Paleo lifestyle... Have you tried it? How did you feel?

dmzf

Polite opinions only please.

positivechic1978

Bump.....I am curious also.

jayjay12345654321

Try the paleo group. You'll find a lot of people there who can tell you their experiences.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/54-primal-paleo-support-group

dmzf

Thx Jay Jay

mmipanda

Started it around, idk, July or so. Dropped a lot of weight easily, have been maintaining (read: eating as much as I want and not logging anything) and working on building muscle lately.

Basically... I flipping love it. I have NEVER been able to lose weight easily. before, it was an uphill battle and I found myself thinking 'well... maybe it won't be so bad being a size 14, i could just buy some new clothes that will fit me'.

Now I'm having to buy new clothes in size 10 because everything is too big. (partially due to weight loss, partially body recomp)


And I have discovered through this that I'm really sensitive to gluten, wheat and dairy. I found out that my mum had allergy tests done when she was about 20yo and was allergic to all of the above; but never did anything about it. I would never have known if I hadn't tried paleo and had such fantastic results.


So at the moment, I'm living paleo lifestyle effortlessly. If I eat out at a restaurant I get a bigass steak. I never feel the urge to cheat and eat pastries or bread or milkshakes. I miss none of it.

edwardkim85

Yes. Through Crossfit.

It's ok.

Top athletes like rich froning do not follow a 'paleo' diet.

It's just like any other diet.

Kaelitr0n

Going Paleo has been the best decision I've ever made. I made the switch in August of last year and will never look back. I'm dropping weight consistently, never feel deprived with my food options, and I've never felt better mentally or physically as I do right now.

twixlepennie

I tried primal for a while (paleo + dairy). I developed really bad body odor and breath. Didn't notice any positive changes either, in the way I felt, so I quit doing it. It's also VERY expensive-I was spending more on my food, than I was for my family of 4! Now I'm back to eating the foods I enjoy and not restricting any food groups. I'm happy, healthy and eating in a way that's sustainable for me, for the next 40+ years

mlogantra76

I do primal most of the time but not all of the time. This way of eating helps me get enough protein and fats in my diet and not overload on carbs. I do still eat carbs though especially when I have a "treat" meal. For me personally, I do need some carbs to fuel my exercise(running, etc...).

SunofaBeach14

It is an unnecessarily strict diet and unnecessarily strict diets often interfere with diet adherence.

ndj1979

It is an unnecessarily strict diet and unnecessarily strict diets often interfere with diet adherence.

this

ndj1979

Going Paleo has been the best decision I've ever made. I made the switch in August of last year and will never look back. I'm dropping weight consistently, never feel deprived with my food options, and I've never felt better mentally or physically as I do right now.

congrats on finding a way to create a calorie deficit….

You don't feels deprived but are eliminating whole food groups..? Interesting...

rosanna421

I have attempted it, however it was too difficult since I couldnt elminate dairy since I rely on dairy as a big part of my protein source, i'd rather "eat clean" than to go on paleo, i didnt have trouble eliminating grains, however you sometimes need to use whole grains since plants tend to be very fiberous and make it difficult eat as much of them.

chljlleal

It is an unnecessarily strict diet and unnecessarily strict diets often interfere with diet adherence.

Depends on why you have to adhere to the diet!

I have to be gluten free so a primal diet isn't that far a jump. To be honest I do miss nice bread but have suffered the consequences of testing the intolerance.

I don't go as low carb as some do, I love my fruit and veggies too much.

kiittenforever

I'm considering going paleo - how much weight have people lost so far and how long have you been on the paleo diet/ lifestyle?

TheMrsCole

I followed the paleo guidelines for three months. However I was exercising and watching calories and I did not notice a difference between eating by the strict guidelines of paleo and eating my everyday normal foods. It was very limiting for me. I did find quite a few recipes that I still use today but I would rather have a diet where I can eat a bowl of cereal if I would like versus a diet where I pretty much have to cook constantly. Some people just don't have time for that.

amy1612

I tried paleo and found it worked really well, I dont really eat wheat/gluten due to intolderances, though I did miss dairy. I had plenty of energy (I made sure to eat enough calories, carbs etc) and enjoyed the food. After a while I reintroduced dairy and legumes (I love chickpeas etc) and now pretty much just eat to fit my macros though the majority of food I eat is still classed as fitting a 'paleo' template.

If it works for you, great. But dont get sucked into the dogma or craziness that can arise from following a restrictive 'diet'. I didnt start paleo to lose weight, I thought it would be a good way to encourage my self to eat more fresh fruit, veg and meat after living off a studenty diet of lentils and tinned fish form months and ending up really run down. And it did, I started eating much more fresh food and cooking well for myself which has continued despite not being 'paleo' anymore.

naariel

I'm slowly going primal/paleo. Not on purpose at first. I have a gluten, rice and dairy free diet, for medical reasons (gluten and dairy ; rice because I never could digest it for some reason). I ended up following some paleo recipes because they match my diet possibilities. Also, I struggled to eat enough proteins and paleo has a great protein focus. Without changing anything, I had only two differences with a primal diet (a bit more with a paleo diet). One is legume consumption. And even then, they're "OK-ish" from what I learned, in the primal diet. (Not paleo though.) Second, I ate quite a lot of fruits. Now I'm eating less fruits because they were a bit responsible for my protein struggle (they make me full but lack proteins and fats, so let's resume "they make me empty-full") and more eggs and meat. Since I struggle less with proteins, I abandonned legumes. I only ate them because of proteins anyway, I never was fond of their taste.

I'm feeling way better since I don't eat gluten and dairy (but's that's normal since I'm sick with them so that could not apply to everyone), and since I started following some primal rules I feel even better because I'm not always lacking proteins. (At the worst, it was difficult to stand, my legs felt like cotton and supporting my own weight was difficult enough. I could barely lift anything and I don't mean like heavy weights, just groceries, and was absolutely incapable of doing exercise like plank etc. because my arms couldn't support more than a few lbs and I was trembling and down in 2 seconds - not exaggerating.)

I guess the only remaining step toward a primal diet, for me, is to actually call my diet "primal".

JoRocka

I dabbled as an experiment.

I liked it- but it wasn't sustainable- which is an issue.

dmt4641

I tried it for a while this summer and lost weight quickly and actually went down to a weight I hadn't seen since before kids. However, I found it too restricting and not manageable for the long term. After I stopped paleo, I binged on all the foods I couldn't eat (cake, doughnuts, cookies) for a while and gained it all back. This showed me that restricting too much is not good for me, and I have to include the foods I love in moderation for any eating plan to stick.

How did I feel? - like total crap the first few days when my carbs were much lower than usual, then felt better. However, I found that my performance in the gym declined. There were actually a few days where my blood sugar got too low and had to quit in the middle of a personal training session. I even tried to up my carbs by eating more sweet potatoes, etc, but I still felt like I had less energy in the gym.

At the end of the day, I learn from my paleo experiment that eating protein, veggies and healthy fats in my meals kept me full for longer. I lost weight because I ate only protein and veggies which made me full and therefore I ate less calories. I continue to try and make my meals with protein and veggies, but will still eat pasta, bread, rice, etc. too.

chani8

I love doing the Primal/paleo thing. It feels so . . . earthy.

It saves me money as I buy almost no processed foods, just protein, tons of veggies, nuts/seeds, and a little dairy.

It's so easy because I eat a very simple menu, nothing fancy.

If you don't like baking and fancy recipes, this is for you.

If you think you need stuff that looks and tastes like processed food, then it's probably going to take up a lot of your time and money.

The way to really look at this lifestyle is to ask, what did my ancestors eat? Did they really add coconut oil and butter to their coffee or eat gluten free noodles? Not likely. So just keep it simple, basic, healthy, and you'll do fine.