts class (60 minutes)
• A Strength & Conditioning class (50 minutes + 10 minutes stretching)
• Teaching a Self Defense class (some parts can be pretty intense when instructors are the subjects to takedowns, self defense techniques etc.)

Today, my wife and I went for an hour hike and I worked out for about 45 minutes (weight lifting) and still did not feel a drop in energy! This was a major concern for me but I’m happy to admit there is no such drop!

Tomorrow I’ll be training a good amount (at least 3 hours) so I’ll let you know what happens!




By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.