To all the diet skeptics, people who aren't sure what diet to get on and those who are struggling to stick with the diet...

I recently had a conversation with a friend not too long ago. A fellow crossfitter at that. He has been struggling to stick on to a strict paleo or zone diet mainly because of the people he lives with and because he lives in Malaysia and the food is just too awesome. So this post is to convince him that with exercise and a good diet you will achieve the results you want.

The 2 photos below were taken at the beginning of October 2009. When we were just starting out the 30 days Paleo challenge. As you can see my body was not too bad because I had just got back to UK after 3 months of super crossfitting (Everyday, twice a day). I forgot to take pictures of my post paleo experience so I am really sorry I have nothing to prove to you that it works for a month. BUT....


Check this out. After the 30 days challenge I went ballistic and lost all will power and just ate like a happy little pig that I was. I mean who wouldn't since you haven't eaten sweet and sexy food in a month. Anyway so from the start of November I started eating what I normally ate (i.e. rice, pasta, cakes etc). Then came December and Christmas was soon upon us and ate more. Then came January and exams and I ate more and more junk because I kept thinking I could not afford the time to cook better food. Within that couple of months I had also picked up the interest of baking even more and well I started consuming deserts quite regularly. Then on one fine morning when I woke up and looked in the mirror I realized THIS....


Immediately I knew that I have to get back into the Paleo and get back into the gym. Because of Christmas break and exams I had not been in the gym in almost 2 months. So in the mid of February 2010 I said to myself "It is time to get back on Paleo and take it a step further!". Hence I starting zoning my Paleo. It was difficult to Zone at first because I was not use to the calculations and the numbers. After about2-3 weeks or so it got much easier.

My first step to achieving the Zoning-Paleo was purchasing the Zone Diet and the Paleo diet book online. I read through that quickly and with ease and it cleared up a lot of questions I had. In fact it took me to a further step into my diet, I started to consider the Glycemic index of my fruits. This helps with ensuring that I am not raising my insulin level too high unnecessarily. Hence it has been about a month since I started Zoning-Paleo coupled with 5 days a week in the gym doing crossfit WODs (Thanks Pushmore, Crossfit.com and CrossfitFootball) and here are the results.


I am back to where I want to be and doing better. Still gaining more ground. Working hard for my sexy abs =)

Anyway, let me share with you the biggest difference the diet has made;

1) Obviously the physical appearance
2) Strength has improved tremendously (My DL in Sept [just before I left KL] was about 100kg, in October I went up to 145kg 1RM)
3) Increase in mental alertness
4) Increase in concentration (probably means the same as 3)
5) I don't feel tired at all
6) Increase in recovery rate (i.e. less time it takes to recover)
7) most importantly, cooking has never been simpler

So my friends I hope I have convinced you enough that the Paleo/Zoning-Paleo works. And to my buddy Ben a.k.a Kacang Bendy, Yue, Benjamin, Gay boy, etc.... I hope you are convinced that it works and that it is time for you to get on this path along with us. Do not fear about not having the will power because we all started that way and we all are here to support you. So hope on the train with us and join us in our journey to get fitter, faster, stronger and sexier =P

Foodie Update

Meatballs and stir fry cai xin with garlic

Refreshing simple and typical zone-paleo lunch. (Turkey breast, grapes and a plum and loads of vege and some nuts = protein, carbs, fats)

Paleo Beef Jerkey

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Beef Jerkey recipe courtesy of the Paleo Diet book :

2 lbs (I used 1 kg) Beef cut into 1 inch X (1/8) inch
equal amounts of spices (I used, cayenne pepper, tumeric, cumin powder and black pepper)

Mix the lean beef strips with the spices and let it marinade over night (or at least 1-2 hours)
Place the beef strips on a baking tray lined with baking parchment
Preheat the oven to a temperature of 140-150 degC
Place the baking tray in the center shelf and leave the oven door ajar (slightly open)
It will take between 4-12 hours depending on how you like your jerkey.

My first attempt was at 150 degC @ 10 hours = too dry and crunchy
2nd attempt at 142/143-ish degC @ 6 hourse = the thicker pieces were not the texture I wanted yet but most of them turned out perfect =)

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If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you =)

Who says Paleo has to be boring?

This is a quick Paleo dinner (Turkey breast, brussel sprouts, fruits &nuts)

My Fishy Dinner


Paleo Cookies

This is my own cookie recipe. I was just testing cause I was craving something sweet and cookie like =)

Here you are PaleoPals

Recipe :

2.5 cups X Almond Butter/Flour
1.25-1.5 cups X Dry fruits (raisins, apricots, etc)
2.5 X eggs
1 cup X dessicated coconut
5 tablespoon X Honey (add more or less to your taste)

Bake at 190 deg celcius for 10-15 minutes on the mid shelf.

Enjoy my lovely friends!!

Paleo Round 2 - It's a lifestyle

As other fellow paleo pals have announced, some of us Paleo Pals - after our 30 days challenge in October 2009, decided to get back on the Paleo diet.

So let me fill you in quickly on my experience post 30-days Paleo Challenge.

1. Mad cravings

The post-paleo experience for me was worse than the getting started on paleo phase. All the repressed cravings from the 30 days lashed back with vengeance as I binged on bad food (most notably chocolate and cheesecakes).

2. Giving up ovo-lacto-pesco-vegetarianism

After 9 years of being quite vegetarian (not fully because I take seafood on and off) for ethnical reasons - I decided to start eating meat in the middle of November.

Going through 30-days of Paleo forced me to look back at the decision I made when I was 16. By getting more informed (largely influenced by the book The Vegetarian Myth) and deciding that I want to stop addressing the symptoms of a problem (industrial food) and start learning more about the causes of the problem. I could go on and on about this but it will take to many blog posts, so I will end at this.

The first meat I started reintroducing was beef as it was the easiest to eat. Follow by chicken. The last meat to reintroduce was pork as it was the hardest to eat and even now I am picky about how it is cooked.

For the first two weeks I felt pretty constipated (is this too much information?). But after that my body adjusted to the new diet (phew!).

3. Better food for me and you

Going through that 30 days paleo really did change my life. As some of you read - it was initially very tough cutting off half the food I routinely eat, such as rice, bread, milk, cheese, etc. Some foods which I thought were healthy like oats and yogurt, apparently weren't healthy enough!

Since I grew up eating out and never cooked anything fancier than instant noodles and fried egg - I had to start learning how to cook for myself. From making soups, stir fried vegetables, steamed fish, etc. It was initially difficult and time consuming.

Eventually I got used to it and post paleo - I've maintain some Paleo-ness such as having fruits and nuts for breakfast and snacks (instead of sandwiches and biscuits) and cook in more often.

And after cutting off my addiction to instant mix coffee drinks like the 'white coffee' mix - I've opted for freshly grind coffee beans without sugar.

The good thing is, the close people around me also adopted some good eating habits. The Mother is influenced to eat less grains, The Brother also ditched the instant coffee for freshly brewed coffee, The Boyfriend ditched cereals and is slowly cutting down on instant coffee.

Round 2, new Paleo rules.

For Round 2, most of us are choosing Paleo as a lifestyle instead of a "30 days challenge". Which means we have to each develop a system which works best long-term.

Here some guidelines which I'm following:

1. One cheat meal in every 4 days - Every 4 days I'll treat myself to 1 cheat meal.

2. Make the best of the situation - On occasions where there is no Paleo food available, I will just choose the next best thing. This is to avoid getting gastric and other stomach problems.

3. Coffee with milk - Coffee to me is not just coffee. It's therapy. It's a ritual. From choosing my beans to grinding them. Letting it sit in the plunger....watching it black turn into milky brown when I pour the milk in..... having the first sip.....hmmmm. Now, while initially I stopped drinking coffee with milk, by the 4th day I was not able to perk my mood up. Considering work circumstances (stress) and deadlines this week, I've decided to have milk with my coffee until this period is over. I will slowly phase it out after March.

I've been on Paleo for two weeks now following these guidelines. Yeee-har!

Why Can't I Have Grains, Beans & Potatoes?

Paleolithic Diet buffs refer to the new foods as Neolithic foods and the old as Paleolithic Diet foods. In simple terms we see Neolithic as bad and Paleolithic as good. Since then, some other substances have entered the diet- particularly salt and sugar, and more recently a litany of chemicals including firstly caffeine then all other additives, colourings, preservatives, pesticides etc.

Grains, Beans and Potatoes (GBP) share the following important characteristics:

• They are all toxic when raw- there is no doubt about this- it is a fact that no competent source would dispute- they can be extremely dangerous and it is important never to eat them raw or undercooked. These toxins include enzyme blockers, lectins and other types. I will talk about them in detail later as they are very important.
• Cooking destroys most but not all of the toxins. Insufficient cooking can lead to sickness such as acute gastroenteritis.
• They are all rich sources of carbohydrate, and once cooked this is often rapidly digestible-giving a high glycemic index (sugar spike).
• They are extremely poor sources of vitamins (particularly vitamins A, B-group, folic acid and C), minerals, antioxidants and phytosterols.

Therefore diets high in grains beans and potatoes (GBP):

• Contain toxins in small amounts.
• Have a high glycemic index (ie have a similar effect to raw sugar on blood glucose levels)
• Are low in many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytosterols- ie they are the original “empty calories”
• Have problems caused by the GBP displacing other foods

As grains, beans and potatoes form such a large proportion of the modern diet, you can now understand why it is so common for people to feel they need supplements or that they need to detoxify (ie that they have toxins in their system)- indeed both feelings are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, we don’t necessarily realize which supplements we need, and ironically when people go on detoxification diets they unfortunately often consume even more Neolithic foods (eg soy beans) and therefore more toxins than usual (perhaps they sometimes benefit from a change in toxins).

by Dr Ben Balzer

Chap Goh May

So to end CNY I broke my diet by having a plate of chicken rice. But I couldn't resist because it was cooked by yours truly =)

Anyway for those who are back on the diet or have just started out. Best of luck and keep it strong. Remember that the food you eat is the only thing you have control of when you want to become fitter, faster and stronger!!!