PALEO: pros, cons and whatever else you may think?

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stephlahtinen
stephlahtinen Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
so my crossfit box is starting a paleo challenge this month and i am really interested in trying it out. it seems pretty doable and like it makes sense, lean meats, vegetable centered, etc

so im just looking for some feedback...and success stories ;)

i've got a 10 year class reunion coming up so i'd like to trim up as much as possible!
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Replies

  • BrittanyLail
    BrittanyLail Posts: 40 Member
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    Following.... I'm interested in paleo as well
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
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    Your probably going to get a lot of flack here on the main boards, but I eat mostly Paleo (actually more Primal) and I love it. To be truthful, I've just cut out grains for the most part. I came to the diet because I wanted to drop about 8 lbs and was tired of being hungry. By cutting grain, I actually lost 10 lbs, no longer have cravings, am rarely hungry, and am leaner and lighter than I was in high school.

    Cutting out bread was really hard for me at first and I was definitely lightheaded and sluggish in the first week or so. Not any more though. Again, I'm not super strict or anything, but it's still been great for me. I have several friends who have had a lot of success with it too.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Any diet that has a name is silly.

    Any diet that strictly prohibits certain foods is silly.

    Any diet that does both of these is double-silly.

    By all means focus your diet on lean meats and veggies. But don't listen to what other people tell you are acceptable foods and unacceptable foods. Focus on your nutrients and eat things you enjoy.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    PROS:

    It can work well and quickly for weight loss
    No need for the hassle of calorie counting
    Can help regularise cravings
    Can help with digestive discomfort

    CONS:

    Restrictive food choice
    Lack of cake
    Can be expensive
    Can be hard to implement into day to day life
    Did I mention lack of cake?
  • stephlahtinen
    stephlahtinen Posts: 8 Member
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    woops! did i post in the wrong spot? ive been a member for about 18 months and never posted before...rookie mistake.

    ive already cut out bread for the most part, my boyfriend is into powerlifting so we tend to go through phases of him eating 0 carbs for a few weeks and then transitioning, etc.

    every time i've tried to cut out carbs entirely the first week is brutal. thats why i was thinking maybe paleo would be a bit easier and more sustainable.
  • stephlahtinen
    stephlahtinen Posts: 8 Member
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    yes lack of cake is going to be quite the problem i'd imagine haha :)
  • iechick
    iechick Posts: 352 Member
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    I tried it for several months and it caused some unpleasant digestive issues so I quit. But, there's no harm in doing it and seeing how it works for you :)
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    Any diet that has a name is silly.

    Any diet that strictly prohibits certain foods is silly.

    Any diet that does both of these is double-silly.

    By all means focus your diet on lean meats and veggies. But don't listen to what other people tell you are acceptable foods and unacceptable foods. Focus on your nutrients and eat things you enjoy.

    Coming from a guy with a McDoubleDown for an avatar. :wink:

    And I'll beat you to your reply.....


    Coming from a sloth.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    Any diet that has a name is silly.

    Any diet that strictly prohibits certain foods is silly.

    Any diet that does both of these is double-silly.

    By all means focus your diet on lean meats and veggies. But don't listen to what other people tell you are acceptable foods and unacceptable foods. Focus on your nutrients and eat things you enjoy.

    This. Paleo is definitely healthy, no doubt about it, but very restrictive. Cutting out everything you love leads to cravings, and then over-indulgence. It could also difficult to incorporate into every day life - meals out would be a pain,
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
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    It's just unnecessary...plain and simple. I don't believe in doing anything you can't sustain long term so I wouldn't do it. I love yogurt, mozzarella cheese, and delicious things that aren't allowed so no thanks. Not for me when I can have the body I want eating what I crave (within reason)! :)
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    Paleo has worked for alot of people and there are plenty of people out there who really believe in it and have been doing it for years so it is sustainable, just know to really do paleo it takes alot of dedication and alot of learning early on. I would get some paleo friends if you are serious so they can help give you tips.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    yes lack of cake is going to be quite the problem i'd imagine haha :)

    I know right.

    Try it. You might like it. If you don't you can...always try...something else.

    Dun dun dar!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Any diet that has a name is silly.

    Any diet that strictly prohibits certain foods is silly.

    Any diet that does both of these is double-silly.

    By all means focus your diet on lean meats and veggies. But don't listen to what other people tell you are acceptable foods and unacceptable foods. Focus on your nutrients and eat things you enjoy.

    Coming from a guy with a McDoubleDown for an avatar. :wink:

    And I'll beat you to your reply.....


    Coming from a sloth.

    That's a Bacon Ranch McDouble Down, thankyouverymuchmrsloth.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    A diet rich in nutrient dense whole foods is where it's at IMHO...but paleo is just too ristrictive for my taste and would be completely unsustainable. I like sammiches and legumes and dairy, etc and don't consider any of those things to be "bad"...but paleo does. I just don't see the point in being so restrictive in your diet. Just get your nutrition on and your fitness on.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
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    Paleo is not, in itself going to help you "trim up". A calorie deficit and the crossfit will do that for you. The only way Paleo might help is if you cut your calories by cutting out grain or whatever.

    Also, know that Paleo is no more "natural" than eating a twinkie-only diet. The hype surrounding "this is how we evolved to eat" is just that: hype. We evolved to eat food, period. Whatever food we could find. Plus, the foods we get nowadays are not the same as a caveman would have had access to.

    http://hells-ditch.com/2012/08/archaeologists-officially-declare-collective-sigh-over-paleo-diet/

    By all means, eat what you want. Just don't imagine that Paleo (or any other diet) is some magic bullet.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    Any diet that has a name is silly.

    Any diet that strictly prohibits certain foods is silly.

    Any diet that does both of these is double-silly.

    By all means focus your diet on lean meats and veggies. But don't listen to what other people tell you are acceptable foods and unacceptable foods. Focus on your nutrients and eat things you enjoy.

    Coming from a guy with a McDoubleDown for an avatar. :wink:

    And I'll beat you to your reply.....


    Coming from a sloth.

    That's a Bacon Ranch McDouble Down, thankyouverymuchmrsloth.

    Whoops.... sorry, I forgot, the sandwich has evolved.
  • MrsBingley
    MrsBingley Posts: 145
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    Pros:
    Structure
    Generally healthy
    High protein


    Cons:
    In my opinion, it can promote an unhealthy relationship with food, by labeling certain foods as "bad" and essentially banning them from the diet. Often with no good reason (beans, brown rice). This kind of diet, when practiced 100% can socially isolate you. It induce feelings of guilt when "bad" foods are consumed, sometimes leading to falling off the wagon or becoming food obsessed.

    Founded on bad science. Again, the diet may be generally healthy, but it is overly restrictive and the "science" behind it is bunk.

    If you choose to go paleo,I would strongly recommend taking a 90/10 approach at least, to keep you balanced and sane.

    And don't claim that you are actually eating like a caveman, lol.
  • stephlahtinen
    stephlahtinen Posts: 8 Member
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    theyre having gradients of the paleo challenge, like 25% paleo is basically eating lean meats, whole grains and no fast/boxed/instant foods and then it goes up in percentage from there as you would imagine.

    my hardest thing to give up is always dairy, not milk per se but CHEESE! yogurt, etc...those are tough ones.


    in other news, i love this song.
    http://vevo.ly/ndabq7
  • MermaidTX
    MermaidTX Posts: 352 Member
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    theyre having gradients of the paleo challenge, like 25% paleo is basically eating lean meats, whole grains and no fast/boxed/instant foods and then it goes up in percentage from there as you would imagine.

    my hardest thing to give up is always dairy, not milk per se but CHEESE! yogurt, etc...those are tough ones.


    in other news, i love this song.
    http://vevo.ly/ndabq7

    there's a Primal/Paleo support group on MFP that may be of help

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/54-primal-paleo-support-group
  • Batman_75
    Batman_75 Posts: 14 Member
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    I've been considering a version of paleo for a while. But my reasoning for doing so has been less about weight loss and more about additives and gmo. Eliminating grains and dairy for me means eliminating a lot of prepackaged and processed food. While I won't be following paleo to the letter. Ill probably be doing what works for me with paleo as a general guideline. I've lost plenty of weight doing non paleo calorie counting so you don't need paleo to lose weight. But it might help with avoiding some of the frighteninggarbage most major ccompanies hide in your food. A good rule of thumb. If it has more than five ingredients, it's probably a bad idea.

    Imho

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