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A WEEK OF PREPARATION—READY, SET, GO!

A week of preparation is a great way to begin your transition to the Paleo diet. Below, you’ll find a list of activities that outline goals for each day of the week leading up to your Paleo transition.

Day 1: Become Your Own Best Cheerleader

Compile some of your favorite motivational quotes into a document in your computer, or write them on a piece of paper. Print or cut them out and place them in locations that you’ll see every day. This might include your desk at work, your kitchen, your bathroom, or the place at home where you work out. Take the time to read and reflect on them throughout the week.

Day 2: Keep Your Vision in Front of You

Visualization is proven to be motivating when you are trying to reach a goal. Today, make yourself a vision board. You can even make two—one for home and one for your workplace. These boards can be elaborate and artistic, or a simple bulletin board or sheet of cardboard. You can even use a clipboard or dry erase board with magnets. Collect pictures that inspire you, but steer clear of pictures of fitness models and celebrities whose bodies you admire. Instead, choose pictures of things you want to do when you’re fit and healthy, or even pictures of yourself when you were in better shape.

Day 3: Know Where You’re Starting So You’ll Know When You’ve Arrived

Today, you need to take stock of where you are in terms of your fitness and health. This will enable you to set realistic goals, track your progress and celebrate your success.

First, you need to take your measurements. Using a flexible tape measure, measure your chest, upper arms, waist, abdomen, hips, thighs and calves, and record the measurements. Each week, you can record the changes and see the evidence of your weight loss progress.

Next, try doing just two minutes of moderate cardio exercise. This could include jumping jacks, jumping rope or any other activity that gets you moving. Record how you feel during and after the exercise. Repeat this once a week while on the Paleo diet and notice whether your energy and fitness levels are changing.

Weigh yourself and record your starting weight, but understand that your weight is not the perfect gauge of your health. Use an online body mass index calculator (typing “BMI calculator” into a search engine will produce several free options) to calculate your body fat ratio. After starting the diet, weigh yourself and recalculate your body mass once per week. These calculations are a much better picture of how you’re doing than weight alone.

Day 4: Set Your Goals

Write down goals that you would like to accomplish along with your change to a Paleo diet. Try not to go into too much detail, but avoid being too general. Establish a few weekly and/or monthly goals, such as:
 

I will do at least half an hour of moderate exercise three times per week.
I will cut back to two cups of caffeinated beverages per day.
I will eat breakfast every morning.
I will lose at least four pounds each month.
I will walk to work three times per week.
I will swim twenty-five laps twice per week.
I will drink at least sixty-four ounces of water each day.

Put your list of goals in a location where you can check it frequently and mark your progress. It’s a good idea to change your goals every couple of weeks to keep yourself excited and moving forward.

Day 5: Make a Rewards Program for Yourself

Write down a list of rewards you will enjoy as you meet each of the goals on your list. Rewards can be as simple as buying your favorite magazine or a night out with your friends. Every success, no matter how small, should be celebrated in some way. You’ve earned it!

Day 6: Get Your Fill of the Forbidden

This may be your favorite day, but it isn’t just for fun.

Today, go ahead and eat those favorite foods that you won’t be eating on the Paleo diet. Choose the foods you love the most, whether it’s pizza, ice cream or French fries. Thirty to sixty minutes after eating these foods, take a few notes on how you feel. Are you sluggish, bloated, fatigued or mentally foggy? Good. Keep those notes. Read them tomorrow when you’re doing the Day 7 activity, and keep them for later if temptations arise.

Day 7: Clean House

It’s time to get all the forbidden foods out of the house. That means no processed foods, sugars, legumes, dairy, processed meats, flours, bread, crackers, cookies, cakes, gravy mixes, muffins, bagels or tortillas. Here are some ideas for getting these foods out of your house.

• Donate unopened foods to a local shelter or food bank.
• Pass food boxes on to family members, friends and neighbors.
• Take canned goods to your grocery store’s food donation bin or give them to the mail carrier or local firehouse if they’re having a food drive.
• Take snack foods, canned fruits, unopened cereal and juices to a local day care center.
• Give unwanted items to your church or community group.

If you’re living with others who will not be on the Paleo diet, then at least move their off-limits foods to separate shelves and cupboards that are less accessible and tempting to you.

Now that you’ve completed your preparation, you’re ready to start on the Paleo diet. In the next chapter, I’ve laid out two weeks’ worth of meal plans for you. You can use these plans exactly as they are presented, switch up some of the meals with other dishes you prefer, or just use these meal plans as a template for creating your own.