Paleo or South Beach?

mrsmarit

Hey,

I am new to My Fitness Pal and have been scoping out the boards, blogs, etc. I am a Registered Dietitian (I know, "Do as I say, not as I do", right? I had issues that kept me immobile and the weight crept up). I find it helpful to be part of a group, as in Weight Watchers, other groups like this, as they are a big motivator for me. RDs are human, too, and some of us have the same weight problems as everybody here.

I have read an awful lot of diet misinformation here. Please do your research, or better yet, see an RD to help you. As others have said, most MDs don't get nutrition training in school, and are fonts, just fonts, of misinformation.

I would agree that any eating plan, or "diet" that cuts out whole groups (unless diagnosed gluten-free or lactose intolerant or any weird metabolic condition), is not healthy. As far as constipation, if that is your only GI issue, then whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc will help that. Starches will not constipate you, unless you replace fibrous foods with them. The recommendation for fiber in the diet is 25-35 grams daily. See what your diet has-it takes effort and planning for most folks to get that much fiber in. See where you stand. If forced to choose a "diet", I vote South Beach (not Atkins, way too restrictive). SB is also restrictive, but it's the lesser of the two evils, as far as I'm concerned.

A final thought, I see an awful lot of mean-spirited comments on this blog. Why so contentious? It would be more helpful to the original poster to be kind, not hateful. People disagree, but that doesn't mean that you need to belittle them. The reason for this post was for help. So, let's help.

No one is being hateful.. just honest and blunt. Diets don't work and why should we encourage someone to use something that will more than likely fail.

Velum_cado

Top tip: Avoid anything called "The ____________ Diet".

Eat sensibly, watch your calories and nutritional information, get plenty of exercise.

psuLemon

Let me answer a few questions:

1. I am not starting a "diet" JUST to lose weight. I am looking to totally revamp the way I eat because I have digestive and colon issues following pregnancy and childbirth. The fact that I have 100 lbs. really has very little to do with my reasons for wanting to make this "lifestyle change." And yes- IT HAS TO BE a lifestyle change. I don't have an option.

2. My doctor recommended South Beach because it has most of the elements of healthy eating he thinks I should stick to. However, he also specifically said "NO bread, NO pasta, NO rice." If we're going to be blunt here- I have battled severe constipation and all of the wonderful other things that come with it (like hemorrhoids) for the last year.

3. I am NOT subscribing to either of these plans completely. Paleo can't offer the fiber I need, and South Beach starts introducing breads, etc. after a few weeks. Either way, I'm going to have to deviate from the plan.

4. I am borderline diabetic. A few months more of the way I have been eating and I will be an official member of the type 2 club.

5. NONE of these problems arose until I got pregnant. I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted and have a glorious bowel movement 20 minutes later- like clockwork. Now, I could write a BOOK on the issues I have. My doctor and I were really hoping that things would go back to normal after I had my daughter 6 months ago, but they haven't. Many of the digestive issues I have are now permanent, and eating certain foods (or not eating enough fiber) puts me in massive amounts of pain that make it hard to get through the day. I stopped breastfeeding a couple of months ago and decided to hold off on making any diet choices until my body had time to fully bounce back. I thought that maybe some of my issues were hormonal in nature and that they would settle once I stopped breastfeeding. They didn't. So now I am ready to make this change and get to the bottom of my problems. I will be tested for gluten intolerance soon, as well as for food allergies.

6. I was on Weight Watchers for weight loss alone when I found out I was pregnant. I lost around 30 lbs., so I am well aware of the success rate of calorie restriction, eating smaller portions, etc. I loved Weight Watchers because I was able to eat anything I wanted in moderation, of course. I can't do it now.

The good news is, you know a lot of what you can't eat and for specific reason. Right there is already beneficial. With that said, the number of calories and exercise is going to be a major contributing factor on what percentage of your micronutrients we would suggest. For the most part, it may be beneficial to start between 50-100g of net carbs (receiving the majority or all of your carbs from veggies and some fruits). In many cases that can workout to be 10-25% of your calories from carbs, leaving the rest for protein/fats. The fact that you have 100 lbs to lose, you can sustain a 1000 calorie deficit. In fact, below is an estimated breakout of what you can aim for in terms of weight loss. If you have a goal of 2lbs a week and feel hungry fairly often, I would suggest reducing your deficit to allow more calories. In many cases, this reduces binging.


Next, exercise... at this point, I don't know your limitations but if possible mild cardio and resistance training should be used. The resistance training will be beneficial for you as it will not only help reduce the amount of muscle you lose, but it will also improve bone density, make you stronger (to support your body) and more importantly, help maintain your metabolic rate. But these should all be in the boundaries of your current capabilities.




If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

navyrigger46

Why are you starting a diet? Diets are temporary, and why does it have to have a name and eliminate food? Cant you just eat ALL the foods in moderation?

Rigger

Did you not read the "lifestyle change" part? Oh right, most of the posters didn't bother to read the whole post.

I read the whole thing, and just how is your comment relevant? Just because someone throws down the Lifestyle card doesn't mean moderation is a bad idea, and overly restrictive diets are a good idea. :huh: My comment stands.

Rigger

I don't really see how your original comment was relevant at all? Can a person not use the word "diet" when truly what we eat everyday is considered our "diet" even if we aren't restricting calories? Not sure how it is helpful to the OP to tell her to eat ALL foods in moderation when her doctor told her not to.

She used the word in commenting about two well known "diet" plans. Do you seriously need a lesson in reading comprehension?

Rigger

parkscs

She used the word in commenting about two well known "diet" plans. Do you seriously need a lesson in reading comprehension?

What matters for long-term success is your long-term outlook. Getting all upset over someone using the word "diet' is just silly.

There is absolutely no reason someone cannot follow a structured diet while cutting weight and then decide to do something else in the future to either continue cutting weight or to remain at their maintenance calories. It's a fallacy that you need to cut weight in a way that you will follow for the rest of your life and I'll never understand why this is repeated so often on these forums. It doesn't matter whether you call it a diet or a lifestyle change - you can even call it getting secksified, so long as your focus is on your long-term success. Many people alter their macronutrient intake while cutting weight and then readjust their macros at maintenance or while bulking; following a structured diet while cutting weight is no different. What's important is that you recognize that weight loss, weight maintenance and your overall health don't go away if and when you stop following your structured diet.

Mr_Knight

Here are some of the things I need in whatever diet I choose:

I'm going to be bluntly honest with you, OP - by starting out like that you are setting yourself up for failure, big time. If you really want a "lifestyle" change, neither "paleo" nor SoBe qualify, as those are highly restrictive diets that the vast majority of people cannot sustain.

Start by tracking your calories, because you will almost certainly have to do that no matter what arbitrary food restrictions you end up placing on yourself. If you can't track the calories you're eating, you're screwed anyway, so nail that FIRST before worrying about what to eat.

Good luck!

bcattoes

She used the word in commenting about two well known "diet" plans. Do you seriously need a lesson in reading comprehension?

What matters for long-term success is your long-term outlook. Getting all upset over someone using the word "diet' is just silly.

There is absolutely no reason someone cannot follow a structured diet while cutting weight and then decide to do something else in the future to either continue cutting weight or to remain at their maintenance calories. It's a fallacy that you need to cut weight in a way that you will follow for the rest of your life and I'll never understand why this is repeated so often on these forums. It doesn't matter whether you call it a diet or a lifestyle change - you can even call it getting secksified, so long as your focus is on your long-term success. Many people alter their macronutrient intake while cutting weight and then readjust their macros at maintenance or while bulking; following a structured diet while cutting weight is no different. What's important is that you recognize that weight loss, weight maintenance and your overall health don't go away if and when you stop following your structured diet.

Well said!!