Does anyone here eat Paleo?I have some questions.

[Nichole]

I just started learning about paleo, and decided I would try it. I haven't any of the books, I figured most of the info was on Robb Wolf's site anyway. How do you afford it? I have been doing this for a week now, and I don't know if I can continue! lol

 

Don't get me wrong, I really want to. I've gotten up to almost 160, after being at 140 a year ago. I tried counting calories while exercising, which worked before. That is how I went from 190 down to 140 before (except I was only eating 900cals, bad I know...) I felt like I was hungry all the time staying under 1500cals.

 

So the paleo thing appealed to me because basically you eat meat and veggies until you're full (the way I understand it). I haven't adhered 100% to it this week, I had a couple times where the cat ate my dinner right before work, so I bought peanuts, been using sugar still, and some dairy.

 

DH isn't on board. He'll eat the meals I make, and likes them, but doesn't think I'll last This makes me want to do it even more...

 

The thing that's keeping me on it, is it does make sense to me. Probably the majority of meals I made pre-paleo were carbs. A lot of pasta (cause its cheap) with probably the gov recommended serving of meat. But I would crave carbs ALL the time. Now that I haven't really had a whole lot of carbs I don't feel like I'm craving them so much.

 

I know it would be a lot easier if my garden was producing well, right now all I have are tomatoes coming out of my ears. Every meal has tomatoes! lol I am planting a fall garden, so that should help if it turns out good. If anyone eats paleo (or used to) I would love some advice, opinions, or recipes! Thanks!

Edited August 10, 2012 by Nichole

[Cat]

I'd love to support you, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. We don't live like they did, so trying to eat like they did would be difficult.

 

It's kind of like what I see locally with *SOME OF* the Amish. Many of them have started to eat like "everybody else", from the grocery stores. They work in factories and use laundromats. They don't work like they used to, but they eat like they were. And using far more "prepared/processed" foods. As a result, many have more health problems and they just don't "look" healthy. The kids don't have that "glow" of health that once set them apart.

 

Please don't feel hurt by my words. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I'm just trying to understand it.

 

Tell us about it. What are it's pros? Cons? How does your body react to it? Do you *feel* better? Does it stress you out to follow it? Embarrass you in public? Help you to feel happier/healthier?

 

[Nichole]

I'm not offended at all. I have only been trying it since Monday, so not a lot of experience just yet. lol It's one of those things that I want it to work out, but I SOO love my carbs! lol

 

Personally, I think it sounds a lot like the Atkins (low-carb) diet, except with the Atkins, you are allotted so many carbs a day.

 

This page explains what you can/can't eat, way better than I could.

 

http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/

 

And here are example meals.

http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/meal-plans-shopping-guides/

 

For me, the pros are that they encourage you to eat until you are full. Since you are consuming mostly healthy proteins and lots of nutrient rich veggies, you should stay full longer. My problem has always been that I might be full after a plate full of pasta, but two hours later I'm starving and ransack the kitchen. Or end up buying something to eat at work.

 

I also like the fact that contrary to the Atkins diet, they differentiate between IMO "empty" carbs (sugar, pasta, etc) and carbs that come from fruits, etc. For weight loss they recommend 1-2 servings of fruit a day, so as to limit the amount of sugars you intake.

 

It hasn't been long enough to tell if I feel better or not, although I do feel full longer. It does sorta stress me out to follow it. For example, my cat knocked over my lunch that I had made for work. It was right before I had to leave and didn't have time to make something else. I work 3rds at a groc store and can't leave the store at night (and I can't buy anything after the store is closed), so I was running all around the store trying to find something that would follow the guidelines. I ended up eating half a whole jar of peanuts (not-paleo) and a $3.50 bag of beef jerky. I suppose I could of gotten some sandwich meat and wrapped it in lettuce or something.

 

I searched Mrs.S and found a few mentions of paleo, but nothing very recent. Honestly I don't know if it will work for me. That's why I wanted to know ya'lls opinions, not from a paleo forum that is obviously going to say it works. lol

[Mt_Rider]

I haven't read much about the Paleo diet but DH and I both respond VERY well to a low carb diet. The low fat diets do NOTHING for us.

 

One thing you have to keep in mind: There are all sorts of body types. Some of us lose weight without trying [my former self] and some gain weight if they walk by a bakery and sniff too deeply.

 

I have a friend who has had success with the WeightWatchers [low fat] type of diet....yet she and her husband were always getting sick. Something not right there. They were missing some nutrient or something. They tended to be pretty fanatical and I beleive that they needed more fat/oil than they allowed themselves to be healthy.

 

No matter the diet, you HAVE to be educated enough to know that you're getting all that you need. The focus canNOT be on elimination only.

 

 

There are many easy techniques for staying on a low carb diet. But they have to be learned. Several of the fast food places are offering low carb alternatives. Subway has salads. Some places have lettuce wraps [the idea you mentioned]. There are new lunch and snack ideas. But....you have to prep up for those times when you HAVE to eat something NOW. Otherwise, you'll just grab what have been easy/habitual for you. That holds true for any change we try to make. You'll have more success if you plan for those hurried/messed up/unexpected times. Make sure you can always grab something quickly...that still follows the diet. [which ever diet]

 

 

Theories [not saying if it's correct but it did work out for DH and I] on body types takes us back in history when different peoples of the world began to diverge into various ethnic groups/regions to live and survive. One theory uses blood types. DH and I happen to be the same blood type....and we both thrive on the low carb way of eating. We drop weight and feel better. We drop cravings [after the first three weeks] and eventually can put a very moderate portion of carbs back into our diet without gaining weight or setting off the craving and hunger thing you describe. BUT....you have to stablize first. That takes weeks or even a month.

 

If you have a lot of weight to lose, you can't add in much carbs until you're close to your goal. Because adding the carbs back in is how you stop the weight loss. From that point, you balance. At your desired weight.

 

 

One technique that I think makes the thing work for us was the concept of 'cheat day' or just one 'cheat meal' per week. This is begun a month after you start....NOT right away. DH is a chiropractor and to get patients to learn a new habit...to eliminate something that is 'toxic' to them, he gets them to agree to eliminate it for ONLY THREE WEEKS. He doesn't say they have to give it up for the rest of their lives....or no one would do it. But he's sneaky! After 3 wks of not having something that is reacting negatively to our bodies....you're in for a bad experience if you start it up again.

 

Of course he doesn't tell them that part. It's one of the ways he lets them experience for themselves, what he's seeing in their body's reaction. He did it to himself with chicken. OYE...does he react if he eats chicken. But he'd been eating chicken all his life but kinda suspected it wasn't setting well with him. Same for me with tomato , and corn. Lotta pizza sauce just doesn't set well and....isn't worth it to me anymore.

 

 

So those are considerations beyond any type of diet....specific foods that your body reacts to negatively. But carbs .....ALL OF WHICH TURN INTO SUGARS once they are processed by our bodies....don't do well for me. Unlike tomato/corn, I can eat a moderate amount but my main diet must be meat and veggies. I am definitely more healthy with that ratio.

 

 

HOWEVER....it does not mean that we have to gorge ourselves with the portions that Americans have learned to eat. That is where you have to relearn portion sizes. As Cat suggests, many Americans in this era are not out hunting and gathering and using up all sorts of calories. We do not burn up enough energy [aka: calories] to warrant huge steaks and a whole head of broccoli. Watch carefully, as you experiment with this diet. You will find that you get full without eating as much....after your body shifts.

 

 

And be CAREFUL if you do a 'cheat meal' eventually. Make small portions of whatever you want....and eat slowly! That's so you can stop before you make yourself sick! Believe me, you will not WANT a whole plate of spaghetti and an icecream sundae. But small portions of that will be a thrilling treat. Then....go back on the diet until next week. It's your gold star for good behavior....encouragement not to cheat during the week. But it will throw off your adjustment if you begin to cheat in the first month. *****WAIT FOR IT!****

 

 

Anyway, from my experience, that's what I know. You have to see what YOUR body responds well to. Paleo or even Low Carb would be alien to some folks bodies.

 

 

MtRider [...living in the Mts that will only offer a Paleo diet if the Hooey ever Hits the Fan.... Deer, elk, collards and turnips....]

[themartianchick]

Many years ago, (propbably 1998 or so) I discovered the low carb diets. Initially, I lost weight but nticed that my body began to react differently to food and not in a good way. While I felt full most of the time and the diet did dramatically reduce my carb cravings, I found that I dehydrated very easily. Without carbs in my diet, I do not think to drink water or anything else. Since that time, I've had issues with dehydration.

 

I have found that not all carbs are treated the same way by my body. If I eat white rice or corn products like popcorn, tortilla chips, cornbread, etc... I am hungry for more almost immediately. A pot of dirty rice made with white rice is a neverending meal, but if made with brown rice, I only eat a normal portion.

 

I lost 13 pounds this summer with very little effort and even less exercise by allowing myself 300-350 calories in snacks scattered throughout the morning and early afternoon. My typical snacks are simple things like a packet of high fiber oatmeal or a Fiber Plus bar. These are things that I keep in my desk because they don't spoil and I'm only there once per week. At home, a snack might be a baggie of baby carrots, a cup of lowfat yogurt, grapes, cherries, strawberries or some other fruit or vegetable that I want. Each of those items have between 100-125 calories each so I usually have 3 of them each day. The nice thing is that if I'm really hungry for some reason, I can have another 100 calorie item without feeling as though I've blown the diet!

 

I drink a lot of water or unsweetened iced tea all day long and rarely drink anything with calories. Around 3 or 4pm, I will fix a dinner of whatever I want (within reason) and this helps to keep me from feeling deprived. I can have a scoop of ice cream as a treat and not be witchy acting with the family.

 

I am just now back to adding exercise into my routine. I used to participate in the miles threads, but found that my knee was giving me so much trouble that it was hard to commit to any kind of an exercise schedule. The long layoff seems to have helped. According to the free Nike Running App on my iPhone, I have logged almost 14 miles this week...my first week back to running. This is a combination of running and walking and the app tracks how far you've gone using GPS. It is a fun little exercise tool and I've been sharing it with lots of folks this week. I have my eye on a Nike Training app, but seem to have a problem with downloading it from iTunes.

[TheCG]

I know I'm a bit late to the thread, but...

 

 

I eat mostly Primal, which is Paleo + limited dairy and an emphasis on good fats instead of hydrogenated stuff or canola oil.

 

Fair warning, you may end up getting hit with something that feels like the flu because your body isn't used to low carb. I don't do low carb. I do good carbs - sweet potatoes with butter, cauliflower mashed "potatoes" with garlic, cream, & butter, etc. Not everybody does well on low carb. Make sure you're eating plenty of veggies. If I don't eat enough fat, I get tired and feel crappy and start wanting to eat butter and coconut oil straight.

 

Remember that breakfast food doesn't have to be breakfast, and breakfast doesn't have to be breakfast food. We'll eat a frittata for dinner and steak for breakfast. It took me a long time to realize that.

 

Just eating mostly Primal, I'm still slowly losing weight (I do not want to lose it quickly) as is my husband. Even when he misbehaves, as long as he doesn't go back to drinking soda and Gatorade all day, he still loses slowly.

 

I'm not in it to lose weight, however. I'm in it because I feel a LOT better and have more energy on it, plus I don't get sick nearly as much.

Edited October 1, 2012 by TheCG

[Mt_Rider]

Yeah, you do have to be careful not to have NO carbs. Just as low fat or low calorie diets can't be NO fat/calorie. I've had some friends that were SO unhealthy while thinking they were doing 'Weight Watchers'.

 

 

Our bodies ALL have to have certain ratios of fats/proteins/carbs [aka: sugars]. I agree with TheCG's point of Good fats/carbs. All are not CREATED equal.

 

In fact: "Equal" does not equal sugarcane sugar or fruit fructose or high fructose corn syrum or date palm sugar or maple syrup or ....... They all react differently in the body but are all considered 'sugars'.

 

Also, any grain product or ANY CARBS are also transitioned into sugars within our bodies. But the process is far different from sugarcane sugar or HFCS or ....

 

Important to be informed about all of this. And to discover which methods of eating work best for your body type. Low carb [meaning I don't worry about any carb food under 10g AND, a month into the diet, I have one authorized 'cheat day' per week] for me and DH!

 

 

"Calorie" is just a unit of measuring energy. Whether that unit of energy is used right away or stored for a rainy day..... that is the difference. Cuz...uh, it's better to store your calories of energy on your pantry shelf than on your person. I've gotten a few more calories, formerly stored on my person, used up. Used that energy to store beets, turnips, taters, spinach and such on my pantry shelves. I like them better there!

 

 

MtRider [knowledge and moderation and sense.....IMO ]

[Midnightmom]

Nicole.................if you want info on no carbs, carb-restricition, low-carb, or diabetic eating use these subjects as "search terms" in this site. I know I have personally posted a lot of info on these subjects and how what I am storing for long-term based on these issues.

 

Midnightmom

Edited October 1, 2012 by Midnightmom

[Midnightmom]

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