Eat Like a Caveman. Lose Weight.
Lucas G. Irwin, Co-Owner, Brickhouse Fitness Miami, Inc.

Yes, like a caveman. I guess I should probably explain before people begin to roam their streets in search of a wooly-mammoth. We need to remember that, despite the advancements we have made as a species, our bodies are still programmed to physiologically operate most efficiently on a very primitive level; much like our most distant ancestor, the caveman.

Our body is not designed to sit down and eat 3 large, prepared meals every day; much less the one or two that most of us typically manage to work in. Our “Uncle Caveman” didn’t have this luxury and his mid-section may have been better for it. Cavemen had to rely on the smaller quantities of food that they were able to come across every few hours throughout the entire day. Eating in a manner similar to this is actually how we should all be eating today.

You’ve likely heard that eating 5-6 small to medium-sized meals daily is the best way to lose body fat and naturally increase energy. Well, it is true. The 1-3 calorie-rich meals that most Americans eat per day are actually encouraging our body to store as much fat as possible. Our body is incredibly smart; if you feed it infrequently, it will store as much as possible to ensure that the energy is there if you decide to wait your typical 6+ hours between meals. However, when you fuel your body with smaller meals every 2-3 hours, your body will essentially learn to burn the calories immediately with little to no excess storage. This eating schedule will raise your metabolism, increase your constant energy, decrease body fat and eliminate the post-meal energy crash.

Let me provide you with a few very basic guidelines to help you incorporate this eating schedule. 1. Start timing the 3-hour window at the beginning of your meal; if you start eating breakfast at 7am, you eat again at 10am. 2. Breakfast should be your biggest meal (calories & carbohydrates); all subsequent meals should be smaller than breakfast and approximately equal in size. 3. The last two meals should have the least carbohydrates. 4. All meals should include carbohydrates & protein, with the possible exception of the last meal or two. 5. Prepare all of your food ahead of time. 6. Meal size needs to be calculated based upon your specific caloric needs (using BMR and activity level). Chances are you haven’t been shown how to do this; please email me and I will gladly guide you.

So it seems our primal counterparts were doing pretty well, though it was by default. Luckily for us, we don’t have to risk our lives on a daily basis to correct our diet. We just have to plan, prepare food ahead of time and commit ourselves to change. As always, I am here to help; so please contact me with any questions you may have and let me help you get your health back on track.

lucas@brickhousemiami.com, http://www.brickhousemiami.com