5 tips to stay consistent with the Paleo diet

The Paleo diet is key to health and performance. Whether it’s used to reverse disease, extend life, maximize performance, or any other amazing benefit, it’s all about consistency.

We all know how difficult it can be to maintain a strict diet, especially if it is very different from what we ate beforehand. That is why the 5 tips below will greatly help you stay consistent while on the Paleo diet.

1. Schedule cheat days. This is crucial! It is bound to cheat, and it is best to know in advance when it will happen. Personally, the best results come from a day when I was cheated on. I will take one day a week as my cheat day (Saturday) and eat all I want. This actually accelerates fat loss by increasing thyroid enzyme production. This also allows you to be completely clean the other 6 days a week.

2. Keep meals the same. Another simple way to always be consistent is to keep meals the same. When you have no other choice, things get a LOT easier. If you think this is incredibly boring, remember what you had for breakfast this morning. You probably ate the same breakfast a couple of days ago. This alone can have a huge impact on your diet.

3. Take pictures / measurements before. Be sure to take “before” photos before starting the diet. Also include waist, arm, chest, and body fat measurements. For athletes, you can also take training times as your “before” measurement. Personally, I do CrossFit and have used the workouts as my “improvement” indicator. When you feel like you want to cheat and you’ve had enough of the diet, check out the measures above, they will inspire you to keep going!

4. Surround yourself with like-minded people This, up to a point, is one of the most important things you can do not only to help you with your diet, but also with your life in general. If you can find someone to join you on a “30-day challenge,” or just surround yourself with other dieters like you who recognize the importance of health, it’ll keep you on track. Find these people through the same means you go to (like the gym) and stick with them and hold others accountable. As a bonus, you can make friends for life or maybe a more than friendly relationship! (Note: this is exactly how the weight watchers started.)

5. Set Goals and Mark Them Unfortunately, we know that we will not get immediate results from the diet. There is an “immediate gratification” that we all seek and when we do not get it immediately, we begin to alter the course of the diet. This is why goal setting is so crucial. Set weekly or even daily goals and write them down. Check them off as you complete it. This will give you first-hand insight that you are making progress toward your “big goals” and keep you on track. (Goals can be anything, like marking every day you eat clean or once you drop your waist every half inch.)

If you incorporate these 5 goals into your routine, I guarantee that you will remain consistent with the Paleo diet and see much better results, whether in the gym or on the scale.