You are probably wondering why I am talking about Diets right? Totally off subject from my usual travelling and history malarkey? But for me diet is very important even when you are on the go (travelling often)

First let me re phase the word “Diet” because I hate using it. I would like to call it “Lifestyle” because like “Diets” they usually don’t last long but lifestyle is committing to changing your lifestyle for a better version.

I am going to talk about the Caveman Lifestyle and what it actually is and also the reasons why most diets fail.

So let’s start with the reasons why most Diets fail first because you probably want to know why?

You think Will power will help you starve yourself

I am guilty of this and what I mean by will power is you eat less you have a little voice in your head saying you can’t eat that or don’t eat now but in a matter of fact this can actually trigger your hunger. By starving yourself because you want to lose those pounds you are actually dramatically increasing hunger, cravings and slowing down your metabolism as it is conserving energy. Your body goes into “famine mode” where it protects the fat stores it has and sources calories from lean tissue and muscle mass to keep the body functioning. In return this lowers your metabolism rate. So if you are going to lower your food intake for whatever reason make sure to do it in moderation and have medical advice first.

Starved Workout to lose more weight

What annoys me the most is when people say they are going to do a starved work-out in the gym. It has scientifically been proven that it does not work and in actual fact has the same results if you were to do your work-out after eating so don’t go to the gym on an empty stomach and think you will lose extra weight because it does not work. Your body needs energy to work-out it is common sense. If you do a starved work-out it will just go into famine mode and source it’s energy from your muscles and places you may not want to lose the weight.

Yo-Yo dieting

The average male or female gains more than 10 pounds for each diet they start and stop.
The yo yo diet is a very common occurrence we are probably all guilty of it at some point where we start a diet on a Monday and by next week we are back to square one eating naughty things.
What you don’t know is the average weight gain for dieters will actually be greater than those who never diet because like I have mentioned before our body goes into famine mode and when we do indulge in sweet or fatty foods this prompts the storage of fat for future shortages which means WEIGHT GAIN and depending how much you indulged means the more you gain and I am not saying do not enjoy yourself but in moderation if you are serious about living a healthy lifestyle.

Need Medical help because of hidden reasons

Your diet may be failing because you have a hidden medical condition. There are many factors which can affect your weight gain, loss and metabolism. The main culprit is inflammation. Inflammation can be caused by a number of things but what is common factor is Gluten and dairy. Now I don’t know a lot about these as I have never suffered from these allergies but I know they can be serious so if you think you suffer from this before going to the doctor maybe cut out all dairy and gluten products and if you feel better after a few weeks you know the issue. Your Gut could be suffering? Our gut is made up of trillions of bacteria which can play a big role in metabolism. I was taking Antibiotics and after I suffered from stomach problems because the antibiotics killed off a lot of good bacteria so what I recommend is taking lots of probiotics if you suffer from Gut problems. Your gut can also be affected by high carb sugary products, Low fiber products and different types of medications like I explained before so keep an eye on these if you suffer from stomach problems.

Now I have only explained the basic trends there is obviously a lot of science in this from brain chemistry to hormones which I would love to get into but it is all a little confusing so I have broken it down as best I can.

Caveman lifestyle

Three basic rules for a caveman what you can’t HUNT, GROW or FISH don’t eat.

Obviously we are not all going to turn into cavemen and start hunting things but you get my gist.

I simply mean don’t eat processed foods or anything that can sit on a shelf for a year because that can’t be good for you. And always ask yourself this “could a caveman eat it?”

What not to eat (Only examples)

Processed foods, sugars and dairy

What to Eat (Only examples)

Meat - Steak, Pork, Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Turkey, Ox, Rabbit, Venison.
Fish - Salmon, Tuna, Seabass, Prawns, Herring, Cod, Haddock (All Non smoked)
Vegetables - Carrots, Broccoli, Spinach, Peas, sprouts, Potato, tomatoes, cabbage, kale
All eggs with Yolk Good :)
Fruits - Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, avocado, bananas, apples, oranges
Nuts - Almond, Pistachio, Coconut, Hazelnut, macadamia

If you combine each of these everyday and make a portion plan you will see results. Each food has it’s own nutritional value and balances out your good fats, carbs, proteins and vitamins everything your body needs. If you adapt to this new lifestyle you will feel so much healthier and full of energy.

This is just the type of lifestyle I believe works for me and everyone is different but it has everything you need to be able to live a healthy life.