I like to think of myself as an observer. Heck, I’ve been observing stuff all my life. Here is an observation from this holiday week between Christmas and New Years. As luck would have it, I woke up Christmas morning with a fever, chills, and an epic head cold. When you feel miserable, and there is nothing to do but lay there in bed, what do you do? Like many, I flipped on the TV. I’m not a big TV guy. Rarely watch it. I pretty much gave up on it when “Frasier” jumped the shark, but I am certain that you’ve noticed that football games are filled with commercials for cars, beer, and pizza. Here I was, watching television and every single commercial was either a magic weight loss product, diet plan, exercise equipment or gym membership. Did you know that by dropping a couple of grand on this high tech piece of exercise equipment that you can look like a supermodel or a tri-athlete in just six minutes a day? What a time we live in!
I have noticed that this is an annual thing just like Black Friday & paying taxes. I opened my Facebook newsfeed and what did I see? Everyone was putting forth their New Years resolutions for 2017 (in between checking to see if the eagle chicks have hatched yet of course)
We all have the best of intentions. We want to look better, feel better, do better and flipping the calendar to a new year seems like the perfect way to begin. Sadly, most of us fail because we bite off more than we can chew. Whether your goal is to stop smoking, get more exercise, cut back on the booze, chocolate or soft drinks, we are surrounded by temptation at every turn. It’s as if the entire world is trying to sabotage your efforts. Before you drop big bucks on that year-long gym commitment (Yes, the one with the automatic checking withdrawal every month) Think about it. Most people go once or twice and spend the rest of the year driving past the building with guilt and a feeling of failure. (And a recurring bill for the next 11 months)
If your resolution is to drop some weight, May I offer this? Google “The Paleo Diet.”
In the interest of full disclosure, I am in no way associated with or compensated by anyone in the Paleo arena. It’s just that I had tried many things over the years and nothing worked until this. I was able to send a couple of car loads of beautiful, expensive “Fat Clothes” to Goodwill. There is no deprivation at all. You simply eat the way our ancient ancestors did. Lean protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. Stay away from processed foods. If the ingredient list reads like a chemistry book, don’t buy it. Avoid the drive-thru unless its for a salad and a glass of tea. Trust me, after two weeks you’ll feel years younger. You don’t have to buy a bunch of books or products. No pitch man or woman will make a nickel off of you
I lost 90 pounds by basically giving up bread. I LOVE Bread! Do I cheat once in a while? Yep. But I know just how to get back on track in a hurry and minimize the damage. I have some work to do right now because I decided to take Thanksgiving to Christmas off. I was able to do this because I know exactly how my body responds to healthy foods. I don’t feel like a failure because success is within my grasp. Paleo might not be your thing, and that’s fine, I simply wanted to offer you an alternative to deprivation which seldom works.
If you have any questions about Paleo, I’d be happy to answer them. I have also included a recipe for Paleo Banana Nut Muffins. These are so good AND good for you. They fill you up and are a perfect breakfast or snack. Whatever your goals are for 2017, I wish you complete success! Happy New Year! Warmly, Neal
Paleo Banana Nut Muffin Ingredients
- 4 bananas, mashed with a fork (the more ripe, the better)
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup almond flour (or coconut flour)
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
