paleo vs. calorie counting healthy foods

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Need advice. Paleo vs calories counting with healthy foods??? Opinions please. my sister in law is basically eating paleo, no white foods, dairy etc. the weight is falling off. I'm over here losing weight, but much slower. I just don't think I could do the paleo lifestyle forever.
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  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    In the end, calories in vs out is what matters. How you get there is preference. And losing faster isnt always better, as large deficits can increase the loss of muscle especially if you are lean. Also, when some go paleo they can be low carb which will help eliminate some water weight.
  • getstrongkaylen
    getstrongkaylen Posts: 137 Member
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    my personal philosophy is that I can what I want in moderation. for me, paleo is a bit to restrictive, so I prefer calories in vs calories out. I won't cut out grain, but I make sure I eat whole wheat.. to each their own! I know some people who do paleo and lose lots of weight, and I think the idea behind it isn't a terrible one but, I think that it would be really hard to replicate our ancestors diet today!
  • charlesfriday1
    charlesfriday1 Posts: 14 Member
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    I don't have a sweet tooth, never ate all that much pasta or bread. My only weaknesses were potatoes and rice. So, for me, low carb, though not paleo, was the way to go and has been very easy for me to maintain. I can stay under a hundred carbs a day without even trying.
  • Summrbunni
    Summrbunni Posts: 3 Member
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    ssjones999 wrote: »
    Need advice. Paleo vs calories counting with healthy foods??? Opinions please. my sister in law is basically eating paleo, no white foods, dairy etc. the weight is falling off. I'm over here losing weight, but much slower. I just don't think I could do the paleo lifestyle forever.

    Do you think you can count calories forever? I know I couldn't so I am doing a low carb lifestyle. I like it because I can eat rich, low carb, high fat foods and as much as I need to...and I feel so satisfied. I admit, it's a lot of work cooking and kind of expensive but you are worth it. I really prefer this way of life verses low cal!
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    She's losing because she's inadvertently eating low calorie. Low carb also helps with water weight losses.

    I "ate clean" without logging 4.5 years ago, lost 50-some pounds, but I became skinny fat. I hated how my stomach looked, which was where I needed to lean out the most. Wasn't able to do it with that method of eating. Now I'm tracking, aware of macros, and I have better muscular composition than I did back then. This is of course partially due to some minor "newbie" gains I experienced from lifting again after a break, and from having put on some muscle the year before I started when I "bulked" without meaning to (i.e. got fat while still also lifting weights).

    So, I'd say that if you just want to be skinnier and you aren't really that attached to the idea of eating all foods you enjoy, give a restrictive diet a try. It didn't last for me, I fell off the bandwagon so to speak. But it works fine for others. If you want to be leaner specifically then tracking calories will probably make it a lot easier.

    Btw, my calories now, while eating any foods, are the same as they would be had I decided to "eat clean." I'm eating more than I did when I ate clean though (at least in regards to my energy balance ratio), based on my much slower weight loss.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Summrbunni wrote: »
    ssjones999 wrote: »
    Need advice. Paleo vs calories counting with healthy foods??? Opinions please. my sister in law is basically eating paleo, no white foods, dairy etc. the weight is falling off. I'm over here losing weight, but much slower. I just don't think I could do the paleo lifestyle forever.

    Do you think you can count calories forever? I know I couldn't so I am doing a low carb lifestyle. I like it because I can eat rich, low carb, high fat foods and as much as I need to...and I feel so satisfied. I admit, it's a lot of work cooking and kind of expensive but you are worth it. I really prefer this way of life verses low cal!

    are you going to restrict carbs forever?
  • squirrelzzrule22
    squirrelzzrule22 Posts: 640 Member
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    I eat mostly paleo. Probably about 80/20 right now, trying to get to 90/10. YOU STILL HAVE TO COUNT CALORIES. But for me (and many others), eating at a deficit is way way easier when I am on paleo. There are a ton of reasons why, and they can vary for the individual, and some people on this site will get angry when you bring it up, but there it is.

    Try it out, keep counting calories, see if you like it and/or if it is sustainable for you. If so, go paleo! If not, try something else! Check out the paleo/primal group on here for more info. Good luck!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Paleo is the biggest joke ever. If you are going to do 100% paleo, then you need to study op on what our paleolithic brethren really ate = semi raw meat, grubs, insects, etc…

    YOur sister in law is lowing weight because she is restricting entire food groups, which has lead to a drastic reduction in calories.

    IMO you will be much happier enjoying all the foods you love, tracking your calories, and hitting macros…

    I would be miserable if I could not eat brad..

    with respect to fat loss Paloe is not superior to any other "method/tool" because at the end of the day fat loss = calorie deficit...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    Summrbunni wrote: »
    ssjones999 wrote: »
    Need advice. Paleo vs calories counting with healthy foods??? Opinions please. my sister in law is basically eating paleo, no white foods, dairy etc. the weight is falling off. I'm over here losing weight, but much slower. I just don't think I could do the paleo lifestyle forever.

    Do you think you can count calories forever? I know I couldn't so I am doing a low carb lifestyle. I like it because I can eat rich, low carb, high fat foods and as much as I need to...and I feel so satisfied. I admit, it's a lot of work cooking and kind of expensive but you are worth it. I really prefer this way of life verses low cal!

    Too most of the posters here, you might as well have said the earth is flat. Calories in, calories out, there can be no other way.

    even low carb is CICO …

    what other way is there?
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
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    Best if you went to paleo you would lose weight faster simply because you said you don't really like it. You would eat less.

  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
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    Summrbunni wrote: »
    ssjones999 wrote: »
    Need advice. Paleo vs calories counting with healthy foods??? Opinions please. my sister in law is basically eating paleo, no white foods, dairy etc. the weight is falling off. I'm over here losing weight, but much slower. I just don't think I could do the paleo lifestyle forever.

    Do you think you can count calories forever? I know I couldn't so I am doing a low carb lifestyle. I like it because I can eat rich, low carb, high fat foods and as much as I need to...and I feel so satisfied. I admit, it's a lot of work cooking and kind of expensive but you are worth it. I really prefer this way of life verses low cal!

    Too most of the posters here, you might as well have said the earth is flat. Calories in, calories out, there can be no other way.

    Can't get around those pesky laws of thermodynamics.

  • JoKnowsJo
    JoKnowsJo Posts: 257 Member
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    I tried paleo for a week or so decided it was to restrictive and really if I just did Cico plus worked out more i would stick with the change better so far so good :)
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Summrbunni wrote: »
    ssjones999 wrote: »
    Need advice. Paleo vs calories counting with healthy foods??? Opinions please. my sister in law is basically eating paleo, no white foods, dairy etc. the weight is falling off. I'm over here losing weight, but much slower. I just don't think I could do the paleo lifestyle forever.

    Do you think you can count calories forever? I know I couldn't so I am doing a low carb lifestyle. I like it because I can eat rich, low carb, high fat foods and as much as I need to...and I feel so satisfied. I admit, it's a lot of work cooking and kind of expensive but you are worth it. I really prefer this way of life verses low cal!

    Too most of the posters here, you might as well have said the earth is flat. Calories in, calories out, there can be no other way.

    even low carb is CICO …

    what other way is there?

    I don't know about that. If you eat a big steak every night I don't think it's low calorie.

    Come on now. You know better.
  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
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    Summrbunni wrote: »
    ssjones999 wrote: »
    Need advice. Paleo vs calories counting with healthy foods??? Opinions please. my sister in law is basically eating paleo, no white foods, dairy etc. the weight is falling off. I'm over here losing weight, but much slower. I just don't think I could do the paleo lifestyle forever.

    Do you think you can count calories forever? I know I couldn't so I am doing a low carb lifestyle. I like it because I can eat rich, low carb, high fat foods and as much as I need to...and I feel so satisfied. I admit, it's a lot of work cooking and kind of expensive but you are worth it. I really prefer this way of life verses low cal!

    Too most of the posters here, you might as well have said the earth is flat. Calories in, calories out, there can be no other way.

    Can't get around those pesky laws of thermodynamics.

    I am not an expert on the law of thermodynamics. But when I Google "a calorie is not a calorie," there is a whole host of evidence, mostly within the last five years, that the law of thermodynamics does not apply when it comes to weight loss. But what is your response? It's all garbage. It's all impossible. They are all liars who are just trying to sell something. Not worth reading. CICO or else!

    Google hits =/= evidence.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Summrbunni wrote: »
    ssjones999 wrote: »
    Need advice. Paleo vs calories counting with healthy foods??? Opinions please. my sister in law is basically eating paleo, no white foods, dairy etc. the weight is falling off. I'm over here losing weight, but much slower. I just don't think I could do the paleo lifestyle forever.

    Do you think you can count calories forever? I know I couldn't so I am doing a low carb lifestyle. I like it because I can eat rich, low carb, high fat foods and as much as I need to...and I feel so satisfied. I admit, it's a lot of work cooking and kind of expensive but you are worth it. I really prefer this way of life verses low cal!

    Too most of the posters here, you might as well have said the earth is flat. Calories in, calories out, there can be no other way.

    Low carb and paleo are ways that people have of creating a deficit without counting. I don't think it's surprising that people can do that (I've done it myself), but that doesn't mean it's not calories in, calories out, of course.

    OP, if you think you might be able to keep a deficit more easily with paleo, maybe look at some of the things that your sis-in-law does that would be appealing. Also, from listening to plenty of paleo podcasts (I love podcasts), it seems to me that plateauing after losing some is pretty common when you use that approach. Not surprising, since lots of foods I'd find easy to get plenty of calories with are paleo approved.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Summrbunni wrote: »
    ssjones999 wrote: »
    Need advice. Paleo vs calories counting with healthy foods??? Opinions please. my sister in law is basically eating paleo, no white foods, dairy etc. the weight is falling off. I'm over here losing weight, but much slower. I just don't think I could do the paleo lifestyle forever.

    Do you think you can count calories forever? I know I couldn't so I am doing a low carb lifestyle. I like it because I can eat rich, low carb, high fat foods and as much as I need to...and I feel so satisfied. I admit, it's a lot of work cooking and kind of expensive but you are worth it. I really prefer this way of life verses low cal!

    Too most of the posters here, you might as well have said the earth is flat. Calories in, calories out, there can be no other way.

    even low carb is CICO …

    what other way is there?

    I don't know about that. If you eat a big steak every night I don't think it's low calorie.

    eh??

    You said that CICO, there can be no other way …are you implying there is another way? Or just being obtuse…???