Doc referred me to Paleo, any advice?

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teenster3
teenster3 Posts: 87 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,
I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.

I also received a reply that I do not need Paleo to lose weight. Thoughts?
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Replies

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    you dont' need paleo to lose weight (or Keto, or Atkins etc)

    - put your stats into MFP and select a rate of loss about 1.5-2lbs a week (with 100lbs a week you can do that).
    - be honest about your activity level - DO NOT include purposeful activity, but rather daily moving
    - set up a routine to weigh yourself - many of us do daily because it helps to identify trends (figure out what works for you)
  • teenster3
    teenster3 Posts: 87 Member
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    Thank you. I noticed it is helpful to be using this site to log foods and motivation from others. My doctor also told me about this site, it does help.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited August 2017
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    teenster3 wrote: »
    Hello,
    I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.

    One reply suggested I do not need Paleo to lose weight either, just logging on, exercising and healthy eating. Thoughts???

    The bolded part. Yes, eat healthy for health, but weight loss comes down to calories. Decide what healthy eating means to you - most Dr's know little to nothing about nutrition, so I wouldn't be taking their advice as gospel. You don't need to exercise for weight loss either; again, great for health and helps create a bigger deficit, but not vital
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    edited August 2017
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    I am on a restricted version of the paleo diet. It is tough and expensive at first when you buy all the oil, spices, and other staples. Don't buy flour or waste time trying to make treats/desserts. it's unnecessary, time consuming, and most paleo treats are gross unless made by a professional.

    Base your meals around protein and vegetables. Example: Salmon with roasted vegetables. Easy meal right there. Meal prep- take one day out of the week to prepate your meals. Invest in a pressure cooker or slow cooker. It will become your best friend in the kitchen. Beef, eggs, seafood, lamb, goat, duck, chicken, other poultry are good protein sources. Some saving tips: if you buy a whole chicken, save the bones after you roast it to make broth. Use that broth as a soup base, sauces, or gravy. Also save the fat from the chicken to cook other things like eggs. This can be done with any meat.

    Buy vegetables and fruits in season for affordability (plus, it gets you to expand your taste if you try something different). Check out farmer markets for inspiration. Here, its the perfect season for leafy greens, cabbages, zucchini, cucumber, berries, and melons. frozen and bagged vegetables are also acceptable. Paleo people can get gung ho about organic food. I prefer local above anything since i get to support local farmers, and they're usually cheaper. Otherwise, I buy whatever is on sale. Basically what I can afford, even if its conventional. Anything is better than nothing.

    A common misconception is that paleo = low carb. Sweet potatoes, potatoes (depending on who you talk to), taro, parsnips, winter squashes, mangoes, figs are all high in carbs and acceptable on the diet.

    If you are looking for recipes, Stupid Easy Paleo and Nomnom Paleo are simple and tasty. I get a lot of ideas from Pinterest and Instagram. Even if you decide not to eat 100% paleo, it's always fun to check out different ways to make meals.
  • MidModJenn
    MidModJenn Posts: 216 Member
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    Paleo itself won't help you lose weight, it's simple calories in/out. However -- I've found that choosing Paleo foods for those calories has helped to cut down on my cravings, and I'm not so hungry between meals. There are a ton of recipes on Pinterest, and Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo has great recipes and tips. Good luck!
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    teenster3 wrote: »
    Hello,
    I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.

    I also received a reply that I do not need Paleo to lose weight. Thoughts?

    No you don't need Paleo to lose weight, but if it helps you stay under a calorie deficit then that's a plus. Personally though, I'd get a recommendation to a dietician.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Paleo often involves avoiding refined and highly processed foods- good for health. Look up some of the books on paleo or primal and just jump in.

    Good luck. :)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    You don't need paleo to lose, and personally I find some of the foods paleo would ban (legumes and dairy) to be helpful, whereas plenty of others find whole grains helpful (indeed, I get a farm box, and if I could not eat any of the fresh, local corn that is in season now so is in my box, that would make things more difficult for me).

    That said, I don't know why your doctor recommended paleo. If it is because he or she wants to encourage you to eat more home cooked foods or more vegetables and protein, you can certainly do that without doing paleo. If it is for other reasons (suspected food sensitivities, I dunno), then maybe it is specifically helpful for you.

    I do have some advice on how to do it, as I did it for a while and found it easy (it wasn't too much unlike how I normally eat). Main thing is don't think you need to follow someone else's plan or recipes -- start by looking at what you do now and thinking through what things you want to change.

    Paleo is just not adding sugar, not using grains or legumes or dairy, so the vast majority of recipes are paleo anyway. A meal of salmon, potatoes, and broccoli is paleo; a meal of pork chops, apples and sauerkraut, and cauliflower is paleo; a steak with sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts is; a salad with chicken and olives and pine nuts and various other veg with a homemade vinaigrette is paleo; a stew with root veg and lamb and tomatoes is, etc.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Eat less than you have been eating. Buy a kitchen scale that for about 24 dollars at Walmart or Target to weigh and log your food. Get enough protein and fat. OK to go over.
    Carbs do not matter --can be up or down.

    Some of this might be helpful: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    Here are some recipes: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/category/nutrition/recipes/

    My husband and I often buy rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and then make salad and a cooked vegetable side dish. -- We try to keep things easy.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    Orphia wrote: »
    teenster3 wrote: »
    Hello,
    I am not new to weight loss or seeking advice on it, but most recently my doctor told me to try Paleo. Any advice on food, easy recipes, anything for beginners and on would be greatly appreciated. I have over 100 lbs. to lose, am on multiple medications for health and pain, need energy and to feel good again. Thank you.

    I also received a reply that I do not need Paleo to lose weight. Thoughts?

    Get a new doctor.

    I 2nd this
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    teenster3 wrote: »
    One reply suggested I do not need Paleo to lose weight either, just logging on, exercising and healthy eating. Thoughts???[/b]

    All you need is a calorie deficit and the ability to sustain that deficit for an extended period of time to lose 100+lbs.

    If Paleo eating helps you create and sustain that deficit long term then great, but if eating other foods you enjoy helps you more then do that.

    Logging is a tool to help accountability, give accuracy and is very educational.

    Exercise is needed for health but not for weight loss. It's relative importance for weight loss is dwarfed by how much you eat.

    Healthy eating is a given but that can be in a multitude of different styles, patterns and diets. Think of an overall healthy diet rather than focusing on individual good or bad food items. Also remember for perspective that just losing that amount of excess weight will dramatically improve your health.

    Don't be afraid to experiment, there's many different paths to get to your goal but sustainability and calorie deficit are universal. Many of us failed many times before we succeeded, look at experimentation and (temporary) failure as a learning experience rather than a trigger to give up.

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