Want to lose weight but don't want the hassle of counting calories each time you eat? Then perhaps you can try going on a Paleo Diet. Short for Paleolithic, the diet hinges its philosophy that our bodies are not meant to digest the processed and packaged foods that we are eating today, and that we should only consume foods that our ancestor, the caveman, would have eaten during his time. That's why it is also called the Caveman Diet. For as long as you're eating so-called Paleo foods, you don't have to worry about ingesting more calories than you can burn.

Raw, natural and unprocessed-- that is the battle cry of advocates of this diet. Unlike raw foodism, however, the Paleo Diet, can cook the food they choose. What is important is, these can be eaten in its natural state. For example, you can choose to eat fish raw, but can also steam or grill it. The Caveman Diet allows for variety, which is part of what makes it appealing. Fruits, vegetables, grass fed and/or free-ranged meat, chicken and fish and nuts with the exception of peanuts and cashews. Coconut, walnut, almond, pecan, olive and avocado oils are allowed on this diet. Animal oils are also acceptable for as long as the animal is grass-fed. One can drink mineral and spring water as well as coconut water, tea and fruit smoothies for as long as they're composed of fruit and water in this dietary regimen.

If you might have noticed based on its food selections, this is a high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carb diet, which might seem to counteract its claim as a diet perfect for weight loss. But proponents (and those who have tried the diet) argue that since it can be likened to the food eaten by the cavemen during the Paleolithic era, its gives right about the same nutrition. And extensive anthropological research has shown that obesity was unheard of then. Paleolithic hunter-gatherers had low body fat.

If it's white, that means it has undergone processing and can't be eaten. That's the basic measure of what's forbidden in the Paleo Diet. So grains like rice, noodles, pasta and bread as well as sugar, salt and dairy products like milk (except eggs) are expressly forbidden for consumption. Potatoes, string beans and peas are also off-limits. If you're wondering why, remember that they lived a nomadic lifestyle and didn't cultivate their crops but relied on nature's provisions.

The Caveman Diet seeks to free modern society from the so-called "diseases of affluence" that is the cause of many preventable deaths today. Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease were unheard of during the Paleolithic era because these hunter-gatherers consumed lean meats, plants and engaged in intense bouts of physical activity. This is what the Caveman Diet seeks to achieve in its quest to mirror the dietary practices of those who lived in this prehistoric era about 2.6 million years ago.

Where exercise is concerned, interval training that includes short and powerful bursts of activity is the recommended workout for the Caveman Diet since it imitates the kind of action one would get while hunting for food. Those who tried the Paleo Diet swear it's not easy, but that it works. The results are evident in shapely, fat-free and healthier bodies that can be had without the calorie-counting!