CCF Nutrition Lifestyles: PALEO - for those that enjoy strict guidelines!

Meet Natalie, 16kg later with CrossFit - 9kg of those in 8 weeks with paleo!

We tend to not post before & after pics but in Natalies case her story is so amazing that we decided to ask if she would be ok with us doing so to help inspire others to create their own "forever" Nutrition Lifestyles!

This is Natalies inBody report which gives us some very cool specific data in regards of her body composition changes over the 8 weeks of the challenge.

The approach of creating an individual Nutrition Lifestyle is what we build our CCF Healthy Eating Challenges around, you can read up more about the next one that starts from the 18th of January by clicking: HERE. 

Over a few articles we will chat about each of the 5 nutrition lifestyles that we use in our CCF Nutrition Coaching - simply because these are the ones that we have seen have the best success rate across the board. The ones we use are:

• "CrossFit prescription" (eat meat, nuts & seeds, etc)
• Whole30
• Paleo
• Zone
• Intermittent Fasting
• Keto
• Counting Macros
  Sometimes clients choose to combine multiple of these to fit THEIR lifestyle and goals.

In each of these articles we'll chat to one member that have had success with either of these and let them share their experiences to help you find YOUR best nutrition lifestyle in 2021!

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You'll see info about "what is Paleo" below, but first let's chat to Natalie:

Natalie (left) and her daughter Kayla actually joined us at the start of lockdown with our Online CCF Beginners classes!

1. CCF: Hey Natalie, first of all congratulations on your amazing results in our last Nutrition Challenge that ended in November 2020. You lost a whopping 9.0kg of body weight and went from just over 80kg to almost 70, and on top of that 8.2kg of the weight lost was pure body fat weight - HOW did you do this as these results are pretty incredible??
   
   Natalie: When I decided to take on the challenge, I chose a eating plan that I would be able to stick to through the 8 weeks.  That is why I chose the Paleo eating plan.  And even though the challenge is over I am still on Paleo as I have never felt this good before and don’t struggle with anything I eat.  I think that I managed to lose 9kg because when I decide to do something I will stick to it 100%, so I did not cheat once during the 8 weeks.  And then with the healthy eating and the training my whole body changed and I have never looked or felt better before now.
   
   
   
   
2. CCF: You chose the Paleo approach where you basically eliminate anything that COULD be bad for you, how did you find it in terms of compliancy? Was it hard to figure out what to eat and not to eat? 
   
   Natalie: When going through the different options, Paleo was a eating plan that I would be able to comply with.  But to make sure I stuck to it 100% I started reading the labels and realised that mostly everything we buy has sugar in – that was a real eye opener for me.  So it has taught me to read labels before putting anything into my trolley.
   It really was simple to figure out what I could and could not eat.  There is so much information just searching on google.  I found so many easy Paleo snack receipts that my kids love too.  And what made it easier was the information that was sent through from CrossFit. 

3. CCF: How did you find the structure of the Challenge itself? Did it help you create your Nutrition Lifestyle and if so how? 
   
   Natalie: The 8 week challenge was an awesome starting point to get my Nutrition Lifestyle started.  This was not just an 8 week challenge for me.  This is my new way of eating and the reason for this is that I no longer have stomach problems and have so much more energy and just feel better overall. 

4. CCF: What are the biggest differences you experienced except the weight loss? 
   
   Natalie: The biggest difference was how I felt.  I no longer struggle with stomach pains and I just have more energy, sleep better which means my whole life is better.

5. CCF: How did your new Nutrition Lifestyle effect your training? 
   
   Natalie: With eating the correct food before training, you have more energy during the session and then to eat the correct food after training helped me recover so that I could come back and train again the next day.

6. CCF: How has your eating been since the end of the challenge? We are now approximately 6 weeks post the end of the challenge so it's obviously interesting for us to hear how the holiday season played out and if this has truly turned into a "forever nutrition lifestyle" for you? 
   
   Natalie: This is definitely a forever nutrition lifestyle for me.  On Christmas Day I have to admit that I cheated for Christmas lunch but with that came the stomach cramps and just feeling terrible for the rest of the day and even the next day, which made me realise that the my new nutrition lifestyle is definitely worth it and works perfect for me.  So except for Christmas Day I have not changed anything since the end of the challenge – except for having some wine (which is my cheat “meal”😊).

7. CCF: Anything else you'd like to add?
   
   Natalie: I would just like to say that CrossFit has changed my life.  Not only the Nutrition Challenge but CrossFit itself.  I have back problems and was in constant pain.  The pain is much better and manageable now and I believe it is due to me getting stronger and also having the coaches supporting and guiding me to get to where I am now.  Cape CrossFit is an awesome place to be and I believe that it would be hard to find better coaches anywhere else.  Since I started with the online classes during lockdown I have lost 16kg, my back pain is much better and I have never looked better than I do right now.  So thank you to every single coach that has worked with me as you all rock and I would recommend Cape CrossFit to anybody that wants to change there life for the better.
   
    
   In total Natalie has lost 16kg since starting CrossFit (online), these are the last 9kg in our last CCF Healthy Eating Habits Challenge!
   
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Thank you very much for sharing your story Natalie, it's truly inspiring to see someone taking control of their health & lifestyle like you have an we hope that this can inspire more people to really understand how important nutrition can be for basically every area of ones life!

What is Paleo? In short:

• Animals (meat, fish, reptiles, insects, etc. - and usually, almost all parts of the animals, including organs, bone marrow, cartilage, and organs)
• Animal products (such as eggs or honey)
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Nuts and seeds that can be eaten raw