Weight Loss – Cavemen Concepts That Stood the Test of Time

1. Cavemen Didn’t Have Fast Food Restaurants on Every Corner.

Before the cavemen ventured into the woods to hunt their food, do you think they stopped for a 600-calorie splurge at the fast food restaurant directly adjacent to their cave entrance? After dinner, did they sip a 650-calorie specialty coffee from their favorite local coffee shop? If so, what do you suppose their body composition would be? My guess is they would have a 30 pound belly and walk around hunched over because the gravitational force of their belly literally pulls them to the ground. Had the cavemen stopped for high-fat, high-calorie splurges, do you think body fat would have been a bigger issue back then?

Let’s fast forward into 2009. In a 2 mile radius from my home, I can name 14 restaurants where I can sit down and throw back 2,000 calories with just one dish. Stop. Go back and read that sentence again. 2,000 calories from one meal and there are at least 14 establishments in the close proximity to my home. What can you conclude from that?

The point of Cavemen Concept #1 is to help you overcome the temptation of pulling off the road every time your stomach gets a little urge to stuff it with food. The cavemen didn’t have the choice to swing through the drive through every time their stomach growled. You probably want to state that in 2009 we are time-starved, too busy for anything but to run the kids around, scurry out the door in the morning, work long and irregular hours, worship our televisions, go to happy hours, and do all the things that are so easy to do because they offer the path of least resistance. I would suggest 2 things:
1.  Prioritize your hours better; keeping in mind that eating healthy and exercising will keep you alive. The path of least resistance does just the opposite.
2.  Ask yourself what is most important in life- exercising for 1 hour each day or being dead for 24 hours?

Live by Cavemen Concept #1 and notice your self-esteem sky rocket and your waistline shrivel!

2. Cavemen Hunted Their Food.

Chances are you’re chuckling, asking yourself how in the world you can possibly hunt for your food in 2009? I can see it now! How do I chase down a 5-pointer in the streets of Manhattan, skin it, gut it, and cook and prepare it all before 7 a.m.?  Although it paints quite an interesting picture, that scenario is not what the Cavemen Concepts are all about.

Physically hunting your food is not the point of this Cavemen Concept. Rather, hunting food is a great example of building up your caloric deficit before you sit down to eat. The key phrase is caloric deficit- a term most people never even experience in their entire lifetimes. Try to make a simple pact with yourself, and I am positive this works because I live my life by it each and every day. Teach your body risk-reward when it comes to sitting down for a meal and you will master the complex art of eating. Refuse to eat a big meal unless you worked for it in some way such as eating half your lunch so you can enjoy a slightly bigger dinner, or cutting out all the beverages today except water so you can enjoy a glass of wine at night and not exceed your caloric intake for the day.

Let’s take a closer look at this concept and discuss ways you can implement the Cavemen Concepts into your life to increase your chances of losing weight and fitting into your pants better. Next time you sit down for a meal, ask yourself a few questions:
*Where do I stand for the day regarding my caloric intake?
*Is it really worth consuming an extra hundred, two hundred, or even four hundred calories?
*What are the consequences of eating this meal?
*Am I really, truly hungry?
*Can I have a handful of nuts or just a side salad and soup to overcome my hunger?

By asking yourself these questions, you will be acting wisely and similarly to the cavemen when they went out into the woods to hunt, kill, and prepare their own food.

3. Cavemen Didn’t Eat Processed Foods.

Tonight’s Menu in the Cave:
*Canned vegetables
*Frozen fish
*French Fries
*Red Bull

Are you hysterical? It sounds funny to think about those foods being served back in the cave days, but the answer boils down to one word: convenience.  Healthy foods spoil quickly but processed foods last much, much longer.

For example, a close friend of mine conducted a study in his office and the results are truly shocking. My friend placed a fast food burger and fries on the counter with a sign next to it: Guess how long this will last without ever putting it back into the refrigerator. Winner gets free services for one year.

The results? 13 days later, the burger and fries looked the same way they did on day one when they were placed on the counter. You are welcomed to try this simple experiment at home. I assure you the results will absolutely shock you and maybe even stop you from feeding your children these foods.

The point of Cavemen Concept #3 is to simply compare the high-calorie, high-fat convenience foods we have available today with the food options available to the cavemen in the barbaric days.