Paleo or South Beach?

bcattoes

Might I suggest the wonderful world of IIFIYM?

You would be able to custom tailor the foods you want to eat without having digestive issues. Sounds like you just need to pre-log food for the day.

A diet with a name??? :noway:

survivor1952

Just my two cents...Believe me I have tried every "diet" out there. I have finally had an epiphany and erased the word DIET from my mind. Quit DIETING. This isn't something you are going to do for so many weeks or months. This is something you are changing forever. You are doing a lifestyle change in order to be successful & stay successful. Two step simple - lower your calorie intake & move more! Once you shed the DIET mentality and focus on a new eating lifestyle you will have this made. I never use that 4 letter word (diet) anymore.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

ascrit

The point that eludes you guys is my point is when a doctor says stop eating all carbs and gluten, and it works, it really is not very helpful. So, my suggestion is for the OP to eventually work to learn the specific issue, rather than a large ridiculous belief that an entire macronutrient is 'bad for her'. It may not even be the case at all. It's what they call a false positive result. You think it's carbs and gluten, it might be neither, really.

And my point is that there is little utility to knowing WHY and that you would be the kind of patient that would go through any time of expense and misery and doctor shopping to know WHY...even though a simple solution resolves your issues. Knowing WHY isn't always possible, for a variety of reasons I've already stated. And you don't have to give up on a food forever. You have a false impression of the elimination diet. You slowly add suspect foods back into your diet after a period of abstinence, and track your symptoms.

That's what I was saying. Thanks for reiterating it.

Except for the "not knowing why part". That's not a smart way to approach eliminating a bunch of stuff, including an entire macro-nutrient, from your diet. But, do whatever you want. i'm tired of arguing with people that are close-minded and can't see past their forehead. Data is data. You can do research, learn, and explore. you don't have to spend thousands at a doctors office. in fact, I advocate not doing that, because doctors tend to be kind of campy with their silly watered-down pop-science advice.

Hilarious.

HardcoreP0rk

Data is data. You can do research, learn, and explore. you don't have to spend thousands at a doctors office. in fact, I advocate not doing that, because doctors tend to be kind of campy with their silly watered-down pop-science advice.

I guess all those "Evidence-Based Medicine" courses I took at the Boston University School of Medicine were worthless. Damn those physicians and their silly pop-science.

LiftAllThePizzas

Also just to point out I have been on the MFP site for a couple of weeks now and they are really helpful, and to date no-one has provided any documented studies or evidence that the primal blue print does not reduce body fat or maintain lean mass - so that would suggest it works.

to date no-one has provided any documented studies or evidence that the Count Chocula Diet does not reduce body fat or maintain lean mass - so that would suggest it works.

tennisdude2004

Also just to point out I have been on the MFP site for a couple of weeks now and they are really helpful, and to date no-one has provided any documented studies or evidence that the primal blue print does not reduce body fat or maintain lean mass - so that would suggest it works.

to date no-one has provided any documented studies or evidence that the Count Chocula Diet does not reduce body fat or maintain lean mass - so that would suggest it works.

Lol.????????

krisbeck1982

whenever i need a jumpstart or break a plateau i go back to south-beach diet phase 1 for 2 weeks. i like it because it helps retrain your mind how to think about what you are eating. i do not find it restrictive at all. the first 3 days are pretty horrible though, i just felt foggy the entire time as my body learned to live without sugar for a little bit.
i also like it because results are pretty quick, which is a great kick-off motivator.
after i feel like i've broken through the plateau i'll just go back to MFP and logging,etc and that usually works for me.

breeshabebe

Might I suggest the wonderful world of IIFIYM?

You would be able to custom tailor the foods you want to eat without having digestive issues. Sounds like you just need to pre-log food for the day.

A diet with a name??? :noway:

Everybody run!!!

(Or lift, because it's the only acceptable exercise.)

agentventi

I have done both. I followed South beach for 3 years. I then switched to paleo. I lost weight on both, can't say one is better than the other. I did get leaner on Paleo than south beach but I think any time you start really paying attention to what you are eating and the calories you will probably lose weight. I follow a 80/20 paleo approach now.

lindsey1979

Hello all!
I am currently in my first week of my weight loss journey and am trying to figure out what diet plan will work best for me. I have 100 lbs. to lose and am looking to make a lifestyle change in the way I eat. Originally, my doctor recommended the South Beach diet. However, I have been hearing great things regarding Paleo and am not quite sure what direction I want to go in.
Right now I am trying to get together a good menu for the next couple of weeks- so I am a clean slate! I can pretty much go in either direction. Here are some of the things I need in whatever diet I choose:

-No bread, rice, pasta, and as few gluten products as possible.
-High in fiber (I have severe colon issues following childbirth)
-I love seafood- and I live in Louisiana, so I have access to a variety of fresh seafood.
-Low sugar- still a little fuzzy on what fruits constitute as "low in sugar" and would be the best for me digestively

I am also hoping that, along with losing weight, this new lifestyle change will result in better digestive health for me. I am looking for a COMPLETE overhaul of my colon.

So, which plan would you recommend? Paleo or South Beach? Thanks!

FWIS, I've been eating Primal, which is sort of a variation of Paleo, or some people call it Paleo-permissive. For example, with Primal, you can eat dairy if it agrees with you (don't have any adverse issues with lactose, casein, etc.), though they aim for full-fat varieties over low fat versions (cream, butter, cheese, full-fat yogurt, whole milk, etc.). But strict paleo adherents will say no dairy at all. For more info on Primal, check out marksdailyapple.com

I find that I just feel waaaay better eating Primal, and I think that's something you'll find with a lot of people who love the Paleo/Primal lifestyle. However, I now understand why it feels so much better to me. After years of bouts of major fatigue and weight gain/difficulty losing weight, the only thing that had helped was switching to Primal. Although the fatigue had gotten better, I was still really struggling with losing weight (I had a good 30-40 lbs to lose). After eating at a deficit of 700+ calories/day and not losing any weight, my doctor was finally convinced to look into it further. He finally believed me and that "eat less and move more" wasn't enough for me and something was up.

A few specialists later, and I was diagnosed with both Hashimoto's thyroiditis (thyroid condition) and insulin resistance. Primal works great for Hashi's as it's an autoimmune disorder and they think is triggered by certain foods -- gluten seems to be the most popular of the suspected culprits.

I suspect that a lot of people that love Primal have experiences like mine -- they've had undiagnosed conditions for years -- either digestive issues, thyroid issues, lymph issues, etc., but they haven't been severe enough to be diagnosed by their doctors. They start Paleo/Primal and all of a sudden a lot of their symptoms clear up and they feel awesome.

As for weight loss, I know a lot of people that have done great body recomp and weight loss through Primal eating and exercise, though that may be accomplished just easily with a similar macro level. Usually, for Primal people, it ends up being a high fat, moderate protein and low-ish carb diet. The carbs are adjustable based on whether you want to lose fat (then lower the carbs) or are already at a good weight and just want to maintain or gain muscle or focus on performance (then can have more carbs). Eating Primally just sort of lends itself to these macros generally since you're really only getting your carbs from vegetables, some fruits and occasional starchy carbs like sweet potatoes.

I cook Primally, and I don't find it difficult at all. Vegetables, often in butter or coconut oil, tons of herbs, full-fat cheeses, tons of protein (love me a good steak), fruit on occasion (I'm low carbing it for the insulin resistance so I limit my fruit intake), dark chocolate on occasion, certain nuts (almonds, macadamia, etc.), bacon, etc. Shoot, I make a mean vodka sauce and instead of serving over pasta, I use spaghetti squash -- it's really good.

So, yeah, you're giving up grains so if you're a big bread, pasta or baked goods/sweets person, that part may be difficult. I have dark chocolate from time to time and I find that satisfies my sweet tooth. But, personally, I don't miss the bread, pasta, rice, etc. at all anymore. If I want to do something that they'd normally be served over -- like my penne alla vodka or a nice curry, I just make the sauce and serve it over spaghetti squash. I find it to be an awesome sauce delivery vehicle.

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

lizziebeth1028

Hello all!
I am currently in my first week of my weight loss journey and am trying to figure out what diet plan will work best for me. I have 100 lbs. to lose and am looking to make a lifestyle change in the way I eat. Originally, my doctor recommended the South Beach diet. However, I have been hearing great things regarding Paleo and am not quite sure what direction I want to go in.
Right now I am trying to get together a good menu for the next couple of weeks- so I am a clean slate! I can pretty much go in either direction. Here are some of the things I need in whatever diet I choose:

-No bread, rice, pasta, and as few gluten products as possible.
-High in fiber (I have severe colon issues following childbirth)
-I love seafood- and I live in Louisiana, so I have access to a variety of fresh seafood.
-Low sugar- still a little fuzzy on what fruits constitute as "low in sugar" and would be the best for me digestively

I am also hoping that, along with losing weight, this new lifestyle change will result in better digestive health for me. I am looking for a COMPLETE overhaul of my colon.

So, which plan would you recommend? Paleo or South Beach? Thanks!

Congrats on your decision to make a Lifestyle change!! The first thing you need to do is ditch the 'which diet' mentality. Do you really plan on not eating bread, rice, pasta or gluten for the rest of your life. Heck I know I don't!! Learn portion control and moderation and eat foods that you enjoy. That's not a license to eat cookies for dinner (been there done that)....it just means DON'T eliminate entire foods groups from your daily diet because you think it's the key to weight loss.
1 - let MFP set your calorie intake goal
2 - stick to that goal like glue, log everything accurately and honestly
3 - eat foods that you love in sensible portions

Stay consistent and you'll get there!

bcattoes

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

tennisdude2004

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

I think we all know why it's no to beans - erm Blazing Saddles!

dayone987

Thanks for the advice, everyone! Looks like I have some homework to do!

To be clear, neither of these fad diets has "exactly" the plan I am looking to follow- I need the high fiber that Paleo can't offer, and I can't eat the breads, pastas, etc. that South Beach starts introducing after a couple of weeks. I was on Weight Watchers before I got pregnant- and I LOVED it. I lost 25 lbs. and felt great- and I was still eating foods that I loved. I was lucky back then- had no digestive issues and could eat whatever I wanted and have a bowel movement 20 minutes later. Now, if I so much as LOOK at a piece of bread my body shuts down. Nothing is the same as it was before and I am MISERABLE. It isn't just the weight anymore.

Anyway, I will look into some of the websites and "clean eating" resources you guys suggested. I think this might be my best bet. Also- to the person who suggested a licensed dietician- thanks! I go to a colon hydrotherapist and she is also a licensed dietician. I actually texted her as soon as I saw your post;) (don't know why it didn't occur to me to just call her in the first place).
Thanks for the help yall!

What is a colon hydro-therapist!!?

I know a lot of Registered Dietitians ( i.e. they have a degree). Are you sure that your person is a dietitian not a nutritionist?

smkean

I am on ketogenic diet for health reasons (hyposthyroidism) its v similar to the paleo apparently.
It took me a little while to get in the swing of this diet but i am fine and happy now (minus the cookie cravings!) so i personally would go for the paleo out of the two you have suggested.

lindsey1979

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

bcattoes

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

lindsey1979

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract. That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

dayone987

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

Key word is "some".
Not really a basis for all people to eliminate from their diet as most Paleo absolutists would recommend.

AlannaD1990

I tried Paleo. I had heard really good things and in theory it made a lot of sense. but like you, I was a begginer and personally I found the diet being so strict was really hard to follow, and although I had the best intension i was often falling off track. If you have a family thats not following your diet, paleo is easy to get sabotaged too!

I just eat clean and carb cycle ... seems to be working well.

If your just starting your journey I'd say start with small changes like not eating out, not eating processed ready in 2 minutes foods, chosing whole grains, avoiding dressings/dips/moisnaise/ketchup and enjoy fresh foods with spices and then work your way up to a diet like Paleo?

Although i have to say, when I removed dairy from my diets I noticed a difference immediately. So Thank you paleo for that!

njitaliana

I love South Beach Diet. I lost 126 doing it before, which I kept off for quite a while, until several injuries and illnesses resulted in gaining back the weight. I am now back on South Beach Diet.

SBD is not a restrictive diet. I have wheat allergies, so I eat wheat-free bread, crackers and pasta. All are whole grain, as SBD recommends whole grains, not refined grains. There are several gluten-free choices you can have and still eat your grains. I'm not sure why you want to go totally grain-free, but South Beach Diet doesn't recommend going grain-free. I eat three servings of whole grains every day.

If you aren't going to eat any grains, you will have to eat a lot of beans to get enough fiber, in addition to fruits and vegetables. South Beach recommends 5.5 servings of veggies each day, in addition to fruits. 1/2 cup of beans is one serving, and SBD recommends having at least that much each day.

You can eat seafood every day on South Beach if you choose. It's low in calories and low in saturated fats.

South Beach Diet recommends sticking to naturally-occurring sugars, such as the natural fruit sugar in whole fruits; the naturally occurring milk sugar in low-fat or fat-free dairy products, and so forth. They don't recommend using added sugar. Stevia works well to sweeten things. It's not an artificial sweetener and it doesn't raise blood sugar levels.

I had IBS for years and years. After 4 months on SBD, it went away completely. Once I got injured and stopped eating right, I got IBS back. So, I find it works well for digestive issues.

Someone here said SBD is some quack diet that is restrictive, but it's obvious that person never did SBD and has no idea what it's about. I'm doing SBD on the advice of my family doctor, my GI doctor and my diet doctor. It's a healthy well-balanced diet.

bcattoes

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract. That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

First of all, vegetarians do not eat an all vegetable diet.

Vegetarian diet is considered one of the healthiest because statistically people who eat vegetarian or Mediterranean diets are the healthiest people. This is proved true over and over, regardless of who is included (just in case you were about to say they were only compared to "SAD" eaters).

lindsey1979

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

Key word is "some".
Not really a basis for all people to eliminate from their diet as most Paleo absolutists would recommend.

You should never listen to absolutists in any forum, whether Paleo or not. But, there is a reason they choose to eliminate them, regardless of whether it individually affects each and everyone of them. And if they can get their nutritional needs met through other sources, who cares? Who cares if they avoid beans because of the lectins issue or because they just don't like the taste of them? You can decide differently. But that doesn't make their choice (1) a lie or (2) based on pseudoscience.

I know it's a crazy thought around here -- but reasonable people can disagree.

njitaliana

No, it's not. See my other post.

Is South Beach really all that restrictive?

lindsey1979

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract. That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

First of all, vegetarians do not eat an all vegetable diet.

Vegetarian diet is considered one of the healthiest because statistically people who eat vegetarian or Mediterranean diets are the healthiest people. This is proved true over and over, regardless of who is included (just in case you were about to say they were only compared to "SAD" eaters).

That may be one of the less educated applications of science ever.

All whales are mammals, thus all mammals must be whales. Talk about failing to understand correlation and causation.

lindsey1979

No, it's not. See my other post.

Is South Beach really all that restrictive?

I also don't think Primal (a variation of Paleo) is very restrictive either, at least I feel like it's great. But, I'm also not a big bread, pasta, rice fan, so cutting grains wasn't a big deal for me, which is probably the biggest restriction on the diet.

nicolegrimes35

I love to carb cycle! It's the only thing in this whole weight loss journey for me that has made sense, and worked, I mean really worked!!! But you have to figure out what works best for you!

bcattoes

I'm not sure why Paleo/Primal gets so much gruff on this site, but I love it and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I will give gruff to any diet that says beans are unhealthy. It's a lie.

Have you read any of the research on lectins? I believe that's the primary reason Paleo/Primal tries to avoid them.

I have. Have you seen all research showing legume rich diets like vegetarian and Mediterranean to be the healthiest?

Most heatlhy foods have toxins. Our bodies are well equipped to deal with them.

I think that's true, but I also believe based on findings I've read that some people have considerable reaction to lectins.

As for vegetarians being the healthiest, that's just crazy. Humans are not herbivores. We do not have the GI tract and related organs to consume an all vegetable diet -- we do not have the advantages that cows and koalas have in their GI tract. That's only been possible in modern times where food is in abundance and adequate protein sources have been mobilized from vegetarian sources.

So, yeah, anyone that thinks vegetarian diet is the healthiest, I'm going to strongly disagree with on a purely biological basis.

First of all, vegetarians do not eat an all vegetable diet.

Vegetarian diet is considered one of the healthiest because statistically people who eat vegetarian or Mediterranean diets are the healthiest people. This is proved true over and over, regardless of who is included (just in case you were about to say they were only compared to "SAD" eaters).

That may be one of the less educated applications of science ever.

All whales are mammals, thus all mammals must be whales. Talk about failing to understand correlation and causation.

Um, no.

I didn't say all vegetarians were healthy or that all diets were vegetarian or that "all" anything... But when you have milliions of people eating a food as a dietary staple and remaining healthy, that DOES mean the food is not "unhealthy."

Spewze72

I have a few issues with fructose and with wheat, plus I have chronic reflux, so I am strict about moderating certain things in my diet. But other than that, I eat what I want and stay within my calorie allowance over a 7 day period. So far I'm losing weight consistently, my spastic intestines, oesophageal spasm and reflux aren't giving me any trouble, and I still have the "bad" stuff occasionally...avoids me feeling starved/bored/deprived so I can stick with it more easily.

I've done the faddy diets, in my experience they just don't last. But good luck, whatever path you try, and I hope you feel better soon!!