Falling off the Paleo wagon, and not getting run over.

First off let me apologize for being gone so long, I've had a hell of a couple of weeks...I've had some issues with my Paleo/Primal journey, and I've hit a few stumbling blocks.


Let me explain a bit about myself. I have a huge self esteem issue, notably a complete lack there-of. I am most definitely an instant gratification kind of guy, which has led to some things paying off very well for me but also some spectacularly self destructive moments.

So how does this fit into the past few weeks ?

Well I've gotten myself a personal trainer...Surprisingly a paleo friendly one. We've had 3 sessions thus far, and we've begun working on the fundamentals, some cardio, light calisthenics/stretching and will sortly be moving into weight lifting. I've had a V.O2 Max test, and seem to be on my way. We discussed my eating/Paleo diet and he agrees I picked the right style of eating, apparently my body comp has indicated I'll thrive on low carb high protien. We are currently experimenting with me eating 225g protein a day which = about 1.5g/protein per lb of lean body mass.


This is about the time my first issues started popping up. So, for a week I ate...ALOT. here came the problem, my weight started maintaining, I was sitting steady at 205lbs for about a week and a half and  to me anyway I saw no visible weight loss or body composition changes. I've begun getting depressed and worn down with the grind of cook, clean the kitchen, come back and do it all again. Eating out has been very difficult as well, Finding Paleo(ish) friendly fare in this small town is very hard. For example, out to eat Order a steak (medium well) and ask for seasonal veggies instead of a baked potato or french fries, and you get a small scoop of corn. So one cheat day turned into two or three.

Enter Samhain.

Oh the sweet sugary joy that are Carmel squares... all day before and of Samhain I snacked on them...and the night before Samhain while sitting with Dot and 2 of the kids I really fell off the wagon, 6 slices of pizza later I felt like utter crap. I was (and am) disappointed with myself, I chose to do what was easy instead of what was healthy for me.

So here I am 3 days after Samhain and I need to start again...I have an appointment with my trainer tomorrow at 9 AM, and after I am headed to pick up some fresh vegetables. When I quit drinking it was hard, but I never relapsed, so here it is my first real "relapse" I guess the only thing to do is get back on the wagon and keep going.

Have you ever fallen off the wagon, and if so how did you deal with it ?

Paleo Life Meets Modern Man.

Well, now that my Inaugural post is behind me, I suppose I should talk about my first few weeks as a Paleo convert, or at the bare minimum how I started Primalizing (ok, if it wasn't a word it is now damn it) my life.


The Ice Age Cometh.

Me being me, as of late nothing I do or commit to ever comes without research. I don't want to be told, I want to understand.

I spent a good portion of the next day or so reading and absorbing information. I went back and read primers, F.A.Q.'s and testimonials on many of the major Paleo/Primal sites which you can find on my blogroll.  I built a list and working knowledge of what I could eat, what I shouldn't eat, and why that was...I was surprised at the amount of scientific and layman studies, observations and discussions examining paleo fundamentals and not just the HOW to do it, but the WHY.

Make Mine Paleo!

With the research out of the way, I had a basic understanding of what I needed to do....so I did what any self-respecting early 30's guy in my place would do, I called my mother. The first words out of my mouth were "hi mom! come shopping in my cupboards and fridge!". Naturally I needed to reassure her I was not insane, or in the midst of some psychosis, but she eventually came on over and I loaded up 3 reusable shopping bags full of my entire stock of canned soups, beans, gluten laden sauce mixes, Processed cheese, frozen pre-made hamburgers....you get the Idea.

Now, as you may remember I was convicted of DUI (Driving under the influence) so i don't have a license, So again mom to the immediate rescue, she took me shopping! I paid, but still, if I don't have to walk or take a taxi I'll continue to be a cheap bastard thank you. I picked up Stuff for a weeks worth of clean eating, Organic Mixed greens, Veggies, lean meats, and I embarked on my first Primal "experiment" Home Made Beef Jerky.

As a side note, the jerky turned out fantastically, I used a very lean cut of Brisket and had enough for about a a pound of jerky.

Gathering the Tribe

Lets take a small step backwards... I would be completely out of line (and a Giant Douche), to not mention the commitment of my D.... upon discussing with her I wanted to commit to the paleo lifestyle, she did what she always does. Supported me fully, having been a Librarian and the more logical of the two of us, she went home and prior to bed that night I am sure (even though she won't admit it) read and recommended many many articles... she also informed me she was coming along for the ride! Now, D has issues processing red meats, and Pork. However the Naturals lines seem to work for her, so we have developed a plan to modify her Primal experience accordingly. We decided to join the YMCA with a "family" membership, so that her 3 kids K,W, and D could use the membership as well, K being the only one still at home, with one in Regina and the other in Winnipeg.

Urban Nomads

D and I walk a lot now...She works a night shift at a local meat plant (Ironic as she is/was vegitarian), so many of our walks happen after 1 AM, and on busy nights, or nights where she has to stay later, I walk by myself....most of our walks range from 3 to 7 or 8 Km's, and are the basis of the Primal Pyramid, for the most part "Chronic Cardio" (long bouts of high impact cardio) are frowned upon, unles you are training to be an athlete, soon we will start on the second level of the pyramid at the gym "lift heavy things" power/weightlifting to gain muscle and burn glycogen to accelerate health and fat loss.

So there it is, the first few weeks of my primal journey...

On the go tomorrow - a visit to a local farmers market and some time outside in this gorgeous sun! it's the weekend after all, so go out and experience it, I know I will ! 

Be safe, and healthy.

My Story: From High Life to High Fat.

Welcome to Wheat City Paleo!

I guess I should introduce myself...

Hi my name is Jason and I was addicted to fast food and unhealthy eating. 

Simple beginning, you bet. Simple story not so much.

For many years I worked in a local bar here in the Wheat City, 7 of the longest years of my life, my city is a town of 50,000 (maybe closer to 65k now) but back then NOTHING but bars and 7-11 were open past 10 PM. my shifts would start at about that time, so on the way to work I'd grab take out chicken, a burger or 2 or anything else that was handy and take it to work with me. This was fine dining as far as I was concerned since I couldn't cook worth a damn at 19 years of age...at home it was Ramen, or Pizza Pops, or some other processed food....

I was caught in this trap for many many years and eventually other things caught up with me, I became (more) overweight, in a co-dependant relationship with someone that enabled and encouraged unhealthy things, and eventually I spiraled into depression and alcohol abuse.

Fast Forward to 24.


My journey to a healthier me gets a very very real wake up call...one night I finally hit absolute bottom, my self esteem and image in the gutter with no feeling of self worth, I tried to take my own life in the most selfish (to me) way possible... I drank and drove. I Ran my truck into a Hydro pole doing about 65 km/h on a cold and icy night in December.


Needless to say I handled my more...serious mental health issues first which took a long time, therapy and a good swift kick in the ass from the wonderful people in the judicial system. In the preceding years I tried my hand at college, Met the love of my life and her three wonderful children, and got my shit together and started living a life.

So there I was about a month ago (now 32) sitting in the Doc's office awaiting the results from my first full physical ever. I thought I was doing pretty good, I had quit drinking, quit smoking, and started eating 3 meals a day. I was following healthier eating than I had in a long time, and that's not saying much.

The Verdict ? 5'9, 235 Lbs, 33.1 BMI Pre-diabetic, and high Cholesterol.

Needless to say one of my greatest and worst assets is the fact that I can be stubborn as hell, especially when I get mad...I was rip roaring pissed at myself...so I immediately came home and thought long and hard about where I wanted to be....the Doc gave me until November just before my 33rd birthday to see what I can do with myself.  So I did what I usually do, I jumped on the trusty interwebs and prepared to use my Google-fu.

I don't remember what led me to it, but I came across Mark Sissons site Marks Daily Apple. Did some reading and I was hooked... paleo/primal living made perfect sense to me, it wasn't just a "do this and profit" website, it was a community that explained, and built on principle! I could do this !

My Girl Friend D has been immensely supportive and decided to join me on this journey and although she has issues with certain red meats we are going to modify her primal experience to focus on non-red meats and fish...

In the past 3 weeks I have lost about 11 lbs and am down to 224.6lbs as of two days ago...We start at the Gym next week as it falls on a pay week.

my biggest stumbling block at the moment is the city that we live in, there is one store for grass fed beef and Bison, however my attempts to find free range chicken and pork have not gone well, so I have resorted to using Maple Leaf Naturals products, as well as the nitrate free naturals bacon.

So here we go...I'm ready to completely flip my lifestyle and embrace primal...yeah it was originally for health, but now it's for a brand new me.

P.S: as a Disclaimer I can have a bit of a mouth, so in advance I apologize for the occasional Cussing and probably warped sense of humor.