There Will Be Sweat

30 Day Paleo Challenge Recap

I did it. As outlined by Robb Wolf in The Paleo Solution, I went 30 days on a super-strict paleo diet. No sugar, no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no cheats, no nothing. I also supplemented with vitamin D and fish oil every day and got the best sleep that the parent of a teething 12 month old can get.

On the qualitative side of the coin - I feel great. I didn’t expect to feel as good as I did and considering how erratic my sleep and workout schedules have been, I need to chalk it up to the diet.

Now, onto the quantitative analysis. I took some measurements and got some blood work as suggested by Wolf. I also took some before and after pictures, but I’ll spare you the gory details. Here are my before numbers:

• Waist Hip Ratio: .97
• Total cholesterol: 146
  
  • HDL: 101
  • LDL: 36
  • LDL particle size: Pattern A - large and bouyant (that’s good)
  • Triglycerides: 44
• Glycated hemoglobin (Hba1c or A1C): 5.4
• C-reactive protein: 2.0

And my after numbers:

• Waist Hip Ratio: .94 (improvement)
• Glycated hemoglobin (Hba1c or A1C): 6.0 (not good!)
  
• C-reactive protein: 0.75 (improvement)
  

I skipped the lipid panel for the follow-up since my numbers were fine there and insurance doesn’t like covering those tests 30 days apart. I was really only concerned with my A1C (measure of the amount of sugar sticking to your cells) and my CRP (measure of systemic inflammation) numbers after my initial test anyway. Wolf said that an A1C over 5 and a CRP over 1 are both cause for concern. I’m happy to report that my CRP went down, but inexplicably my A1C went UP! Maybe I was guilty of eating too much fruit, but this is upsetting to me. I’ll need to keep the sugar out and cut down on my fruit consumption.

Weight has stabilized in the high 170s/low 180s, where it was in the mid-to-high 180s before the challenge. I also noticed that I look less inflamed (especially in the face) in my after photos, which is consistent with the improvement in my CRP numbers. I definitely plan on keeping up the paleo lifestyle, but I’ll allow myself the occasional cheat when it’s worth it (like the pizza I inhaled from John’s on Bleecker on day 31). Detailed goals/plan to follow.