New to Primal

Phoenix4me18

Hi all! I recently joined MFP in the hopes of finding support switching my lifestyle to a primarily Primal one. I have read a lot of the information here and found so much of it to be very helpful. Several months ago I participated in the Whole30 program and found I found amazing by the end. I struggle with IBS and was shocked when the plan completely resolved all of my symptoms. Over the months that followed I eventually had reverted back to my old SAD diet. (WHY did I do that to myself??) I have found many of my symptoms have returned and I am feeling worse from an energy perspective. Based on this experience I decided I really needed to get back to something more along the Primal/Paleo lifestyle. From everything I have read I think Primal is they way to go. I figure I will test it out for a while and if I think Paleo will work better I will switch to that.

Looking forward to getting to know you all! Please feel free to add me as a friend. I would love to build a great support network and provide support back in return.

Akimajuktuq

With IBS, minimizing dairy would be the most beneficial. I started out Primal as well but I can state unequivocally that dairy IS a big problem for me, especially in regards to my addiction to it and my continual resistance to give it up when I know I should. High quality raw cheese isn't the worst thing in the world, but for me cheese is a trigger. It's amazing to (re) discover that there IS life beyond dairy, but it's my biggest challenge, along with the carbs.

Of course, Primal is WAY better than SAD... so WELCOME!!!!

punchgut

It is better to start out with full autoimmune paleo, and then add things in. You want to find out what is causing your problems and what you can handle. Start clean for 30 days, and then add thing in one at a time. Never add faster than two week period. It's a pain, but pays off in the end.

cottagegirl71

just added you - trying to do a gradual switch to primal and ultimately paleo....

Akimajuktuq

I would recommend jumping in with a strict approach for 30 days as well. I'm not 100% crazy about AI as a starting point as it's a pretty difficult way to start out (but some health problems definitely warrant it!), but certainly a Whole30 type of approach is excellent.

However, I didn't start that way and here I still am... but I was strict with a ketogenic (high fat, moderate protein, very low carb) Primal eating plan which resolved most of my health problems very quickly. Granted, the AI protocol would have helped me discover that nightshades were a problem for me sooner than I did. Now I can still eat them, in carefully controlled amounts, and remain joint pain free.

I don't personally think weaning off of junk is effective at all, which seems to be a strategy used by some, but I haven't seen it be overly successful imo. It really changes one's life to be blown away by just how much food affects every aspect of our health. Jump in with both feet!

shellylb52

I agree with Punchgut. Start witht the whole30 and then try things out one at a time to find what works for you. Doing the whole30 I was able to get rid of my asthma and headaches. I am slowly adding back dairy, started with a little greek yogurt. So far so good, next up is cheese.

tshirtartist

I just added you as a friend. ☺️
I have also found nightshades to be the main culprit in joint and tendon pain as well as any type of sugar or sweetner. I have been doing Paleo for about a month now but have been slipping in to many of the Paleo treats which I decided to stop as They tend to lead to binges for me. Never have been able to control my intake of sugar. I guess I am just too addicted to the sweet stuff.

homesweeths

I'm motivated again after a week of grains (gluten free, but still grains). I'm *tired*! I woke up tired yesterday and today. This morning I finally made the connection - I don't have the energy I've gotten used to enjoying because I haven't been eating right this week! Duh.

Phoenix4me18

Thank you so much for all the advice! I think you all are right that maybe jumping in with both feet may just be the way to go. Seems like that may be more effective than my current slow transition. Will have to think on that more. I have done a Whole30 once before and it definitely provided some very noticeable changes in how I felt.

KombuchaCat

Akimajuktuq wrote: »

I don't personally think weaning off of junk is effective at all, which seems to be a strategy used by some, but I haven't seen it be overly successful imo. It really changes one's life to be blown away by just how much food affects every aspect of our health. Jump in with both feet!

I totally agree with this. Sometimes getting off the junk produces short term pain but once you power through you get the full effect of wonderfulness!

ascrit

Welcome NewMe9597!

Malyss13

I have been debating a whole 30 way of eating as well. So glad to hear some people that have had some experience and success with it... I just found that I am gluten intolerant... Gives me migraines and bloating. :-/ I was thinking about whole 30, but it seems so restrictive... Perhaps I will go ahead and give it a go.

homesweeths

Whole30 seems restrictive if your go-to foods are all "off" the list. Like, when we had to go gluten and dairy free for one of our children's sake -- and spaghetti, bread (sandwiches), macaroni and cheese, pizza, pancakes, muffins, cookies... all those were staples. It was tough! And it was 20 years ago, when they didn't have all the alternatives that are available now.

When I did the Whole30, we were already gluten free, and nobody around here much likes the taste/texture of GF alternatives, so the main thing I had to leave behind was rice, if I remember right, and dairy. (Whew, that was hard, except that I already knew I had a problem with casein and so the only dairy I had at the time was full-fat.)

But when I went auto-immune, and had to give up eggs for a month! That was hard.

And yet, when I started cooking from the Whole30 list of foods that you *can* eat, I discovered a whole new way of eating. And found it good! Now having meat for breakfast, with stir-fried kale, onion, and garlic, and maybe cubed sweet potato fried along with it in coconut oil, is something I find delicious.

So don't think about what you're eliminating, for now. Look at the food lists and start experimenting!

(I didn't even like cauliflower when I started. Now I prefer cauliflower rice to the real thing.)

Akimajuktuq

^THIS. I disagree that this lifestyle is "restrictive" but it is when approached by focusing one what one is NOT eating. Instead of "restrictive" come to Paleo with the mindset that it's DELICIOUS and healthy (bonus!).

My favourite meal that I have very frequently: rare beef ribeye fried in butter, mushrooms fried in butter, asparagus with butter, and sometimes even crab legs.... with butter. Or substitute ghee for butter. If something doesn't have butter then it probably has free ranged pork fat... yum.

I happen to be having ribeye and asparagus and butter tonight.

Malyss13

Wow! Thanks for the new perspective! That is very helpful. I have been really down on what I have to eliminate, but you are all right! I need to focus on what I can have and make that work for me.

MiRatlhed

I jumped in with both feet and have had a great time with it like others said. I bought a ebook bundle, slow cooker, food processor and re stocked my spice cupboard. Got a new cutting board too and just went to town with new recipes that looked good.

My body has helped me stay on track. I agree that eliminating it all and start out fresh is a way to go to be more long term successful. My wife could not do it and still is hovering at 50-75% primal. I do have whey protein supplement every now and then when my protein macros are down but my body does not have dairy issues. My energy and fitness is the payment. Amazing transformation for me, it also helps immensely with my depression.

Phoenix4me18

Great discussion. I think I am leaning towards jumping in with both feet. Perhaps it would be easier than trying the "ease in" approach. Less temptation that way too. When I did the Whole 30 I did have to completely change my thinking - especially about breakfast. I have never liked eggs and they tend to cause some not so great side effects. So, when I started doing the Whole 30 I decided since I knew they bothered me anyway I would just go ahead and omit them. It forced me to stop thinking of only breakfast foods for breakfast and to think outside the box. It was challenging to get through the program, but, I felt so great after I completed it. Kind of sad that so many of my eating habits from before have crept back in and I have gotten to where I am. I have recommended the Whole 30 to everyone. I think it is a fantastic program.

I have seen a lot of back and forth on tracking food as well. Do you all track your food or do you just focus on eating the right foods and not worry about tracking? I want to ensure I am taking the best approach for weight loss. I find tracking can sometimes make me feel a little "boxed in" and is something I struggle with. Though, I feel like in order to lose weight it is something I need to do. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

homesweeths

MiRatlhed wrote: »

I jumped in with both feet and have had a great time with it like others said. I bought a ebook bundle, slow cooker, food processor and re stocked my spice cupboard. Got a new cutting board too and just went to town with new recipes that looked good.

My body has helped me stay on track. I agree that eliminating it all and start out fresh is a way to go to be more long term successful. My wife could not do it and still is hovering at 50-75% primal. I do have whey protein supplement every now and then when my protein macros are down but my body does not have dairy issues. My energy and fitness is the payment. Amazing transformation for me, it also helps immensely with my depression.

Y'know, if you did want to experiment with going completely dairy free for a time, you could get extra protein with collagen. Two TBS of Great Lakes green label collagen dissolves in hot or cold liquid and contains 22g of protein.

Granted, I don't need a whole lot of protein compared to someone who works out, but it would be really easy to increase that amount. Just put it in BP coffee, it doesn't even thicken the beverage noticeably, and (at least to my taste buds) adds no taste of its own.

I drink it in cold water with raw ACV. I'm not a huge water drinker since we moved. I don't like the taste of the water at our new house, even filtered. So that, at least, helps get me to my water goal, and these days I seldom end up short on protein.

homesweeths

NewMe9597 wrote: »

Great discussion. I think I am leaning towards jumping in with both feet. Perhaps it would be easier than trying the "ease in" approach. Less temptation that way too. When I did the Whole 30 I did have to completely change my thinking - especially about breakfast. I have never liked eggs and they tend to cause some not so great side effects. So, when I started doing the Whole 30 I decided since I knew they bothered me anyway I would just go ahead and omit them. It forced me to stop thinking of only breakfast foods for breakfast and to think outside the box. It was challenging to get through the program, but, I felt so great after I completed it. Kind of sad that so many of my eating habits from before have crept back in and I have gotten to where I am. I have recommended the Whole 30 to everyone. I think it is a fantastic program.

I have seen a lot of back and forth on tracking food as well. Do you all track your food or do you just focus on eating the right foods and not worry about tracking? I want to ensure I am taking the best approach for weight loss. I find tracking can sometimes make me feel a little "boxed in" and is something I struggle with. Though, I feel like in order to lose weight it is something I need to do. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I track my food to make sure I am getting enough calories. This way of eating is so satiating, I could get by on 800 calories, or even less, and not feel deprived, but that wouldn't be healthy.

Akimajuktuq

If I eat the right foods, consistently, I would not need to track at all. But I didn't choose to do that fully over the last year so I'm tracking now while I'm kicking my butt back into healthy. It's the FOOD.. the more treats and cheats one chooses would mean that tracking would likely be more important.

My tracking is for the carbs, not the calories.

MiRatlhed

homesweeths wrote: »

Y'know, if you did want to experiment with going completely dairy free for a time, you could get extra protein with collagen. Two TBS of Great Lakes green label collagen dissolves in hot or cold liquid and contains 22g of protein.

That is on the shopping list at Amazon! Thanks for the added reassurance to get some of this.

miriamtob

What made you go back to SAD? Knowing this might help us give you better advice. I'm all for jumping in with both feet and clearing out the cupboards and fridge of non-paleo/primal foods.