Before there were packaged goods, processed foods, GMOs and an ongoing debate between organic or not, there was dirt, seeds, water and roaming animals. It may be hard to consider now, but the dawn of man produced hunters and gatherers and humans had to get their own food – not by heading to the supermarket.

There were no sprays to kill insects, no chemicals or genes added or modified. No extra-large tomatoes or vibrant yellow bananas. Food was simple. It was either found, picked or hunted. And although there weren’t doctors or research scientists to confirm the benefits of such eating, it seems that when it comes to dietary habits, eating like our ancestors has some merit.

Diets come and diets go, but one in particular seems to have staying power and for good reasons as well. It’s based on eating similar to that of prehistoric man and it’s being touted as one of the best way to eat. It’s called the Paleo diet.

What is the Paleo diet?
The Paleo diet was created by Loren Cordain, a now-famous author, speaker and professor of health and exercise science at Colorado State University, who specializes in disease and diet. The Paleo diet itself reflects food items and methods of eating similar to our Stone Age ancestors – that’s right, this diet is framed around eating like cavemen. Through scientific research and peer-reviewed studies, Cordain has uncovered many health benefits to eating the Stone Age way.

There are seven premise on which the Paleo diet guidelines are based:

High protein
Low carbohydrates and low glycemic index
High fiber
Moderate to high fat intake – monosaturated and polysaturated fats with omega-3s and 6s

High potassium, low sodium
Net dietary alkaline balances dietary acid – some foods produce acid (meat) and others are alkaline (fruits and vegetables). Eating a balance of both alkaline and acid foods can have positive health effects.

High intake of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and plant phytochemicals.

A healthy pregnancy almost always involves weight gain. But now that baby’s here, you’re probably wishing those extra pounds would hurry up and disappear! While it won’t happen overnight, these six simple tips can help you lose that extra weight in a healthy way. (If you’re looking for parts 2 and 3 of this article, you can find them both at http://www.mambomoms.com/articles.html)

1) Try to relax and don’t be in too much of a hurry to lose your extra pregnancy weight. Remember, it took 9 months for you to put it on, and you should give yourself at least half that amount of time to take it back off. In fact, eight to 12 months is not an unreasonable amount of time to give yourself. And even if it does take a year to get back to your pre-pregnancy size and shape, those pounds are all the more likely to stay off because you’ve lost them gradually.

You definitely should not be thinking about weight loss at all in the early post-partum weeks. Your body needs this time to recover from giving birth, readjust to its pre-pregnancy state, and establish a milk supply for your baby. Besides, most new moms find that a fair amount of weight tends to melt off all by itself in these first few weeks as excess fluids retained in late pregnancy are gradually shed.

Remember that gradual weight loss based on sensible nutrition and enjoyable physical activity is the best path to permanent weight loss. This applies whether or not weight gain is due to pregnancy, but when you are dealing with all the changes and adjustments that come with having a new baby, it’s all the more important to take a slow and steady approach so you don’t add to your stress level.

And speaking of stress, recent research shows that when you’re stressed, your body releases hormones that can contribute to weight gain. So try not to add to your stress level at this time by putting unreasonable pressure on yourself to lose that extra weight too fast. Instead, take a long term approach and be sure to incorporate some kind of relaxation into your day, whether it’s having a nap, a warm bath, or receiving a relaxing back massage.

2) Eat well and nourish yourself with healthy foods so you’ll have the energy you need to care for yourself and your baby. If you restrict your calories you’ll probably get tired, cranky, and lose energy, making you less apt to exercise and less able to take good care of your baby.

Cutting back too much on your caloric intake can also sabotage your weight loss efforts by forcing your body into “starvation mode.” When your body isn’t getting enough fuel, it becomes much more efficient at using what you do give it, so that over time you will actually gain weight rather than lose it. You are much better off to eat well and get regular, moderate exercise to help shed those extra pounds.

Remember though, that there is a big difference between eating and eating well! If you eat nourishing foods you will probably feel full sooner and you will likely need fewer calories than if you eat “empty calorie” foods like white bread and french fries. Eat a variety of healthy foods, including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and make sure you are getting a proper balance of the major nutrients (protein, carbohydrate and healthy fats). You may want to talk to your doctor or midwife about continuing to take your pre-natal multivitamin, or other supplements, at least during the immediate post-partum period.

Snacking is something you’ll probably want to do a lot of, either because you may not always have time to prepare a meal, or because the demands of caring for a new baby mean you get hungry more often. Here are a few ideas for good, nutrient-dense choices for snack foods:
• apple slices spread with low fat cream cheese and sprinkled with crushed walnuts
• yogurt with chopped fresh fruit and nuts
• whole grain toast with nut butter
• cheese with whole grain crackers or rice cakes
• tomato or mixed vegetable juice with a hard boiled egg

On the other hand, try not to overdo it. Being pregnant or nursing a baby is not a license to indulge in a non-stop buffet of foods, even if they are nutritious! Eat when you are hungry, make healthy food choices most of the time, and remember that your baby is counting on you to choose wisely if you’re breastfeeding, so make those calories count nutrient-wise.

In part two of this article, you’ll learn why drinking plenty of pure water is important to weight loss in general, and to post-partum weight loss in particular. You’ll also find out how many calories a day you’ll use by breastfeeding your baby. Part three will teach you how you can burn extra calories easily and enjoyably without huffing and puffing at the gym. You’ll also learn the secret that savvy new moms use to effortlessly burn up to an extra 200 calories a day —that’s 2 pounds a month with no extra effort!

People are constantly on the lookout for some magic pill or enlightening weight loss secret, and in the process they tend to forget that the best weight loss plans simply involve an increased emphasis on commonly known activities and healthier eating habits. One of the most effective weight loss activities is, very simply, walking.

Set The Right Pace

If you want to walk to lose weight fast, the first thing you need to do is set the right pace. You don’t need to set off like a torpedo and tire yourself out in ten minutes. Neither will a leisurely, idle pace really help. The best strategy is to walk at a moderately brisk pace that you think you can maintain for about half an hour. A speed of 3-4 miles per hour is pretty good. Basically, if you can get yourself breathing harder than normal and can feel your body warming up with the effort, you are at a good pace.

According to most medical experts, to maintain good health, an average person should get about 30-minutes a day of cardiovascular exercise, five days a week. Walking counts, and it burns in the range of 100-165 calories per mile, depending on your weight. So in 30 minutes of brisk walking, you could burn 200-300 calories.

How Much?

If you maintain this effort five days a week, without altering your diet in any way, at the end of the month you would weigh 1-2 pounds less than you would have without any exercise. This means that over six months, you could lose up to 6 kg! That’s an excellent rate of weight loss, and shows you just how effective walking is.

Walking vs. Jogging

A lot of people believe that unless they get out on a jog, and get themselves sweating and out-of-breath at the end of the spell, they will not burn enough calories to lose weight fast. This is a false perception.

There is a negligible difference in the number of calories brisk walking and jogging burn per mile. What really matters is the amount of distance you cover. So, you could do a hard jog for 8 minutes and tire yourself out, but you would still not burn as many calories as someone who walked briskly for 20 minutes and covered more distance than you in the process!

Besides, with walking you run the risk of fewer impact-related injuries than jogging. So, if the objective is simply losing weight, for a person of average fitness, walking is the more efficient of the two.

Bringing Walking Into Your Life

The good news is that the 30 minutes of walking you need to do in a day for quick weight loss, does not have to be done at one go. The total time of exercise is what matters for burning calories, not how it breaks up. So, if you are really busy, you can simply incorporate walking into your usual routine, by parking your car one block away or walking down to buy groceries or run your daily errands.

Walking also tones your muscles, which in turn speeds your metabolism and helps you burn more calories even while you rest. It also improves your cardiovascular health, your overall fitness, bone density and cognitive health! Talk about a ‘magic’ strategy to lose weight fast!

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