Original Paleo Diet

sheenabyrd

I am wanting to try the original Paleo diet. Does anyone have any suggestions on books or other resources they can recommend? I am not familiar with this at all and my Dr suggested it today, so looking for more information.

ninerbuff

Don't embark on a diet you won't do for life. Research what it consists of. If you feel any apprehension on whether you can eat this way FOR LIFE, then it's probably not the diet for you.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

pander101

There are people who fully support it and it works for them to lose weight and stay healthy. When I've looked into it I've found that a lot of the scientific backing was lacking for it and a lot of the claims did not make any sense and a lot of the rules were unnecessary. But like the previous poster mentioned if you can't eat that way for life then you should probably consider alternative methods. Honestly I would suggest finding a different doctor if they suggested the Paleo diet.

But do your research, decide for yourself.

girlviernes

I'm curious, what were your doctor's reasons for recommending?

pander101

girlviernes wrote: »

I'm curious, what were your doctor's reasons for recommending?

Actually, yeah, I'm curious too.

guinevere96

Im curious about the doctors reasoning as well. And if the doctor himself follows it.

I_Will_End_You

pander101 wrote: »

Honestly I would suggest finding a different doctor if they suggested the Paleo diet.

Agreed.

sheenabyrd

My doctor has been following the Paleo diet since January of 2014 and has lost 80 lbs. She said it is working for her and she has totally changed her lifestyle and feels much better with this diet change. She also said that its a good diet for people with hormone imbalances. She wasn't pushing the diet on me but told me to check in to it. I've already had a lifestyle change and exercise regularly. I am looking for more information or good resources on the Paleo diet. As I said before, I know nothing about it. I would research it and weigh out all of my options before jumping in to anything. I have already lost almost 40lbs with diet and exercise but always looking at ways to improve my diet and exercises. Thank you all for your feedback.

PeachyCarol

sheenabyrd wrote: »

My doctor has been following the Paleo diet since January of 2014 and has lost 80 lbs. She said it is working for her and she has totally changed her lifestyle and feels much better with this diet change. She also said that its a good diet for people with hormone imbalances. She wasn't pushing the diet on me but told me to check in to it. I've already had a lifestyle change and exercise regularly. I am looking for more information or good resources on the Paleo diet. As I said before, I know nothing about it. I would research it and weigh out all of my options before jumping in to anything. I have already lost almost 40lbs with diet and exercise but always looking at ways to improve my diet and exercises. Thank you all for your feedback.

What sort of hormone imbalance do you have? PCOS?

Editing to add that I did paleo even before the first main paleo book came out, and didn't find it sustainable because I missed dairy.

It's possible to achieve a feeling of well-being simply by eating a balanced diet built mainly around nutrient-dense foods you really love and letting yourself have the occasional treat for your mental well-being. If you do that, you'll be doing something you'll be able to continue for the rest of your life.

sheenabyrd

Yes, PCOS. I am balancing it with diet and exercise now.

ninerbuff

sheenabyrd wrote: »

My doctor has been following the Paleo diet since January of 2014 and has lost 80 lbs. She said it is working for her and she has totally changed her lifestyle and feels much better with this diet change. She also said that its a good diet for people with hormone imbalances. She wasn't pushing the diet on me but told me to check in to it. I've already had a lifestyle change and exercise regularly. I am looking for more information or good resources on the Paleo diet. As I said before, I know nothing about it. I would research it and weigh out all of my options before jumping in to anything. I have already lost almost 40lbs with diet and exercise but always looking at ways to improve my diet and exercises. Thank you all for your feedback.

If you've lost that much already, then it doesn't sound like you need much more improvement. Don't fix what's not broken.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

pander101

ninerbuff wrote: »

sheenabyrd wrote: »

My doctor has been following the Paleo diet since January of 2014 and has lost 80 lbs. She said it is working for her and she has totally changed her lifestyle and feels much better with this diet change. She also said that its a good diet for people with hormone imbalances. She wasn't pushing the diet on me but told me to check in to it. I've already had a lifestyle change and exercise regularly. I am looking for more information or good resources on the Paleo diet. As I said before, I know nothing about it. I would research it and weigh out all of my options before jumping in to anything. I have already lost almost 40lbs with diet and exercise but always looking at ways to improve my diet and exercises. Thank you all for your feedback.

If you've lost that much already, then it doesn't sound like you need much more improvement. Don't fix what's not broken.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yeah, if you're doing this great already then keep at it.

pollypocket1021

Congrats on your success in spite of PCOS. You are obviously right on track.

PCOS is an endocrine disorder and many people with PCOS do very well on low carb. I have no reason to believe that paleo is a superior type of low carb diet, but I am not a nutritionist.

auddii

pollypocket1021 wrote: »

Congrats on your success in spite of PCOS. You are obviously right on track.

PCOS is an endocrine disorder and many people with PCOS do very well on low carb. I have no reason to believe that paleo is a superior type of low carb diet, but I am not a nutritionist.

This. I found paleo wasn't for me because I missed cheese, beans, and peanuts. There are lots of websites, but the "original paleo diet" might be hard to identify. Honestly, if your doctor has been following it for a year, she is likely a great resource for books. I looked at the primal blue print, but it's definitely not the original and includes many things excluded on the paleo (like cheese and other dairy).

kommodevaran

I think one's diet should be made to fit one's needs, preferences and lifestyle, not the other way around. I know, I'm strange.

stillnot2late

I've had 3 different primary care docs in the last 24 years and neither of them would even help me make any decisions. If just one doctor had said "study up on Paleo and try it" - I would have done it. They were like "you are on your own, you know what you need to do". But I didnt know, until I came to this site.

kamakazeekim

sheenabyrd wrote: »

Yes, PCOS. I am balancing it with diet and exercise now.

Lowering your carb intake may help...a lot of women with PCOS are insulin resistant so taking in less carbs helps them lose weight. I found that no "diet" was able to help me. I didn't start losing weight until I took 2000 mg of metformin.

I'm no fan of the Paleo diet...I just don't think it is sustainable long term.

pander101

stillnot2late wrote: »

I've had 3 different primary care docs in the last 24 years and neither of them would even help me make any decisions. If just one doctor had said "study up on Paleo and try it" - I would have done it. They were like "you are on your own, you know what you need to do". But I didnt know, until I came to this site.

GP doctors are taught very little in terms of nutrition. They primarily know the basics unless is it directly connected to what they are going to specialize in.

Katiebear_81

Robb Wolf is an excellent place to start if you're looking into Paleo. His book, The Paleo Solution, is easy to read, hilarious and pretty comprehensive for the paleo thing. You can get it on kindle too. I don't think that there is any harm in trying it out. I kept it up for 2 years, and lost loads of weight while doing it. However, I decided that I liked eating some of the verboten foods, and opted to go off it (and I gained a bunch of weight back from eating too much food). This time I don't desire to live without pizza and cake, so I'm flexible dieting. I don't have gluten intolerance or any other hormonal condition that makes a low carb or paleo diet worth it to me.

I would also look into The Clothes Make the Girl. She has a wonderful recipe site and a couple of cook books with easy and delicious food.

ajs_holm

I follow the Paleo diet about 90%. I love the foods to be honest and it gives me a great plan to follow. There is alot of discussion on Paleo out there and tons of good material. Paleo has also come a long way since it has started. Lots of Paleo experts talk about making Paleo work for you as an individual and lifestyle change and not following the "diet" 100%. I use Paleo as my base but there are foods I love that are filled with nutrition that is not necessarily considered Paleo friendly. Some would argue that I am not on a Paleo lifestyle then, which to that, I agree..

I have made Paleo work for me. If you are interested in reading a very well written book to help understand the Paleo concept and how to make it work for your life style then I recommend Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo. It was my first Paleo book and it really teaches you the concept of Paleo and making it a lifestyle more than it does teach you the Paleo "diet". It is very educational. I also, put "diet" in quotes, because Paleo shouldn't be a diet, it is an eating lifestyle change.

The reason, I call it my base, is because it takes out processed foods completely. I think for anyone trying to eat healthier, that is a great way to start. It is lots of meats & veggies with some fruits. I eat more fruits than a traditional Paleo diet would recommend.

The book I suggested is great because it gives education, recipes, 30 day meal plans for different hormone/weight loss/heart health/immune issues. The recipes are easy and good. One of the best things I love about Paleo, is most of the recipes are about 5 or 6 ingredients max. It is an expensive way of eating in the sense it will take you some time to build your pantry with the ingredients you will need. You will eat no more wheat!! So you will learn how to cook with wheat substitutes, including coconut flour and almond flour. Most people do not have these items already in their pantry and they are not considered cheap in comparison to white flour.

pope705

You may find the support and/or answers you are looking for in this group : community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/37-primal-paleo-support-group

LAWoman72

You might check out Mark's Daily Apple (Google it). I don't like Mark Sisson very much but I know when I was doing Paleo, there seemed to be a ton of information there.

Unknown

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girlviernes

OP, it sounds like you are doing really great and what you are doing is working super well for you! By all means, read about Paleo if it is of interest to you, but you don't need to make such drastic changes to be healthy. The good stuff from Paleo is doing home cooking, more whole foods, and for PCOS lowering refined carbs is likely to be helpful. There are lots of great Paleo recipes out there too, so that can add to the diversity of choices that you have when meal planning

sheenabyrd

Thank you all for taking the time to provide so much information, including the pros and cons. I now have a good place to start researching and finding out what works best for me and my lifestyle.

kommodevaran

Katiebear_81 wrote: »

Robb Wolf is an excellent place to start if you're looking into Paleo. His book, The Paleo Solution, is easy to read, hilarious and pretty comprehensive for the paleo thing. You can get it on kindle too. I don't think that there is any harm in trying it out. I kept it up for 2 years, and lost loads of weight while doing it. However, I decided that I liked eating some of the verboten foods, and opted to go off it (and I gained a bunch of weight back from eating too much food). This time I don't desire to live without pizza and cake, so I'm flexible dieting. I don't have gluten intolerance or any other hormonal condition that makes a low carb or paleo diet worth it to me.

I would also look into The Clothes Make the Girl. She has a wonderful recipe site and a couple of cook books with easy and delicious food.

Robb Wolf? Diet in the North, eh? You GOT to be kidding

(All right, I checked it out, I'm all for eating real food, but not for cutting out food.)

wyattj99

Nerd Fitness is a good starting place as well...they talk about easy paleo lifestyle there..just google it.

Firefly_71

Hi there, just to add a few more options: I would check out Leanne Vogel's blog. She actually follows a Keto/Paleo hybrid, that recognizes the challenges that women face. I would also check out Skye St John's book No Fail Fat Burning For Women (a relatively inexpensive ebook on Amazon), she too follows Paleo principals. Skye St. John also has a blog (same name as book), but the content is pretty scant at this point (the blog is also really hard to find).

Both Vogel and St. John are big fans of Dave Asprey (somewhat controversial, but IMHO he's dedicated to helping people find success). Asprey might be considered more a of Paleo 2.0 guy. He's improved on some aspects of the Paleo diet, and also uses a lot of supplements (to the point of excess at times). You will find nay-sayers and strong proponents of Paleo. The bottom line is you have to decide what works for you, and what will enable you to achieve success and lasting change.

Also, if you do Paleo, you may want to make sure that you are getting enough fat. I really resisted the idea of adding more fat to my diet, until I just couldn't manage to lose on low carb/high protein. I switched to Low Carb, High Fat (LCHF), and made sure at least 65 to 70 percent of my diet was coming from fat. I saw immediate results. My weight loss went from 2.2 lbs a month to 4.4 to 6 lbs a month. Check out the ruled.me blog for more info on this. Best of luck to you!

neanderthin

This is the definitive source for data.

http://www.amazon.com/Ethnographic-Atlas-George-Peter-Murdock/dp/0822931141