Paleo based Diet - Carb cravings

DavidRocketts

Been on a paleo based diet about a month (No grains, low carb - fruit, veg, lean meat/fish) plus exercise. Lost 5lb so far. Still getting powerful carb-cravings in the evening - anyone encounter this? How do you deal with it? Do we eventually adapt so these feelings fade..?

lemurcat12

I did paleo for a while and liked it (my reasons for not doing it anymore are in various other paleo threads so I won't bore you) ;-) but I never considered paleo a low carb diet. Sweet potatoes are especially popular among the paleo folks I know. I'd normally have a starch at dinner, usually potatoes or sweet potatoes or a good amt of other root veg or winter squash + fruit.

I did and do find that I tend to want more carbs at dinner not so much at earlier meals. Just preference, I guess.

Most of the paleo followers I know are also crossfitters and big into watching macros and making sure they have carbs around workouts and all that.

DavidRocketts

Thanks lemurcat12 I like sweet potato, and will add some in with dinner. No point in eating clean all day then caving in and having sweets in the evening...

AngInCanada

There's so much information out there and it's hard to know what to follow. For example, if you follow Mark Sisson from Marks Daily Apple (primal diet), he has a carbohydrate curve and for effortless weight loss you're supposed to be under 100 grams a day. Maintainence is over 100 grams a day and weight gain I think is over 200? I think you really just need to listen to your body. I eat primal/paleo meals but I wouldn't consider myself primal or paleo because I am not that strict, but I defenitely incorporate sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, etc into my diet when my calories allow. When i eat how my body "craves" I end up sitting around 150-200 grams of carbs a day. That's MY sweet spot.

cwolfman13

I know some paleo peeps, and they aren't low carb...they just don't eat grains or legumes...

nvmomketo

I found lowering my carbs helped reduced cravings. The lower I go, the fewer cravings I have.