No. I'm NOT pregnant...

No.  I'm NOT pregnant...

That got your attention didn't it?!?  One of the things I've always struggled with is waking up each morning with a flat-ish stomach and going to bed each night looking like I'm six months in.  When I changed to a Paleo/Primal diet two years ago, much of that dissipated.  As time has gone on and I've allowed myself more "treats" like baked goods, foods fried in unhealthy fats, wine, and the occasional beer, I've discovered that I'm back to the same type of problem.  Until recently.

Not long ago I listened to a podcast hosted by Chalene Johnson in which she featured Primal guru Mark Sisson from Mark's Daily Apple blog fame.  I've been a fan of Mark's for some time but didn't catch that he eats on a more compressed diet.  Not "diet" as in "I'm restricting myself" but "diet" as in "my diet consists of...".  Clear as mud?  He eats within an 8 hour window.  He feels better when he practices that style of eating.  Intrigued, I did a little research and came across the 8 Hour Abs Diet by Melissa Mcallister.  She eats a primal diet but also does so within an 8 hour window.

Being the researcher that I tend to be, I thought I'd give it a try.  I'm rarely hungry first thing in the morning anyway so it didn't seem like much of a sacrifice.  Here's my results after a week and a half:

*Very satisfied with my 11:00 am meal (I have had no off switch for hunger most of my life, this style of eating seems to have fixed that problem)

*More satiated between meals (not necessarily ready to eat my own arm before I get home for dinner)

*More energy and less lethargy throughout my day (desk job... ugh)

*Less obsessing on what and when I'm going to eat next

*Belly is shrinking (as long as I stay away from baked goods and beer!)  I'm looking less like I'm 6 months pregnant at the end of the day.  This is a huge thing!

Here's what my typical meals for the day look like:

Meal 1:  6 oz. minimally processed roast beef or turkey, an avocado, a small apple, cucumbers, carrots, and/or tomatoes.

Snack:  small handful raw almonds or a Larabar (only if I'm actually hungry though)

Meal 2:  large handful of some kind of meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, either stir-fried with lots of veggies, my favorite sugar free seasonings, in either coconut oil or grass fed butter or served with lots of roasted veggies.

And there you have it!  I've included the links below to both of the folks I referenced above.  If you've never considered compressed eating (also known as intermittent fasting), try it for a couple of weeks.  I would love to hear about your experiences!

http://www.eighthourabsdiet.com/

http://www.chalenejohnson.com/chalene-show-podcast-show-notes-8-hour-ab-diet-melissa-mcallister-little-known-secret-turning-body-fat-burning-machine/

http://www.chalenejohnson.com/podcasts/paleo-primal-diet-with-mark-sisson/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Witty quip of the day:  If you can't see a baby's head actually sticking out of the nether-regions of the woman you're looking at, do NOT ask her when she's due!  Your welcome.