Speaker 1: 0:02

If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the truth, is offended by the word fuck and about 37 uses of it in different forms gets ass hurt. When you hear someone speak the absolute, real and raw truth, you should leave Like right now. This is Shut Up and Choose, the podcast where we cut through the shit and get real about weight loss, life and everything in between. We get into the nitty gritty of making small, smart choices that add up to big results. From what's on your plate to how you approach life's challenges. We'll explore how the simple act of choosing differently can transform your health, your mindset and your entire freaking life. So if you're ready to cut through the bullshit and start making some real changes, then buckle up and shut up, because we're about to choose our way to a healthier, happier life. This is Shut Up and Choose. Let's do this Now. Your host, jonathan Ressler.

Speaker 2: 1:16

Welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast where we cut through the noise and all the nonsense from the diet industry that it's spewing at you every day. I'm your host, jonathan Ressler, and today we're going to talk about some great stuff. I want to say we're a couple days away from Halloween. That's very exciting. Based on my topic today, I think there's going to be a lot of idiots and morons out there dressed up as cavemen. So yeah, you guessed it, we're going to talk about the caveman diet. Everybody's talking. Guessed it, we're going to talk about the caveman diet. Everybody's talking about it. It's such a fucking joke, but anyway, so you know, there's a new diet guru on every corner on the internet these days and they all seem to be peddling the same thing different names. But it's a restriction. Cut this out, eliminate that, or don't even think about something that was eating after the agricultural revolution.

Speaker 2: 2:04

One of the most popular of these extreme diets is caveman diet, which I just said. It's also known as a paleo diet, which I did, which basically the diet says we can only be healthy by eating the way our prehistoric ancestors did, primarily things like lean meat, fish, fruits, veggies, and while that definitely does sound exciting on the surface, the truth is that that kind of black and white thinking about food can be unrealistic and, for a lot of people, completely unsustainable. As you know, I did paleo also known as a caveman and I did it and I loved it and I was successful on it. I lost I think 86 pounds was the number I lost but as soon as I ate that first piece of bread, I was like ooh, yeah, I like yeah, I forgot what this tastes like and then I became somewhat paleo and then I became a little less paleo and sooner or later I went back to eating the stuff that I love to eat and you know the rest of the story I put all the weight back on. That's why I think my method live life, love food, lose weight is a more balanced, practical and honestly sustainable approach to weight loss, and it's designed for people who don't want to feel like they're constantly fighting with their food and with their diet. And when I say diet, I mean the food you eat, I don't mean diet like a regimen. Anyway, instead of creating some kind of adversary relationship with food, constantly worrying about what I can't have, I encourage you to make make small, enjoyable choices while still living your life to the fullest, and this is why I think my method is a better and more sustainable approach than the restrictive, caveman slash paleo diet.

Speaker 2: 3:36

First thing is, let's be honest cutting out entire food groups like grains and dairy and potatoes isn't just difficult. It's a lot of times it's honestly impractical. It becomes work In the real world. We go to family dinners, we got the holidays coming up, we've worked lunches and just I don't know a million other social events that revolve around food. So trying to adhere to some strict set of rules that says no bread, no beans, no dairy, whatever for the rest of your life, you feel like a full-time job and it's one that leaves you feeling deprived and socially isolated.

Speaker 2: 4:11

I was always worried about what I was going to eat. Is there going to be something there that I can eat? So the problem with the caveman diet is that it prides itself on restriction, something that I hate. Sure, it works for some people at first, because when you cut out the processed foods and the sugar and the refined grains, you're going to see initial results. I saw results fast and that made me want to keep going and do it more and more and more. But is it sustainable over the long term? And I can tell you from firsthand experience the answer is no.

Speaker 2: 4:39

Most people find themselves slipping up or binging on the foods they've been avoiding and they eventually give up entirely. That's exactly what happened to me. I was in it, I was on it, I was into it. I mean, I was eating bacon and steak and I was eating what I thought was like a king. But after a while that shit gets old and for me it just became another failed attempt at weight loss. So again with my approach, on the other hand, it's built on flexibility and balance.

Speaker 2: 5:08

The key is not about eliminating food groups or demonizing entire categories. Instead, it's about finding ways to enjoy the foods you love in moderation. You can still have a slice of pizza or a bowl of pasta. I just had a pasta feast Well, I don't know, I guess it was a few weeks ago now and I would have been upset if I couldn't eat that stuff. It's just I don't know, you just can't eat that stuff every day, and it's not in massive portions. But that way I don't feel deprived or feel like I'm missing out on one of life's pleasures, which makes it easier to stick to your healthy habits long term.

Speaker 2: 5:44

With my method, I just feel like there's no need to go on and off your diet because it's not a temporary fix, it's a lifestyle change. And I know everybody says, oh, it's a lifestyle change. I was on paleo. It was a lifestyle change. But it wasn't a lifestyle change. It was fucking restriction. I couldn't eat. I couldn't have a piece of bread with dinner, I couldn't have a potato. That's restricted, that's asinine and it's not sustainable With what I do. It's a lifestyle change that fits around your life rather than forcing you to fit in some rigid set of rules. I hate rules anyway. So to give me rules about the thing that I have to do, there's no question I have to eat every day. I mean, we all have to eat With me. It's about making small, smart choices and sustainable changes that allow you to enjoy the food and live fully and guess what? Still lose the weight.

Speaker 2: 6:31

The problem with things like the caveman slash paleo is that they often adopt that all or nothing mentality. You either eat perfectly, eat your bacon for breakfast and bacon and eggs and your burger for lunch with no bun and steak for dinner, and again, that's not bad but it's just not sustainable. But either you eat perfectly according to the diet's rules or you failed. And that black and white thinking is I don't know. It's just frustrating because it doesn't allow for the inevitable slip-ups that happen in real life. I remember the first time I ate a piece of bread after I went off paleo I was like, oh boy, I'm doing something wrong, but I'm going to do it anyway. And that just black and white, that all or nothing shit. It just doesn't work. And again, you know from listening to me, my approach is much more forgiving. You're going to make mistakes. I don't believe that all or nothing mentality, because life isn't black and white. You're going to have days where you eat a treat or eat more than you plan, and that's okay.

Speaker 2: 7:25

The key is to not beat yourself up or feel like you failed, but instead get right back on track with your next meal. Because again, it's small smart choices. Every choice you make in a day doesn't have to be a great choice, but if you're making more small smart choices than small bad choices, you're winning. I allow for flexibility. I encourage balance rather than perfection. It's about making good choices most of the time but not stressing out when life throws you a curve ball. You can still love the food and live your life without feel like you're constantly battling against your diet and the food.

Speaker 2: 7:58

Look, the caveman diet. It seems simple in theory but in practice it can turn your eating into a source of stress and anxiety and even guilt. When you're constantly worrying about whether what you're eating is allowed or forbidden I mean, I had an app on my phone that showed me whether it was paleo or not Like I would worry. Like, oh, can I eat that? Fuck? That Food became the enemy rather than something that I enjoyed. Maybe food being an enemy works for you, but it doesn't work for me.

Speaker 2: 8:28

By focusing so heavily on what I couldn't eat, that caveman dive for me built a negative relationship with food. I know me and other people feel frustrated by the limitations and start to associate their eating with stress rather than pleasure, and eating should be one of the greatest pleasures in life. I'm not saying you have to eat like an animal, but you should get some pleasure when you go out to a nice restaurant and you eat something different. Even worse than that, it causes social strain, which I talked about, when you're avoiding things like grain and dairy potatoes, eating out with friends or going to a family event or going to the holidays, it kind of feels like a minefield. You can't enjoy it because you're so worried about what you're eating. With me now, with my live, life, love food, lose weight. Food is not the enemy. It's a source of joy and nourishment and connection.

Speaker 2: 9:21

My method really encourages a positive relationship with food by allowing me to eat the things that you love in moderation and without guilt, whether it's a special meal with your family. A few weeks ago I had a great family event with Vicky where they made fresh pasta and there was all kinds of things that certainly wouldn't be paleo and certainly wouldn't be diet, and I tasted them all in moderation. So if you're having that special meal and you're stressed out about it, it sucks. So I ate what I wanted to eat and I still stayed on track because the next meal I just went back to making small, smart choices. I don't know, I would never and I was this person, but I would never want to be the person that has to say no to everything. And while I would never do this, I wouldn't want to bring a separate meal to the dinner table. I know people who bring their diet food to the dinner table, I don't know. A I think they're idiots, and B I think that it's just rude.

Speaker 2: 10:19

By doing it my way, by making small, smart choices, you can fully participate in life's moments without worrying that you're ruining your diet. The fact that you're even on a diet is crazy. You should just be able to eat. By focusing on loving food and enjoying life the way I do, it just helps reduce the emotional burden that comes with dieting. You can relax around food and still lose weight and still make progress toward your weight goals, because it's something that takes time. It takes persistence. You're not going to lose it all today. If your goal is to lose 50 pounds and I would tell you you have a shitty goal. But if that's your goal, you're not going to lose 50 pounds between today and tomorrow. It just doesn't work that way. It's small choices. So if you make a mistake, a quote, unquote mistake, I should say make a bad choice, big fucking deal, enjoy it. Make the next choice a better choice, a small, smart choice.

Speaker 2: 11:12

And I think, probably for me, one of the biggest selling points of the caveman diet, the paleo diet, is the idea that we should all eat like our ancestors did, because that's what our body's designed for. But that's kind of flawed, that's bullshit. We've evolved as human beings to eat a wide variety of foods and certainly our modern understanding of nutrition shows that cutting out entire food groups like grains and dairy is unnecessary and can even be harmful. I mean cutting out carbs. You need carbs for your brain function. It's crazy. And again, if you're on the caveman diet and you're one of those people that are banging your chest like caveman, saying this greatest thing in the whole world, good for you, do it. But I promise you if I talk to you six months from now, a year from now, you're not going to be on it anymore. It just doesn't work.

Speaker 2: 12:03

The idea that grains and dairy are bad for you just because they weren't part of what our ancestors ate that's insane. The reality is those foods provide nutrients that can benefit us. Whole grains, for example, are great for fiber okay, a great source of fiber which promotes your gut health and helps with weight loss. Dairy, which I don't eat a lot of. Honestly, I hate milk. It just doesn't agree with me. I don't know if I'm lactose intolerant. Actually, I guess I would know if I was lactose intolerant. I'm not lactose intolerant, but I just don't like milk, but dairy provides calcium and vitamin D, which are very important for your bone health.

Speaker 2: 12:35

By eliminating those things from your diet, the caveman diet limits your nutrient intakes and it makes it harder to maintain a balanced and varied diet. And my whole thing is about balance. So, instead of cutting out these entire food groups, I encourage you to enjoy a wide variety of foods in moderation. You can eat grains and dairy and potatoes as part of a balanced diet that includes plenty of whole and nutrient-dense foods. This way, you're getting all the nutrients your body needs to function optimally without feeling deprived. And sure. The focus is definitely on portion control, balance and making healthier, smart choices without blaming any particular foods. That makes it easier for you to stick in the long run Made it certainly a lot easier for me.

Speaker 2: 13:22

Like I said, I've been on this now over 18 months and I eat what I want and I'm still losing weight. And I'm not. Look, when I was 411 pounds, the weight was flying off when I am today. The weight is slowly coming off, but I feel better. My body is healthier. I'm healthier every single day and at the end of the day, that's what really matters. So I know I've discussed this before People turn to these extreme diets.

Speaker 2: 13:47

I did like the caveman diet because I was looking for fast results, and you do. You lose weight quickly at first, but the problem with that diet is that the results are temporary. I told you I lost 86 pounds and again I felt like I was eating like a king. I was using my grill every night, eating steaks and bacon, and it's great. But once I started to reintroduce the foods that I was avoiding, that I was craving, the weight came back and in my case it came back with some extra friends. I started out lost 86 pounds and I probably put 95 pounds back on.

Speaker 2: 14:22

So the caveman diet it's going to lead to quick weight loss initially, but because it's so restrictive, you're going to find it difficult to stick with it long term, and long term could mean three months, six months a year. But you can't do it for the rest of your life. My way of eating I can do for the rest of my life, because if I make a mistake, if I eat something that I shouldn't eat, like if I eat donuts, I don't have to eat them tomorrow. I'm not stuck with any one kind of food. I'm eating a balanced diet and, yes, I definitely feed my soul and eat bad things. But if you're on the caveman diet, the minute you start to eat the grains, dairy, the potatoes and all that processed shit again, the weight's going to start to creep back on, and that yo-yo effect for me was very frustrating. I spent all this time losing the weight and then I put it on much quicker than I took it off. I can tell you that. So, again, if you focus on the small, sustainable changes, that's what leads to lasting results, instead of aiming for that quick fix.

Speaker 2: 15:17

The goal is to build healthy habits that you can maintain for life. I can't tell you I'm going to maintain what I'm doing for life, but I got to tell you it sure as hell is easy. I don't think too much about what I'm eating. Well, let me rephrase that I do think about what I'm eating, but I don't beat myself up if I choose to eat something that a traditional fad diet would say is bad. And I made my changes. Well, I made my changes pretty quick, but I'm still making small twists and tweaks to what I want to eat and by making those gradual changes and enjoying everything that I love, it helps me to stay consistent and keep the weight off for good. Again, I can't tell you it's for good, but I can tell you, for the last 18 months, I've been losing, not maintaining. I've been losing. So for me, it was never about reaching my goal weight which, again, you know I don't have but it was never about reaching it as quickly as possible.

Speaker 2: 16:10

It's about creating a lifestyle that allows you to lose weight while still living your life and loving your food. If you're not living your life, if you're torturing yourself, why do it? Yes, I do it for your health, sure, but you're not going to be able to sustain it. So when you do it with the small, smart choices, it makes it much easier to maintain your progress over the long term. With the small, smart choices, it makes it much easier to maintain your progress over the long term because you're not constantly battling against these unrealistic and ridiculous restrictions.

Speaker 2: 16:38

One of the biggest flaws of the extreme diets like the caveman diet is that they take the enjoyment out of eating. Now, I always tell you I love the caveman diet. I ate like a king. It was incredible I could eat all the bacon I want and I could eat steaks. But sooner or later, that novelty wears off and when you're focused solely on what you're allowed to eat and constantly avoiding foods you love, like potatoes or bread meals, become something that you dread rather than starting to look forward to it. And toward the end of my journey on the caveman theo diet, I dreaded eating because I was like, oh my god, what am I gonna have to avoid? Oh boy, that basket of bread sure looks good. So it's just, I don't know eating on that diet after a while, yes, eating steak and bacon and all that shit is great, but after a while, truthfully, it gets monotonous and boring. You're limited to a small selection of foods and many of the foods that bring you joy, like you know, look, I'll say it, I fucking love French fries and I love bread, you know. So if you like brand of cheese, chocolates, that shit's off limits. Not on my diet, not on my way of eating, but it is if you're on the caveman slash paleo. So, over time, that lack of variety and, honestly, enjoyment, it leads to burnout and it makes it difficult to stick with the diet.

Speaker 2: 17:55

My philosophy is food is meant to be enjoyed. I encourage you to love what you eat, but still make healthy choices. You don't have to give up your favorite foods. You just have to learn them in a way that fits with your goals, that fits into your why. And if you do make a mistake, if you do eat a whole pint of ice cream or a snack, big deal Tomorrow the next meal you can start to make better choices again. You didn't blow it, you just you made a bad choice.

Speaker 2: 18:21

For me, I like to have dessert every now and then or have a glass of wine with dinner. You can still experience the pleasures of eating without ever feeling guilty, and that's probably the most important piece for me is that I never feel guilty about what I eat, and I eat what I like, and I am focused on making small, smart choices every time. So by focusing on actually enjoying my food, it helps me to stick to my healthy habits long-term, because I'm not feeling deprived and I'm never restricted. You know the old saying you can't have your cake and eat it too Bullshit. You can have your cake and eat it too, in moderation. The internet I'm all over. I'm on Instagram, I'm trying to spread the word about what I'm doing, and the internet, and really Instagram, is just full of diet gurus promising these quick fixes.

Speaker 2: 19:08

And surely with the caveman, people are just crazy about the caveman diet. It's the one that I see the most keto. It was keto for a while, before that it was paleo. Now it's changed to the caveman diet. It's the same fucking thing. But you know, everybody's got a quick fix, some miracle food or some secret formula or some secret what you have to eat. But the truth is there's no shortcuts to sustainable weight loss. After having been on over a hundred diets and been successful on all of them and then ultimately failed on all of them after a few months, I can tell you there's no shortcut to sustainable weight loss.

Speaker 2: 19:40

The caveman diet, like every other fad diet, like paleo, is based on a gimmick that eating like our ancestors is the right way to eat. But in reality, sustainable weight loss comes down to making simple, small, healthy choices that fit into your everyday life. Like I see these people who are just so crazy about the caveman diet. It's based on some romanticized idea of what our ancestors ate, but it doesn't take into account the realities of modern life. It's built on a gimmick rather than any kind of sound nutritional science. I have a friend who says there's no way you can ever tell me that eating bacon could be good for you, and maybe he's right. But I'm telling you, I ate a pound of bacon every day when I was on that diet.

Speaker 2: 20:21

But the caveman slash paleo it's built on a gimmick and it definitely works for some people in the short term, but I've yet to find the person who can do it long term, and I mean for life, do it forever. So look, in the end, the caveman diet is just another restrictive, short-term fix that isn't designed to fit into the complexities of modern life. It promises quick results, for sure, but at the cost of long-term sustainability and enjoyment. On the other hand, the way I eat offers a balanced, flexible approach that allows you to enjoy your food, to live your life fully and still reach your weight loss goals. Look, if it becomes hard work, you're not going to do it.

Speaker 2: 21:06

So with what I do, you're not just losing weight, you're building a lifestyle that promotes health, happiness and longevity. You don't have to live like a caveman to be healthy. I'm sure a lot of you paleo slash caveman diet people are going out this Halloween as cavemen. I'm looking forward to seeing that. But instead you need to live your life, love your food and lose weight in a way that feels good both now and in the future. In a way that feels good both now and in the future. So you got to get to the point where you ditch those restrictive diets and embrace a healthier, happier way of living.

Speaker 2: 21:39

Do it my way or don't, that's up to you. I can't tell you what to do, but I promise you that if you make small, smart choices, it's going to work better and it's going to last for the rest of your life. Oh and, by the way, there's no caveman rules required with what I do. All right, so now you know how I feel about caveman. You know how I feel about paleo. They're the same thing, different names, same exact diet. Maybe there's one or two little differences, I'm not sure, because, again, when I look at it, I look at all the people doing it and I just see people who are setting themselves up for failure in the long term. That's it. That's what I have to say about Caveman slash Paleo. If you're on it, great, do it. I hope you have success. But when you do, ultimately fail, because you will come back and just check out what I'm talking about, which is just eating in moderation, small, smart choices, giving yourself the ability to make a mistake and get right back on the train. So, anyway, that's it.

Speaker 2: 22:40

For those of you that haven't read my book, it's called Shut Up and Choose. Same as my podcast, we're an Amazon bestseller getting tons of great reviews, which I'm tremendously grateful for. I also have a video course if you want to learn how to do this and learn and it's mindset. I would say. 80% of what I do is about having the right, putting yourself in the right frame of mind. So it's training your mind to be in the right mindset to lose weight. The course is called Live Life, love Food, lose Weight. It's available at learnshutupandchoosecom. The people that are using it currently I'm getting great feedback from. Most important piece is they're losing weight and they're eating the food they love, and there's nothing better than that. So that's it for today. If you're on the caveman diet bully for you. If you're on any other fad diet, bully for you. But at the end of the day, you know what you got to do. Shut up and choose.

Speaker 1: 23:31

You've been listening to Shut Up and Choose. Jonathan's passion is to share his journey of shedding 130 pounds in less than a year without any of the usual gimmicks no diets, no pills. And we'll let you in on a little secret no fucking gym. And guess what you can do it it too. We hope you enjoyed the show. We had a fucking blast. If you did, make sure to like, rate and review. We'll be back soon, but in the meantime, find jonathan on instagram at jonathan wrestler, boca raton. Until next time, shut up and choose.