New to group and to Paleo
happygirlw73
Posts: 13 Member
Just wanted to say hello. I am starting Paleo and very new to it. Not really sure where to start. So, I guess I will jump right in with both feet. Any advice for a beginner? Looking forward to learning lots.
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First of all welcome to our group. I think the best thing to do when starting out is to buy yourself a good book on Paleo with has guidelines and lots of recipes to get you started. There is a section here with recommended reading material to help you.
You can start right away today, this minute. If you want to be successful in Paleo you must be prepared to give up wheat and minimize your sugar intake and start increasing your vegetable, fruit, meat, chicken, eggs, fish and water intake. Do that and you are half way there. Good luck and don't stress over it as it is simply a matter of getting rid of additives, preservatives and useless food out of your diet and eating healthy fresh food.0 -
Welcome, read up and get cooking, this stuff is tasty and easy if you ask me.0
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Welcome! There are a million websites, a good place to start is Mark's Daily Apple.0
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Thank you all for your advice and encouragement!0
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I've been living Paleo since July... LOTS of free books on Amazon relating to the Paleo lifestyle. I've learned so much in a short amount of time about my own body. I have finally found a lifestyle that makes me healthier and that I can live with! Wish you all the best!
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Hi all, i just started the Paleo diet which was recommended by my dietician. I have always been thin, but gained about 30 punds the last few years and can't lose the weight. I am on Paleo for 11 days now and not only have I NOT lost any weight, I seemed to have gained 2 pounds. I am following to a tea all the recipes so I don't know what I am doing wrong...with the exception of coffee. I love coffee I went from 4 cups a day with lots of half and half to 3 cups with a little half and half and one stevia. Any ideas or advice on what I miught be doing wrong and how I can correct this?0
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ClutchBone wrote: »Welcome, read up and get cooking, this stuff is tasty and easy if you ask me.
^this. I've been Paleo for over 2 years and while I'm at a standstill with losing weight since last Christmas (due to under-eating and loss of lbm, and just plain stubbornness..) I am in the best health of my entire life and my child has also had huge health benefits. It's an easy lifestyle to commit to for life imo. I love the food I eat, learning new skills in the kitchen, and trying new foods.0 -
To famuv5ive; I do not know if you are keeping a diary of your food but if you are it seems to be closed (which is fine but we cannot help without knowing what you are eating). That being said, if you gained 30 pounds in the last few years there is something wrong and it may take some work but nothing should keep you from good health as long as you are eating correctly things will start to change, maybe not as fast as you would hope but keep eating a full load of good healthy Fats, Meats and eggs and Veggies, steer clear of packaged and overly processed foods and all grains as a basic rule. If you want to add me as a friend I am always willing to help.0
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To ClutchBone: Thanks for the reply and advice. I won't give up. I will continue to eat all Paleo and hope for better results in the coming weeks.0
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famuv5ive- are you "Paleofying foods? I mean ae you eating Paleo Muffins and pancakes and pizza regularly? Because that will absolutely make you gain or stall. The "real" deal is meat, veggies, fat, fruit, nuts starch in some relevant quantities to your body. Most people need to add the nuts and starches LAST. So if you have done those...a point to ponder. Also, I can oereat on ANY diet, I have to track. Maybe you are like me?
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I've been playing with Paleo for several months, and after a visit to a digestive health specialist who recommended low carb for my digestive ailments, have been better about sticking to it the past couple of weeks
Great books are "It Starts With Food," "The Primal Blueprint," and "The Paleo Solution"
Google "Paleo" and you will find all sorts of great info!
When I need to make dinner, I'll do a search for example "Quick Paleo chicken recipes" and find lots of ideas!0 -
cindytw- thanks for responding. I am trying full on Paleo. NO pizza or pancakes. I did make my own Paleo muffins, but ate them sparingly. I am mostly eating grilled chicken, salad, and omelettes. I eat basically chicken, eggs, spinach, swiss chard, kale and mushrooms. I had a visit with my diteician yersterday (who recommended Paleo). On my scale, I gained weight, on hers I lost weight. She focused on the number on her scale, but I use my scale obviously much more often. I think she is not recommending the right foods. She suggests egg omelettes with whole eggs rather than egg whites. There are so many more calories in the whole egg. In addition, my cholesterol is 220, so I am trying to stay away from high cholesterol foods. I gave up cheese and dairy (which I love). I really don't know what to eat... :-(0
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welcome newbies!0
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Hi, I've been flirting with the idea of Paleo for a while now. Had waffles today, so that's out. Beginning tomorrow morning, I will begin and will be looking for tips/tricks. Is coffee paleo lol....0
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cindytw- thanks for responding. I am trying full on Paleo. NO pizza or pancakes. I did make my own Paleo muffins, but ate them sparingly. I am mostly eating grilled chicken, salad, and omelettes. I eat basically chicken, eggs, spinach, swiss chard, kale and mushrooms. I had a visit with my diteician yersterday (who recommended Paleo). On my scale, I gained weight, on hers I lost weight. She focused on the number on her scale, but I use my scale obviously much more often. I think she is not recommending the right foods. She suggests egg omelettes with whole eggs rather than egg whites. There are so many more calories in the whole egg. In addition, my cholesterol is 220, so I am trying to stay away from high cholesterol foods. I gave up cheese and dairy (which I love). I really don't know what to eat... :-(
Whole eggs = complete proteins, which you want. Some still advocate egg whites added to one complete egg to cut back on unnecessary fats, I do not. You really do not need to worry about Cholesterol at all if you are eating correctly, every cell in your body produces it and it is necessary for everything in your body to function. What you are saying is your Lipids (LDL's) are high but 220 is not high at all, if your LDL's are high and you are eating a bad diet without veggies they can become oxidized and then they are an issue. All the current science is behind this and it is not something to worry about although it is still believed by the general populous and the media and Big Pharma will push it to promote sales of their drugs.
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It breaks my heart to see the cholesterol/egg myth still alive. What Clutch said.0
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I hear what you are both saying (Clutch and Akimajuktuq), but I am also afraid tha the whole egg has so many more calories that egg whites. I am really trying to stay at my 1200 a day goal, so it is very difficult to choose what to eat.0
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If you are doing Paleo, think about what would happen in nature. Can you see yourself out in the wilderness separating eggs? An egg is a healthy piece of food, enjoy it and find another way to cut calories.0
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I'm with everyone else on the whole eggs. One whole egg has 70 calories. If you ate 2-3 eggs they would make very little difference in your calories but provide so much nutrition it is well worth it.0
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Are we in the Paleo group still? Paleo is about health. Avoiding whole eggs because of calories and under-eating intentionally is NOT healthy. You are avoiding the best (for nutrients and micro-nutrients) part of the egg just to avoid calories - that's illogical. Please nourish your body. In my opinion whole eggs are a LOW calorie food anyway.0
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If you are just starting out, worry about the food, not the calories. A lot of people find they can eat more on paleo because their bodies are not as stressed. Track out of curiosity, not out of trying to stay below X number. Learn how good nutrition treats your body. Starting at 1200 cal is going to make you faileo.0
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I hear what you are all saying, and thank you for the advice. I am on day 18 of Paleo and so far, the first two weeks, I gained almost a pound. The last 4 days, I managed to drop the exact amount, so I am back to the starting Paleo weight. The only difference between the first 14 days and the last 4 days, is that I started tracking what I was eating and went from whole egg omelettes to egg white omelettes. One suggestion I got from one of the sites is, it I see I am not losing on Paleo, track the caloric intake in myfitnesspal.. so the recommended calorie intake on myfitnesspal is 1200. In addition to being healthy, I HAVE to lose this extra 30 pounds. There is no where else to cut corners. For example, Breakfast was an apple. For lunch I am having 3 ounces of flounder, sauteed organic Kale, Chard, Spinach, Broccoli and mushrooms, 1 tiny organic sweet potato with cinnamon and drink water. And for dinner, I will have grilled chicken with the same green veggies and no sweet potato. Any other suggestions on what I can eat that will help? I appreciate the advice
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Great food choices except the apple for breakfast. More protein for breakfast would be of benefit as well. Try not to get too tied up in the calorie counting area and focus more on becoming healthy.
Day 18 of Paleo and you do seem to be doing really well. How have you managed to quit alcohol, sugar, cheese and bread so easily? The health benefits will be amazing and I admire your determination.0 -
Thanks LeenaGee. I don't normally drink alcohol; only on occasion, if any so that was not an issue. The bread and cheese are VERY difficult. I LOVE LOVE cheese. I cold turkey cut it out of my diet along with the bread. I do feel proud that I am doing well. It's not easy since my husband and children are all not on board with the Paleo. So I have been making them their usual foods and I eat my own Paleo foods. They'll have pizza and soda while I have a Kale salad with water. It bothers me that they don't want to try, but if I can't get my husband to eat what I eat, I can't make my children eat it either. Last week I bought ezekiel bread to make them sandwiches for lunch and they all freaked out and didn't eat sandwiches at all. I ended up throwing it away and just buying regular bread for them this week. My mindset right now is very focused on getting healthy and losing this extra weight. I will keep trying to get my family on board with me. In the meantime, I am cooking them organic foods rather than the regular meats I used to buy. I am using coconut and almond flour rather than bread crumbs. Hopefully soon, I can transition them to cut out the sugar and bread.0
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Obsessing with the scale and panicking because you gained a pound after starting Paleo is not helpful. The body fluctuates every single day by as much as 5 pounds, even more. You did not lose a pound because you gave up whole eggs. Sorry you didn't. And you will find that 1200 might make you lose a bit quicker now.... because you will be losing lbm too. Yup, looks great on the scale but is a fail for your body composition, metabolism and overall health for the long term. Been there, did it. Everything you think you know about "dieting" failed before right (as in you gained the weight back)? When you come to Paleo it's time to check those myths at the door.
With 30 pounds to lose you should NOT be eating 1200 calories... or do you mean you want to lose15 pounds of fat and 15 pounds of muscle? Let me guess you have entered the goal to lose 2 pounds per week?
If you insist on starving you won't like much of the advice you get here, or at least from me. But don't worry, I'll give up and shut up soon.
There are other ways to "cut corners" or "be the healthiest you can be". Cut the sugar. Eat enough. Have a healthy, active lifestyle. Get rid of the scale. Measure your body. Listen to your body. Be committed to health (not a number on a device). Have patience.0 -
If the calorie difference between a whole egg and an egg white weighs on your mind, though, why not add a little exercise? How long would it take you to burn that extra .... what is it, like 30 calories per egg yolk? Maybe that would help you not worry about that number, and a less stressed mind is a less stressed body and that's a body that can let go of stored fat.0
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You are all giving great advice and is sounds so do-able. And yes, I am trying for a quick fix at losing the weight....but I do want to keep it off and I do want to be healthly. I will forget about the quick fixes and really try to focus on health and hopefully this will work out. I'm trying not to give excuses, but between full time work, three kids, preparing dinner the second I get home, checking homework reading with my son and preparing night routines, once I am done with the daily schedule, it is about 8-8:30pm and from being up at 6am, I am pooped and all I want to do it sit onthe couch and unwind. The last thing on my mind is exercise. I try to get up from my desk every hour or so at work to walk a minute or two, I try to take the stairs rather than the elevator. I'll even jog in place in my house for a few minutes just to get some calories burning, but I don't have time to schedule exercise (and I will admit, a HUGE part of me doesn't want to...)
Thank you everyone, please don't stop giving advice, I am truly listening to every word. :-)0 -
With your busy lifestyle it is even more detrimental to be under-eating and under-nourishing yourself. I am a single parent and I get the busyness. I cook everything from scratch, raise a high needs child, look after my dogs, and some of my neighbours dogs, plus work full time, etc. Even without exercising (obviously you are moving your body around) you still need to eat more.
You want rapid weight loss, inadequate nourishment and have excuses for not exercising. Yet you are somewhat active. How about moving without worrying about "calories burned"? Also, playing with your child IS exercise too. Exercise does not have to be in a gym.
There is FAR MORE GOING ON than just calories in and out. I'm not saying that you can't track or keep an eye on calories/macros etc but what you are doing is unhealthy and unsustainable.
You seem to be looking for strategies to fend off hunger instead of the obvious solution of just eating more healthy foods.0 -
Akimajuktuq, I for one love your replies. Straight to the point and you are helping put me back on track and I am so pleased OP is listening as we can all learn a lot from you.
I was on a healthy lifestyle forum once and those beautiful people listed all the diets they had been on. It was heartbreaking as between them they had done every diet imaginable and each person put the weight straight back on and some extra as well. The basic fact is "diets don't work." The only reason I left that site, along with many others, was that it became a paid site.
Famur5ive, say nothing to your family about what you are doing but simply and quietly introduce fresh, healthy foods into their diets. Very hard to convert people who are not interested but children (and your husband) will gain so much from your style of eating without even noticing the difference. My family eat what I eat but have not given up bread. Over the years, I have had them drinking all kinds of juices and loving them and they don't even notice some of the more healthy choices that I make whilst cooking.
As I said before, you are doing really well and it will get easier but please move away from the diet mentality completely and concentrate on healthy eating.0 -
Famuv5ive, when I first started trying to lose weight, many years ago, I did the my dinner, their dinner thing. It very quickly drove me crazy and I always ended up throwing in the towel and eating what they were eating. It is exhausting cooking two dinners every night and then watching them eat things I could not. You are just setting yourself up to fail in my opinion.
Now, we have one meal for everyone. Period. I do try to make things I know they will like. Buffalo chicken, meatloaf, hamburgers, etc. Fortunately my kids have always been good salad eaters so that works out for me. (Do not tell them the lettuce is kale or spinach. Start by adding a small amount of darker greens to each salad and eventually you may be able to drop the iceberg entirely.) For other vegetables, I always make two and make sure each kid has one they like. One kid will eat carrots and the other will eat green beans, then I make carrots and green beans and I get to eat both.
On the nights I make something they don't like they know where to find the almond butter and fruit spread. LOL. I still have not won the bread battle but I still have hopes.0
